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Escort MAX 360 Review

An expensive, albeit feature-rich, radar detector that comes complete with live information from a community of like-minded drivers
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Escort MAX 360 Review
Credit: Amazon
Price:  $500 List
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Manufacturer:   Escort Radar
By Hayley Thomas ⋅ Review Editor  ⋅  Mar 19, 2021
81
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#5 of 8
  • Features - 30% 9.0
  • Accuracy - 25% 8.0
  • Range - 25% 7.0
  • Ease of Use - 20% 8.0

Our Verdict

The Escort MAX 360 is chock full of helpful features. ESCORT Live and Defender Database, made possible via a Bluetooth connection to your smartphone, ensures that you are not alone in your fight against speeding tickets. With the MAX360, you are a part of a community, and we all know there is power in numbers. This feature-rich device is equipped with pretty stellar accuracy with the exception of a few false alerts on the highway, up to par range, and is easy to use if you put in the time to learn how to use all the bells and whistles you paid for.
REASONS TO BUY
Real-time information via app
Bluetooth connectivity
Dual-antenna
REASONS TO AVOID
Complicated system requires time to learn
Expensive
Difficult to hear

Compare to Similar Products

 
escort max 360
This Product
Escort MAX 360
Awards  Top Pick Award
The Versatile Daily Driver
Best Buy Award
Long Range for Less
  
Price $500 List
$399.95 at Amazon
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Overall Score Sort Icon
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Bottom Line A feature-rich device backed by real-time updates from a live community at a higher price pointAn advanced but user-friendly, long-range radar detector, equipped with the necessary features at a fair priceA fairly priced radar detector that is highly customizable and comes equipped with a very long rangeA budget-friendly radar detector with Bluetooth connectivity, an app full of information, but no location lockouts, and ample false alertsA budget-friendly radar detector with simple features and little customization
Rating Categories Escort MAX 360 Uniden R7 Uniden R3 Cobra RAD 480i Cobra RAD 380
Features (30%)
9.0
8.0
7.0
6.0
4.0
Accuracy (25%)
8.0
9.0
8.0
7.0
6.0
Range (25%)
7.0
8.0
8.0
5.0
5.0
Ease of Use (20%)
8.0
8.0
9.0
7.0
7.0
Specs Escort MAX 360 Uniden R7 Uniden R3 Cobra RAD 480i Cobra RAD 380
Radar Bands Detected X, K, Ka, MRCT, MRCD, Laser X, K, Ka, MRCT, MRCD, Laser X, K, Ka, MRCT, MRCD, Laser X, K, Ka, Laser X, K, Ka, Laser
Available Modes Highway, City, Novice, Expert Highway, City, Advanced Highway, City, Advanced Highway, City Highway, City
Wifi Enabled? No No No No No
Bluetooth Connectivity? Yes No No Yes No
GPS Enabled? Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Location Lockout Manual, Automatic Manual Manual Manual None
Display Not stated Multicolored OLED Multicolored OLED Not stated Not stated
Power Chord Type 12v 12v 12v 12v 12v

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Escort MAX 360 is one of the more feature-rich radar detectors in our review. If you are looking for an avanced device with a ton of features and a connection to the driving community around you, this is a solid choice.

Performance Comparison


escort max 360 - the max 360 is great option for those who want top-of-the-line...
The MAX 360 is great option for those who want top-of-the-line features.
Credit: Hayley Thomas

Features


Features are what set radar detectors apart from each other, and the MAX 360 is stacked with them — the most useful of which is the community aspect. ESCORT Live and ESCORT Defender Database connect you and your device to over 100 million other users via Bluetooth connectivity and an app on your phone. This community gives you access to live alerts of speed traps, red-light cameras, and more.

