The police might need a new car soon.

[dnalunchie]

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/artic ... d=10842005

As this article suggests large cars such as the commodore and falcon are being phased out slowly, this being the case what do you guys (and gals) reckon could be a suitable alternative. Apparently it has to be more fuel economic than the current SV6 commie and im guessing be big enough to put people in the back easy enough. Also I am sure cost is an issue.

The SV6 claims 10ltr per 100kms and 56,000 new. They probably get them for 50,000 with their volume though.

I reckon the new Titanium EcoBoost Hatch from ford would suit.

http://www.ford.co.nz/cars/new-mondeo/s ... /spec-data

20% less fuel usage (probably more in real world)

Heaps of grunt, big enough and 3k cheaper. Probably safer too.

Or maybe this? The Accord V6

http://www.honda.co.nz/cars/v6accord/sp ... model/all/

Heck even the top end Aurion would be sweet.

http://www.toyota.co.nz/NewVehicles/Mod ... Engine.htm

More power and cheaper and less fuel used. Massive inside too

[S T E A L T H]

Wouldn't read too much into the hype. The Commie and the Falcon will still be around for a while.

A couple of years ago they were talking about the Falcon nameplate coming to the end of its useful life - to be replaced by the Taurus as a global platform.
It's been confirmed now that that Falcon will soldier on with a completely new model in 2013.
I'm sure we will hear something similar about the Commodore soon enough.

As much as I like the Mondeo (and there's one sitting in the garage ) it hasn't got the legs for what the cops need them for. We're not in Europe where your average ratbag drives a 1.1L diesel Fiat Punto.

I did see a (1.8 petrol) mufti Holden Cruze over the long weekend - parked outside the Rotorua copshop, which caused an actual lol.
I hope its sole purpose is attending to bicycle theft reports, otherwise they'll be up to f#@k all.

The Aurion would do the job nicely though from personal experience of driving one for 2 years it averages 13L/100km (driven in a similar manner to how the Police would use them) so there wouldnt be any point as far as saving on operational costs. Same goes for the Accord (the horrid shitheap that it is)

[dnalunchie]

do you have the turbo mondeo? because the ecoboost model makes 147kw and 300nm.

[MAC_HATER]

they can all have 1000cc Subaru Justy's with the AWD Electronic CVT setup

Cheap and cheerful




ok maybe not cheerful




or cheap

[siren676]

Prius, people will die of laughter

[Dell'Orto]

Plus side, would be super easy to sneak up on people in though.

[dnalunchie]

Fleet has to be less than 6.5 years old.

Seriously tho. There is sweet FA I can think of that would suit. I mean really. Other than the aurion, accord or 300C nothing would be big enough would it?

I still think the mondeo turbo would suit 147kw

[BZG Wagon]

Those cars cop a fair amount of abuse. Not sure how well some of the smaller engine alternatives will cope.

[Mr Revhead]

The most that will happen is some more smaller cars used for non frontline use.

[GDII]

They use the Holden Cruze currently as mufti cops up here. Thats not too small and must be good on fuel. Not sure how fast they are though.

[Shrike]

Don't think they would move to fwd as all there driver training is focused around the rwd holdens and they would have to retrain everyone

I still find it funny how fast some cops think the sv6 cars are :S had one cop show me what it could do on the road and thought my levin feels faster and can do this speed in 2nd lol

Ive also done the cop driver training course so I know there not the best thing around

[LEAKER]

In some parts of england they use evos and wrxs. They could be good. Lots of legs and amazing handling. Not very economical though.

[Grrrrrrr!]

They use the Holden Cruze currently as mufti cops up here. Thats not too small and must be good on fuel. Not sure how fast they are though.

If they are anything like the Cruze we hired to get back from Palmy when our flight was cancelled last year, you could outrun them in a 4afe levin...

[GDII]

They use the Holden Cruze currently as mufti cops up here. Thats not too small and must be good on fuel. Not sure how fast they are though.

If they are anything like the Cruze we hired to get back from Palmy when our flight was cancelled last year, you could outrun them in a 4afe levin...

Nothing to worry about in my NA SW20 then.

[MAC_HATER]

there are a few Cruze's down here as police units

they are comical - and the cops driving them always have a scowl "oh FFS im not going to get to do anything remotely interesting in this and will spend my days rounding up youths and fleeing when they throw pebbles"

[Leon]

is the Cruze a rebadged Daewoo or something?

[Alex B]

Think it's made by GM that one. I had an Epica rental a few months ago which is a rebadged Daewoo, it was a terrible car. Possibly the worst most unresponsive auto I have ever driven.

[rolla_fxgt]

Its inevitable that the police will have to downsize their cars in the near future, as large cars like the Commodores and Falcons will become less and less justifiable as the mainstay of the police fleet.

90% of the time the police don't need the capabilities or the size of the SV6's to do their job well, and could do there job just as well with something smaller, or at the very least more fuel efficent.

Something like a mondeo would be fine for general duties policing, with specialist pursuit vehicles (with better trained drivers) being used when needed for pursuits. Just like the AOS and other units have their specialist vehicles now.
Inner city cars, for uses such as mall patrols and CBD patrols, and the like need only be something corolla or perhaps even smaller sized. After all a barrier can always be put between the front and back seats, and anyone arrested doesn't need heaps of room in the back. Being arrested isn't meant to be comfortable.
Highway patrol and rural cops are perhaps the only areas where contined use of large sedans could be justified.

Personally I think its timely that the police are looking to the future and seeing what there options are in terms of smaller more efficient cars. And ones that potentially fit the roles they are used for better. And what changes they may need to make to their training, and or operations.

Also worth bearing in mind, retail pricing is pretty much non-existent for the police. They get very very good fleet deals, purely because of the money they put through the manufactures (no longer the dealers) when they do purchases.
Using the figures given in the article, the Police average spend on a vehicle is $42,000 for each purchase, and keep in mind that includes kit out, and large vehicles such as trucks and the like too, so the cost of an average commodore cop car, is going to be a bit less.

It could even get to the point where police vehicle purchasing is taken out of the hands of police, and goes to a central all of government contract, where a manufacturer gets largely exclusive vehicle purchase status, and the savings for the government are huge over retail. Just think how many vehicles must make up the entire govt vehicle fleet.
So maybe if that happened we'd see cops driving around in hyundais rather than holdens.

[Leon]

The Police haven't always had rear drive cars here either. They had tons of front line V3000's back in the day. Still a biggish sedan though.

[MAC_HATER]

i will always be courteous to police and follow instructions when asked to by them

but if i was asked to pull over by plod in a Hyundai i would snicker and contemplate just driving off before pulling over anyway

but even then i probably couldn't keep a straight face with the probably already irate cop having to drive an accent