Next Generation Police Vehicles

[burgess87]

With Ford retiring the Crown Victoria sometime next year, here's what could be pulling you over soon:

1)  Ford Police Interceptor (based off the Taurus; SUV version based off the Flex in the works as well):



2)  Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle:



3)  Dodge Charger (2011 redesign in the works - artist rendering below):



4)  Carbon Motors E7 (production starts in 2012 - first ever specifically designed police vehicle):



Discuss.

[BigMattFromTexas]

My dad has a Charger...
BigMatt

[agentsteel53]

Carbon Motors E7 (production starts in 2012

I'm beginning to think the Mayans are on to something ...

seriously, the Carbon Motors vehicle is looking like something out of Demolition Man.

didn't Ford once make a vehicle specifically as a police car with no civilian version?  Like in the 1940s and 50s.  Though that may have had some chassis similarities to something else coming off the line.

[corco]

The Caprice, in fairness, won't be available as a civilian vehicle in this hemisphere, at least for the start- so when you see one you'll know it's a cop car

[bugo]

didn't Ford once make a vehicle specifically as a police car with no civilian version?  Like in the 1940s and 50s.  Though that may have had some chassis similarities to something else coming off the line.

No.  The Ford police cars in the 40s and 50s were based on the bare bones Ford sedan which went under several names.  They had beefed up suspension but were basically the same car as a Fairlane or a Crestline.  They did have a Police Interceptor engine starting in the late 50s which was based on the FE big block V8, first as a 352 and later as a 390 and a 428.

[bugo]

The Caprice, in fairness, won't be available as a civilian vehicle in this hemisphere, at least for the start- so when you see one you'll know it's a cop car

I'll have to learn the headlight pattern once they start showing up on the roads.

[Ian]

IMO, these designs do look neat 

[WillWeaverRVA]

I agree, that new Ford model looks pretty spiffy if you ask me.

[mightyace]

I agree, that new Ford model looks pretty spiffy if you ask me.

It looks like something out of RoboCop if you ask me.

The Carbon Motors car looks like it should ONLY be in a movie.  It's so ugly it's funny!

[D-Dey65]

With Ford retiring the Crown Victoria sometime next year, here's what could be pulling you over soon:
2)  Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle:

Ugh! Too small. I'd hate to be a cop and have to throw a 400 pound perp in the back seat. The current Impala looks bigger than this thing, and it's barely above the Malibu.

[KEK Inc.]

With Ford retiring the Crown Victoria sometime next year, here's what could be pulling you over soon:
2)  Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle:

Ugh! Too small. I'd hate to be a cop and have to throw a 400 pound perp in the back seat. The current Impala looks bigger than this thing, and it's barely above the Malibu.

Smaller cars are easier to maneuver, though.  Honestly, would you rather have a wide vehicle that has poor handling or a smaller car that can maneuver easily in high speed situations?   

[corco]

Smaller cars are easier to maneuver, though.  Honestly, would you rather have a wide vehicle that has poor handling or a smaller car that can maneuver easily in high speed situations?  

There's certain situations that are very important where a large car is necessary. Namely, police cars tend to be use as walls and barriers, usually as roadblocks (and sometimes at a moments notice, so there's no point in having one or two giant cars to serve that purpose). A Ford Focus would be too easy to drive around/through.

Wide vehicles handle quite well as well- the wider the track the lower the rollover risk (given a constant height), making it safer to spin donuts and things (which cops have to do on occasion), so that's a good thing. At high speed, a large, low passenger car is probably the easiest vehicle on the planet to maneuver- it's only difficult for parallel parking and things like that.

Additionally, you'll frequently be arresting more than one person, so a spacious back seat is absolutely important, and you'll also frequently be seizing stuff on the spot, so a spacious trunk is also important.

For somebody just driving around nailing speeders, a small car would be fine, but that's what motorcycle cops are for.

Ugh! Too small. I'd hate to be a cop and have to throw a 400 pound perp in the back seat. The current Impala looks bigger than this thing, and it's barely above the Malibu.

Don't be fooled by looks:

The Impala is 200 inches long, the Caprice is 204
More importantly, the wheelbase on the Impala is 110, the Caprice is 118
Width is virtually identical
Longer wheelbase means larger interior, so it's basically the same size as the Impala but will feel like a much larger car

Just for fun, the Ford Crown Vic Police Interceptor is 212 long, but with a 114 inch wheelbase. So it has a longer hood and probably a larger trunk, but about the same size interior. The Charger is 200 long, but with a wheelbase of 120. All are around 75 inches wide.

