The 2011 Caprice features a 6.0-L V-8 engine that thumps out 355 hp and an estimated 384 foot-lbs. of torque. Photo courtesy GM
Photos of the 2011 Dodge Charger are not yet available (an older model is pictured here). The 2011 model will be offered in Hemi and non-Hemi police packages. Photo courtesy Chrysler
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Photo JP Molnar
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Photo courtesy Carbon Motors
FEATURED IN VEHICLE OPS
It’s that time of year again when the halls of police chief conventions and trade shows begin to fill with the latest offerings from vehicle manufacturers, each designed for patrol use and intended to incite signatures on bottom-line purchase orders that we cops love. In the past few years, the pickins’ have been pretty slim in terms of new models, but 2011 will be different.
In addition to two new players, each based on a civilian cousin, there’s also a rework due for a veteran. An upstart rookie still sits on the sideline waiting to get a uniform to play. This all adds up to some great choices for new patrol vehicles and, with the degree of safety, reliability and performance offered by each, the battle of supremacy between the manufacturers promises to be a heated one. The great news: It’s the officer on the street who benefits because these new patrol vehicles will be faster, handle better and be safer than ever before. So, let’s see who has what and when we might expect to see it on the street.
The 2011 Caprice, based loosely on GM’s Australian version of a sports sedan, the now defunct Pontiac G8 GT, has been developed in key areas specifically for police duty, containing modern equipment and features. “When we began designing our latest police vehicle, we went directly to our customers and found that they were looking for a rear-wheel, large sedan with a V-8 engine,” said Brian Small, general manager, GM Fleet and Commercial Operations.
As with previous versions of the Caprice, lack of power won’t be an issue. The Caprice features a 6.0-L V-8 engine that thumps out 355 hp and an estimated 384 foot-lbs. of torque, but does so with fuel-saving Active Fuel Management technology and E85 capability. Coupled with a class-leading six-speed automatic transmission, the Caprice PPV is expected to crack the six-second barrier to 60 mph, according to Chevrolet, even with a relatively tame 2.92 rear-gear ratio. Coupled with the grunt monster is a six-speed automatic with a separate sport mode. Engaging that mode requires a move of the shift lever to the right, which results in crisper shifting, revised torque management and the ability to manually change gears. Interestingly enough, the Caprice PPV will be offered first with the big V-8, to be followed later with a V-6 option beginning in the 2012 model year.
Inside the new Caprice, the front seats are sculpted to pocket the equipment belt, which greatly increases the comfort for a great range of police officer sizes. The foam density of the seatback and cushion-insert surfaces are designed to conform to the shape of an equipment belt’s various items, too, allowing the officer’s back to rest properly on the seatback surface.
“The Chevrolet Caprice PPV’s seats represent a revolution in comfort and utility for officers who spend long hours in their car,” said Bob Demick, lead seat design manager. “The shape also enhances entry and egress, making it easier for officers to exit the vehicle quickly. The seatback bolsters, for example, have been purposefully contoured to help pocket the equipment on the belt, which includes the gun, Taser and handcuffs, which rest comfortably in the sculpted lower bolsters. That also increases the longevity of the trim cover surface.”
Along with comfort, high-wear materials were chosen to stand up to long hours of everyday use. Engineers worked on several iterations of the seat, testing a couple of versions in the field to get real-world feedback from police officers, who used prototype seats in their cruisers for a month.
The dash of the Caprice flows smoothly across the front of the occupant area and features compatibility with in-dash, touch-screen computer technology. According to Chevrolet, the Caprice was designed for five-
passenger seating, meaning the upper-center section of the dashboard can be used for equipment mounting without the concern of airbag deployment interference. Optional front-seat-only, side-curtain airbags allow a full-width, rear-seat barrier for greater officer safety, and two trunk-mounted batteries, with one of them dedicated to powering various police equipment are provided. There’s also a driver information center in the instrument cluster with a selectable, speed-tracking feature. A host of complementary features are also offered, including special equipment packages that include spotlights; lockouts for the power windows and locks; and an undercover, street-appearance package (9C3).
