Customer Ratings & Reviews

i bought it while it was on sale but it barely beep when cops is around. so i don't know if it actually works

It died after over 2 years of use. I wish that they will repair it.

This radar detector cannot be beat. If I had the money I would buy everyone in my family and friends one. It is a little pricey but think of money saved in tickets from cops, speedcams, and red light tickets. If your on the edge like I was for about a month then just break down and get it. It has already saved me through many speedtraps in my area, and the GPS is almost to smart by remembering false alarms to store and locations of all cameras throughout US. Way worth the money and will buy another very soon!

I'm new to the world of radar detection, so I did my research and decided to spend the money for this Escort 9500ix. I liked the autolearn feature that helps avoiding false alarms. Today I tested it with a 5hr drive from Massachusetts to Upstate New York and it worked great. It detected 3 troopers using Laser-Band and 2 of them with Ka-Band. I normally travel at the borderline of speed limit between 70-75mph in a 65mph zone, but sometimes I drift to 80mph or more if I don't pay enough attention to my speed, whenever I'm off the cruise control. Having said that, I don't think that the radar actually saved me any tickets, but I like to know if I'm being monitored. For one of the troopers using Ka-Band, the 9500ix alarmed almost a mile away or probably farther. The cop was out of sight when it first detected it. I went pass him, but after 30 seconds, the radar detector went crazy again. After a minute trying to find the cop in front of me, it was actually the same cop as before who was a couple of cars behind me. He actually got the guy that pulled behind me. It was kind of funny, because I have the Audi A5 sport car and he had a Honda Civic and he is the one getting pulled over. In summary, although I was a little bit apprehensive with actually owning a radar detector and had always questioned its actual usefulness, my first experience was awsome thanks to the 9500ix. It is a bit expensive, but I'm getting the same feeling I got when I purchased my first iPhone... "How was I able to live my life without one of these before..."

I have used Escort detectors for years. I love the performance of Escort but all of my older 8500 units failed just after the warranty expired. I do keep coming back and buy more Escorts as they simply work well when they work but Escort could make them more reliable and last longer IMO. I purchased this 9500 escort as I drive in the city a lot and thought the fact that this detector would remember the grocery store door openers via GPS and not bug me with false alarms was something I just had to have. I used the 9500 on a rode trip this weekend and unfortunately my plans are to return it. I guess I may be set in my ways but I prefer the simple operation of the lower priced 8500x50. I found this new 9500 was difficult to change settings while driving. The less expensive 8500 unit I can reach over and turn the volume up or down, turn it on or off, change from city to hwy with out looking.. I found this weekend I kept pressing the wrong buttons on this unit and I felt I need to stop the car, take it off the windshield to make changes. As I understand this detector has the exact same performance as the lower price 8500 on the ability to detect the radar. This unit does give added features over the 8500 but at a price that I am uncomfortable paying for when I figure in that it is not as easy to operate. As luck would have it I just picked up a 8500 x50 today on Best Buys deal of the day at less that 1/2 the price of the 9500 unit. So...on my budget I will put up with the beep when passing grocery stores and this 9500 is going back! I do not want to be required to look at a detector to make changes when driving. With the lower priced 8500 detector I can reach over with my right hand and adjust volume or change from city to hwy by feel; I found trying to make changes by feel impossible with this 9500. If I spent more time with the unit would it be easier to operate? I do not know as for example the 8500 has a simple rotary switch that turns it off and turns the volume up and down. Again, can be done by feel. With this 9500 it has a volume button on top along with all the other buttons so when I reached over to try and adjust volume I was changing all kinds of things that I did not want to change. No complaints on performance as it did save me one time from a ticket! I will also add that I do not like that Escort does not include the optional better suction cup or the upgraded power cord that allows you to use the additional features available via a smart phone and yearly service fee. I can see the yearly fee but at Escort prices I should get a free upgrade power cord and at least a free trial 3 months of online service ( to see if I like it). Also give us the better suction cup as these detectors are expensive and need to include these options in the box!

