The fun starts
As soon as you hit the road in the Charger Police Pack, people stare at you. With the blue and red graphics that DaimlerChrysler stuck on the flanks and hood, this test car really looks like a cop car at first glance.
My first victim: I was driving 60 km/h on a two-lane service road, and here comes this young dude with his cap on backwards in his rice-burner (read: small Japanese car). He's coming up pretty fast, but as soon as he gets side-by-side with the Charger, he slams the brakes and immediately changes lanes to retreat behind me instead of passing me. Heh heh heh!
My second victims: two municipal cops cross my path on a boulevard, and slow down to observe me. I could almost read on their lips: "Hey, Roger, drop your glazed custard cream-filled special of the day and look at that! I don't know who that is, but does it mean that we're about to change our Impala for a Charger?!" I'm smiling.
By the way, a Charger isn't what you might call subtle for a police department. The cop shop in my neck of the woods has a charcoal-grey Chrysler Intrepid with tinted windows and flat-black wheels; this car is I-N-V-I-S-I-B-L-E, believe me. I'm not sure that the Charger would help police empty their citation pads as quickly as that infamous Intrepid, since the Charger is much more visible and striking.
My third victim: Me. I'm getting on the highway, heading for work one fine morning, but I'm following a slow-moving truck at about 70 km/h. As soon as I set a wheel in the right lane and get off the on-ramp, all the vehicles around me slowed to a crawl. For about two kilometers, I was sandwiched between a bunch of cars that were all going the same speed as me, stuck behind that slow truck.
When I finally got a chance to squirt in the left lane, everybody precipitated themselves in the right lane, and then I could speed up. Like I said, a police car is intimidating, even with a big Dodge logo on the front doors. This time, I wasn't laughing at all.
Conclusion
I had fun with the police Charger, and I understand DaimlerChrysler wanting to sell it (and the Magnum, which is also offered to police departments). In the good old days, Dodge Diplomats and Plymouth Furys dominated police car sales, but for the last two decades, the big sedans from Ford and GM have taken over. However, as a taxpayer, I believe that with the V6 and not too many options, the Charger is a good choice for the police.
When you think about it, a citation is a citation, whatever the car you get pulled over with. The difference is that the Charger has a much-higher visual impact than the current Crown Victoria and Impala, and that's not necessarily a good thing for police departments, nor for DaimlerChrysler. Because of its extroverted looks, I don't think the Charger will knock down the Ford and GM from the top of the police car sales charts. We have to admit that it looks pretty good, though...
Looks good in uniform
Seems solid enough for the job
Demands respect on the road
Clumsy shift lever
Slows down traffic for nothing
Too noticeable for its own good
For more details concerning this vehicle, please refer to the technical specifications and to the standard features list.
If you wish to test-drive or receive a price quotation for this vehicle, you only have to perform a retailer / dealer search in your region.
As soon as you hit the road in the Charger Police Pack, people stare at you. With the blue and red graphics that DaimlerChrysler stuck on the flanks and hood, this test car really looks like a cop car at first glance.
 |
| Tell me this does not look like a police car... |
My second victims: two municipal cops cross my path on a boulevard, and slow down to observe me. I could almost read on their lips: "Hey, Roger, drop your glazed custard cream-filled special of the day and look at that! I don't know who that is, but does it mean that we're about to change our Impala for a Charger?!" I'm smiling.
By the way, a Charger isn't what you might call subtle for a police department. The cop shop in my neck of the woods has a charcoal-grey Chrysler Intrepid with tinted windows and flat-black wheels; this car is I-N-V-I-S-I-B-L-E, believe me. I'm not sure that the Charger would help police empty their citation pads as quickly as that infamous Intrepid, since the Charger is much more visible and striking.
 |
| Intimidation starts here. |
When I finally got a chance to squirt in the left lane, everybody precipitated themselves in the right lane, and then I could speed up. Like I said, a police car is intimidating, even with a big Dodge logo on the front doors. This time, I wasn't laughing at all.
Conclusion
I had fun with the police Charger, and I understand DaimlerChrysler wanting to sell it (and the Magnum, which is also offered to police departments). In the good old days, Dodge Diplomats and Plymouth Furys dominated police car sales, but for the last two decades, the big sedans from Ford and GM have taken over. However, as a taxpayer, I believe that with the V6 and not too many options, the Charger is a good choice for the police.
 |
| The Charger might not be the perfect under cover vehicle. |
 |
Seems solid enough for the job
Demands respect on the road
 |
Clumsy shift lever
Slows down traffic for nothing
 |
Too noticeable for its own good
For more details concerning this vehicle, please refer to the technical specifications and to the standard features list.
If you wish to test-drive or receive a price quotation for this vehicle, you only have to perform a retailer / dealer search in your region.
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