First off I will tell you this unit is for more advanced GPS users. The Magellan GPS world centers around Mapsend software, Topo3D for topography maps, and DirectRoute for streets. You need this software to take advantage and use the eXplorist to it to its full potential! Maps are not pre loaded, if you want a GPS with pre loaded stuff and want to have one like the tom-tom ones you need to pay upwards of 400+ . I have logged over 3000 miles on my GPS in one month! It had been very good to me and only crashed twice and once is becuase I over did a few things and another was becuase a list was ungodly long and I got impatient with it. But so far it has been very stable so far as software is.I Love the GOTO route feature it is very easy to use all you have to do it define a POI and then click GOTO and it will give you turn by turn directions! (complete step: search for it in address, or any other field> provide info where field requests>save>then use GOTO to do it!) The manual is very good and it is very easy to follow I suggest you read it before you use it! Please! and so far is reliability goes, The eXplorist has been very accurate and picks very aggressive routes, it picks the quickest instead of easiest, but don't you want to get there as quick as possible anyways!? I like the routes it chooses and for a trip from little rock arkansas to 30 miles west of marietta oh it had us going (start from louisville KY where I had detailed map start)took me through cincinatti and east on 32 instead of having me go through TN,VA,and WV and I am glad becuase it would have added 2 hours more driving time and it was very late at night! It picks very good routes! I will note that the software I got is 3 years old and it don't show alot of the newer roads but it tries! also a neat feature on the compass screen is two fields, you can click menu and customize and you can select the field, and then you can scroll down and add the ETA and it will tell you the time you will get to your final destination but you must first define a GOTO route! oher useful features are that it mounts like a pen drive so you can easily drag and drop your maps onto it that you have created with directroute and topo3d! the software is very easy to use, and making regions and uploading them are very easy! it's also handy when your internet connection is down or you have no net access if you just moved to the area or are on the road with a laptop!