The world of patrol cars is so fascinating that you can get lost down a rabbit hole for a whole day. Some departments love their Dodge Chargers, while others can’t let go of their Ford Explorers. Some still run the awesome Chevy Caprice PPV! Then there are the trucks.
As Brian wrote, Ram is touting its new Ram 2500 Emergency Response Vehicle as America’s first pursuit-rated heavy-duty pickup truck. That’s the most American thing I’ve heard today. Library of Context:
So if a cop in a pickup truck pulls me over, is it bribery if I offer them pizza and beer to help me move that weekend?
DialMforMiata:
Makes sense, the average RAM owner’s daily commute involves at least three PIT maneuvers.
Canopysaurus:
All very impressive, but can it do donuts?
Rad Barchetta:
All they can eat.
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So the highest top speed of any police vehicle tested has been 148mph,
Noted.
Thomas wrote about the new Genesis GV60 Magma and how it simulates a 9,000 RPM V6. Hangover Grenade:
How big of a fucking dork do you have to be to sonically model a V6 rather than a V8 or a V12. Could have been anything. A methanol-injected twin cam flat-plane crank V8. But nope. A V6.
Finally, Matt wrote about how VW doesn’t feel so hot about SUVs anymore. So, what should VW make next? Rollin Hand has an interesting idea:
VW should build a new New Beetle (Newer Beetle?) on the Polo platform, and make it affordable. The last version was too big and un-Beetle-like.
Keep the engineering as simple as possible to keep costs down And reliability up. A torsion beam rear suspension is fine, as is staying away from turbo power plants. Warranty the hell out of it so people are less worried about reliability, or build it better.
Give it lots of fun colour options. Make it so that it is slightly easier to personalize (perhaps offer reasonably priced accessories?)
Give it a manual option for an extra grand. Make it handle. Make it quick enough so it isn’t boring. Make it fun.
Notice I didn’t say to make it an EV? They cost too much for the target market. Make it affordable for people looking at Sentras.
Have a great evening, everyone!
Topshot graphic image: Stellantis
Merçi, Mercedes!
Thanks, Mercedes!
What’s wrong with the sound of a v6?
https://youtu.be/4B1EVWafhy4?si=_5-bWbsFM0D1C3Gi
I could listen to that all day.
1500 horsepower from 1500cc , those were amazing, easily the most insanely over the top era of F1.
I’m a diehard V6 disparager. Sure, there’s the Busso and F1 and I’m sure there are others. But the majority are lame.
The 2002 Chevrolet Camaro B4C was tested at 159 Mph but rumored to do 170 and apparently Aspen’s 2004 Saab 9-5s would top 155 Mph. San had a deal to lease cars to the Aspen PD for a dollar a year. As far as I know Hunter S Thompson was not involved.
That Australian Caprice PPV that only was sold to police departments was supposedly did 155 as well. They are all over eBay for cheap now.
i’d believe a B4C could do 170. i did 140mph in my dads stock 94 z28 once and it was still pulling like freight train when i let off. i wanted to run it to the governor but the old’ish tires were in the back of my mind lol!
And you KNOW that Hyundai didn’t model an Alfa Romeo or Ferrari V6 for that orange turd, but thier own lump. Or perish the thought, that VQ nastiness Nissan has been flogging for decades.
Quite a few cop trucks here in Florida, mostly F-OneFiddies. But the vast majority of copmobiles, local, county, and state are Exploders at this point, county mounties usually having the new generation, the local boys the old ones. My county still has a few Taurus roaming around, and the Staties do have a decent number of Chargers, but they seem to be switching them out rapidly for the Fords. A few Yukons, but I think those are pretty much exclusively the Commercial Truck Staties.
So if you are gonna run in ‘Gatorland, you’d best have something that can do more than 148, LOL.
Pickups are the most common AZ state police vehicles. AZ state cops have stealth Mustang’s and Chargers too.
Illinois still runs Chevy Caprice PPVs, and I’ve been fighting the urge to buy one from the state.
I live on a peninsula with drivable beaches, so our local police fleet consists of: 2x Ford Pickups, 2x Ford Explorers, and 4x ATVs.(And a little boat that can be towed by any of them.)
Our local lifeguards use hovercrafts.