If you are a person who does a lot of out of out of town trips and use the highway often, this my friend is the product for you. You'll never get another ticket and the range on this product is AWESOME! I see them (troopers/city cops) way before they spot or pick me up on their speed guns, etc. Signals are strong and the red light feature will save you many a day. Don't let the price steer you away it is WELL WORTH EVERY PENNY SAVED AND SPENT! You'll be thanking Escort later for such an awesome find. This will be the best Xmas gift you ever give yourself. I've had mine for at least 5yrs now. I use it every time I go out of town and on highway driving. As of late, I've found it useful in the City for detecting Red light cameras. Thx Escort!

I love this detector. It would be nice if it was cheaper. But you get what you pay for! It has awesome features and is easy to use. GPS location is great. I would recommend it to anyone

I got a ticket first day I had this piece of junk.

I bought the passport 9500IX about 3 weeks ago and at first was disappointed because the unit I purchased seemed to have a learning dissability- it would very rarely learn a location as a false alert, and on the rare occations that it did "store" it- it would alert on it anyways. I wasn't overly concerned about it though, these things happen. Best Buy was great in handling the situation and got me a replacement shipped to the store for me very quickly. The new unit has been nothing short of awesome. There have been many occations where I was alerted to police radar at least 1-2 miles in advance, if not more, allthough there have been many occations where it was a very short alert as well due to the way the officer was positioned and how he was using the radar (very short bursts, and maybe reduced power), and even those short notice alerts I believe would have given me enough reaction time if needed (I was behaving myself at the time so didn't need to react). I have also been hit by laser and let me tell you- this detector lets you know in no uncertain terms that you- or someone very near you, has been lazed and had better react VERY quickly (if it's not already to late). If you do not have a laser scrambler to dispupt the laser (which I do not), then any alert you get may be just to let you know that you are about to get a ticket- lol. What I found impressive about the laser alert I got was that it even alerted in the first place- The other detector I had in the past wouldn't even do that -even though it was supposed to. And when it does alert to laser- it doesn't mess around. It makes it very clear that you may be in trouble. One of the reasons I bought the IX was for the automatic false alert learning ability. This is an awesome feature to have. There are several detectors on the market that can also do this, but to my knowledge, this is the only one that can and will do it automatically, with no user input. the others can learn locations as well, but you have to manually tell it that it is a false location. you CAN manually input it the location on the IX as well- but why bother if you don't have to?. With the 9500IX there is not one location that I have passed by 3 times or less that it hasn't stored - then blessed silence on every pass since. My last detector hasn't been used in quite some time because I got REALLY tired of it going off every 100 ft for a store, gas station... etc. I wasn't to sure about the "Red light camera" and "speed camera" features on this unit as I live in Texas and that hasn't caught on to much here yet (so I thought), However after doing the software updates (very easy to do), I found out that there ARE several red light cameras very near to were I work that I wasn't even aware of. I know these camers can't be more that a month old, yet Passport was right on top of them. I have since learned that they have been approved to be installed in several locations in the city I live in as well. These cameras are going in all over the place and they have nothing to do with safely- they are strickly a revenue generating device, and I for one would like to keep my money in MY pocket, so I am very happy with this feature now that I have seen it in action. As for the display, I really like it. it is blue which is very easy on the eyes at night (the last detector i had was a red display and was kind of harsh at night- even on dim). Plus it is auto dimming, which saves you from having to mess with it. The display in the daytime is quite bright and I have never not been able to see it, even with the sun shining dirrectly on it. At night with the display dimmed, you can not see it from outside my vehicle- unlike red, which seemed to be like a beacon. If you are concerned about it being seen however, you can turn the display completely off and it will only alert audibly, and a light on the "smartcord" will flash to let you know signal strength. Very nice feature. This unit is a bit on the pricey side, but you get what you pay for. I figure if the 9500IX saves me from even one ticket, when you add in the increased insurance premiums for the next several years- it will have paid for itself and then some. If you want $100 worth of protection, or lack therof, that's on you. But I figured "if I'm going to do this- I might as well do it right". And the Passport 9500IX is doing it right.

I have only had the 9500ix for 5 days now and have probably filtered out all the false pick ups. I drove all over town and the surrounding Highway. The only reason i gave the accuracy a 4 is because so far, i have not come accross a cop with his radar or laser on. LOL!! They use laser and k mostly around here. I know that from a friend who has this detector as well. I really got a good deal as well for it. Best Buy had online this one for only $374.00. It was only at this price for 3 days. I bought the last one and it is the most updated one for this model. I have no doubt about this detector! I have seen it perform before i got it and for the price, I could not let it get by me! I use detectors mostly for just trying to find where the cops are when driving. I usually never go over 5 mph of the posted speed anymore. Ejoy your detector and drive safely!

