Escort Passport 9500ix The Escort Passport 9500ix has kept pace with the continuous influx of new speed cameras well – but is it the best radar detector on the market?

These days there are more and more speed and red light cameras on the roads, ever waiting to catch you out or fine you for running an amber light.

It also feels like speed camera technology is advancing faster than the technology designed to save you from them, perhaps leaving many speed camera detectors obsolete.

The 9500ix features crystal clear voice alerts and an equally high resolution digital display, so there is no confusion in a situation where a few seconds can make all the difference between burning a large hole in your pocket or walking away unscathed.

You will instantly receive an audible, voice and visual alerts upon approaching a radar and a fantastic feature of this radar detector is that it will gives out a different warning according to the band of radar that has been detected. The radar will then chirp with increasing frequency according to your proximity to the hazard ahead.

The Escort Passport has the ability to teach itself

Yes, you read that right. It has something called AutoLearn where the 9500ix can recognize false alarms and remember them for next time you are passing through the same location. Just in case the particular threat was not a false alarm the first time, the Escort will wait until you have passed it 3 times before it classifies it as false.

However, it will reclassify the threat should it move to a different location.

The Passport 9500ix also comes out of the box with a large database of common speed traps, speed cameras and red light cameras across North America so you are covered as soon as you head out onto the road.

In fact, you get 3 months worth of updates free when you purchase one of these units to keep you up to date with the latest developments and new speed cameras.

How the 9500ix picks up the presence of a red light camera when there is no signal

The majority of speed camera detectors available today are just that – speed cameras. They cannot pick up the signal of a red light camera simply because there isn’t one.

escort-passport-9500ix

Available from Amazon now

The Escort Passport 9500ix is a different story. It is able to detect red light cameras well before you reach the intersection in addition to detecting X, K, Ka and Ku bands of radar and speed cameras.

Anything you throw at this unit, it can detect, including..

  • horizontal laser beams, which can be difficult to detect from distance because of their horizontal nature
  • normal laser beam cameras, that do not give off any signal because the beams are so narrow
  • speed traps – you have the ability to mark any location you please as a speed trap and the 9500ix will remember it for next time (this is thanks to the built in GPS unit)

What others are saying about the Escort Passport..

The general consensus among people that have purchased this unit is that it is the best going around. Many have commented that installing it was as easy as taking it out of the box and mounting it on the windscreen – without even having to look at the instruction manual!

I don’t know about anyone else, but I hate reading through instruction manuals when all you want to do is test out your new toy.

A few others noted that this radar detector was great for filtering out false alarms which was a major reason why they ditched their older machines that did not have the “3-strike policy” that the Passport 9500ix does.

Not only did the older detectors continually scare you for no reason, the constant beeping of the false alarm made driving highly annoying and probably lead to people turning off their units altogether in some instances.

Jyzoo from NJ, USA summed up why he likes this particular radar detector, and I think it is something we can all relate to:

To detect radar – I hate speed traps with a passion. I’m not an aggressive driver and I rarely go more than 10 mph over posted highway speeds. I like to keep with the flow of traffic. I’m not the maniac that you see weaving in and out of lanes to get to their destination 3 minutes earlier.

But what I have gotten caught in are ridiculous areas in town where it’s like a 25mph zone that’s right after a 40. Or a place near my work that’s a 25 zone coming right off a highway exit. I’m not driving recklessly or dangerously, it’s just these cops are trying to recuperate the state budget cuts by camping in these spots and checking for speed/inspection/insurance/tints/seat belts.

After you get the ticket, you can challenge in court but end up plea bargaining for 500+ dollars for no points and having to pay court fees. Tell me this isn’t a scam!

Perhaps one of the only minor negative points about the Escort Passport 9500ix is that after your free 3 months worth of radar updates has run out, you inevitably have to start paying.

Now this may or may not be worth your while, particularly if you do not drive all that far in a given week or use the same route to work for example. Obviously it would be rare if a new camera was installed on such a small portion of the the road network but it is something to keep in mind.

How much should you pay?

You really shouldn’t pay any more than $500 for this unit, any more and you are paying too much. You can get it right now on Amazon for under $450.

What’s in the box?

You get an Escort Passport 9500ix radar detector, coiled SmartCord power adapter, suction cup mounting system, user guide/quick reference card, warranty information and an Escort travel case.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that the 9500ix is the clear leader in it’s segment. Its combination of a higher sensitivity to speed cameras and greater functionality means it leaves the competitors in its wake.

With the above said, this detector is going to be a bit more expensive too. However if it were me I would rather spend the money now and get a good unit rather than buying a cheap unit and running the risk of spending even more on speeding tickets that should have prevented in the first place.

I think the best feature of this lens is the ability to learn and function perfectly by itself. I’d hate to get a ticket for driving without care because I was constantly fiddling with my speed detector to make it work.

You probably know by now that the Escort Passport 9500ix has that ability – the ability to work by itself and protect you from speed cameras, and let you get on with the good stuff – the pleasure of ticket-free driving.

Filed under: Escort Passport 9500IX

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