2003 Chrysler Intrepid Police Cruiser - From the Driver's Seat rather than the Back Seat
Did Chrysler pick the right time to reenter the police business or what? All the news about Ford Crown Victoria police cruisers erupting into automotive infernos must have a few fleet managers reconsidering their commitment to the blue oval. The less controversial Chevy Impala is the only other police spec offering on the Canadian market.
Enter the Chrysler Intrepid. It's a big full-size car, with massive rear doors opening to limo size rear quarters - all positive attributes if you're planning on hauling criminals in wire barrier equipped cars. Its largest capacity trunk is also a bonus, allowing easy modification for lighting equipment without impinging on storage.
Ironically its strongest virtue might just be what forced Chrysler Group to bow out of the police cruiser business 12 years ago, front-wheel drive. The comparatively archaic body-on-frame Dodge Diplomat was rear-wheel drive, the only drive configuration North American police departments would consider at the time. After all, how could they possibly execute 'Streets of San Francisco' style four-wheel drifts effectively in a FWD car?
Speaking of archaic architecture, the Ford Crown Vic almost makes an ash-framed Morgan seem futuristic. Despite a new hydroforming manufacturing process its body-on-frame design is older than the hills, and according to a few of the men in blue I've spoken to, hardly performance oriented. The current attitude of a new generation of police officers raised on front-wheel drive cars shows a greater inclination to entertain the previously frowned on configuration for its police cruisers. And it's not like Chrysler is breaking new ground, Chevy has had their FWD Impala on the police market since the RWD Caprice's departure in 1996.
Did Chrysler pick the right time to reenter the police business or what? All the news about Ford Crown Victoria police cruisers erupting into automotive infernos must have a few fleet managers reconsidering their commitment to the blue oval. The less controversial Chevy Impala is the only other police spec offering on the Canadian market. Enter the Chrysler Intrepid. It's a big full-size car, with massive rear doors opening to limo size rear quarters - all positive attributes if you're planning on hauling criminals in wire barrier equipped cars. Its largest capacity trunk is also a bonus, allowing easy modification for lighting equipment without impinging on storage.
Ironically its strongest virtue might just be what forced Chrysler Group to bow out of the police cruiser business 12 years ago, front-wheel drive. The comparatively archaic body-on-frame Dodge Diplomat was rear-wheel drive, the only drive configuration North American police departments would consider at the time. After all, how could they possibly execute 'Streets of San Francisco' style four-wheel drifts effectively in a FWD car? Speaking of archaic architecture, the Ford Crown Vic almost makes an ash-framed Morgan seem futuristic. Despite a new hydroforming manufacturing process its body-on-frame design is older than the hills, and according to a few of the men in blue I've spoken to, hardly performance oriented. The current attitude of a new generation of police officers raised on front-wheel drive cars shows a greater inclination to entertain the previously frowned on configuration for its police cruisers. And it's not like Chrysler is breaking new ground, Chevy has had their FWD Impala on the police market since the RWD Caprice's departure in 1996.