glc,

That brings up a good question. What are the cabbies and such going to drive now? The Crown Vics were pretty cheap (compared to most cars today) and seem to be as durable as anything on the road. I've been in many cabs with more that 500K on the odometer. There is something to be said about the simplicity of those cars.

I don't see the Charger being close to the same reliablity. I'm on my second 300 and I've loved both. However, the first one started having fairly significant issues at 59K and was driven like a baby. I don't see them holding up to the abuse the Crown Vics have seen.

 

Most of the cabs I'm seeing now that aren't CV's are hybrids, Impalas, Malibus, and minivans. Most of the CV cabs out there are actually old police cars.

 

Our PD had old school Taurus SHO's back in the late 80's/early 90's. They had a v6.

 

I've seen a LOT of V6 cop cars. I was stopped out in the middle of nowhere on I-94 in Montana a few years ago by a state trooper in a V6 Impala. He liked it, he said that it got the job done and it was very reliable. He said that with no limiter it would do 120 or so.

 

I think cabbies are starting to switch to minivans. That seems to be what I see more of these days...

 

Yep - all the cabs I've seen here in Joplin are minivans. Most of them are older Chryslers, with a few Fords and GM's.

 

Have you driven anything with a 3.5/6-speed?

My '07 Edge, with the 265hp 3.5/6-speed auto moves out better than the '06 5.4 300hp Expedition that it replaced. It's much quicker than many of the V8's that I've driven. For 2011 most 3.5's are rated at 285hp. A police version will have specific tuning to allow much better performance, and the 3.5 absolutely gets better fuel economy than a V8. If Ford has made the proper improvements in the transmission, from the one in my Edge, I believe that the 3.5 powered police vehicles will be sought after by police departments.

As was said in another post, the Taurus has been doing police duty for years. You see them around here, from '03s to '10s and every year in between.

I think that the hardest problem Ford is going to have is being able to price their police vehicles competetively. If the other two domestic automakers are just going to put big V8's into thier police vehicles, it's going to be hard for Ford to sell the technological advances in their V6's.

 

Did Subaru take over Ford? Sorry the new explorers just look like something Subaru would design IMO Fugly

 

Psh.. untill they are out in ZR1's then ill pay attention

 

Unless they're twin turbo, it's not going to make 385. If that's the case, then most departments won't be buying them due to the sheer cost and maintenance. I haven't seen any police cars that aren't CV's.

 

I meant to say 285hp. That's more hp than any Crown Vic. It's more hp than the Mustang GT untill '05. It's more than the 5.4 V8 Ford trucks untill they went 24-valve.

As all of the truck people here know, torque is where it's at, and the V6 is going to have a tough job of meeting the torque numbers of the 4.6. Vehicle weight also plays a factor. The 6-speed auto plays a part in how the torque and horse power are applied.

I can see no reason why the Ford V6 police vehicles couldn't perform as well or better than the old Crown Vic.

Maybe they don't have any V6 police vehicles where you are but I think that the people on this board from around the country can attest that there are in fact V6 police vehicle, many of which were produced by Ford.

4.6 Punisher, have you driven a Ford vehicle with the 3.5/6-speed?

 

I like the SHO and I think the engine has potential. However, from a cost standpoint for a municipality, why would they buy the expensive option? They can get a Hemi equipped Charger, with pleny of torque and HP for much less. I'm not saying the Hemi is the best thing in the world, but it really is perfect for a police vehicle.

 

Like I said earlier, we have been driving V6 patrol cars for at least 11 years now. Most of the countys in the FL Panhandle have bought Impalas with V6s in them over the past few years. We still have Crown Vics, but most of them are at max life cycle and are due to be replaced. The Florida Highway Patrol is switching to V6 Dodge Chargers. Okaloosa County even has one Toyota Camry

The new modern V6 can get the job done, this isnt 1985 anymore where you have to have a V8 to do anything.

 

No I have not. I'm sure they get up and scoot in a low-medium weight car. I'm sure that they can outperform the 2 valve 4.6's without too much effort. I think that a 3 valve 4.6 with the new 6 speed would be a much more practical option, even though the VCT system is questionable at best.

We'll find out if departments start adopting them in the next 10 years.

 

V6 patrol cars are the future of LE fleets.

Better economy, lighter and perform just as well. I think the only V8 police vehicles we will see in the future will be larger SUV's ie: Tahoe, Trucks and some Highway Patrol/State Troopers.

I know my old department (5 man department of a 3500 population town) that has had nothing but crown vics is going with the new Explorers on their next go around since there is a Ford/Chevy dealer in town. They've considered the Chargers but the Chief isn't a fan.

I think I said it before but the fleet of our Sheriff's Office is slowly switching over to 3.5 Chargers which is what I have. I'm curious as to how the Charger will handle the snow and icy roads.