Welcome to MagellaniPhoneCarKit.com
Transform your iPhone®(3G or 3GS) or iPod touch®(2nd generation) into a complete in-car GPS navigation solution with the Magellan® Premium Car Kit.
Transform your iPhone or iPod touch into a complete GPS navigation solution with the Magellan Premium Car Kit. Simply place your iPhone or iPod touch into the cradle and connect the power.

With the built-in GPS receiver, you'll automatically enhance your iPhone or iPod touch navigation experience. The receiver ensures accurate directions during the your entire route. The cradle even works with most turn by turn applications available today, including the Magellan RoadMate for iPhone App.

The Premium Car Kit connects via Bluetooth to deliver a superior hands-free calling experience. The powerful, amplified speaker delivers crystal clear calls and turn by turn directions. No need to even remove your protective cover - the cradle adjusts to accommodate cases or skins.

Navigate in confidence with the Magellan Premium Car Kit!
  • Turns your iPod touch (2nd Generation) into a GPS Navigator Built-in GPS receiver allows navigation on an iPod touch (2nd Generation).
  • Adjustable mount accommodates most skins and hard cases Accommodates most cases or skins for maximum flexibility when inserting into the cradle. Simply pop your iPhone or iPod touch in the mount and you are ready to go!
  • Rotates for both portrait and landscape use Quickly secure the cradle to your windshield or dashboard and easily adjust for portrait or landscape viewing.
  • Enhanced signal with built in GPS receiver Build in GPS Receiver Enhances Performance. A powerful, sensitive, built-in GPS receiver for fast and accurate directions.
  • In-car charging The cradle automatically powers and charges your iPhone or iPod touch when connected. No need to worry about running out of battery power.
  • Noise cancelling speakerphone For crystal clear calls.
  • Bluetooth hands-free calling Includes a multi-function Bluetooth control button that let's you answer a call, reject a call, connect to your phone, redial the last number, and activate the phone's voice dialing feature (if equipped).
  • Amplified speaker Use the volume control for loud and clear voice guidance.
  • Works with any GPS navigation or location based app The cradle is compatible with most GPS navigation apps.
Product Number AP0300SGXXX GPS Accuracy 10-15 feet (3-5 meters)
UPC code 763357123760 Weight .8 lbs
Package Contents Premium GPS Car Kit Vehicle Mount Adhesive Disc Vehicle Power Adapter Getting Started Guide Compatible Units iPhone 3G. 3GS iPod touch 2G Requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later
Warranty 12 months from purchase date Size 6.1"H x 5.8"W x 2.8"D

Review: Great iPhone GPS solution from Magellan

Magellan Premium Car Kit vs. TomTom Car Kit for iPhone:

I was fortunate enough to be sent a Magellan Premium Car Kit in advance for review and I already have a TomTom Car Kit for iPhone for some time so I like to offer my initial opinion on both of these iPhone enhancement products.

I was initially stunned by the price of this new Magellan Car Kit at the price of $129.99 since I feel these days with the cost of GPS being as low as $59, why would anyone buy an extra piece of hardware for their iPhone at $130?

I’m sure I’m not the only one that feels this way but I thought about it and found I have already invested well over the $130 Magellan is asking for the Car Kit on individual iPhone accessories such as a DC car charger, Bluetooth hands free car kit, windshield /dash mount, protective case (Skin) cover etc. So why am I so surprised when I see this $130 price? I guess part of it is sticker shock, I purchased each accessory individually and the cost of a DC car charger, or a BT hands free car kit from Costco was not over $100 and I guess that was the difference.

Understanding this concept would make you understand better how HP can charge only $1,000 for a laser printer and justify charging $125 each for the replacement ink cartridge and imaging drum etc. I guess it is the convenience of having something already and sticking with what you have.

So with my iPhone 3GS 32 GB, it is the convenience of having everything in one package, my DC car charger, BT hands free car kit, Windshield/Dash mount, amp out speaker and aux audio out option is not more reasonable than if I was to compare it to a $59 PND because the $59 PND cannot do what an iPhone can and the convenience makes all the difference in the world.

