Introduction-
In September of 2014, Escort released their newest and most advanced radar detector, the Passport Max 2. The basic concept is based off of the Escort Passport Max, which is an innovator in the radar detector industry. The Passport Max 2 adds a key component however, which is the ability to wirelessly connect to Escort Live on your phone via Bluetooth. More on Escort Live in the article. I got this unit in on review and the unit is in pre order until September 22nd 2014.
Escort Live-
First of all… what is Escort Live? Escort Live is Escort’s “social network for the road”. It allows users of Escort and Beltronics products to connect their iPhone or Android device to the cloud and share speed trap, laser trap, radar trap, and red light cameras all via the push of a button on their smartphones. In past units offered by Escort and Beltronics however, a special cord was required. This was quite an expensive cord. At $100, it wasn’t for everyone since many were still spending $500+ on a new radar detector. On the new Passport Max 2 however you no longer need this cord since it directly connects to your phone and doesn’t require a Bluetooth cord. Also in past units, you had to pick whether you wanted a cord for Android or iPhone. Now with this unit, it works with either iPhone or Android so if you switch phones you don’t need to run out and purchase a new cord.
The other large advantage with Escort Live is that if you don’t want to run a laser jammer, then this can help you know when a laser trap is up ahead. If you are not familiar with laser then know this. When the officer aims at your car, your speed is instantly captured. Laser jammers can prevent this but if you are not looking to spend the money on laser jammers, or if you don’t want to have to install them because you have a leased vehicle then Escort Live can save you. It will let you know up to 5000 feet before you get to the officer. I normally set all of my alerts for 5000 feet so that I get the maximum amount of distance. It then counts down until you are at the officer. I have found this very useful if I am driving a car without jammers, or even when you are driving on a car with jammers you can know before you reach the officer.
General Info-
What makes the Max or Max 2 such a great detector. The main item that differentiates the Max and Max 2 from other detectors on the market is what Escort calls, DSP. DSP is known as Digital Signal Processing. One of the biggest advantages with this technology that I have found with daily driving is that it filters out interference from other radar detectors. Many of the cheaper Cobra radar detectors on the market can cause interference with your higher end radar detector and cause your detector to go off. However, with the Max it filters this out to eliminate this. I have also noticed that many of the highway traffic drones that check traffic flow for your news stations are filtered out a lot better. Lastly, this also seems to help with blind spot monitoring systems found on a lot of Buicks and other cars. I find this very helpful and although I haven’t had the chance to test the unit on a vehicle with blind spot monitoring built into the vehicle I was testing it in, I have found that it cuts down on false signals from the systems around me.
Also the wide user base for this detector is amazing. Escort has incorporated a system on this detector called Novice Mode. You can cycle into this mode and it will put all of the settings to default. This way you can hand it over to someone that has no knowledge on detectors and they will have no problem using it. I could give this detector to someone that has never used a radar detector before and they would be able to drive with it without a problem. So if you want a detector that you can use on the weekends and also something that your wife can use then this is the detector for you.
The customization as far as the screen and button LED colors is very cool. It allows you to change the screen color and LED color so depending upon what color the instruments are, you can customize it. So on my S4 I use the red color since it matches with everything else.
The mount for the unit is something that is better than anything else I have used. Escort calls it the sticky cup. It really is sticky. It is the combination of a sticky mount with a suction cup. What is nice though is that it really stays on until you want it to come off but when you want to remove it, it comes right off. I have had mine on one of our cars for a year now and it is still on there. That is through a very cold winter and a hot summer.
One other thing I would like to mention is that fact that Escort includes a carrying case. This comes in handy when wanting to transport it from one car to the next.
Comparisons-
Price of Max 2 vs Max- The Max 2 is $600 and the Max is $550
Why should I buy a Max 2 vs Max? - I think the most compelling reason is cost of the Escort Live cord. The Escort Live cords are $100 a piece. The normal (non Escort Live) cord is $30. If you plan on buying multiple cords then it would make sense to spend the extra $50 so that you could use the normal cord. I also think that the compactness of having the Bluetooth module built into the detector rather than the cord is a very attractive feature.
Should I buy the Max 2 or the Redline. I have received this question a couple of times when talking with people. My answer is for 95% of the people is to get the Max 2. The Max and Max 2 has always been my go to detector. If you do all city driving, or 50/50 mix of city and highway or really if you do any city driving at all get the Max 2. Even on the highway you can get false signals from business along the freeway. However, if you live in the middle of nowhere in the desert with straight flat open roads, or if you live in an area that demands the need for a radar detector detector immune unit then you should go with the Redline.
What if I have a 9500ix? Should I upgrade? The answer is absolutely yes. I have a 9500ix in my collection as well. There is such little comparison between the two. One of the only similar items on both units is the fact that they have GPS built in to lock out signals. The 9500ix is much worse in my experience at picking up Instant On shots. I am not saying the 9500ix is bad but if you have a 9500ix, you should strongly consider upgrading to the Max 2.
I am not going to compare this unit with other units from other brands. If you want me too then let me know but I don’t want this review to turn into a bashing of other brands based on my opinion.
Let me know if you have any questions.
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Originally Posted by i1overice
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