Mark B. Morrow Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 (edited) Actually LA County Sheriffs' Dept not LAPD http://www.lasdhq.org/sites/car-test/2011.pdf It looks like Ford Nailed It with the new Police Interceptor and Utility Interceptor. Cops still love the CVPI as well. Edited May 16, 2011 by Mark B. Morrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edstock Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 Futility Interceptor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PREMiERdrum Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 The be-all end-all Caprice didn't seem to fare to well... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moosetang Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 I'm somewhat surprised by the poor scores for mounting equipment on the PI and PIU, considering the lengths Ford seems to be going to to accommodate them in the vehicle. Great performance numbers, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7Mary3 Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 The be-all end-all Caprice didn't seem to fare to well... You should read it again. The Caprice earned plenty of 10's. Also note that the Caprice vehicle dynamics evaluation was later in the day than the Ford PI tests, and the track and ambient temperatures were quite a bit higher. The Ecoboost PI did very well, no doubt. The real choice for th LAUSD will probably be between the Caprice, Charger, and PI AWD Base, as I think the Ecoboost version will probably be too expensive. It will be intersting to see which one the Sheriff's go with. L.A.P.D. has bought a number of Chargers recently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 the track and ambient temperatures were quite a bit higher Caprice track temps: 79-80 air, 84-91 track (p. 36) PI track temps: 79-82 air, 86-95 track (p. 57) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7Mary3 Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 (edited) Caprice track temps: 79-80 air, 84-91 track (p. 36) PI track temps: 79-82 air, 86-95 track (p. 57) The track and ambient temps. during the 32 lap high speed vehicle dynamics evaluation were significantly higher when the Caprice was tested compared to the the PI AWD Base. Considering the length and speed of this particular test, I think track and ambient temperatures were more of a factor in this test than the other dynamic evaluations. Caprice temps.: 79-80 degrees ambient, 84-91 degrees track (page 36). PI AWD Base temps.: 65-70 degrees ambient, 69-80 degrees track (Page 60). I think the Caprice and PI AWD Base are the two most likely vehicles to be considered for purchase by the LAUSD. It was also interesting (but not surprising!) to see which car the maintenance people favored! Edited May 17, 2011 by 7Mary3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 (edited) I doubt very much that the AWD would be preferred over the FWD PI in Los Angeles. Edited May 17, 2011 by RichardJensen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theoldwizard Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 I was told by a local police officer who had a friend who was a friend (so this is now 4th hand) who was on the Dearborn evaluation team, that there were "concerns" about brakes overheating/fading. Might be solved by now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twintornados Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 For "regular" patrol duty, it is nice to know that AWD is available without having to spring the extra cash for EcoBoost. I can see Ecoboost for the highway patrol, but for daily police work, AWD for the northern snowbelt climates and FWD in southern sunshine climates. Utility Interceptor will be a boon to agencies for hauling CSI style equipment to/from crime scenes..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BORG Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 (edited) It seems the Caprice is the most likely to have long-term success with Police agencies. Not only in its overall form and performance, but in the perception that the Ford PI/UI are precious high-tech/high-cost options while the Charger and Caprice are simple and robust. It all comes down to pricing of course, and then long-term durability. But in the end, I'm pretty convinced Ford will be loosing most of this market to Chevy and Chrysler and will essentially assume the position formerly occupied by the Impala. Edited May 17, 2011 by BORG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 What? The FWD Ford PI is about as 'high tech' as the Impala. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 With regards Caprice sales, the silence is deafening, if there was anything to crow about you can bet that Holden would be short stroking the news all over Aussie press sites.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old_fairmont_wagon Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 Unfortunately, the impala, from what I've heard from a local LEO in my neighborhood who is privy to his agencies purchasing numbers, is likely to be quite a bit less expensive than the Ford PI, even in it's basic FWD form. The new updates coming to the Impala may affect the price for next year (the engine and tranny package is more expensive than the previously offered one, unless GM continues to offer the old power pack) but, it should still be a bit cheaper than the Ford PI. Ford has compelling and competitive offerings for the market, and, as a result, should sell enough to make the program cost effective. It won't be the cash cow the CVPI was in it's heyday, but that's largely due to the level of competition in the market. I also suspect that the improved charger with the Phoenix engine will become more popular in the coming years. It gives better performance than the old V6, has better economy numbers, and is now a proven package. Couple that with the new transmission likely improving it's economy further, as