The Caprice’s trunk volume is large enough to accommodate a full-size spare tire under a flat load surface in the trunk storage area. Standard equipment includes a high-output alternator; engine oil, transmission and power steering coolers; standard 18" steel wheels with bolt-on center caps; large, four-wheel disc brakes with heavy-duty brake pads; heavy-duty suspension components; and a police-calibrated stability control system. Chevrolet will begin taking orders for the Caprice PPV detective package (9C3) in October 2010. Vehicles will hit the streets in April 2011. Ordering for the police package (9C1) will begin in January 2011 and the vehicles go on duty next June.
The Crown Vic has pretty much defined the law enforcement vehicle marketplace since it was introduced in 1983, capturing more than 70% of the market. This has occurred despite the fact that the architecture behind the Crown Victoria platform goes back more than three decades, and its performance capabilities had been slipping. Ford knew it was time to replace the cagey veteran with some new blood.
What’s Ford to do? The answer was to search their emerging vehicle line-up to see which platform would make the most sense for conversion to police duty. They chose the Taurus, which is a good thing because it’s a stable, fast platform that features all-wheel drive (AWD) in a sedan configuration. Yes, some departments use Subarus and Audis, but those are adapted vehicles, whereas the Taurus, redesigned as the 2011 Interceptor, is law enforcement specific from the ground up.
“This vehicle is pursuit-ready,” says Carl Widmann, Ford’s vehicle engineering manager. “It’s no nonsense through and through.” The Interceptor will be offered in two versions of its V-6 Eco-Boost engine package. The first is a normally aspirated 3.5-L V-6 that produces at least 263 hp and about 250 foot-lbs. of torque. Although the torque is a bit less, the promise of at least 25% better fuel economy coupled with more horsepower means that the V-6 can meet or exceed the overall performance of the present V-8.
If the power isn’t enough, the second choice is a twin-turbo EcoBoost 3.5-L V-6 that pumps out a healthy 365 hp and 350 foot-lbs. of torque. This places the Interceptor in the same category as the Hemi Charger (368 hp/395 foot-lbs.) and the new Caprice (355 hp/384 foot-lbs.), while retaining a V-6 configuration for better efficiency.
Both engines have been recalibrated for police use. The radiator and other cooling systems for the transmission and oil have been significantly upgraded. Heavy-duty engine mounts are used, and a 220-amp alternator has been added. The turbocharged engine is rated at 17 mpg city/25 mpg highway. Note: The twin-turbo setup is only available with the AWD system, which brings us to the drive train.
The Interceptor is unique because it’s available in either a front-wheel drive (FWD) or AWD configuration with the base engine, and, in AWD, with the twin-turbo setup. The system is the same one found in the SHO Taurus model and uses torque sensing to meter out power to individual wheels for traction. It’s coupled with a six-speed automatic transmission that’s been recalibrated for law enforcement use. It’s the same with the included Gyroscopic Advance Trac with Roll Stability Control, which, according to Ford, has been detuned to allow more aggressive driving without interference. The system uses two gyroscopic sensors to detect pitch, roll and yaw, and correlates those readings with steering, braking and acceleration inputs to detect changing conditions. Traction control and ABS are included, and the four-wheel disc brake system has been upgraded to larger, 18" vented rotors, surrounded by steel wheels that are rated for impact speeds up to 40 mph. Springs and shocks are also upgraded.
The Interceptor benefits from interior ergonomics that are vastly improved over the Crown Vic. The dashboard area is well-integrated, and there’s a small shelf above the front center console for mounting radar, camera gear or other equipment. The seat design has also been modified with lower bolster cutouts to allow for duty gear, and the space between the seats is at least 9" wide, which means consoles in present Crown Vics can be retrofitted into the Interceptor—a big plus. Both front seats also feature anti-stab plates, and the inside of the passenger seat folds outward to reveal a cool first-aid kit.
Other features include a column-mounted shifter that’s been rigorously tested, and the inclusion of Ford’s revolutionary SYNC hands-free information system that allows officers to talk to their equipment: voice-activated lights and sirens, cameras and other equipment. There are also programmable buttons on the steering wheel that offer one-touch activation of many of the same systems. Other features include red-and-white lighting options for interior illumination, pre-wiring for systems integration and power-adjustable pedals.
In the rear seat area, the door hinge assemblies have been modified to allow for a full 70 degrees of movement, aiding in the placing and retrieval of prisoners for transport. The rear seat has also been moved back 4 inches to allow for more leg room and maneuverability. Door panels have been modified for ingress and egress, and there are no rear headrests for increased visibility. Vinyl surfaces cover the seat for easier cleanup. Tests of the rear seat area determined that foot space was tighter than expected, but it may have had more to do with the mock cage Ford placed in the show car than what will actually be available.
