With the last Ford Crown Victoria rolling off the assembly line on September 15, police departments all over the U.S. are faced with a stark and immediate problem: their next police cruiser. The Crown Victoria has dominated police fleets for 20 years and is so loved by departments that 2011 sales by the end of August totaled a startling 40,082 units.
Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge all have brand-new police cruiser models ready and waiting. Each has its own character, features, strengths and weaknesses. All three automakers have a long list of ways in which their entry is better than the others.
Ford Police Interceptor
Ford will begin pushing the new 2012 Taurus-based Police Interceptor to departments as soon as the Crown Victorias are gone. The company builds the dedicated police model with two engines: a 3.5-liter flex-fuel V6 with 280 horsepower and a twin-turbocharged EcoBoost 3.5-liter V6, snagged from the Taurus SHO, making 365 horsepower. Both engines are light years ahead of the Crown Vic in fuel efficiency. A column-shifted 6-speed automatic comes standard.
A specially calibrated all-wheel drive system brings a strong advantage over competitors for harsh-weather environments, though will require some additional at-the-limits driving training for officers. Ford will also offer the Interceptor with front-wheel drive. Massive brakes, a 220-amp alternator and undercarriage plates show this is no regular Taurus.
Chevrolet Caprice PPV
The Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicle is an all-new model sharing much of its engineering with GM Australia’s Holden Caprice. The base engine is a 301-horsepower 3.6-liter V6, while a 6.0-liter 355-horsepower flex-fuel V8 is optional. Both are mated to 6-speed automatic transmissions and send power to the rear wheels.
GM can rightfully brag the Caprice PPV V8 took home top honors in 0-60 time, top speed and braking tests during a recent comprehensive police car and SUV shootout carried out by the Michigan State Police. The company continues to offer a front-wheel drive police model based on the Impala.
Dodge Charger Pursuit
Dodge has had quite a bit of success wooing many departments away from the Crown Victoria with its more-modern Charger-based police car. With the heavily revised 2011 Charger comes an all-new Police cruiser the company calls the Charger Pursuit. Standard is a 292-horsepower flex-fuel V6, while the 5.7-liter HEMI V8 engine making 370 horsepower is sure to have a higher take rate by highway patrol squads. Both engines are mated to 6-speed automatic transmissions and rear-wheel drive.
The Charger Pursuit benefits from the many enhancements and tweaks Dodge gave the Charger for 2011, including the new more-efficient Pentastar V6. Its design is both mean and flashy, unlike the more-restrained Ford and Chevy competitors. Dodge has the advantage of currently carrying a long list of customers entering the post-Crown-Victoria police car era.