I would recommend get home and update the firmware traffic red light cam database.. i leave minei highway mode with the blinking dot scanning across.the quality of this product is very nice. i leave it in highway mode for the longest range possible.. Alerted me 3 times to the good ole boys on I-24. i have plenty of warning and plenty of time to slow down. I like the auto mute feature..so when it detects a KA band or what ever it is loud so i hear it and then the volume goes down so i barely hear it.. perfect! the GPS features are pretty close..red light cam i was alerted to today i didnt know was there..one 1 red light cam i had about 300 fee of a warning, but on this second one i have maybe 50-75 feet warning. other than very nice product, and i feel safe with this unit. I would recommend to everyone. when i compare this to a valentine one radar detector.. sure hte V1 detect the signal 1-2 seconds before the passport 9500ix.. but the V1 can;t lock out false signals..and also has ZERO gps features such as detecting red light cams etc..

This is the best radar detector i ever had. I upgraded from a cobra because the two cobras i had were terrible. I then bought a valentine one because it is supposed to be one of the best you can buy. It was no better than cobra. I sent it back and got another one thinking it was just that one i had but is not worth buying. This 9500ix is by far the best i ever had. I take the same road 4x a week, and never saw the camera at the light. This radar will not let you down. It cost a little more than others, but is well worth it.

This review is for people who are new to radar detectors as i was. They only work as i'm quite sure any of them do is when there is other traffic present, so basically someone else is YOUR escape-goat. These days i've learned first hand that most officers don't ride around with their radars/lasers on, they sit any wait (mostly motorcycle cops)and when they notice someone that appears to be speeding, they pop on their radar (in less than a couple seconds) and then thats when this radar will work for YOU, if your not the one they noticed speeding. If your they only car racing down the street and they pop on their radar, it will be YOU and YOUR pretty expensive radar detector that will be getting a ticket, and you will probably be a very unhappy customer. But when the stars align and the before mentioned situation happens this is a great detector. Also not all cops sit around with their radar off, you do get ample alert time to respond and it does lock out just about all the false alerts in my area.

To start, I never write reviews on products. However, this one I felt I needed to. Ive owned the 8500 and the 8500 X50 Black, and this is by far the best out of all of them. I haven't used it long enough to tell if the range is better than the X50 Black, however the biggest plus to this detector is being able to lock out the false alerts. I do most of my driving in the city where false alerts are really bad. After driving the same route everyday, you eventually learn which are real and which are fake. But, with this detector, you don't have to worry about them at all. You can rather let the detector learn which are false or you can lock them out yourself. The next time you drive past that false alert, you won't have to worry about the detector going off. Another great feature is that it often knows whether or not the signal is false or real the FIRST time you drive by a radar signal. Although the detector will make a couple beeping noises, it knows whether or not it's a real target and will not continue to go off. I also really like the auto dimming of the screen because at night, the blue LED's are much brighter then the red ones and thus reduces eye strain. I love how it tells your speed all the time if you want this feature to stay present all the time. Much more accurate than a cars speedometer. The GPS seems to be very strong and I haven't had any issues with it. If I had to name one downside of this detector, it would be the price. It is a little pricey at $500, however not having to worry about those false alerts is a HUGE plus and would say it's diffidently one of the biggest features of this detector. Overall, I absolutely love this detector and would most diffidently recommend it to everyone!

Overall great detector. The ability to mute any signal, and permanently block a false signal is a great benefit for anyone that drives in a city frequently and sick of the same false alarms by security systems, etc. This one has the speed camera function but I have not utilized it as there are no none cameras in my area. The 9500i is a great option if you are not worried about speed cameras as it is the same detector otherwise, $50 less, and comes in Red. Detection wise, this detector cannot be beat. Warning sounds literally miles before you come across the approaching police car. It is expensive, but with Radar Detectors, you get what you pay for. I have used this detector and other Escort models for the past 5 years, and have yet to receive a ticket! It has paid for itself in missed tickets.

