Cobra adds GPS to a clever new radar detector design. Major components (from upper left): radar/laser antenna module; GPS antenna, remote, GPS/USB plug, remote power/USB cable; antenna module power plug.
The Cobra XRS R9G ($370 MSRP) is a hybrid design with a unique array of features. Technically it's a remote model with a radar/laser antenna
module controlled by a cordless remote control/display unit. But unlike other remotes, this one is designed to be mounted inside the vehicle. And the G
in the model name denotes its GPS function. (The $270
Cobra XRS R7 is the same detector but without GPS.)
The radar/laser antenna module mounts on the inside windshield near the passenger-side header. A separate GPS module sits next to it and the two
are linked with a mini-USB cable. Once connected, the antenna module powers both units.
Aside from a coiled power cord, a direct-wire cord is also provided and it's the better choice of the two since it doesn't permanently occupy one of the vehicle's power outlets. And
since the radar/laser antenna and GPS modules are both glass-mounted with industrial-strength Velcro, the XRS R9G is intended for permanent
installation.
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There's a big advantage to having a detector tucked away behind the upper windshield's dark tinting: Curious eyes can't see it. This cuts down on the
chance of theft and also keeps disapproving police officers from knowing that you're packing.
The downside to the Cobra R9G's upper-windshield installation is the need for remotely-mounting its control/display unit. This Cobra uses a wireless
remote, a wafer-thin unit powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. It's a design marvel whose multicolored LCD has beautiful graphics and it can be
set to show operating mode, direction of travel, battery charge, vehicle speed and lat/long, among other items.
The decision to use a wireless remote exacts some compromises, however. As there are no duplicate controls on the radar antenna/control module
save for a power switch, a dead remote battery means the system is nearly out of service. I say "nearly" because a powered-up antenna module
continues to work, but it won't respond to commands. Like the K40 Calibre, a lost or dead remote renders the Cobra R9G nearly helpless.
Battery life is adequate for about 10 hours of operation before requiring a recharge. This is accomplished by using a separate USB cable with a cigarette plug
adapter on one end. A fully depleted battery took two hours or more to recharge. Mindful of the Cobra XRS R9G's dependence upon its remote, I'd recommend
against leaving home without this cable.
Remote Control
A plastic cradle holds the remote and may be clipped to an HVAC vent. I tried this and while it kept the small LCD reasonably close to my line of
sight, it prevented me from directing air flow or volume from the vent
nearest the driver's seat. (In summertime Phoenix, things like this are noticed.) Thus
positioned, the assembly also proved too wobbly for the remote to be operated from there, even if it could easily be read, which it couldn't. In sunlight the
display is often difficult or impossible to read, particularly when wearing polarized sunglasses. Adhesive strips and Velcro are furnished to allow an
alternate mounting location and I suspect many will choose one.
The A/C vent bracket holds the remote well enough, but the narrow shutters in the vents of one vehicle we used for testing required mounting the
remote at a 90-degree angle. Staring at it long enough to decipher its display proved impractical to do with safety. Usually I found myself removing it from
the cradle and holding it in front of me, reducing the dangers of multi-tasking.
To cut down on cockpit glare, the bright display times-out after 30 seconds, leaving but a tiny LED lit in the center. To display information about mode or settings, a press of any button is first required to bring it to life, another user-unfriendly design feature that requires using the remote.
Another challenge in using this wireless remote is operating it. Covered by a smooth, touch-sensitive membrane, it's necessary to locate the five
switches by location alone, meaning you'll need to be staring at it. All of them are double-purpose and require deliberate button-presses of specific
durations. And some actions can take an exceptionally long time to effect. For example, saving a location to the database sometimes takes 12-15
seconds of determined button-pushing. I often found that I'd overshot a freeway speed camera location by 700 feet or more by the time the location was
stored. Non-GPS-related changes are accomplished quickly, leading me to suspect that the slowest link in the heirarchy is the GPS module.
The Cobra XRS R9G has a long list of user-selected menu options, everything from auto mute to selectable band defeat, plus POP mode, alternate city
modes, IntelliMute (limits urban falses in stop-and-go traffic) and a choice of voice alerts or tones. But its GPS capability is what makes this Cobra
special. An internal database is loaded with known photo enforcement camera locations nationwide. When one is approached, it barks an audible
warning and the display color changes from green to yellow to red as the location is reached.
