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police car

glombardiglombardi Member Posts: 2
edited March 2014 in Ford
by chance does anybody know if mopar is going to get back into the police car market,if and when,and what car

Comments

  • jchan2jchan2 Member Posts: 4,956
    IS in the market. Ever check out Chrysler Fleet? There's the Intrepid Police Cruiser, right there, with FWD......
  • glombardiglombardi Member Posts: 2
    i hate to repeat my self but i am, does anybody
    know if (chry)will make a rear wheel drive sedan
    police car to compete with the ford CV any time
    soon
  • jchan2jchan2 Member Posts: 4,956
    not that I've heard of.
  • a_l_hubcapsa_l_hubcaps Member Posts: 518
    Well, they will make a RWD sedan -- the 2005 300. The question is police car: I don't know whether there will be a police package offered for it or not. There should be.

    -Andrew L
  • tomcat630tomcat630 Member Posts: 854
    "IS in the market. Ever check out Chrysler Fleet? There's the Intrepid Police Cruiser, right there, with FWD......"

    The Intepid dies in a few months, and FWD will never be as durable as RWD. Why are there no Camry or Accord copcars or taxis?
  • jchan2jchan2 Member Posts: 4,956
    the Accords and Camrys aren't big enough for cab duty and Honda and Toyota aren't offering big rebates for cops.
  • tomcat630tomcat630 Member Posts: 854
    No chance, no way could an Accord handle all the added weight and abuse of cop duty, They were meant for "average" driving by average drivers.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Go to New York, there are tons of FWD Odyssey and Oasis models used as taxis. The first generation model, because sliding doors aren't allowed.

    -juice
  • tomcat630tomcat630 Member Posts: 854
    Do they still have them? Don't they have a rule about how old cabs have to be? Didn't they have problems with those station wagons?
  • jchan2jchan2 Member Posts: 4,956
    problems as the 95' Odyssey and the 96' Oasis were built with durability in mind. And sometimes you see Ventures out there on the road.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Hmm, I didn't pay attention last time I went to NY (auto show last April).

    -juice
  • jamesfletcher2jamesfletcher2 Member Posts: 127
    My understanding from some law enforcement sources is that Chrysler will indeed have a RWD police car. However, it will most likely not be until MY06 off of the up-coming Dodge RWD sedan. Unfortunately, in MY05 Dodge is first going to only do a wagon followed the next year by a sedan.

    The Canadian plant that will make all of the new Chrysler Division RWD cars needs time to scale-up and for some odd reason Chrysler Division management decided to do the Dodge wagon first. I also, believe that they need some time to get the police application right after the new line is in production given the abuse police cars have to take.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Maybe they'll use the Chrysler 300C first, then the Dodge sedan when that arrives later.

    -juice
  • jchan2jchan2 Member Posts: 4,956
    good thinking. Does Chrysler plan to sell the 300C with fleet discounts? Ford won't sell the Five-Hundred with discounts.
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    who's a cop in the next county over from me, in Maryland, and he said they have an order in for 60 Dodge Magnums for police duty. Right now, he drives a 2004 Intrepid police cruiser.

    He says that they've already raced the Intrepid against other cars, and supposedly it blows away the Crown Vic and Impala.

    Here's some test results I found awhile back, from a Michigan State Police test:

    0-60
    Intrepid: 9.14 seconds
    Crown Vic: 9.14 seconds
    Impala: 9.25 seconds

    0-100
    Intrepid: 24.80 seconds
    Crown Vic: 25.58 seconds
    Impala: 26.73 seconds

    Top Speed:
    Intrepid: 136 mph
    Crown Vic: 128 mph
    Impala: 126 mph

    There's also a road course that the MSP puts the cars thought, a 2 mile course that has hills, curves, and corners, and except for the absence of traffic, is supposed to simulate actual pursuit conditions.

    Here are the times from that test:
    Crown Vic: 1:41.65
    Intrepid: 1:42.07
    Impala: 1:44.25

    So while the Intrepid might be better in acceleration and speed, the Crown Vic seems to handle better. So much for the myth that just because a car is bigger and bulkier, it can't handle!