Ford says that the Interceptor passes 75-mph, rear-impact collisions, which makes it the only manufacturer to openly provide such data and performance parameters. The Interceptor is also five-star rated for safety by IIHS in all categories, and it benefits from the same safety technologies found in the civilian Taurus. This includes Ford’s exclusive Safety Canopy side-curtain airbag rollover protection system. The system uses a roll-fold, side-curtain airbag system (think of unrolling a sleeping bag) that covers the side window area from A to C pillar, which according to Ford, helps ensure the bag ends up between the side window and the occupant more reliably.
Side-impact and rollover protection is also enhanced with Boron steel B-pillars and reinforced beams that travel under the front seats laterally. Dual-front and side airbags are standard for the front seats, although the passenger side won’t activate unless there’s at least 60 lbs. on the right front seat. Another innovation is the addition of pressure-based airbag sensors in the doors, which use pressure pulses from a side impact to deploy 30% faster than a traditional airbag system that uses acceleration-based sensors. Ford did extensive testing to ensure that the sonic waves created by gunshots or rounds impacting the doors would not set off the airbags.
Ballistic panels are available for both front doors as an option. Several other options include a radar-based Blind Spot Information System (BLIS), and two technologies I think should be mandatory given the percentage of backing crashes: a rear-view camera system that uses part of the center rear-view mirror to show what’s directly behind the driver; and a reverse-sensing system, which alerts the driver with an audible tone when within 6 feet of an object behind them. Considering how many times cops hit things when backing up, these two options will more than pay for themselves.
Ford hasn’t released pricing or availability of the 2011 Interceptor other than to say that it will be available prior to the final production days of the Crown Victoria in 2011. With Chevrolet taking orders soon and delivering early next year, it can be expected that Ford will follow suit. Ford is also preparing a LE version of the all-new and just-released 2011 Explorer, which is based on the Taurus platform.
The Dodge Charger has been invading fleets since its introduction, especially the big and brawny Hemi model. Having had one for a while as a state trooper, I can attest that it’s one very satisfying patrol car to drive.
Still, it had faults, some of which were rectified, like the brake longevity, and others that weren’t, like the limited trunk space and rear-door entry height. Dodge has listened, and an updated and configured Charger is very close to being released. I say close because, as of this writing, the real information on the 2011 Charger has been scarce other than some spy photos I’ve seen.
I can tell you that the nose retains the traditional Mopar look, but it’s even more aggressive than before. The interior is more streamlined. Hemi and non-Hemi police packages are promised, and Chrysler states it’s going hard after the LE market in 2011, but other than that, information has been very limited. Stay tuned as more information becomes available. You can bet the Charger will return ready to go toe-to-toe against the Caprice and Interceptor.
If you’ve been following this magazine for any amount of time, then you have seen periodic updates of Carbon Motors ambitious project to develop and offer a police-only vehicle called the E7. We’ve been following the development of the E7 from its inception, and the company continues to make progress. Most recently, Carbon has inked agreements with the electronics giant Bosch, and several big players, including Inteva, join a growing team of world-class partners and suppliers to Carbon Motors—BMW, Lotus Engineering, Lear, L-3 Communications, BASF, Federal Signal, Snap-on, Autoliv, Tomar Electronics and Dürr Systems. So, the ball continues to roll and Carbon says they have more than 14,000 pre-orders from interested agencies.
A manufacturing facility in Connersville, Ind., has been acquired and the company is waiting on approval of a $300+ million loan originating through Section 136 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Once approved, the company will have a major piece in making the E7 a reality. For now, delivery and pricing are still to be determined, but having sat in the E7 prototype and written about this bold project since 2007, I can’t wait to track test it. Hopefully, it will soon be a viable option for agencies.
Times are good in the police vehicle marketplace. In addition to the existing Crown Victorias, Impalas, Tahoes, Expeditions and Chargers, an entirely new line up of exceptional vehicles are on tap for 2011. Faster, safer and better handling than ever, the new Caprice, Interceptor and upcoming Charger offer agencies options that will let officers stay safer, do their job better and contribute to a lower operating cost. Stay tuned as we bring you in-depth track-testing of all of these models and more in the coming months. In the meantime, start making your wish list.
