Moonshine
01-19-2011, 08:09 PM
I went to the intro of the new Chevy Caprice PPV (Police Patrol Vehicle) at TMS today. Wow! I was was pretty disgusted with Goverment... uh, I mean General Motors for taking the Obama bailout. But, I gotta' admit, this is quite a car.
Originally it was the Holden Stateman, then the Holden Caprice, now it's being designed and brought to the US as a police/fire only vehicle, with no civilian version planned. As such, there weren't the usual compromises inherent in modifying a regular US consumer car for police use. Other than the so far empty promises from Carbon Motors it's the closest thing there is to a purpose built cop car.
Details.....4 door sedan, RWD, 4250 lbs, 4 wheel independent suspension, power rack and pinion steering, 4 wheel disc brakes that learned a LOT from the Caddy CTS-V, 6 speed auto tranny with "sport" mode that not only holds lower gears longer but also keeps you in that gear when off throttle (muy bueno for getting back on the power coming out of a corner without an annoying downshift), limited slip diff, traction control that can be turned off, stability control programmed for a "highly capable" driver, special spring rates, shock valving, and the first ever car seat designed for cops wearing their duty belt. So, it's supportive and grippy, but without killing your kidneys.
Oh yeah, almost forgot, 51/49 weight distribution and a 6.0 liter V8 (LS?) making 355 HP and 385 lb-ft torque. And active fuel management (light throttle cylinder deactivation) if you care. This biatch will flat get it. :bows Hemi powered Chargers aint got diddly on a new Caprice (intro'ed as a 2011 model, but with 2012's coming in August).
So, how's it all work together. Let's see, 0-60 MPH in 6.0, 60-0 in 128 feet (all day long, no fade, no muss, no fuss, the brakes on this thing are phenomenal), 0-100 MPH in 13.9, and top speed limited to either 130 or 148, depending on how you order it.
With the near perfect weight bias, good power, excellent tranny, non-intrusive but save you if you get stupid stability control, and the best brakes ever put on a cop car, this thing feels 1500 lbs lighter than it is. "Tossable" is an apt word. This is a driver's car. Oh, the styling? Um, it's OK from the front, bland from the side, and basic corporate GM fugly in the back. And the interior is hardly what you'd call upscale, all hard plastic and rubber, 'cept of course for the certified 160 MPH speedo and 8 grand tach.
Lemme' put it this way. I was wondering how I could buy one for me, just because of how it drove. No question but what it's the best performing cop car ever built, so far. It will be interesting to see how Ford's AWD twin turbo Next Generation Police Interceptor (NGPI) compares when it comes out a year from now. But for today, Chevy is BACK in the real cop car business.
Originally it was the Holden Stateman, then the Holden Caprice, now it's being designed and brought to the US as a police/fire only vehicle, with no civilian version planned. As such, there weren't the usual compromises inherent in modifying a regular US consumer car for police use. Other than the so far empty promises from Carbon Motors it's the closest thing there is to a purpose built cop car.
Details.....4 door sedan, RWD, 4250 lbs, 4 wheel independent suspension, power rack and pinion steering, 4 wheel disc brakes that learned a LOT from the Caddy CTS-V, 6 speed auto tranny with "sport" mode that not only holds lower gears longer but also keeps you in that gear when off throttle (muy bueno for getting back on the power coming out of a corner without an annoying downshift), limited slip diff, traction control that can be turned off, stability control programmed for a "highly capable" driver, special spring rates, shock valving, and the first ever car seat designed for cops wearing their duty belt. So, it's supportive and grippy, but without killing your kidneys.
Oh yeah, almost forgot, 51/49 weight distribution and a 6.0 liter V8 (LS?) making 355 HP and 385 lb-ft torque. And active fuel management (light throttle cylinder deactivation) if you care. This biatch will flat get it. :bows Hemi powered Chargers aint got diddly on a new Caprice (intro'ed as a 2011 model, but with 2012's coming in August).
So, how's it all work together. Let's see, 0-60 MPH in 6.0, 60-0 in 128 feet (all day long, no fade, no muss, no fuss, the brakes on this thing are phenomenal), 0-100 MPH in 13.9, and top speed limited to either 130 or 148, depending on how you order it.
With the near perfect weight bias, good power, excellent tranny, non-intrusive but save you if you get stupid stability control, and the best brakes ever put on a cop car, this thing feels 1500 lbs lighter than it is. "Tossable" is an apt word. This is a driver's car. Oh, the styling? Um, it's OK from the front, bland from the side, and basic corporate GM fugly in the back. And the interior is hardly what you'd call upscale, all hard plastic and rubber, 'cept of course for the certified 160 MPH speedo and 8 grand tach.
Lemme' put it this way. I was wondering how I could buy one for me, just because of how it drove. No question but what it's the best performing cop car ever built, so far. It will be interesting to see how Ford's AWD twin turbo Next Generation Police Interceptor (NGPI) compares when it comes out a year from now. But for today, Chevy is BACK in the real cop car business.