Miss Russell is one of five finalists selected from several hundred entrants in Tom Tom GPS's New Zealand competition.
The winner will join the ranks of other Tom Tom navigators Snoop Dogg, Homer Simpson, John Cleese and Mr T, who are guiding up to 45 million drivers every day.
"I hate sitting in the back. I am a back-seat driver as it is. It is bad for the driver because they tend to get agitated ... I like it my way or the highway," Miss Russell joked yesterday.
Ms Russell has worked at Wanaka Radio since August 2008 and, apart from a six-month stint at radio school, has had little formal voice training.
She says she still has to think about dropping her voice a register to avoid sounding like a high-pitched, whinging female.
She thinks she sounds like a "typical Kiwi girl" but her "Tom Tom voice" makes her sound about 40 years old, she said.
"New Zealand women do tend to get quite high pitched. And we do tend to turn everything into a question ... On the radio, you have to really watch what you are saying so you don't sound like a complete fool."
Miss Russell has been practising phrases such as "You have reached your destination. Thank you for travelling with Tom Tom. Kai Pai choice."
"The script isn't just turn left and turn right. It's got some Kiwi slang in it too," she said.
The winner gets a new Suzuki Swift, which Miss Russell says is her favourite car.
"It's a lot of fun. And your voice would be recognised, although people might not know exactly where from ... I might be the friendly voice that's telling you to turn left and turn right," she said.
The other New Zealand finalists are Te Wehi Preston, of Rotorua, Jeremy Duggan, of Christchurch, Ben Harper, of Auckland, and Flower Bradley, of Nelson.
The finalists converge on Auckland today to record new tracks for the competition website, with the winner to be selected after public voting closes at 10pm on October 29.
The winner will be decided by a combination of factors, including quality, adherence to the entry instructions and popular vote.