So, no, the Caprice is about the same size as every cop car we've had in the last decade

[Truvelo]

The Carbon vehicle has the best police lights. Surely having an integrated lightbar will reduce drag and improve economy, not to mention whistling and other noises that roofbars can induce. In this day and age it seems primitive to have retrofitted lightbars. Maintenance need not be a problem if LEDs are used.

[agentsteel53]

Ugh! Too small. I'd hate to be a cop and have to throw a 400 pound perp in the back seat. The current Impala looks bigger than this thing, and it's barely above the Malibu.

being 400 pounds is crime enough.  having to endure sitting in the back of a police car that isn't the size of a Winnebago is just about appropriate punishment.

[SP Cook]

As two of the Rust Belt Three got out of the luxury sized car business, how the argument were for how they just HAD to have Crown Vics, or SUVs.  Now they may be stuck with normal sized cars.

Of course we have this "Carbon Motors".  These is the sub-culture that bought $6M worth of Quadro Trackers, you will remember.

Wonder what Freud would say?

[mightyace]

Of course we have this "Carbon Motors". 

I wonder what Al Gore and company think of that name? 

[corco]

As two of the Rust Belt Three got out of the luxury sized car business, how the argument were for how they just HAD to have Crown Vics, or SUVs.  Now they may be stuck with normal sized cars.

Except, of course, that the Caprice/Charger/E7 are all the same size as the Crown Victoria. Even the Ford Taurus PI (the 2010 Taurus is a full-sized car- it moved up a class when it was reintroduced because the Fusion occupies its old territory) will be roughly the size of the Crown Victoria. Police cars aren't getting smaller. It isn't happening.

[bugo]

One negative against the new Caprice is that it does not have a separate frame like the Crown Vic does.  The LAPD has a frame straightening machine and can get a car back on the road in just a few days. 

[corco]

That part is going to be a challenge. I fully expect the Carbon to pull ahead if only for that reason- Taurus/Caprice/Charger are all unibody, which is going to be more expensive. That alone should justify whatever premium the Carbon costs over the Big 3's offerings

[bugo]

I kinda hope the Carbon does take off.  With a unique front end and unique taillights, they will be easy to spot on the road. 

[corco]

It'll be nice to have a dedicated police vehicle like that- I've got a buddy with a white Crown Victoria. He has a love/hate relationship with it when driving down two lane highways. If there's not much traffic, people slow way down and he can pass, but if there's a lot of traffic he's stuck going the speed limit.

The whole unmarked cop car thing is a joke- I generally don't speed, but when I do I slow everytime I see a Crown Vic, Charger, and even what appear to be dark Ford Expeditions (several of those used as police cars in Wyoming) or Tahoes (same in Idaho).

Now at least I won't be slowing for no reason thereby annoying civilians.

Those oblivious will still get tickets, and those who were slowing down for Crown Vics (which I suspect is the bulk of the population) will now slow down for Carbons. Nothing changes.

[Stephane Dumas]

One negative against the new Caprice is that it does not have a separate frame like the Crown Vic does.  The LAPD has a frame straightening machine and can get a car back on the road in just a few days. 

From 1960 to 1989, except for the Imperial line-up until 1967, all Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth B-body (Coronet, Belvedere, Satellite), C-body (Polara/Monaco, Newport, Fury), R-body (St-Regis, Gran Fury), M-body (Diplomat, 1982-89 Gran Fury) was all unibody.

A big weird thing is Carbon will have a diesel BMW engine.

[Scott5114]

making it safer to spin buy donuts and things (which cops have to do on occasion)

Fixed that for you

[HalifaxTravaler]

the chevy caprice is actually the pontiac g8,which is holden not sure of the holden's model name though,which makes it and the charger the only rwd offerings in the bunch.not to mention the chevy could likely be equiped with the 6liter v8 as that is an option in those models.Its a shame that GM killed Pontiac as the g8 was the nicest pontiac to come out in years.

[corco]

Not really. They are based on the same basic platform (Zeta) but that's it. The G8 was a clone of the Holden Commodore (short Zeta) and the Caprice is based on the Commodore's bigger brother, the Statesman/Holden Caprice (long Zeta), which is a larger less performance-oriented car.  

It will come standard with the 6 litre V8 though, so that's good.