What Would Make the Perfect Winter Police Car?

Chicago’s new police superintendent is discussing converting the city’s fleet of Ford Crown Victoria police cars to four-wheel-drive Chevy Tahoes. The thinking is that the Tahoes would be better able to handle winter weather than the rear-wheel-drive Crown Vics.

Chicago’s budget probably can’t afford a new fleet of Tahoes, but after too many months of winter weather this past season, we here at the Cars.com offices wonder if it’s not such a bad idea to get rid of the ancient RWD Crown Vics. The story linked below says the Crown Vics and Tahoe get the same mileage, about 11 mpg. That must be for special models equipped for police use, though, because city mileage for the Crown Vic is 17 mpg and the Tahoe is 14 mpg. Maybe Chicago can get some Tahoe Hybrids to keep its green-focused mayor happy.

What would your choice for a winter police car be? And what the heck do they use in Alaska?

Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis pushes upgrading cops' equipment (Chicago Tribune)

Comments

well, since Dodge already has a police package on the charger and that car is available with awd, it sounds like a simple choice to me. It'd be more economical than a regular tahoe and alot cheaper than a tahoe Hybrid.

they should purchase a maybe three or four tahoes but they should make their fleet with awd charger police units...thats definitely the way to go and maybe the magnum if thats their thing

I'm pretty sure that police departments all over the country can buy whatever they want. I knew of a town in Colorado that used Volvo turbo's back in the day for their police cars. Crown-Vic's are ancient and I think that Ta-hoe's are far too big for city driving anywhere. Maybe they'd work in the burbs but why add to the traffic problems in downtown Major City, USA?

It's far more efficient to use something smaller and more economical for the vast majority of police cars. Why do all the cars have to have overpowered public safety engines? Use helicopters for the high-speed chases and no one can outrun Motorola. Some Cobalts or Focus' would work great, I would think, for parking tickets, domestic disputes, directing traffic, etc. Get some vans for hauling people that are arrested.

Here in the good ol' capitol of Iowa, they purchase vehicles according to usage; parking enforcement use small 4 cylinder models, Department of Natural Resources uses mainly full-size pick-ups, and city police use Crown Vics, Explorers, Trailblazers, plus some 4x4 extended cab pick-ups.

Why not just get Hummers? If it is good enough for Horatio Caine and his CSI crew, it is good enough for me. Make sure that they come with a pair of sunglasses for dramatic one-liners.

I've always thought that a stripped down Cadillac STS with AWD would make a good cop car.

Cerberus-Chrysler is dropping the center differential for '09. Pass, just purchase Blizzaks.

It is 2008 for goodness sake. Use a 6 speed automatic, so unless GM upgrades the Tahoe to the 6L80, why would it be in consideration? The solid axle just eats up interior room

If they do not upgrade, consider the Ford Explorer V8 4x2: regular fuel, 5w-20 oil, no gas cap anymore, ZF 6 speed automatic, 1,2,3rd gear starts depending on selector detent.

Charger AWD (used? rental fleet hand-me-downs?)

Taurus AWD

Gallardo (like the one they donated to Italian police) for serious chases of drug-dealer-murderers in their 911's or R8's

I think you would have to ask police officers. The laptop, rifle/shotgun take up a lot of space in the front seats. So, unless the ticket pushers aren't going to have access to a laptop, no small car will work.

The vehicle has to be relatively large and therefore, relatively fuel inefficient.

I've heard alot of complaints from officers about the Impala police cruisers in that:
1) Since they have smaller rear doors it is much harder to wrestle a resisting criminal into the back than it was in a Crown Vic.
2) The front wheel drive system and its associated understeer doesn't get the job done as well when trying to chase someone and doesn't ride as smooth (a big deal when you spend 8 hours a day in a car).
3) The V6 doesn't handle the weight of all the radios, weapons, equipment, etc that comes in a standard police vehicle (which I guess can add hundreds and hundreds of pounds)
4) The unibody construction doesn't stand up well to driving through ditches and medians which, apparently, happens more often than you'd think.

So any new police cruiser really would need to address these issues I'd think. The Tahoe I guess would meet most of those, except for perhaps the steering and ride part. RWD/4WD steers better than FWD, but being heavy and with a high center of gravity hurts alot. But I'd think you could find a cheaper package. Problem is that there really is only one car on the road today that can meet all these requirements, and it's a Crown Victoria. Maybe if Dodge reinforced the body on a charger, and put some more convenient rear doors on it, they could have a good package, but as it stands, I don't see many good alternatives.

Don't they use K9 powered sledges at Alaska?

Anyway, so they need a big car with AWD? Why not take the Five Hundred (it is not a f-ing Taurus!).

Talking about Lamborghini police car in Italy, how about a R34 GT-R cop car in Japan?

I would use a smaller front wheel drive Chevy Impala. With the cost of gas going up. As for the meter maids they should get smaller cars such as toyota prius. Police trucks should be used for speical causes. I would get a 4X4 Toyota truck. If a police supervisor wants to ride around in something nice it would be a dodge magnum.