Escort Max 360c MkII Announced

Escort has just announced the second generation Escort Max 360c MkII radar detector ($699).

This is essentially an upgraded Max 360c featuring some welcome improvements including longer range, fewer false alerts, and 5 GHz WiFi.

The Max 360c MkII is now available for purchase. Once I get one to test and review, I will share my complete thoughts.

Fortunately we already know a good deal of information about it so let’s take a closer look at what we can expect.

Upgraded Platform

At the heart of this detector is the upgraded M13 platform, the same platform used in the Escort MaxCam 360c. In fact this detector looks to basically be a MaxCam without the camera for $150 less.

This is very promising because the MaxCam definitely offered a noticeable step up for both long range performance and false alert filtering so I expect the same to be true with the Max 360c MkII.

Longer Range

Escort is advertising “50% improved range” over the original Max 360c. In my previous testing with the MaxCam 360c, I was able to verify Escort’s claims that the performance is improved and almost as good as the Redline 360c.

If the Max 360c MkII performs like the MaxCam, and I fully expect it to, it will be one of the best performing radar detectors on the market.

This was a weakness of the original Max360c and it looks like the MkII finally rectifies this issue.

Better False Alert Filtering

The improved IVT filtering capabilities with the M13 platform also helps filter out more blind spot falses. Again the MaxCam does a very good job with this and so I expect the Max 360c to be one of the quietest radar detectors on the market, quieter than detectors like the Uniden R8.

5 GHz WiFi

The Max 360c MkII supports dual-band WiFi, including both the older and slower 2.4 GHz band as well as the newer and faster 5 GHz band.

Many cars are now coming with only 5 GHz WiFi installed. If this applies to you, you’ll be able to connect your Max 360c MkII to the cloud using your in-car WiFi, something you couldn’t do with the original Max 360c since it only supported the older and slower 2.4 GHz WiFi.

Compared to Redline 360c?

The Redline 360c is currently Escort’s flagship radar detector and one of my favorite detectors. I liked it over the original Max 360c primarily for the range improvements.

The Max 360c MkII should perform comparably to the Redline 360c in terms of long range detection and so moving forward, it may be a better choice, particularly given that it costs $100 less.

The Redline 360c does offer stealth capabilities so it’s undetectable by radar detector detectors, but given that most of us in the US don’t need that feature, I’d say save your money and get the Max 360c MkII instead.

Compared to Max Cam 360c?

The Max 360c MkII looks to essentially be a MaxCam 360c, just without the added 2K dashcam. The MaxCam’s dashcam is alright and works if you’re looking for an all-in-one integrated option, but for the added $150, you can consider getting the more compact Max 360c MkII and putting those extra funds into a more fully-featured standalone dashcam like the Viofo A119 v3 instead.

Price

The Max 360c MkII retails for $699. That’s $50 more than the original Max 360c and I think that it’s $50 well spent to get the longer range, improved false alert filtering, and 5 GHz WiFi. (I don’t know yet if the original Max 360c will be discontinued, but it’s been unlinked from Escort’s main page and is showing at out of stock. It wouldn’t surprise me to see the Mk II be a full on replacement.)

The Max 360c Mk II is also $100 less than the Redline 360c and $150 less than the MaxCam 360c. For many people, I think it is the better option.

Final Thoughts

I still need to get my hands on a Max 360c MkII, but based on what we already know about the detector, if you’re looking for a high end Escort radar detector to get the autolockouts, arrows, bluetooth, and WiFi cloud features, I’m thinking that for most people, this new detector will be the best way to go.

Purchase the Escort Max 360c MkII here.