MM03MOK
10-14-2006, 10:43 PM
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Hemi with a badge
Dodge chases Ford's dominance of police market with special edition Charger
By Royal Ford | October 8, 2006
NOTTINGHAM, N.H. -- It wasn't the response you'd expect from a cop emerging from behind the wheel of the hottest new police car in the United States.
Phil English, who serves the 4,500 residents of this New Hampshire town, had just driven a Dodge Charger Hemi with 340 horses to flail in the pursuit of justice over Nottingham's 85.5 miles of roads. The car, he said, is actually more than a small town with no high-speed roadways can reasonably use.
"If you're reacting to a call and you're doing more than 60 in this town, you are taking a risk," English said.
But this new cruiser is finding a home in police departments all across the country -- state, county, and local departments in all 48 contiguous states have ordered Chargers.
It comes in Hemi form with the 340 horsepower V-8, and also as a six-cylinder model, with 250 horsepower -- a limit welcomed by some community officials who hope to avoid potentially lethal high-speed chases.
New Hampshire is readying 45 Chargers for its State Police force (some may be unmarked). State Police in Massachusetts have five "semi-unmarked" Hemis, meaning they get the black and blue colors of other cruisers but have no telltale roof lights.
On a smaller level, Chargers, mostly Hemis, have been added to the fleets of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst Police Department, and local fleets in East Brookfield, Hull, Ludlow, Mattapoisett, North Andover, Peabody, Wayland, Woburn, and Yarmouth.
The Ford Crown Victoria has long been the emblem of police pursuit, but you could say that today there's a new sheriff in town.
We had the police test car for several days, starting with high speed runs on Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa. Out there, it cranked to easily well beyond 100 miles per hour on the back stretch. And because it was a closed circuit, it was OK to flash the lights.
While driving from Pennsylvania to New Hampshire, the classic black-and-white colors said ``cop car." So did the bold red ``POLICE" lettering on the doors, the ``Dodge City Police" insignia on the sides, and, of course, the stack of lights on the roof (which we weren't allowed to use on public roads).
Traffic parted before me as I rumbled down the highway at just over the speed limit. That was not surprising. But I was startled by the effect I had on other drivers -- No one passed me and cars backed up three and four lanes wide for miles behind. Now I know why the police cruisers you see on the highways tend to speed even when they apparently are not responding to an emergency: Their speeding is less dangerous than the huge lines of cars they create by going slower.
It also said something about our driving habits when doing the speed limit causes a traffic jam. But that's another topic.
Back to the cruiser in question.
In either Hemi or six-cylinder form, it is menacing, sort of a Mad Max apparition, particularly with the black front and black push rack ahead of the grille.
Inside, firm cloth seats are comfortable up front. In the rear, a vinyl floor coating is noted.
You don't need to ask what that's for, said English, who then recited a list of bodily functions and malfunctions that can take place in the back of a cruiser. An easy-to-clean surface is essential.
The base car costs $22,320 and that includes the V-6 that puts out the same 250 horsepower as the Crown Vic's V-8. The $3,580 police package adds a mini floor console, a 160-mile-per hour speedometer, 18-inch steel wheels, performance suspension and performance steering, small hubcaps, an engine-hour meter, all-speed traction control, and an equipment mounting bracket. The Hemi engine adds $2,230 to the price. Toss in an adjustable, eight-way power driver's seat, a red-and-white inside dome lamp (red to see inside without cutting outside vision), a full-size spare tire for the trunk, and chrome spotlights on the left and right windshield posts, and you are near $30,000 -- a couple of thousand more than a similar Crown Vic, but way more powerful and way more menacing.
English found the inside a bit more cramped than the Crown Vic and said a department switching over would likely have to redesign its setup of gun racks and electronics.
He also said it would have ``lots more positive capabilities out on the highway."
Sure, it will look good rolling on a small local road, but it will look even better on the highway, even if you are the one being stopped. It could even be considered an honor to be pulled over by one of these hot rods from the Dodge City Police -- if only to get a close-up view of the charging beast. It's that cool.
Royal Ford can be reached at ford@globe.com (ford@globe.com). http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/File-Based_Image_Resource/dingbat_story_end_icon.gif
http://www.boston.com/cars/news/articles/2006/10/08/hemi_with_a_badge?mode=PF (http://www.boston.com/cars/news/articles/2006/10/08/hemi_with_a_badge?mode=PF)
Hemi with a badge
Dodge chases Ford's dominance of police market with special edition Charger
By Royal Ford | October 8, 2006
NOTTINGHAM, N.H. -- It wasn't the response you'd expect from a cop emerging from behind the wheel of the hottest new police car in the United States.
