Escort Passport 9500ci Review, Pt. 1
I've had an Escort Passport 9500ci custom installed radar detector and laser shifter system installed on my C6 Corvette Z06 now for the past 2 weeks, approximately, and thought it about time to give some impressions to date for those considering the purchase.
My overall impression is positive. There are some definite flaws in the design, but overall it is a good device that serves its purpose. It has been a suitable replacement for my aging (and melting, see my previous review) Escort Passport 9500i windshield-mount radar detector.
Installation
I had my unit installed by a professional installer at a car stereo shop about an hour from here (there's no official seller/dealer for Escort near me capable of installing). This was the first unit they had installed, and it took approximately 2.5 hours to install. Some of this was undoubtedly spent reading the instructions and the installer familiarizing himself with the setup. I watched the majority of the installation first-hand.
Escort recommends a professional installation be done, but the packaging and instructions are clearly designed to be useful to those who are comfortable working on their own cars. If you have ever installed a stereo in your car, you'll have adequate skill to install this unit. Escort makes the wiring and connections as fool-proof as they can.
There are nine (9) components in total that need to be located and installed. One (1) radar receiver, two (2) front laser receivers/shifters, one (1) rear laser receiver/shifter, one (1) "GPS module," one (1) control module, one (1) display module, one (1) amplified speaker, and one (1) "interface" that all the wires plug into.
The radar receiver is a largish box, significantly larger than most standalone winshield-mounted radar detectors, that is designed to be mounted inside or behind the front grill (assuming you have a plastic grill). It needs a view of the road ahead free of any metal obstructions especially, but the less material you put in the way, the better (this includes plastic, which is not always transparent to radar, depending on the coatings of it (metal/chrome paint or coverings, for example). Mine fit comfortably behind my grill, centered, level with the road, as the grill is dark plastic with a very thin cross-hatched pattern. It's noticeable only with light hitting it at the right angle (e.g., a flashlight). I'll also note that this is a small design problem. The radar receiver has no view whatsoever of the rear and you are dependent on reflections off of cars and other reflective objects in front of you to reflect back signals from behind (as opposed to most windshield-mounted units that can pick up signals front and rear, at least to some degree). Granted, signals from behind are of lower threat (you're driving away from the source), but it's still a threat. The other small flaw in this design is that the receiver is mounted unusually low. The best location for the radar portion of a radar/laser detection system is as high as possible. It's more likely to pick up stray radar reflections there than closer to the road where hills and roadside obstructions could block the signals.
The front laser receivers/shifters are small, black, rectangular devices with a "top" side. They are designed to be mounted in plain view of the road ahead, preferably "halfway between the license plate and the corner of the vehicle" according to the instructions. If you are in a state that doesn't require front license plates, the ideal location would be as close to the headlights as possible. If you must have a front plate, halfway between the plate and the headlights would be a good compromise. Mine mounted nicely in some factory gaps on the chin spoiler, which is also black plastic using the included clamps (essentially C-clamps designed to clamp onto any flat surface roughly parallel with the ground, such as slits in a grill), and is within 12" of both the headlight and the fog light on each side. Included in the kit is an older style mounting bracket designed to be screwed into bodywork or metal behind the grill. This is a more permanent installation that I chose not to pursue. Theoretically, you could use good-old double sided tape to mount them as well, though this would have it's own strengths and weaknesses. The most important thing when mounting the front laser shifters is to make sure they are mounted absolutely level with the pavement. The manual mentions +/- 2.5 degrees, but Radar Roy tested it and found it to make a huge difference if you could keep it within +/- 1.5 degrees of level. Both included mounts allow for adjustments to the level. There is no mention in the manual of the shifters having to be aligned perfectly straight down the road (i.e., parallel to the direction of travel) from left to right. This makes some sense as you never really know where the police officer with the gun may be aiming from (how much of an angle), and the units are likely designed to scatter a wide cone of light left to right but not so much high to low. Also note that the laser shifters are shipped with a default setting of "receive" rather than "shift" which means you have to go through the menu and activate the shifting capability. The manual warns you of this.
