Is there any consensus on which radar detectors work best in general or with Crossfires in particular? Have only had the car since February but already some close calls. Any thoughts apprecciated. Thanks.

 

Escort Passport is popular with some board members. Valentine One's another.

None will protect you against laser, tho

 

Any high-end model from Escort (Passport), the high-end Beltronics Driver detectors (Beltronics and Escort share ownership now and share most detector electronics), or the trusty Valentine One will do a good job detecting radar, it's just a matter of taste and features.
Valentine One has the arrows, Passports have a very nice GPS lockout and speed camera system, and Beltronics make the Driver STi which isn't detectable by radar detector detectors (in places where detectors are illegal).

Supposedly Cobras are no longer garbage at the high end of their model line but I'd still avoid them as they have a history of being horrible.

Radar detectors won't protect you from laser even if they advertise it - once you get a laser warning, you're probably screwed. If you're in a state where they're still legal and don't travel much you could take a look at laser jamming systems.

 

If you google the subject, you might find some forums devoted to radar detector tests. Last time I looked, which was about 2 years ago, V1 was still the top rated detector but it was very closely followed by the top products from Passport and Bel. Lots of owners love the coolness of the arrows. Honestly, the extra 20+ feet of warning did not justify the $400 price of the V1 versus the <$200 for the Bel. This will rapidly become a religious discussion, but I can tell you I an happy with my Bel 965 and it has saved my butt numerous times as I often drive 10-15 over. On straight road stretches here in MI, I often get 1/2 mile warning of imminent radar. If you heed these, which are often false alarms, you will discover that they are radar scatter from instant-on guns in the distance or from radar on cross roads. As stated above, laser does not scatter and is instant on, so when your detector screams you are already caught.