No doubt many of you have already begun seeing Dodge Charger police cruisers patrolling your neighborhoods. As soon as Michelle Wingard of Amherst, OH (population 14,000) saw a Charger with a light bar trolling in her neck of the woods she made a B-line to the precinct to get a closer look. Thanks to the openness of the Amherst Police Department the resulting article is a terrific look at how officers are reacting to the new sheriff in town.
If the law boys in Amherst are anything to go by, the Charger police cruiser is a big hit with its 5.7L HEMI V8, spacious interior and tight-yet-comfortable handling. The only niggle one sergeant mentioned was the car’s habit of briefly pausing when quickly shifting into Reverse, which Wingard witnessed first hand as the officer turned the car around to chase down a speeding Ford Escape on their test drive.
Kudos to Wingard for a great read that comes off less like overthought automotive journalism and more like talking to your best bud about cars.
[Source: NewAgeMusclecars]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
MikeW @ May 5th 2006 1:33PM
If the cops do not put the required mid-grade fuel, how much power will the 5.7 actually make? 330hp?
quandmeme @ May 5th 2006 1:35PM
If they become too popular, will it kill the civilian appeal? And does Dodge care?
gbh @ May 5th 2006 1:41PM
This was kinda inevitable between the gas tank "issues" with the Crown Vic, and the fact that there is no competitive GM product.
My semi-locals have been milking 6+ year old Vickys, and are drooling over the DCX product. Drooling because they also have Impalas, new cats every 15k miles because they clog, the turd will barely do 100 MPH, the brakes are crap, and no interior room.
The return of the patrol car that actually can get out of its own way...
Ed @ May 5th 2006 1:42PM
Hope the cops are ready to pay for the expensive tires this car takes! Aside from that, good to see cops getting machinery they deserve. Crown Vics and Caprices really don't compare. Finally, it's funny how people think it's a muscle car when it's really a late-90s Mercedes E-class in disguise :) Well, the engine has a lot to do with it I'm sure.
j-dawg @ May 5th 2006 1:59PM
Speed really isn't that important to police fleets--chases are often called off because it's just not safe to chase someone. All this drooling over the Charger and comments on how it's finally a good police car are nothing--most important is reliability and price. The 5.7 Charger is more expensive than a Crown Vic by far, and the 3.5 V6 is an incredibly unreliable engine--that was why the police package Intrepid saw so little success.
Sure, the new Chargers are fast and look "good," but only time will tell how they are for reliability. The Crown Vic has advantages (reliability, price, availability of parts) that most people don't think of, and the Charger's main advantage--speed--isn't that important to fleets.
samuel @ May 5th 2006 2:00PM
#3, you are so misinformed it's not funny. The Charger and the E may share a few common components, but they are basically completely different cars. Let's see, motor, interior, exterior, dimensions, all completely different. Are you really this stupid? You really think that the Charger is a rebadged E?
Mal Fuller @ May 5th 2006 2:25PM
What, pray tell, is a "niggle"?
TriShield @ May 5th 2006 2:25PM
If anything seeing Chargers and Magnums as law enforcement vehicles will improve their public appeal and toughen their image.
North American police have been LONG overdue for a modern police car. Ford and GM have been selling modern 350hp 5.4L and LS1 muscle cars to Australian and New Zealand police for years.
I'm glad to see Chrysler is stepping up and finally offering a police car that's as modern and powerful as the cars now populating our roads.
Both Dodges look snazzy in uniform too.
Richard Warren @ May 5th 2006 2:27PM
But wait!! These are "fleet" sales.
We have a new one in our town, it looks great.
Ferguson McSqueege @ May 5th 2006 2:33PM
A nearby town just purchased a new Charger cop car, but they're keeping it completely stock (except for some suspension upgrades, I'll bet).
It's their new unmarked cruiser. Good thing I saw some cops climbing into one at the nearby bagel store...now I know to keep an eye out for a dark blue "stock" Charger.
BCM @ May 5th 2006 3:03PM
I wonder how much gear won't fit in the relatively small trunk? And with the rear roofline, the "perp duck" must be especially difficult.
TacoFan @ May 5th 2006 3:18PM
So,
Has no one found any irony in the fact that the cops are now the ones in the Charger (think General Lee)?
What would Bo and Luke Duke think about this?
- TacoFan
Micah @ May 5th 2006 3:19PM
Mal, got to Google.com and type 'define:niggle' should answer your question.
*teach a man to fish...
Chris Rosario @ May 5th 2006 3:30PM
I'm wondering if law enforcement agencies in the south like Tallahassee, FL, Newport News, VA, Roanoke, VA or Charlotte, NC (Charlotte-Mecklenburg) Police ever bought Dodge Chargers for their fleet other than Ohio.
John @ May 5th 2006 3:36PM
Cops need to have a cool car to drive in town, and this is it. Now respect their authoritah!
I am glad the end of boring Impalas and Crown Victorias has come.
BOB @ May 5th 2006 3:45PM
WELL, most of you are forgetting that Dodge was THE highway patrol car for many years. The California Highway Patrol used to lead the way, and manufacturers competed to please them, with Dodge winning in a long streak. Anything other than a Dodge was odd in most of the US -- but not nearly so much for city cop cars. DC wants the business back.
Obviously, the 300 would be better for transporting non-midget perps, but the Dodge image is more suitable.
The cars are not the same as the former Mercedes, but DC has made the vehicles work by combining the tooling-amortized suspension with the tooling-amortized engines.
Ford is still making up its mind. I hope they are going to surprise us with something, but I dont see an inkling yet.
GM is selling some of its Camrys-- oops!-- Impalas for cop cars. Maybe they could sell that Buick with the portholes: you know, the one that looks like a Passat ass with a Sable front end.
Chris @ May 5th 2006 3:46PM
I'm from Charlotte. I haven't seen any Char-Meck Police Chargers, in full paint scheme or otherwise. I have seen however, some unmarked new Durangos. So maybe more DCX products are to come?
risingsun @ May 5th 2006 4:04PM
I'm curious if these police issue Chargers have cylinder deactivation?
PJ @ May 5th 2006 4:21PM
Samuel, go check out a Charger yourself before getting unnecessarily rude in your comments. While the Charger is hardly a "rebadged E-Class," it does share a number of components with the previous-generation E, and not just in the suspension. Same turn-signal and wiper stalks, same 5-speed automatic transmission, same steering rack. It also uses the same intrusive stability-control system. If you're driven enough Dodges and Mercedes to feel the difference, you'll also sense the Benz DNA in the Charger's suspension tuning and brake feel.
Víctor Rubiera @ May 5th 2006 4:23PM
This are the cars that police needs stricking looks, HEMI power excellente quality.