Cobra XRS 9960G radar detector review, by Jeff Roy

Attention drivers- especial those who tend to have a lead foot. We are in a new age. No longer do us drivers have to worry about the radar used by law enforcement. Now there is photo radar. For you speedsters out there, no longer do you have to just look for the squad car. You also need to be on the look out for the photo radar cameras. There are also red light photo cameras. Enter the Cobra XRS 9960G.

For you drivers that can drive over the speed limit, many of you may have a radar detector. That is, if they are not illegal in the state you live in. Where I live, they are not illegal, so I have one. But my old ESD-9570 no longer gets the job done. The way I look at it, what is the point if your radar detector does not get the job done. It detects against radar, but not the photo radar, so for me it is not fully getting the job done.

The Cobra XRS 9960G gets the job done. Not only does it have a 15 band radar detector, it also detects photo and red light cameras. It includes AURA (Advanced Universal Road Alert) GPS receiver to know your current location. The GPS receiver accesses a database, and based on your location will tell you of all upcoming photo radar, red light cameras, speed traps, and dangerous intersections on a global basis. There is both an audible and visual warning. The visual warning is first a green warning that a camera is coming up, then you get an orange warning that the camera is getting close, and then finally a red warning that you are almost on it.

Other features include ExtremeBright DataGrafix 1.5” OLED Display, to easily see the display and settings. The display settings allow for full color, or Blue, Green, Orange, or Red to match your car’s instrumentation. The 9960G comes with new and improved Super-Xtreme Range Superheterodyne (S-XRS) detection technology. It provides a super fast radar lock-on technology, and provides 15 band detection.

Overall the radar detector worked great! There was only one time when I saw a photo radar camera and was not warned of it, and I believe it was a brand new camera location that had not yet been added to the database. More common was the limited notice of an upcoming camera. Sometimes I would only get a green alert, or a green alert and an orange alert before I get to the camera. I should have gotten the green, then orange, then red alert before reaching the camera. While it wasn’t perfect, I still at least got a warning. Also keep in mind that it is based on location. So if you are driving and get a warning of an upcoming camera but you do not see it, the camera could be at that location, but installed for traffic going the opposite direction, such as on the other side of the freeway.

When it comes to driving, speeding can be expensive. So you either do not speed, or if the state you live in allows you to have one, you could get a radar detector. But what good is your investment if it does not work right? I am glad to see that Cobra’s reputation for quality products have not changed. The Cobra 9960G performed well for both standard radar as well as photo radar. It saved me a few times, and after all isn’t that the reason for getting it? For more info and complete specs, please check out Cobra’s website at: www.cobra.com.