Escort Passport 9500i

ZaneO · 04-23-07, 01:37

Ran across this new Passport radar detector. Looks like it has some really cool features.

Passport 9500i Radar Detector & Laser Detector - Escort Inc.

BlackElantraGT · 04-23-07, 01:59

I like the idea of the GPS Truelock Filter. I wouldn't mind having one, but a family member of mine has the 8500 x50 for less than 2 years and one day a message came on about it needing calibration. I looked online and it seems that many of the other 8500 x50 owners were experiencing the same problem. Unfortunately, it's not something you can reset or fix on your own and being that the warranty is only one year, you're SOL. I wouldn't want to spend all that money on a good radar detector only for it to be dead in less than 2 years.

ZaneO · 04-23-07, 02:04

We had several 7500's for many years and never had any major problems. Maybe just an isolated circumstance with the x50.

I think I'd still prefer the Valentine, but the new features are pretty appealing.

OneQuickGT1 · 04-23-07, 02:12

Check out some of the detector forums. This detector has not lived up to some promises, and many are sending it back within the 30 return period. I agree that the features are great, but I would give them some time to work out the apparent bugs..

tom p. · 04-23-07, 02:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by OneQuickGT1

Check out some of the detector forums. This detector has not lived up to some promises, and many are sending it back within the 30 return period.

Yeah, it seems most will be returning within the 30 day window.

TigerMike · 04-23-07, 02:28

I own a 8500 and have generally really liked it (despite 2 tickets within this past year I've had while owning it), and I think the new GPS features of the 9500 are neat, but I'm not sure how all together useful they are. I mean, I have been thinking of going with a V1 lately because of the arrows, as that is a truly useful feature in knowing where the cops are. IMO, it seems the new 9500 features are a grasp to try to draw some V1 customers, but I think they should have included some type of location mechanism, like the V1. At the end of the day, that GPS is worthless in telling you where the cop is located or in actual detection. My 8500 beeps just fine, as I'm sure the 9500 does as well, but how the heck do you know if the cop is in front of you or the rear? You don't and I find myself looking around me in all directions trying to find the cop. The V1 would have already told me. So, I think Escort is going to have to offer something similar. I like my 8500 don't get me wrong, but I find that after several years of using it, I am wanting for more than just a beep and signal strength meter! And the new GPs features do nothing extra for me in terms of location.

Speed alert? Why do I need my detector to show my vehicle speed when my speedo does that just fine and probably more accurately. Marking radar alerts with the GPS? Well, if you drive the same route to work everyday for years, chances are you already know the known speed traps in the area, and if you're traveling, that feature is basically worthless as you'll probably never be in the area again. So it seems to me that while these new gadgets are kinda neat (if not gimmicky), they really don't offer me anything completely useful and worth upgrading from my 8500 or from going with a V1 next time. Sorry Escort...

And, if I'm going to spend the extra money for a gps chip, I'll buy a nav device (very useful), not a radar detector!

ProStreetCamaro · 04-24-07, 07:20

Junk dont waste your money. Its buggy as H3LL and alot of people have returned them.

ENVYMYZ · 04-24-07, 07:45

V1 is way over rated. I've used the Passport 8500 x50, the V1, and the Beltronics RX-65. I ended up purchasing the RX65.

As far as the new 9500i, the features dont seem to serve a useful purpose for people that travel the same roads regularly.

For example, with the TrueLock feature, say you lock out a false alert K band, and then a cop is using K band in the area that's locked out because it was a "false" alert, does the radar not do anything because it is the same band radar?

sneek · 04-24-07, 08:03

Looks very interesting. Although I think I will get an M40 when I get a new car.

metload1 · 04-24-07, 08:17

The 9500i has gotten bad reviews so far.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZaneO

We had several 7500's for many years and never had any major problems. Maybe just an isolated circumstance with the x50.

I think I'd still prefer the Valentine, but the new features are pretty appealing.

Actually a lot of people have had this problem with both the x50 and the beltronics rx-65.

Unofortunently it's been a bad time in the detector world recently. The Belscort (Beltronics and Escort are one company) detectors have calibration problems, and poor laser detection (rx-65), and the V1 has been very buggy for a year or so now with E and J issues, as well as way too many false alerts. If they keep this up I won't be surprised if a company like Whistler ends up beating them all someday.

The other weird thing about detectors is that, unlike most electronics, they hardly ever go down in price. Since the STI driver and Escort 9500i came out you'd think that the rx-65 and x50 would be cheaper, nope!

freestyla · 04-24-07, 08:38

This really helped me decide which radar detector to get:
HERE
*On the homepage click "2007 Countermeasure Shootout!", and then "Radar Detector Test".
The test results are very easy to understand.

metload1 · 04-24-07, 09:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by freestyla

This really helped me decide which radar detector to get:
HERE
*On the homepage click "2007 Countermeasure Shootout!", and then "Radar Detector Test".
The test results are very easy to understand.

Which one did you end up getting?