OK, enough with my reasoning as to why I can justify buying a $130 Magellan Car Kit and a $119 TomTom Car Kit, besides being extremely passionate about PND’s, this category excites me because I feel the future is in these Mobile Internet Devices (MID) and not so much so as with these PND’s.

When I opened the attractive retail package Magellan sent me, I was not disappointed with the quality and forethoughts that went into the design of this Magellan Car Kit. I’m not saying TomTom’s Car Kit is inferior but what I do find is the Magellan Car Kit offer much more options and feels much more solid than the TomTom Car Kit.

Don’t get me wrong, they both work, but depending on how much you value your iPhone, a protective skin is almost mandatory yet you are unable to use it with the TomTom Car Kit and it requires you to make the extra effort of removing the protective skin or cover before you can mount it into the TomTom Car Kit. In my book that is more wear on your protective cover by having to remove and reinstall each and every time you wish to use your TomTom Car Kit, and also it’s an accident waiting to happen if and when your iPhone slips out of your hand and land on something that will either dent the case or worst cracked the screen. Why take the unnecessary risk and extra time when you can bypass all the trouble by using the Magellan Car Kit?

I don’t work for Magellan nor am I paid by Magellan, I have been a GPS / PND enthusiast for over 15 years and own just about every model GPS that was made available from Garmin Magellan and TomTom, so I have a fair amount of knowledge as to what works and what don’t.

Each of these products have their limitations and strengths, from what I can see the noticeable difference between the TomTom Car Kit and a Magellan Car Kit is obvious.

1] Price = TomTom Car Kit win at $10 less
2] Flexibility = Magellan Car Kit win hands down with not requiring to remove protective covering when mounting into the Car Kit.
3] Volume/Sound Quality = Magellan wins over TomTom on this one since Magellan’s sound quality have more bass and offer better audio quality than the TomTom
4] Using 3rd party GPS applications = Magellan seems to be easier since it does not require you to download the free TomTom Car Kit tool software. I tried it with different applications such as Navigon software, Motion X etc and the Magellan Car Kit appears to function just fine without doing anything but putting your iPhone in the Car Kit and launching the 3rd party applications.
5] Bluetooth sync = It was not as easy for TomTom since the code for pairing is 5555 and not the more standard 0000 or 1234. Magellan sync easily. Once the BT sync they both work.
6] Microphone sound quality = TomTom Car Kit win on this one, the sound quality on the other end of the call is clearer but the audio portion from the Car Kit speaker is not as clear as the Magellan Car Kit.
7] Mounting options = Both have the option to mount to the windshield or on the dash with a dash mount disc, locking the mounting suction cup have different methods, TomTom uses a twist while Magellan utilized the standard tab lever method.
8] Mounting angle option = Although both suction cup offers tons of flexibility as to mounting angles, once the windshield mount is locked into position, the TomTom offers more angles than the Magellan Car Kit, the Magellan Car Kit offer only 90 degrees and 180 degrees mounting angles while TomTom cradle is adjustable to many different angles after the windshield mount is secured. The concern I have here is how long will the moving parts last. TomTom Car Kit offer more option but seems to me that it may also loosen up over time and vibrate or have premature failures.

Overall, I believe it really depends on what you are expecting as to which iPhone Car Kit may be right for you. I would say if you want a more flexible iPhone mounting Car Kit solution without having to remove your protective cover/case/skin and one with better audio quality then the Magellan Premium Car Kit would be the obvious choice.
If price is a concern, then the TomTom Car Kit for iPhone may be good enough.

For me, I own a lot of different PND make and models and I have both of these iPhone Car Kits and both the Magellan and TomTom GPS applications. I feel these iPhone GPS applications are as good if not better than a standalone PND solution and with the Magellan Premium Car Kit option, it just completes the package.

Disclaimer: I’m not a Magellan or TomTom employee, nor am I paid by the company to write these opinions.