The rear laser receiver/shifter is a simpler mount. It comes with a built-in metal plate that has holes for the license plate screws. This can be a little tricky if you have a license plate frame (depending on its design). You must remember to not block any of the text on the license plate (including the state name) or the light that lights up the plate at night (when your headlights are on). The metal plate on which the device is mounted is intentionally bendable to allow the shifter to be mounted parallel to the pavement (again, preferably within +/- 1.5 degree). Unlike the front shifters, the rear one doesn't appear to have a "top" or a right-way-up. This is likely intentional, allowing for the shifter to be mounted out of the way of license plate text from either the top or bottom holes.For those who are interested, on a C6 Corvette, mounting to the upper license plate screws and out of the way of the text of the state name still allows one sufficient room to press the trunk-release button without difficulty, though it hinders access to the key hole (the only one on the car, in case of power loss in the car, so you can access the trunk, though all you need do is unscrew the license plate screws in that case).
The GPS "module" is relatively small (about 3" by 4" by 1") and black. It has a magnetic base and can be placed on the roof of a vehicle (as long as it's metal). Again, you have the double-stick tape option as well as a windshield-mount bracket with included suction cups to mount the GPS much like you would a stand-alone radar detector. Please note that it appears this is a "module," not just an antenna, so the rest of the GPS circuitry seems to be built in to this little box. This means it is subject to heat, and direct sun exposure while sitting on a dash will shut it down due to overheating (when parked in the sun). Mine does this on a daily basis. Also note that mounting anything on a painted surface by magnet for extended periods will discolor the paint (due to differential sun exposure plus trapping moisture). This is another aspect of the design that needs to be rethought.
The control module and display module are both about the same size (roughly 3" by 1" by 1", it's similar in width and slightly taller than the typical Escort standalone detector display). There is an included flush-mount bezel in the kit so that one could presumably cut a hole in the dash and flush-mount the display in-dash. This seems a little extreme to me, especially since you cannot flush-mount the control module, but be my guest. The control module has 5 buttons on the front (large Mute button in center, 4 buttons at the corner: Brightness, Sensitivity, Volume, Mark) and a power button on top. The expected mounting choice is double-sided tape. It should also be noted that there is a small red LED included that is apparently intended to be mounted in the instrument panel (the manual shows between the tach and the water temp gauges) with the help of a drill. Again, do you really want that permanent of an installation?
The last two pieces are not as concerning, at least in terms of location. The amplified speaker is a 3" speaker in its own enclosure which can be mounted anywhere in the cabin. Ideal locations would include under the dash, under a seat, or in/under the center console. Your choice. The control module is intended to be under the dash so that all the wires coming from the other components can easily reach it. It's also handy to place it close to your fuse box as you'll need a power source and ground.
One final note, there is a plug for a wire to connect to your car's audio system to auto-mute the car radio when an alert comes through. Not all car radios have such an interface, but it's a nice touch.
Up next, performance. . .
9500ci Review, Pt. 3 (final)
In this final part of my review of the Escort Passport 9500ci, I'm going to list my personal issues/criticisms I've seen in my first 2 weeks of use.
Criticisms
I've already mentioned my concerns about the mounting location of the radar receiver not allowing for rearward reception and depending on reflected signals from things up ahead of you. This is a legitimate concern as there is often little or no traffic or other objects off of which radar can reflect when one is on an interstate highway. Fortunately, the actual risk involved from a signal coming from behind is reduced, though not zero. I have encountered many situations where officers hide behind structures and clock car speeds as the cars are traveling away from them, then catch up from behind. Of course, you should be able to detect reflections off of the cars ahead of you if this is the case, and an alert about a hit from behind that is in such a scenario is likely only going to tell you that you're about to be pulled over, if you are exceeding the limit. Essentially serving the same purpose as those blue lights in your rearview mirror. Overall, this is a minor concern that could logically be solved by integrating a radar receiver in the rear laser shifter/receiver module (at added expense, of course).
I've also already mentioned concerns about the low mounting position of the radar receiver. So far, this doesn't seem to be an issue, but I plan on eventually doing a side-by-side comparison of the 9500 ci, 9500i, and Valentine 1 in hilly country with the latter two being high mounted on the windshield. If I can manage this test, I'll let you know my impressions.
I've also mentioned the "stealth" aspect of this install leave a little to be desired. The installation will be noticeable to a passerby no matter what you do. The degree of this, however, will depend mostly on your particular vehicle and what mounting options it presents to you. The installation will also be less noticeable on a black car, given all the laser receivers/shifters are black plastic.
