Reviews of the Magellan Crossover.

[Winky]

I was just kicking back reading the latest Overland Journal (they keep getting better!) and was overjoyed to find a GPS article. I am looking to replace my dated eTrex for a larger unit with auto-routing capabilities. I want it to be rugged for off roading, hiking, and some kayaking, but mostly I want it for daily navigation as I drive somewhere new for work daily and am sick of trying to navigate off dated maps.
I have always been partial to Garmin for no particular reason then brand recognition. After reading Mr. Sheppards article I am giving serious consideration to the Magellan Crossover due to its auto-routing capability. From the article I gather it is superior to the the Garmin in this area. Yet I remeber hearing about a lack of support and software updates for Magellan products. I am now looking for reviews from other users. I am also open to suggestions of other units that you think would fit my needs. I appreciate the help.

Josh

P.S. also where to buy would be great.

 

[Scott Brady]

I have the CrossOver in the Discovery, and like it so much that I plan to permanently mount it in the vehicle. For CONUS, there are few units that offer the ease of use, interface quality and route finding performance of the CrossOver. Certainly not anywhere near the price point.

I did have the unit lock-up once, while it sat running inside the vehicle in the sun and heat. I did a hard restart and it was fine. There is a cool feature on the main menu page that shows the battery condition or charging and also shows if the unit is too cold or too hot (little flame or snowflake symbols).

I just really like the compact size, extreme storage capability with an SD card and auto routing performance. I would use a laptop and Ozi or Overland Navigator for any detail navigation.

It gets my vote.

 

[elcoyote]

I have the Magellan Crossover in my Comanche. I replaced an original Street Pilot. I like the ease of use for street navigation It has locked up twice on me. Once when I first turned it on and just the other day. It's easy to reset and locked back on satellites right away. I have had the unit since August and have used it in all modes except for Maritime. I ran a trip from SoCal to British Columbia and it was my faithful and reliable companion on both sides of the border. It's quite fast at finding routes based upon input directions and the data base of POIs (Points of Interest) such as hotels, stores etc is quite good. I have used the Outdoor (Topo) mode to find many a spot including the elusive Expedition Trophy campsite at night. I'm in Las Vegas today for SEMA and it quickly found the nearest Trader Joes for me. While I would not call this the most sophisticated unit , it certainly quite adequate for most North American overland travel and is a far cry from my first GPS unit, the Magellan Trail Blazer. IMO you can't beat the price/functionality ratio. I got mine online at Costco.com It works well with Expert GPS, my favorite software. Being and old salt though, I still carry a map & compass and refer to them often.

 

[hattrik21]

I'm looking at this unit as well. I did find this review of it if anyone wants to read it.

http://gpstracklog.typepad.com/gps_tracklog/2007/01/magellan_crosso.html

 

[whitethaiger]

...After reading Mr. Sheppards article I am giving serious consideration to the Magellan Crossover due to its auto-routing capability.....

I believe this was covered in the article by Chris Marzonie, not Mr. Sheppard.

 

[Dave]

http://gpstracklog.typepad.com/gps_tracklog/2007/01/magellan_crosso.html

There is no option to show your estimated time of arrival, nor does it show time remaining to your final destination. Instead, the CrossoverGPS shows time remaining to your next maneuver.

Is that still the case or has a firmware update added this capability?

Looks like a good unit, may have to put one on my Christmas list.

 

[Scott Brady]

Mine shows time and miles to destination and miles to next maneuver.

 

[elcoyote]

Mine shows time and miles to destination and miles to next maneuver.

Mine too.

 

[Winky]

I believe this was covered in the article by Chris Marzonie, not Mr. Sheppard.

I apoligize you're 100% correct. I didn't realize they were two different articles. Credit where credit is due... thank you Mr. Marzonie.

 

[Winky]

Thanks for the reviews. I think I am sold after this thread and some researching last night. Sounds like the perfect Christmas gift to myself... err after I buy everyone else on my list something of course.:shakin:

Josh