Phil English, who serves the 4,500 residents of this New Hampshire town, had just driven a Dodge Charger Hemi with 340 horses to flail in the pursuit of justice over Nottingham's 85.5 miles of roads. The car, he said, is actually more than a small town with no high-speed roadways can reasonably use.
"If you're reacting to a call and you're doing more than 60 in this town, you are taking a risk," English said.
But this new cruiser is finding a home in police departments all across the country -- state, county, and local departments in all 48 contiguous states have ordered Chargers.
It comes in Hemi form with the 340 horsepower V-8, and also as a six-cylinder model, with 250 horsepower -- a limit welcomed by some community officials who hope to avoid potentially lethal high-speed chases.
New Hampshire is readying 45 Chargers for its State Police force (some may be unmarked). State Police in Massachusetts have five "semi-unmarked" Hemis, meaning they get the black and blue colors of other cruisers but have no telltale roof lights.
On a smaller level, Chargers, mostly Hemis, have been added to the fleets of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst Police Department, and local fleets in East Brookfield, Hull, Ludlow, Mattapoisett, North Andover, Peabody, Wayland, Woburn, and Yarmouth.
The Ford Crown Victoria has long been the emblem of police pursuit, but you could say that today there's a new sheriff in town.
We had the police test car for several days, starting with high speed runs on Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa. Out there, it cranked to easily well beyond 100 miles per hour on the back stretch. And because it was a closed circuit, it was OK to flash the lights.
While driving from Pennsylvania to New Hampshire, the classic black-and-white colors said ``cop car." So did the bold red ``POLICE" lettering on the doors, the ``Dodge City Police" insignia on the sides, and, of course, the stack of lights on the roof (which we weren't allowed to use on public roads).
Traffic parted before me as I rumbled down the highway at just over the speed limit. That was not surprising. But I was startled by the effect I had on other drivers -- No one passed me and cars backed up three and four lanes wide for miles behind. Now I know why the police cruisers you see on the highways tend to speed even when they apparently are not responding to an emergency: Their speeding is less dangerous than the huge lines of cars they create by going slower.
It also said something about our driving habits when doing the speed limit causes a traffic jam. But that's another topic.
Back to the cruiser in question.
In either Hemi or six-cylinder form, it is menacing, sort of a Mad Max apparition, particularly with the black front and black push rack ahead of the grille.
Inside, firm cloth seats are comfortable up front. In the rear, a vinyl floor coating is noted.
You don't need to ask what that's for, said English, who then recited a list of bodily functions and malfunctions that can take place in the back of a cruiser. An easy-to-clean surface is essential.
The base car costs $22,320 and that includes the V-6 that puts out the same 250 horsepower as the Crown Vic's V-8. The $3,580 police package adds a mini floor console, a 160-mile-per hour speedometer, 18-inch steel wheels, performance suspension and performance steering, small hubcaps, an engine-hour meter, all-speed traction control, and an equipment mounting bracket. The Hemi engine adds $2,230 to the price. Toss in an adjustable, eight-way power driver's seat, a red-and-white inside dome lamp (red to see inside without cutting outside vision), a full-size spare tire for the trunk, and chrome spotlights on the left and right windshield posts, and you are near $30,000 -- a couple of thousand more than a similar Crown Vic, but way more powerful and way more menacing.
English found the inside a bit more cramped than the Crown Vic and said a department switching over would likely have to redesign its setup of gun racks and electronics.
He also said it would have ``lots more positive capabilities out on the highway."
Sure, it will look good rolling on a small local road, but it will look even better on the highway, even if you are the one being stopped. It could even be considered an honor to be pulled over by one of these hot rods from the Dodge City Police -- if only to get a close-up view of the charging beast. It's that cool.
Royal Ford can be reached at ford@globe.com (ford@globe.com). http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/File-Based_Image_Resource/dingbat_story_end_icon.gif
http://www.boston.com/cars/news/articles/2006/10/08/hemi_with_a_badge?mode=PF (http://www.boston.com/cars/news/articles/2006/10/08/hemi_with_a_badge?mode=PF)