    It'll be interesting to see how the Magnum changes this picture.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Fleet cars have to meet the practical needs first. The Crown Vic outsells the rest because it has RWD, a wide interior, and is easy to work on.

    Magnum is RWD, but I doubt the interior has as much room. Also, it has some Mercedes bits (suspension), so let's see how simple it is to maintain, not to mention the cost of replacement parts.

    -juice
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    I have a feeling that the Mercedes components are going to be the Achilles heel of the Dodge Enforcer (which is what I think the police version is going to be called). Even if they are durable, the expense is still going to be a killer!

    As for interior room, the Crown Vic really isn't that much bigger inside than an Intrepid or Impala. Shoulder room is within an inch or two, front legroom is a fraction of an inch, and just going by feel (and not "official" measurements), the Intrepid actually has a bigger back seat! At least, it's the only one of the three where my knees don't touch the seatback.

    Size won't be a problem for the Magnum. After all the Dodge Diplomat and Plymouth Gran Fury compared favorably to the Crown Vic and Caprice for years.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Intrepid didn't have enough head room for me, and the door shape meant you had to duck getting in and out. I wonder how many criminals bumped their heads on the way in, hand-cuffed.

    -juice
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    because the cops will make sure to shove you into the door frame! ;-) Actually, I've never had a problem with banging my head on my '00 Intrepid, and I'm 6'3". I did groin myself once, though, on the trailing edge of the rear door...

    And FWIW, especially given its size, the Crown Vic isn't that easy to get in and out of. The rear doors have a small opening, and up front the dashboard juts out, similar to the "dogleg" that old Ford and GM cars with wraparound windshields had.

    Of course, all of 'em are going to have compromises. What works for one cop may not work for another.
  • jchan2jchan2 Member Posts: 4,956
    I'd pick the Magnum. a HEMI for work!
  • mrnimmomrnimmo Member Posts: 271
    in Arizona. It seems everyone drives a Dodge truck... or a jeep. :)

    >He says that they've already raced the Intrepid against other cars, and supposedly it blows away the Crown Vic and Impala.

    Nuts, even the Michigan test doesn't indicate the Intrepid blows away anything. I've driven them all at the largest police academy in the world. Neither of the FWD's (Impala and Intrepid) were close to speed and halding of the Crown Vic, which didn't handle nearly as well as the old Caprice.

    This is not the same as saying that Dodge isn't practicably just as fast. There aren't many areas where you can go as fast as any of these cars will go. In Michigan, I'm sure that FWD is favored for the winter traction. A slight decrease in handling may be more than offset by snow traction.

    >So much for the myth that just because a car is bigger and bulkier, it can't handle!

    Right, within reason of course. I've also found that the old style Dodge vans are surprisingly agile. They will go very, very fast.

    I really have never been a Dodge or GM guy, but the Dodge's in particular have caught my attention. Many of these vehicles have lots of hard miles on them and are still good vehicles.
     
    >As for interior room, the Crown Vic really isn't that much bigger inside than an Intrepid or Impala. Shoulder room is within an inch or two,

    Take a tape measure and measure it yourself. The measured amounts are per rear pasenger, so a few inches per passenger means the CV has 9-12 inches more width. It really adds up when you're trying to stuff three bikers in the back. Also, police cars usually have cages. Cutting a few inches out for the cage and the CV still has some useable room. Most other cars do not and the perp ends up sitting sideways.

    >After all the Dodge Diplomat and Plymouth Gran Fury compared favorably to the Crown Vic and Caprice for years.

    Yes they did. And I was told that they were the absolute fastest. No doubt the new Dodge will be also.
  • johnclineiijohnclineii Member Posts: 2,287
    Rear shoulder room in a Crown Vic is 60.3 inches. The car is only 78.2 inches wide.

    So, if that first figure is per passenger, what are you doing, rolling the widows down and counting part of the great outdoors???

    Seriously, there is very little more room in the backseat of a Vic than an Impala. And the commonly used figures are NOT per passenger...

    The NEW Dodge is RWD, has a V8 but is NOT body on frame. I doubt it has perceived gas tank problems, though.
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    I'd love to hit one at 70mph with a Crown Vic and find out :)
This discussion has been closed.