You can also manually mark a point of interest, perhaps a favorite traffic-enforcement location (known among lawmen as a fishing hole).
However, the Cobra lacks the ability to lock-out the fixed radar sources that generate most urban false alarms, in particular the automatic door openers
operating on X and K band. This is a huge selling point for the competition. The GPS-enabled Escort Passport 9500i ($449.95) and Passport 9500ix ($499.95) can do
this, as can the Escort Passport 9500CI and BEL (Beltronics) Pro
GX 65 ($469.95), all of which we've thoroughly tested.
False Alarms
Skeptical about the value of known-location lockout? Okay, consider this. In a 759-mile test from Phoenix to San Diego and back, the Beltronics (BEL) GX 65 gave two false alerts on the outbound portion of
the journey, both K-band automatic door openers. With these locked-out, on the return leg the unit uttered not a single false alarm, although it was run in
its most-sensitive highway mode for the entire trip, including through both of these microwave-saturated metropolitian areas. In contrast, the Valentine
One used for comparison purposes was operated in its most-filtered Advanced Logic mode within urban areas to maximize its resistance to false alarms. But it still alerted 91 times and identified 133 radar signals. Only seven of these were police radar. The rest were door openers,
cellphone tower microwave repeaters and other radar detectors. A similar test of the Escort Passport 9500i returned results parallel with the BEL's.
We updated the Cobra XRS R9G's known-location database by downloading Cobra's updating utility and driver to a PC, then
connecting the GPS module via USB and downloading the data. After the update, it was tested by driving to 20 local camera sites in the camera-saturated Phoenix metro area. It alerted to all of the locations added nine months or more prior but missed all 14 of the cameras activated within the past six weeks. In contrast, the Escort 9500ix, similarly updated, alerted to 9 of those 14.
Three R9G units were evaluated over a period of nine months. The first was returned after its remote quit working on the first day of testing. The
remote for the second unit also quit in mid-test. A call to a senior Cobra executive produced a work-around: remove and disconnect the lithium-ion
battery and recycle the unit. But there's no mention of this fix in the owner manual and I suspect that other Cobra XRS R9G and XRS R7 owners will
encounter the same problem. [To correct this, a reset switch has been added to the remote and a revised owner manual describes how to revive a dead remote. - Ed.]
A test of the second R9G showed that it had excellent range against K- and Ka-band radar. At the Hill/Curve test site, on Ka band it actually spotted
the radar a few feet before the $400 Valentine One, updated with the latest
software, as well as an Escort Passport 9500i. But at the same site it was effectively blind to X-band radar, belatedly spotting it at 216 feet, nearly 450
feet after the radar had already locked-in a speed and some 2,300 feet after the others had alerted. It performed similarly at the 5.4-mile-long
Straightaway Site.
Knowing that the Cobra should have performed better, I shipped the unit to them for evaluation and wasn't shocked when word came back that it
wasn't in good health. But it would November before we'd have another opportunity for a rematch.
Armed with a third sample, also obtained anonymously at retail, we prepared for a third test of the Cobra R9G. But after charging the remote's
battery for one day we found it to be DOA, same as the first two units. Luckily, we knew about the workaround and were able to breathe life into the
Cobra. And this one performed quite well.
We didn't test against Ku band or POP-mode radar. The former isn't used in the U.S. and there aren't enough POP-mode radars on the road to merit
testing against it. Factory-default is for both to be shut off and after driving with the Cobra R9G for a few weeks, the reason behind this is clear.
Activating either function makes the unit false uncontrollably. The Cobra alerts to every passing BG Tech radar detector manufactured before 2003, as
well as several other imported brands, and there are millions of them out there. Over one 10-mile stretch of I-10 in the vast open desert of western
Arizona, the R9G alerted 13 times: six each on X and K, once on Ka band. None of these was a police radar. It's quieter with POP and Ku band disabled
but remains noticeably more prone than the competition to alerting to nearby radar detectors.
The Cobra XRS R9G is an attractive and innovative radar detector with good potential. But in light of its design compromises and chatty nature, those shopping for a well-rounded GPS-enabled radar detector might want to check out the competition before making a buying decision.
REVIEW SUMMARY
Pro:
- Innovative design
- Extensive feature set
- Excellent radar sensitivity
- Good at spotting speed cameras
Con:
- Seven discrete components required to do the work of a single integrated GPS radar detector
- Fussy remote control
- Won't lock-out problem signals
- Too many false alarms
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