I actually went from V1 to the Escort Max 360. I had 2 V1 detectors, an original from 1992 and one that was 10 years old. Neither would work in the Genesis because of the new safety features. I looked at upgrading my V1, getting another V1 or getting a Max 360. I was given $120 off of the Max 360 for my 1992 V1.
I picked the Max 360 because I wanted the many additional features it offered over the V1:
- Traffic cameras
- Speed cameras
- Camera updates over the web
- Ability to get software upgrades over the internet.
- The user interface. Much better information on the display
- Ability to eliminate false alarms based on GPS location and radar pattern
- Ability to minimize alerts below a certain speed (I chose 30 MPH)
- Ability to minimize alerts below the speed limit when connected to smart phone via Bluetooth.
- Better false alarm screening
- Automatic muting of alarms after initial alert, if desired.
What are the negatives:
- Cost. It is $530 with my trade in.
- The arrows are not as responsive. I did ask about this and this is partially a software issue and partially by design. This will likely be changed on a future software download.
I thought long and hard about this before switching. I felt that even though V1 internals have been upgraded many times since my original unit, I felt the display and user interface was very dated. I actually was patiently waiting for V1 to upgrade their user interface and add GPS functionality when the Max 360 came out. I think the GPS functionality adds a lot to the radar detector.
I did take the Max 360 on a 1400 mile trip and it worked very well. I like connecting my smart phone for long trips and using the detector solo for driving around town.