Initial Impressions: The Cobra DualPro 360 Radar Detector is Newb-Friendly
This easy to use radar detector boasts good filtering, 360-degree coverage, and advanced detection.
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While my dear Garage colleagues have been fastening together substantial storage and organization solutions, I've been enlisted to test and review a product that's much smaller, significantly easier to set up, and something that I have no experience with whatsoever: A brand-spankin'-new radar detector.
Cobra sent me its latest DualPro 360 radar detector, and I must admit, I was a little intimidated at first. Not due to its legality—it's perfectly legal to sport such tech while operating a motor vehicle in the state of California. I just have never used one before. But my driver's license is just about old enough to help out younger driver's licenses with a “hey mister,” so it was about time I gave one a try and report back on not just the experience, but the unit as well.
As I Said, It’s Easy to Set Up
Here's the thing about radar detectors, they're designed to serve all calibers of intellect. My simpleton self included.
The unit arrived in chic, quality packaging—which helps justify its $450 retail price—and some very basic instructions. The instructions show you what to plug in and where, as well as where to mount the unit in your vehicle. Finally, they point out what each of its buttons mean, as well as what the screen will tell you as you're tooling along.
One could walk out of their favorite brick-and-mortar retailer with a DualPro 360 under their arm, and have it set up and plugged in ready to detect Johnny Law around the corner in two minutes flat. There's more to it than what the instructions include, too, in fact, they include a bit saying to go to Cobra's website for a more detailed manual.
I'm a fan of saving materials but am a bigger fan of having the quickest form of reference material, ever: a printed booklet. Yes, it's easy to unlock my iPhone, open Safari, surf to the URL, and read everything there, but a booklet is easier/faster. Plus, what if I'm somewhere with a randomly crappy data connection, or in wifi connection/data purgatory?
The Features
Cobra boasts that the DualPro 360 is loaded with features, such as 360-degree detection (it's in the name, after all), good prevention against false alerts, early warnings, simple communication, and Bluetooth connectivity for enhanced alerts.
As far as the latter goes, this has me concerned. How either annoying or painless will pairing with an app be to make it worthwhile for red light camera alerts, police presence alerts, and so on? It could go either way, but I look forward to reporting back, regardless.
Not that I plan on having this resource at my fingertips every time I'm behind the wheel—that's a bit much for the random post-dinner Baskin Robbins run—but it could prove handy for longer trips. Not even to, allegedly, travel above the speed limit for an alleged amount of time, but rather to avoid slowdowns that might pop up along my route on a road trip. Which I also look forward to reporting back on.
I'm excited to see what the Cobra DualPro 360 is all about, from around-town driving to six-or-more hours in the saddle traversing California's scenic country highways.
And I'd like to ask for your help. That's right, you, The Drive's dear readership. What would you like to know? Are there any features mentioned above, or anything else on Cobra's site, that you'd like more information about?
