Radar detectors have been commercially accessible for greater than half a century now, serving to numerous drivers save severe cash by avoiding rushing tickets. Whereas we do not endorse exceeding the restrict on public roads, it isn’t a nasty concept to have a bit of heads-up about cops working radar beneath the subsequent overpass; that is precisely what the Escort Max 360c MKII is designed to do, so we needed to present it a attempt.
We deliberate out a street journey from our Ann Arbor, Michigan, headquarters to the New River Gorge space of West Virginia, with the Escort connected the entire manner. To be clear, that is NOT an instrumented check of the MKII—quite, an illustration of typical use by a client. We set it up, caught it on the windshield, and drove to the mountains and again, taking notes on the MKII’s efficiency. For our final instrumented radar-detector check comparability, take a look at this text.
About Radar Detectors
Police radar makes use of primarily Ok- and Ka-band frequencies. X-bands would possibly pop up, however they’re very hardly ever used lately. You will hear the time period “laser” thrown round too, which is actually a laser beam that’s extraordinarily tough to choose up except it is already pointed at your car. You do not wish to come throughout a police officer utilizing laser—higher put together for the ticket then and there.
Now, not each alert your radar detector shows is a cop. We had loads of false alarms on our cross-country street journey, and these will be set off by something from different automobiles’ blind-spot displays to strip-mall motion-detecting entrance doorways—even different radar detectors. Increased-end detectors can filter these out, and with GPS lockout just like the Escort has, the detector can “bear in mind” the place defective alerts originate from.
Notable options on the Escort Max 360c MKII
That is the second technology of Escort’s Max 360c, and the primary enchancment touted by the model is a 50 p.c enhance in vary from the earlier technology. That is necessary as a result of in our check of the Escort Max 360c MKI, we famous the gap ranges had been a bit lower than these of the rivals. This subsequent technology improves on that properly. As well as, a brand new DSP chip guarantees lightning-fast efficiency, dual-band Wi-Fi permits connected-car functionality, and new filtering software program reduces false alerts.
The Mk II at relaxation—our digital camera couldn’t fairly seize all the show display because of its refresh charge.
Right here’s the blue directional arrow stating Smokey with the display off.
The factor seems cool, too, perched sleekly on its magnetic mount. Blue directional arrows are designed to level to the supply of the alert, however we discovered this did not work often or had a delay, similar to with the MKI. Escort permits drivers to easily plug and play proper into the 12-volt outlet. The ability wire is not terribly lengthy, so in case your outlet is way from the mounting location, it may very well be a problem.
The brightness of the show display is adjustable, and you may set the sensitivity setting to a wide range of driving conditions—we stored it on both Auto or Freeway. There’s additionally a helpful mute button on the ability wire base for when it will get actual noisy.
For much more information and perception in your cruise, you possibly can obtain the Escort Reside app—it options community-based alerts for pace traps, police-spotted areas, and extra. We tried it out and located connecting with the radar was fairly straightforward, and the in-app expertise was easy and informative. The one subject is that always user-based alerts from, say, an hour in the past imply the officer is already lengthy gone.
The Journey and Our Trip
Our vacation spot was the New River Gorge space of West Virginia, which, if you have not been, is among the most beautiful areas east of the Rockies. We knew some mountain roads had been in our future, so we snagged a Ford Bronco Everglades and hit the street.
The Bronco may not be a cop magnet like a Lambo is, however the brute nonetheless garnered loads of consideration. The radar detector was planted on the windshield, however solely simply. The 12-volt socket is deep within the heart console, and the detector’s energy wire was at its size restrict. Nevertheless, it labored, and we expect the elevated place gave us a slight radar-detecting benefit.
Extra on the Escort Max 360c MKII
Logging almost 1000 miles on our street journey, we took loads of notes on the efficiency of the Escort. Setup was easy—plug and play, similar to Escort stated.
The MKII picked up loads of Ok- and Ka-band readings, blaring obnoxiously sufficient to make us soar a bit of in our seat. We turned the quantity down rapidly. We would say there was roughly a 60:40 ratio of seen police presence to both an unseen cop or false alarm with the Ok- and Ka-band alerts. We got here throughout three true pace traps, which the Escort alerted us to with loads of superior discover. Thus far, the Escort appeared to be doing its job.
However we weren’t blinded by a false sense of safety. We began noticing cops that the detector missed. This may not be the Escort’s fault, however it’s one thing to remember with possession of any radar detector.
The factor is not low cost, with costs usually round $700. Nevertheless, you do get loads of bells and whistles with this radar detector, and Escort is a trusted model. Heck, Escort gives a trade-in program so you possibly can earn a credit score in your previous radar detector when upgrading and even a Limited Ticket Guarantee, which suggests Escort pays your rushing ticket in sure conditions.
Yep, it is a steep worth, however the cash goes towards stopping you from spending on tickets. Relying on how usually you get pulled over, this factor pays for itself in time.
Verdict
Total, the Escort Max 360c MKII is a dear but technologically superior radar detector. Utilizing one is not an excuse to hurry, however quite an early-alert system so that you can test your speedometer. It additionally does not present a bubble of invincibility however can prevent from in any other case hidden pace traps.
Our advice? If you happen to get one, pair its use with a crowd-sourced app like Waze, which might provide you with a warning to much more pace traps. We like to make use of each the detector and Waze in the course of the day, however you will undoubtedly wish to depend on the detector extra at night time.
So to reiterate, if that is your first time shopping for a radar detector, do not count on a protect of speeding-ticket invincibility. It simply sniffs out Smokey working radar so you possibly can double-check your pace and alter accordingly. If you happen to can abdomen the associated fee, the Escort Max 360c MKII is a stable selection.
Affiliate Commerce Editor
Collin Morgan is the Affiliate Commerce Editor at Hearst Autos, the place he presents one of the best gear in your automotive endeavors. He’s been a technician within the trenches of Midwestern automotive restore, explored the automotive shrines in central Italy, and now enjoys making sluggish automobiles go quick round varied Michigan racetracks.
