Magellan CrossoverGPS

Reviewed by: NicholasMacer

Duration of ownership:

Strengths: The idea looks great on paper. Street mapping performance is better then other waterproof models I've used.

Weaknesses: Outdoor mode suffers. No hiking capabilities to speak of, while other 'automotive only' units perform better for cheaper.

Overall Evaluation: I bought an explorist XL with the pricey Magellan 'street maps' software years ago and was utterly disgusted by its performance. So when my most recent GPS was stolen from my car, I was shocked to find the Magellan 'Crossover' on the top of the review list for waterproof (actually, only splash-proof in this case) GPS units capable of street routing, as well as mapping on the trail. I was reluctant to give Magellan any more $$ after my bad explorist XL experience and I should've listened to my instincts rather than internet reviews.As a street routing GPS unit it performs well. The interface is intuitive, the satellite acquisition is fast-ish (though pretty weak through buildings) the navigation is fairly smart (for maps that are three years old) and it has handy text-to-speech. As a trail unit it is worthless. It has no POIs except the street map POIs, which is great if you want to hike to Taco Bell, but not much use in the back country. The search feature can't even find landmarks named on the map! While a 'parks' category does exist, campgrounds and waterways are not included in that category. Marine maps can be purchased, at additional charge, however, no maps exist for Alaska, where I live. Detailed hiking maps were promised at unit launch, and are available in Europe, Canada, and Mexico, but do not exist for any of the united states. Other reviews I have read charge that the crossover is too bulky for use hiking. I do not find this to be the case. It is about an inch thick, and a bit over half the size of a CD. It's not going to be comfortable in any jeans pocket, but it will fit easily enough into a jacket pocket or day pack, and is not heavy enough to weigh you down at all. Another charge I find unjust is that you cannot access your saved street POIs in outdoor mode. Saved street view POIs are listed as 'addresses' in both 'marine' and 'outdoor' modes, and are easily accessed. In fact this charge is the reverse of truth as I would gladly trade access to street view POIs in outdoor mode for POIs relevant to hiking. Alas, Magellan prefers to again cripples a pretty competent piece of hardware with their useless software offerings.