The Escort Passport Max Ci twins, the Ci ($2,995 MSRP) and Ci 360 ($3,595 MSRP) succeed the discontinued Passport 9500ci ($1,995), the remote (built-in) model we considered the best ever.
Like their 9500ci forebear, both versions of the Escort Max Ci include what Escort diplomatically calls laser "shifters" as defense against light-based technology. These are an upgraded design claimed to offer protection from variable-pulse laser guns, ordinarily able to outwit laser jammers.
Otherwise identical, the Max Ci 360 comes with two extra laser jammers, for the rear, and a rear radar antenna. This lets it indicate whether a radar or laser threat is coming from the front or rear, a feature introduced on the Max 360c windshield-mounted model.
The jury's still out on the need for a rear radar antenna—the universal reaction to a radar alert is to spike the brakes and worry later about whether the source is in front or behind. Plus, in tests we found that sensitive detectors with a forward-facing antenna can detect radar behind the car at a considerable distance.
Controls
Controls
The Max Ci and Max Ci 360 feature sets are identical except for display options. With its rear radar antenna, the Max Ci 360 can offer seven settings for displaying alerts.
Escort Passport Max Ci components. Clockwise from top left: radar antenna, Laser ShifterMax jammers, GPS antenna, control module, interface box with speaker; OLED display, ShifterMax controller. (Max Ci 360 gets a rear radar antenna and second pair of Laser ShifterMax jammers.)
Escort Passport Max Ci components. Clockwise from top left: radar antenna, Laser ShifterMax jammers, GPS antenna, control module, interface box/speaker; OLED display, ShifterMax bridge box. (Max Ci 360 gets a rear radar antenna and second pair of Laser ShifterMax jammers.)
The Max Ci's thumb-sized control unit is backlit, making the buttons easy to locate at night. The module can be surface-mounted or concealed; it's often tucked away in the ash tray or console.
Information is shown in the same OLED color display shared with high-end Escort dash-mount models like the Escort Redline 360c. This can be replaced by the included multi-color LED for a cleaner look. It glows green to signify power-on, solid blue when connected to the Escort Live smartphone app and flashes red during radar and laser alerts.
The OLED display offers a choice of four colors with blue the default; green, red or amber are options. Regardless of the choice, font color for speed and vehicle voltage remains white.
Advanced Mode
Users who prefer plug-and-play operation may opt for the factory-default Novice mode. This permits a choice of display colors; all other user preferences remain off limits.
Engaging Advanced mode allows access to the user settings. Meter mode offers the same options as the Escort Max 360c—Standard, Spec, Expert and Simple. Standard mode displays the radar band (X, K or Ka, or laser) plus a bar graph depicting signal strength. If multiple signals are present only the highest in priority is shown (laser, Ka, K or X, in descending order of priority).
Expert mode simultaneously tracks up to four radar alerts, displaying each alert's band (or laser) plus a bar graph depicting signal strength. In Spec mode the Max Ci can be set to numerically display a radar frequency, in gigahertz (the Max Ci 360 will show two, one for each antenna). Instead of generic alphanumeric alerts the Max Ci 360 might display, for example, 24.216 in front and 34.709 in back. For the few able to interpret its significance, this information can be useful.
Simple Mode alerts either advise caution or suggest slowing down.
Simple mode replaces the bar graphs and alphanumeric displays, showing only a rudimentary Caution or Slow Down warning instead. For non-nerds Simple mode is probably a wise choice. Strangely, it's accessible only by selecting Advanced mode and navigating through the Preferences menu.
Like other Escorts the Passport Max Ci/Ci 360 has a good audible information-delivery system with a choice of voice alerts or two sets of tones. The latter includes the standard Escort tones or doorbell-like chimes.
Features
Features

Simple Mode alerts either advise caution or suggest slowing down.
Much of the Max Ci feature set is borrowed from the Redline 360c, including the annoying Overspeed Alert. Factory-set at 70 mph, every trip north of that speed elicits a verbal admonishment—Overspeed!—and the speed display ominously turns red. When linked to Escort Live, the Overspeed Alert threshold speed is automatically set to the posted limit.
The speed nanny can be disabled but only by entering Advanced mode and tweaking the user preferences. Others will have to endure the meddling of this backseat mother-in-law.
Built-in Bluetooth allows the Max Ci to pair quickly with Escort Live, during which time the posted limit is displayed alongside current speed.
False-alarm Suppression
False-alarm Suppression
The Max Ci receives an updateable IVT filter, software to identify and ignore the nuisance signals generated by Blind Spot Monitoring systems. These systems use K-band radar transmitters mounted in the rear bumper and set off radar detectors up to 1,000 feet away.
IVT is intended to combat these without having to shut off K band, a risky move since 20,000-odd K-band radar guns are still in use nationwide, not to mention a growing number of radar-triggered red light cameras.
A feature called AutoLearn employs GPS to limit false alarms from roadside sources like radar-controlled door openers. Drive past one a few times and like other upscale Escorts, the Max Ci automatically stores the signal to memory. Next time you drive past, it won't alert.
Another benefit of GPS is warnings of red light and speed cameras. The Max Ci/Ci 360 comes loaded with a national database of camera locations and it can be updated online by a USB port.
Driving Impressions
Driving Impressions
On the road we found the Max Ci likely best suited to drivers who prefer set-and-forget operation and rely on voice alerts for important news
For minimal false alarms, particularly on K band, we found the Auto LoK sensitivity setting to be optimal. With radar range to burn, we rarely found the need for maximum-sensitivity Highway mode with its attendant increase in false alarms.
The OLED display has the same shortcomings we've mentioned before—low contrast and too much data crammed into too little space. The Max Ci—and especially the Max Ci 360—can deliver a vast array of information to the enthusiast driver although, unfortunately, it's too often unreadable. Not infrequently we found the data either washed out by the sun or too tiny to be deciphered at a glance.
We'd like to see Simple Mode and its rudimentary warning messages become a Sensitivity mode option, available with a button-click, rather than buried deep in the menu options. The users most likely to favor this setting are also the least likely to be amenable to switching to Advanced Mode and wading into User Preferences to select it.
Performance
Performance
The Max Ci clearly benefits from its new front radar antenna and revised signal processing. On the all-important Ka band the Max Ci delivered significantly more range than the Passport 9500ci.
On the nearly-extinct X band the Escort Passport Max Ci was within a few feet of the 9500ci and it had 27 percent better K-band range. Unfortunately, higher K-band sensitivity works against the Max Ci as it leads to more false alarms from BSM radar. Using Auto LoK mode to kill some of the excess range can be helpful.
The Max Ci assumes the Escort Passport 9500ci's crown as the best-performing remote radar detector we've seen. But some shortcomings—notably the price—may induce some to consider a far less expensive dash-mount model instead. And one of these is similarly undetectable by the police.
Meter Displays (continued)
For the Max Ci 360 only, two more variations of Standard meter are available. Standard FR1 displays one threat for front and rear antennae along with a signal strength bar graph. If more than one signal is being received, that number is displayed.
Standard FR2 displays two signals, one each for front and rear antenna, plus signal-strength bar graphs for both. To aid in identification, the rear bar graph will be shown in a different color—red, if the other is blue, for example. A number representing the total number of signals appears between the bar graphs.