As far as Autolearn goes, the only real use I see for this is the first 3 weeks or so of use. If one lives in an area with a large number of consistent false alerts (a large city), it can be a hassle to constantly be marking positions of alerts as you encounter multiple signals simultaneously. You never really know which signal you're locking out. Say you're picking up 2 K band, 3 X band, and a Ka band signal simultaneously, which one gets locked out when you hit the mute button three times? Autolearn would sort this out automatically for you, separating the various signals out and marking the repeating ones. The dark side of this feature, though, is best illustrated by trailer-based traffic radar. You know, the ones that state "your speed is __" for all to see. These devices are often stationed at or near construction zones in this part of the country for months at a time, and I've seen officers use these as a sort of external radar gun (which is probably not technically allowed) while hiding behind brush unable to see oncoming traffic at all until they have already registered on the trailer-based radar screen. These, of course, would get wrongfully marked as false alerts by Autolearn. You could always mark them as a speed trap, using the other marking options of the 9500ci, but then you'd have to keep track of that, too. This also applies to motion detectors of security systems that only get turned on after hours, thus consistently fooling the Autolearn into marking it and unmarking it (assuming you drive past it at least 4 times during the day). Overall, you're probably better off just marking your own false alerts, but there could be a use for the Autolearn I have yet to think of.
My next complaint is more grave. The GPS module is highly sensitive to heat. This was a problem I encountered frequently with the 9500i I had before upgrading to the 9500ci, but I was hoping they had solved it by now. They haven't, and it's actually worse. I highly recommend not dash-mounting the GPS receiver as I've personally seen that as little as 30 minutes in direct sunlight on a 80-90 degree day can result in the GPS unit failing to lock onto the satellites. Power cycling the system rarely helps, and it rarely is able to lock on until you've driven long enough for the A/C to cool off the interior and the GPS module. Please note that the radar detector will function without the GPS, but then you're stuck with all the false alerts, which defeats the purpose of having this unit to begin with.
This is a horrible design flaw for an electronic device designed to be in a car. In fact, the dash mounting location is specifically mentioned as one of the preferred locations in the manual. I plan on experimenting with this one to see if there's a simple solution, but this sort of design flaw is inexcusable on such an expensive unit. My suggestion? That's tough since the module must have a clear view of the sky. One possibility is to mount it somewhere that is covered by plastic or something else radio-transparent. For example, the GPS antenna on a C6 Corvette is in the driver-side wing mirror (the housing is plastic). Presumably one could mirror this setup, pun not intended, on the passenger-side wing mirror if highly motivated to disassemble the mirror housing. Some vehicle hoods and body panels are plastic, fiberglass, or carbon fiber, all of which should be transparent to radio and probably cooler than the dash, at least outside of the engine bay. This may offer a better compromise.
The unit cost is high. The 9500ci itself is $1600. Now add cost of installation (if you don't do it yourself), and tax (depending on where you purchase it), and you're talking about an expensive proposition. Consider that you can purchase a 9500i ($450 with red LED) and the Shifter ZR4 ($450) and have the latter installed for you, thus creating a similarly capable system, for less than the cost of the 9500ci alone. The 9500i and ZR4 will even integrate with each other, allowing you to mimic 90% of the functionality of the 9500ci at almost half the cost. All you gain for your extra $700 in a 9500ci is superior resistance to radar detector detectors and the lack of a windshield-mounted unit for others to spot (plus a few minor features inherent to the 9500ci such as Autolearn).
Future proofness, if that's a word, is somewhat in question. Yes the software and red light/speed camera database can be updated, but what about the laser shifters? Rumor has it that the latest LIDAR guns, so-called 4th gen units, are harder, nigh on impossible, to jam. We'll see about this potential issue, but as of right now, the unit performs well in tests. This is also something that should be considered as this is supposed to be a long-term installation (especially if you cut a hole in your dash to do the bevel-mount display module).
Final Thoughts
In summary, the Escort Passport 9500ci promises a lot and delivers on most of it. It has a significant design flaw in terms of heat tolerance, but otherwise is a great addition to the Passport family. I would suggest that if you are considering this unit, you closely examine the differences in features between this Passport 9500ci the Passport 9500i windshield-mount option plus custom-installed Shifter ZR4 modules, given the price difference, as well as considering just the 9500i alone, if you do not want/need laser jamming.
