NYPD adds Charger muscle to its fleeet

[Blue Oval Staff]

click here for the article

[kevinb120]

Its a matter of time before the Charger takes over all police duty. What was the better decision at Ford-completely redoing the newer explorer/expeditions(still the newest SUV platforms on the market), or neglecting the RWD full-size sedans completely? Hmmm.... The Charger is an excellent vehicle, it deserves to run the Vic out of town forever.

[lfeg]

I think that we are all going to see many changes in police and other government fleets in the next 2 or 3 years, with fewer and fewer CVs in use.

 

Already several Sheriffs Departments around here are well into switching fleets to Impalas, two that I know of have not purchased a single CV in a few years and the old CVs are being cycled out. There are viable alternatives to the CV out there now, and since it looks as if the CV is on the doomed list, there is all the more reason to look at alternatives. I have not seen any Chargers in local police or Sheriffs fleets yet, but they will be there eventually. With the crimp that fuel costs are putting on budgets I would expect to see a "patrol version" of the police package Charger offered with a V6 soon. Kind of reminds me of the days in the 60s when Ford offered a "police duty" version of the 240 six in the Custom.

[KinneticBrian]

Its a matter of time before the Charger takes over all police duty. What was the better decision at Ford-completely redoing the newer explorer/expeditions(still the newest SUV platforms on the market), or neglecting the RWD full-size sedans completely? Hmmm.... The Charger is an excellent vehicle, it deserves to run the Vic out of town forever.

 

 

I'm a veteran law enforcement officer in Ohio and have been an avid car junkie since Reagan was in the White House. Having driven multiple patrol cars and the new Dodge Charger I can objectively disagree with the above quote.

 

The Dodge Charger bests the current Crown Vic in one area - straight line acceleration. Admittedly Ford has been weak at best on their police package performance since the demise of the 460 cid V-8 powered LTD's of the '70's. One would have to go all the way back to the early 60's (The Galaxie XL era) to find a time when Ford was the bad boy on the block. Why Ford didn't drop the engine from the Lincoln Continental or Mark VIII into the CVPI is beyond me.

 

However, the Charger has some very bad design flaws for police work that make it less than desirable. One, the driving position in this car is terrible. Outward visibility is a nightmare, not to mention that you feel like you're sitting in a tank when you drive this thing. Women and men under 6' (which comprise a major part of the police agencies in this country) will find this annoying, if not dangerous under emergency driving conditions. Two, the rear door design, in addition to being downright ugly, is entirely impractical when it comes to getting someone in custody into the back seat of the car. If you have an unruly offender, this becomes a serious safety issue. These flaws alone are enough to negate the performance advantage.

 

The Crown Vics advantages lie in the undeniable durability and strength of the "Panther" chassis. The superior driving position allows the officer driving to maintain much better control of the car and the superior outward visibility means greater officer safety. The Crown Vic is also much more comfortable for officers working a long shift.

 

One other area that the CVPI excels is in handling. Like the LTD's of the '80's - the current model Crown Vic is very predictable and consistent in its handling. The 1988 Gran Furys we had cornered flatter, but behaved differently depending on road input, speed and the general mood the car seemed to be in that day. The Caprices (87 and 90) of the same generation did well at lower speeds, but tended to float at higher speeds. The LTDCV was rock solid and predictable if not forgiving in its handling.

 

In conclusion, I'll say this:

 

Ford seriously needs to update the CVPI. This can be done simply by robbing the parts bin from elsewhere in the company. It's shameful that the new 3.5 V-6 in the MKZ will have more power than the V-8 in the CV. Further upgrade the seating in the car and freshen the design and Ford would have a smash-hit.

 

The Dodge Charger is a quantum leap in the right direction for DCX and Law Enforcement when compared with the dreadful Intrepid Police Package. If this car had the 300's back door shape and a higher roofline and seating position, it would be a much more serious contender. Given it's shortcomings though, it's no '69 Polara in terms of being the bad boy on the block.

 

Incidentally, the Dodges are replacing Chevy Impalas in the NYPD fleet as much as anything. Every department I know of is in a real hurry to replace the Impalas because they are not holding up. What Ford, and more importantly Dodge should be concerned with is if and when GM brings a RWD, V-8 Impala to market.

[Traveler]

Regarding the rear door design of the Charger, I wondered why DCX didn't consider this and take appropriate steps. Another thing about mixing the Charger into fleet usage is the resale value will likely drop on them as well over time. I think what DCX should have done is assembled (not built from scratch) a specific police fleet model. Take the 300 body, put a Magnum front end on it and put a reflector-type lense (like the Grand Marquis) between the 300 taillights to (a) modify the rear styling to not look like the Chrysler and (B) to aid in visability which all police cars need on the rear. Doing this alleviates the usage of the Charger with the kangaroo-hip fenders that and allows for more conventionally styled rear doors. It would have been an easy fix with little investment, except for a police specific reflector lense.