Escort Passport 9500ix Radar Laser Detector Review

Escort Passport 9500ix Radar Laser Detector Review

The Passport 9500ix is at the high-end of windshield-mount radar detectors, offering the best in detection technology available. It can detect X, K, Ka, and Ku band radar, and also has 360-degree LIDAR laser detection, although it suffers from the same problem all other detectors have: lasers can be picked up unless you are very close to the source. Escort-Passport-9500-ix-Blue-Radar-Laser-Detector

While overall very similar to the popular 9500i, the ix also has a GPS device, which, unlike many other detectors, is integrated into the unit. The unit is extremely sensitive, almost annoyingly so, but false alarms decrease significantly after it’s been driven down a road a few times. If the 9500ix detects a radar signal in the same spot three times in a row, it marks the area as a false alarm. Users can also mark spots for false alarms and cameras themselves. Escort also provides a database of known red light and speed cameras so the Passport can warn drivers when they’re near one. This can be updated via a mini-USB port, and user data can be backed up on Escort’s site. The Passport includes three months of this service, with additional updates costing $19.95 for one year or $29.95 for three years.

The detector can be muted on the device itself, or with a button on the power cable, which powers the unit with Escort’s Smartcord connector, not the mini-USB port. Owners of luxury cars, particularly Porsches, should be careful when mounting the detector, as the suction cup can discolor windshields that have an anti-lacquerative coating; fortunately, the wide range and sensitivity of the 9500ix means that there is some flexibility in placing the unit.

The Escort 9500ix’s retail price is $500.