I have two friends who have Escort Passport 8500's, and have been using Escort for years and swear by them. They didn't think the convenience of arrows (which is nice I'll admit) wasn't worth the extra $100.

As far as detection range, the 8500 has been rated the best detector for the money in both Car and Driver's test and on radartest.com of which the V1 was it's direct competition. It's for the extended coverage that the Escort will win my dollars. I'm in no way bashing the V1, as it's record speaks for itself, but there are other, viable brands as well...

Me? I'll make do with the hand-me-down Escort 5000 till I find employment and go for an 8500...

Regards,
- Ryan

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'95 E420 - 'Shadowfax' 138kmi.
'92 Volvo 740Turbo Bard 193kmi
'74 240D - 'Ol' Green' 4spd Manual 104kmi. (sold )
'77 300D - 'Red' 223kmi (sold)
'75 240D - 'Bianca the Blue Bomber' (sold)