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July 6, 2011 By Colin Wood
What’s black and white and induces four-letter expletives when viewed through a rear-view mirror? A Crown Victoria police car.
For more than three decades, many law enforcement agencies have placed their trust in Ford’s full-size, rear-wheel-drive cruiser, creating an automotive icon synonymous with police presence and authority.
But Ford’s near-monopoly on law enforcement vehicles may soon come to an end as the Crown Victoria stops production and a new era of police vehicles vie to become the replacement of choice.
Many police officers spend more time sitting in their work vehicle than sitting on the couch at home, so the emergence of next-generation automobiles will have a significant impact on the comfort, livelihood and safety of patrolling officers.
Each of the Big Three automakers has developed a new sedan aimed at law enforcement. Ford is transitioning from rear-wheel drive with its new Police Interceptor, a modified version of the Taurus that comes with a 3.5L V6 or 3.5L twin-turbo charged EcoBoost V6; Chevrolet retooled a line of vehicles from its Australian subsidiary, Holden, to create the 6.0L V8 Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle (PPV); and Dodge offers the Charger Pursuit, available with a 3.6L Pentastar V6 or 5.7L HEMI V8. Meanwhile, newcomer Carbon Motors aims to redefine the industry with the world’s first purpose-built police vehicle, code-named “E7,” slated for release in early 2014.
Carbon Motors’ concept is good, said Colorado State Patrol Fleet Manager Kyle Shelton. “But without actually touching, getting in, driving ... it’s hard to say.”
Shelton manages about 700 law enforcement vehicles for 23 troop offices, and said a purpose-built vehicle is ideal, but he has reservations about some of Carbon Motors’ choices like the use of diesel fuel, which isn’t as prevalent as unleaded.
Shelton said he has driven the V8 Charger Pursuit and Caprice PPV and was impressed by both. He hasn’t yet driven the new Ford, but said that with proper training, he believes all-wheel drive is always a better option. “It’s good to see American competition,” he said. “They are comparably equipped vehicles.”
With old Crown Victorias being swapped out every four years, Shelton is considering which replacement vehicle to suggest to his superiors, although he hasn’t settled on one yet.
As existing police vehicles reach the end of the road, law enforcement leaders around the country will be deciding which next-gen option is right for their department. Here’s a brand-by-brand breakdown:
Photo: Ford's all-wheel-drive Police Interceptor squeezes more than 350 hp from its twin-turbo V6.
In developing their new law enforcement vehicles, each manufacturer followed a similar recipe: They asked law enforcement agencies what they wanted and tried to give it to them. But Ford’s decision to abandon real-wheel drive, a de facto law enforcement standard, is a bold move given that police request rear-wheel-drive vehicles and are typically trained for pursuit driving in them.
Lisa Teed, the marketing manager for Ford’s new Police Interceptor, said that while rear-wheel drive is a standard that Ford has long supported, she believes officers will come to appreciate the handling characteristics of the new front-wheel and all-wheel-drive vehicles. Officers switching to Ford’s new vehicles won’t need extensive training behind the wheel, she added.
“Change is never easy for anyone,” Teed said. “But emergency vehicle drivers have personally told me these vehicles require less effort to drive.”
Drivetrain preference aside, few would dispute that Ford’s offering is a step forward technologically. There are so many new features that it’s hard to find a part of the vehicle that hasn’t been upgraded. Side-curtain airbags, wide-opening rear door hinges, a redesigned interior, reinforced subframe and powertrain mounts, a 220-amp alternator, bigger brakes, upgraded suspension, a voice-activated communications system, a color rear-view camera system, radar-powered cross-traffic sensors and a blind spot alert system are all found in the new sedan.
Photo: The Dodge Charger Pursuit, equipped with a HEMI V8, delivers more horsepower and torque than its competitors.
Likewise, Dodge’s Charger Pursuit was designed to be a large step forward from the old platform, Charger Chief Engineer Breanna Kaufman said. “We worked to integrate as much of the police-specialized equipment in the design of the car as possible,” she said. The Charger’s center console and front seat interior were given great attention. “With the budget cuts, a lot of these officers don’t even have offices anymore,” Kaufman said. “The car is their office.” With this in mind, docking hookups for police equipment come standard.
