Radar detectors have always been a popular tool to have in your vehicle. A reminder to drive safe on the road, while protecting you from certain entities and traps that might be watching you. One may say that you are guilty-by-default by simply owning one (through general assumption in regards to why you’d want one to begin with), but who cares. These devices are both useful and fun to own and now one company is enhancing their purpose even further.
It is the new Escort MAXcam 360c Radar Detector and Dash Cam. Coming from a company that is well-known for some of the best detectors money can buy, Escort seems to have managed to find a way to make its flagship detector better by building in a 1440p (2K) dash cam–calling it a “complete driver alert system”. So for dash cam enthusiasts, that’s one less device you have hanging off your window blocking your view of the road.
Now (when paired with the app as well), you are protecting yourself from radar, laser, red-light cameras, speed traps, accidents, and construction–as well as other drivers on the road that may cause issues or anyone bumping into your vehicle while it is parked.
Of course, this isn’t the first detector on the market that has combined these devices into one. Cobra’s Road Scout detector/dash cam model has been in the market since 2019, for example. However, the MAXcam 360c does appear to be the best model to have launched thus far when it comes to overall specs.
No surprise there, being the Max 360c detector has been one of the top-performing models in the market to date. So it would be expected that combining it with a high-res dash cam is going to result in the same. That being said, the Max 360c is also one of the more expensive options in the market. Therefore, adding in a high-res dash cam is only going to make things all the more expensive. The new MAXcam 360c model has an MSRP of $849 (gasp). It may make the $399 cost of the Cobra alternative look appealing to some. Of course, the Escort MAXcam 360c is but more functional and accurate. So the price difference is all about paying for premium hardware and features.
The MAXcam 360c does make use of the new Drive Smarter app vs the Escort Live app that the Max 360c makes use of. It seems that the app is currently going through some growing pains, so either patience will be needed or you may want to wait it out until the company works out the kinks. It seems Escort is actively listening and reaching out to users to help troubleshoot any issues with the app. However, at the time of writing this, the current score of the app is 1.4/5 on Android and 2.4/5 on iOS.
You don’t always have to have the app running, but it is required for any software or database updates. It is also used to remotely view the content captured by the camera (locally or in the cloud if you make use of the optional AT&T attachment) or to make use of the GPS combined with live road conditions. You can also view the content from the camera by removing its microSD card.
It is currently available from both Escort and Best Buy. You’ll likely see it roll out to other retailers in the near future as well.
| | | |
| Our Rating No Review Yet | Average Price* $849.99 |
*Average price is based on the time this article was published