well as the economy of the HEMI interceptor, and I can see their share of the market rising as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 Unless the coachwork of the Charger has improved, I doubt that better fuel economy will convince those that have been burned by lousy build quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BORG Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 (edited) What? The FWD Ford PI is about as 'high tech' as the Impala. Not unless you throw in AWD or EcoBoost. And now the next MY Impala will be equipped with more standard horsepower (305) and will cost the same or less than the Ford PI. It's hard to see where the competitive edge lies for the Taurus PI unless it really excels at things important to departments, which we can assume to be cost and utility. Edited May 17, 2011 by BORG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 Not unless you throw in AWD or EcoBoost. Which of course, are options. And now the next MY Impala will be equipped with more standard horsepower (305) and will cost the same or less than the Ford PI. Just like the Charger, which had more HP than the CV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 um, wheres the "Carbon" car??????ahem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7Mary3 Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 I doubt very much that the AWD would be preferred over the FWD PI in Los Angeles. There is a big reluctance here for agencies to adopt FWD patrol cars due to their different handling characteristics compared to RWD patrol cars. AWD cars are viewed more favorably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 (edited) There is a big reluctance here for agencies to adopt FWD patrol cars due to their different handling characteristics compared to RWD patrol cars. AWD cars are viewed more favorably. Whats cheaper? Doing a day or two of training or going with an inferior product? Is really THAT big of a difference? Its not like learning how to drive stick vs an automatic transmission. I can drive a RWD car every day and hop into a FWD car and drive it no problem day in day out. There might be differences with high speeds, but how many times does a cop need to be doing 90+? Edited May 17, 2011 by silvrsvt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 FWD patrol cars Which, of course, explains why GM never bothered to offer a PI version of the Impala. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7Mary3 Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 (edited) Whats cheaper? Doing a day or two of training or going with an inferior product? Is really THAT big of a difference? Its not like learning how to drive stick vs an automatic transmission. I can drive a RWD car every day and hop into a FWD car and drive it no problem day in day out. There might be differences with high speeds, but how many times does a cop need to be doing 90+? The reasoning is you don't want an LEO to have to think about what kind of vehicle he is driving while he is in the middle of a pursuit or trying to get somewhere Code 3. As an example many departments prohibit officers from driving SUV's on duty unless they have had the special driver training class for that type of vehicle, and even then in most cases those vehicles are not to be used in any type of pursuit, only Code 3. Many departments consider it a safety issue. Maybe in other states departments feel it isn't an issue, but here in Southern California it is. How many times does an officer have to drive fast in a urban area? Once might be enough. Over time we might see departments move away from this policy, but it still seems pretty well entrenched at this point. FWD patrol cars have been tested, but as of yet none have been purchased by the major departments for anything other than administration work. I have relatives and friends at the LASD, and I have been following their testing. It will be interesting to see what they decide to purchase. Edited May 17, 2011 by 7Mary3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 you don't want an LEO to have to think about what kind of vehicle he is driving Because all police vehicles are used for pursuit, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imshakn Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 I can drive a RWD car every day and hop into a FWD car and drive it no problem day in day out. There might be differences with high speeds, but how many times does a cop need to be doing 90+? Patrol out in an open area often will see speeds for a brief second or two of well more than 60 mph. Flip a u-turn to stop a drunk when they are traveling 50mph in the other direction and you are doing 45-50 and it becomes a necessity. You get fast braking, a hard turn, and then a quick acceleration. God forbid you have to avoid an obstacle and pull an evasive lane change in a FWD cruiser all while checking off with dispatch that you're pulling traffic and giving the vehicle info and location of the stop...yeah, FWD is really not ideal for a cruiser. Can you maneuver a car with FWD? Sure. However, they are not nearly as easy to do when hard on the gas as those tires are being asked to turn and continue applying power to the ground, both of which can easily overburden the available traction of the tires. I can't wait to have the new ford PI on patrol. :shades: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bzcat Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 So the Police Utility (Explorer) has 3.7 V6? This is the 2nd time we see published document from police agency saying so. So why is the regular Explorer stuck with 3.5 V6? (by "stuck" I just mean different... not implying the 3.5 is inferior - seems weird that Ford would go to the trouble to engineer the 3.7 V6 for Explorer and not offer as option for civilian version) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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