Car & Driver's Road Patrol Touch Duo boasts an impressive array of features, including an OLED touchscreen interface and flexible camera setup However, some annoying quibbles spoil the experience, and some features don't work as well as they should

Nevertheless, with decent image performance and an all-in-one package for most camera requirements, the Road Patrol Touch Duo is a worthy all-rounder [The Road Patrol Touch Duo is available from Costcocom for $13999

The design of the Road Patrol Touch Duo is nothing to write home about It looks like a half clamshell, with a red C-shaped LED around a volumetric lens The unit itself, however, feels cheap, light, and plasticky

The wide display on the back corresponds to a rather thick bezel, and the housing forms a secondary border, giving the unit a much larger off-screen area

This is not to say that large displays are not welcome However, the combination of the large unit, the removable rear camera module on the underside, and the tall mount means that this dash cam occupies more windshield area than we would like

In addition, the Road Patrol Touch Duo offers a surprising number of other features and add-ons, including a bundled 16GB microSD card and a choice of adhesive or suction mounts

Next, a parking warden monitors the perimeter 24/7 (if there is a hardwired connection) and starts recording when an accident is detected An on-board G-sensor also activates after a collision, automatically protecting the current footage

The Road Patrol Touch Duo has a touchscreen feature that many dash cams lack This model also has a 3-inch OLED screen

If this is not enough, the Touch Duo has a driver assistance mode with lane departure and collision warning detection systems When we tested both of these functions, the lane departure system worked quite well, but the latter proved to be too sensitive, sending incessant rasping alerts, especially in city driving, and quickly ran out of patience Moreover, there is no way to turn off one function and leave the other on Believe me, you're better off leaving it off

The Road Patrol Touch Duo's touch screen makes setup a breeze You can tweak the time and date settings, recording duration, etc

The rear camera module is also versatile It can be attached directly to the main unit to make a cabin camera, attached to a mount to make a rear camera, or tied to the rear headrest with a rubber band to make a blind spot camera or baby monitor

Despite being a mid-budget model, the Road Patrol Touch Duo offers impressive 1080p image quality Whether during the day or at night, images are generally crisp and clear

Contrast is also excellent, allowing the camera to capture roads, clouds, and the sky clearly without any white noise Also, at night, Road Patrol provides a clear view of the vehicle tag, road, and surrounding area, where other dashcam sensors may struggle in bright light or dark night (headlights often obscure the vehicle tag)

Additionally, the rear camera, while not as sharp as the front camera, makes a good effort The performance is surprisingly excellent for a camera in this price range

Sound is also decent on the Road Patrol Touch Duo, but the warning tone is sometimes too loud during playback There is also a faint but unmistakable digital whine during playback that can be distracting

The Road Patrol Touch Duo has a lot to offer, including flexible camera placement and touch screen functionality Nevertheless, it is hardly a home run for Car & Driver, as some features are not worth turning on

Other dash cams may look better and offer more standard features such as WiFi connectivity and GPS, but the Road Patrol is a solid mid-range unit with image quality that trumps many products