The interior may be nice, but with the option of a 5.7 HEMI V8, the Charger Pursuit offers more torque and horsepower than any other police sedan, the automaker said. The Charger is also heavy on safety options: driver’s knee airbags, multistage front air bags, side-curtain airbags, front-seat side thorax airbags, hill start assist, rain brakes, traction control, stability control and brake assist. It’s no wonder the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety named the 2011 Charger one of this year’s top safety picks.
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I hope the police's car will be better than most of normal cars, because they need to catch crimes, this is very important. http://www.dootar.com/
It should be noted that Ford is building an SUV version of the Interceptor as well. The price will be an interesting factor as well as the packages themselves.
Chevrolet need to move the shifter from the console to the steering wheel in order to be competitive in this market. Police have way to much, radio, computer, lights and now ticket printers to fit the space between the seats. Police also need trunk space for addition gear the new Ford gives up $ feet to the Crown Vic. The pricing on the new Explorer Interceptor will be a deciding factor on department's purchasing this over the other models. Days of Police Pursuits are long over. Too many Lawyers willing to sue agencies.
GM had the chance of a life time to compete and a Caprice is what they can come up with? Compared with the other two, it seems to me they should have gone with a more sporty type like the Camaro for example, but what do I know, I just fix them not make them. lol
Please provide a mandatory AED in each vehicle sold to State of County police!
Purpose built vehicle? You mean with all the resources our car manufacturers have at their disposal their response to the need is to retro fit a consumer vehicle for police? Let's get real folks Carbon has the intent, our automotive manufacturers have the capability. Do it right, give them what they need. AND design systems for the vehicle that meet the need, like a secondary system to support the vehicle when sitting still rather than running the main engine to support environment and electrical needs.
Wow Tom, you're a real genius. Clearly the police need the special warm fuzzy factor of "purpose built" vehicles.. like a ambulance- a standard truck chassis with ambulance bodywork from the cab back. Or a firetruck.. again, just a truck, with some stuff sitting on top of the frame (much like a real police car, like the Crown Vic. The Vic was more purpose built for police work than any of these new contenders, especially the Taurus and Impala. Front wheel drive (or front-biased faux-all wheel drive) in a cop car will fail, just like it did the last time Ford tried to sell the grossly inappropriate Taurus platform as a proper, well-built vehicle suitable for the police back in the early 90's.
The crown vic was the raining champion for a long time, and having been a cop who rode in the Crown Vic in both patrol and detectives... they were ok, probably the best of the lot, but by no means perfect. From what I'm seeing in the Carbon, it looks like they've got the right idea! From the rear doors opening the opposite direction, to the embedded lights, ballistic panels in the doors and dash, etc. Very nice job! I'm not sure diesel will be an easy sell with the bean counters at first, since they see diesel and think dollar signs, but if the engines are 40% efficient, I think it will just be a matter of education. Another thing that would be nice would be locking "vault" type compartments for carrying secondary weapons (i.e. shotguns, rifles, etc) that you can leave in the vehicle securely. Extra ventilation that pipes right to the outside for the rear seats would be nice too (super high exhaust type fans) when the perp's got active TB and doesn't decide to tell you until your 2 mins from HQ, or some other type of ailment, or just threw up in the car or defecated (which has happened more than once!!) Some type of LCD monitor for the rear seats would be nice to, to play their miranda rights or some other type of police message in various languages.. keep them occupied and informed, things like how to exit the vehicle while in cuffs, why the need for cuffs, etc., what happens during a breathalyzer, book procedures, etc. The officer could choose to display a bunch of different messages depending on what the guy's doing back there (I'm kinda joking on this one, but it wouldn't be a bad idea, I'm sure there could be some definite uses for it).
One commment, Carbon Motors' vehicle is still just a concept--they didn't even submit one for competitive testing against the new Fords, Chevys, and Dodges. Unless they get a big government loan, there may never be a Carbon Motors car.