I had been in need of a new radar detector for some time. My old one was finally giving out on me, and having just received my tax refund, decided this was the time to do it. I called ahead to the store to make sure they were in stock and had one placed on hold for me. On the way to get it which was about 60 miles, my old detector didn't go off one time, and I seen 3 highway patrols. After I picked the 9500ix up and started home, I wasn't even 15 minutes into the drive when the laser alert sounded, and sure enough, I looked to the right side, and a highway patrol was hiding in the bush and the officer was out of his car zapping cars with his laser gun... My old detectore would never have picked it up. I instantly slowed my speed down, and good thing too, cause I was the next car he zapped! Better luck next time highway patrol, you'll have to do better than that to fool the 9500ix.

I bought the new 9500 IX a few weeks ago, upgrading from the 8500 I had been using for the past seven years. While I have not been using the 9500 for very long, I must say I am already very impressed. The built-in Defender database is quite good at picking out most well-known speed traps in the areas around Milwaukee that I have traveled. When I encounter a known speed trap that is not in the database, I can enter it on my own with 3 button pushes. (I can't comment on the red-light and speed camera portions of the database, as they are not widely used in Wisconsin at this time.) The Auto-Learn mode is very useful as well. When the 9500 encounters the same frequency at the same GPS-based location three times, it automatically locks that signal out and eliminates those false alarms from happening in the future. I can also override an auto-lock-out if the 9500 makes an error (but haven't had to yet). I have found the 9500 to have better detection range than my 8500, and the spoken radar band is useful to help me analyze the situation without taking my eyes off the road. I also find the fact that my GPS-calculated speed pops up on the detector when a radar/laser signal is detected as a neat little feature. For a radar detection, it tells me how aggressively I may need to slow down (for laser, it's only going to give me a good indication of what the officer is going to say when he/she is standing outside my window). Overall, I am very pleased with my purchase. As I indicated, it is a little pricey, but in this case the statement "you get what you pay for" has so far proven true.

Magellan 4700 GPS and 9500xi is the way to go First Class Red light up dates and less false alarms then my Beltronics 995 which I still use in my other car. I still have two Unidens 6595 in my other cars. Buy the best at the time and rotate to older cars good for local driving. This unit has a cool features that Beltronics can not do. It can remember false alarms and they will not go off again you and also program spots where speed traps are and this will help you on the return trip. too cool to be true. When the x band goes off it shows you your speed.

Let me start of by saying that I love this radar detector, and the VR1 is a very distant second. The futures and the GPS make this radar detector leaps and bounds ahead of the rest. Let me also explain why I didnt give it a flawless 5.0 which it deserves. So you drop 540.00 roughly after tax on this thing (and trust me it's worth every penny# and you open the box to find out that they don't even give you a smart cord to connect it to the computer #e.g. any cord that charges a Droid# which you need to fully utilize all of its potential #i.e. red light camera updates, speed trap updates, false alarm upates, etc.#. They also have a subcription fee to keep you updated after your trial period, which I expected but was maybe hoping for a longer trail period since you did just drop 500 on this thing. Because once you buy it they know they have you so you really have no choice to but to buy it to keep it current. Now let me give all the praise that it deserves. The GPS with the "auto learn" feature alone makes this thing worth the 500+ dollars you drop on it. False alarms suck and they really do elimanate it. Wether it is you, yourself hitting the store button at a false single #which it will never beep from that false alarm again since it is stored becuase it has a GPS inside the radar detector) or the "auto learn" which does the same thing but, by itself when passed by one #i.e. any large store, casinos, some banks) The reasoning for these false alarms are big stores with there motion sensors for the doors or the alarm systems. So after it is stored it will never beep from that false single again! = AWESOME! =) They also have a "escort live" cord that can be plugged into your car then you plug your Droid or Iphone into to see what speed traps are around you# Very cool# Also just the bottom line of almost never having to listen to a bunch of false beeps and havign to weed them yourself# When this thing beeps you pay attention, because its always dead on# =) Overall: Best radar detector out there just sad they dont hook you up with a little bit longer of a trial period and a cord# C'mon man!! =)

I have had mine for over 1 year. There was one time thar it alerted me that I was directly hit by radar; imagine my surprise. I was impressed, This works great & I'd recommend it.