This radar detector also comes equipped with auto-learning technology. Through GPS intelligence, Auto Sensitivity, and IVT Filtering, the MAX 360 can learn what to expect on your daily routes. This technology also includes automatic location lockouts. There are mixed reviews on this feature as it has some pros and cons. On the positive side, it keeps you from having to lockout every single benign stationary threat manually. On the negative side, it could lock out a location due to a non-threatening frequency and, in turn, silence a real threat.

escort max 360 - connection to other escort users is a great perk of the max 360.
Connection to other ESCORT users is a great perk of the MAX 360.
Credit: Hayley Thomas

Accuracy


All the features in the world don't do you any good if they are not providing accurate information. This metric considers the device's ability to accurately pick up threatening frequencies while filtering out the non-threatening ones. The MAX 360 has features to help with this. The auto-learning technology uses intelligent GPS-based technology to learn your routes and reject false alerts. This doesn't help someone who is always moving to different places, but works wonders for those who drive the same route to work every day.

The MAX 360 will most definitely pick up on any threatening radar frequencies in your area; however, its accuracy is not perfect. It does seem to false alert quite a bit on highways. This makes perfect sense as it automatically turns up the band sensitivity on highways. The GPS also jumps around a bit, and the speed limit is not always right. That said, there is no radar detector out there that does not give off false alerts some of the time, and overall the MAX 360 falls in line with most of our highest rated when it comes to accuracy.

escort max 360 - the max 360 won't miss a true threat but it does tend to false alert...
The MAX 360 won't miss a true threat but it does tend to false alert on the highway.
Credit: Hayley Thomas

Range


For a radar detector to offer assistance in avoiding a speeding ticket, it must warn the driver early enough for them to slow down. You don't need 20 miles of lead time to slow down, but a few miles when you are speeding down a highway is much appreciated. Many factors can affect a detector's range. Radar frequencies can be easily blocked by large obstacles like trees, bridges, city buildings, and even winding roads or hills.

The MAX 360 offers a dual antenna system, allowing for a 360-degree range. This means that the device can pick up on frequencies coming from in front of, behind, or to the side of your vehicle. The front-facing range works better than the rear-facing range, but they do both work. While the range of the MAX 360 is not as good as a few other models in our test suite, it doesn't fall far behind and will give you plenty of lead time to slow down.

escort max 360 - the dual antennae offer 360-degree range.
The dual antennae offer 360-degree range.
Credit: Hayley Thomas

Ease of Use


Driving requires focus, so a radar detector shouldn't act as a distraction. While testing for this metric, we paid special attention to how easy it is to set up the device, understand alerts, and adjust the settings. The MAX 360 does quite well in all three of these categories. The magnetic mount suctions to the windshield nicely and is easy to remove. After the mount is installed, the set-up requires two steps, downloading the ESCORT app and syncing your smartphone via Bluetooth.

Because the MAX 360 has so many features, it takes a little while to understand. That said, if you are not in a place to learn the ins and outs of your device, you can simply switch it to Novice Mode and greatly simplify your options. The visual alerts are very informative and easy to understand, and they come complete with light-up directional arrows to ensure you know where the threat is located. The screen also displays the strength of the signal, which can help you understand how far away you might be from it. Unfortunately, the audible alerts are nowhere near as easy to understand. They are not atrocious, but the noise of the cab can easily drown them out. Overall, the MAX 360 is a generally easy device to use once you take the time to understand all it has to offer.

escort max 360 - the set up is a breeze and the the visual alerts are easy to...
The set up is a breeze and the the visual alerts are easy to understand, but the audible alerts can be difficult to hear.
Credit: Hayley Thomas

Value


This device comes with some truly amazing features for the price. While expensive, it is on the low-end of higher-priced models. If your main concern is features and you don't mind spending a little extra cash, then the MAX 360 is a great option.

Conclusion


The Escort MAX 360 performed impressively across all four of our metrics. While a few models scored higher in regards to range and user-friendliness, it is by no means lacking, and the list of features is impressive. If you are looking for an advanced radar detector with top-of-the-line extras, this one won't let you down.

escort max 360 - the max 360 is sleek and discrete.
The MAX 360 is sleek and discrete.
Credit: Hayley Thomas

Hayley Thomas