2012 Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle Claims Bragging Rights in Testing

powerofpb says:

10:11 PM, 02/05/2012

Municipal guy here.  Just weighing in on our new purchase...the 2012 Tahoe 2WD's.  Got to say, we're all overwhelmingly pleased and are very happy that the admin elected to go to these.  The other option was the Charger and everyone was throwing a fit about them because of the space, ground clearance, and overall cheap feeling about them.  We have a fleet of Crown Vic's, one Charger, several Trail Blazers, and a couple F-150's, and there is not a single one that compares to the Tahoe.  Everyone was bumming big time about the loss of the CV's, but thanks to some outstanding pricing on these things, they swapped out for the Tahoe and we all feel like we traded up.  Having a huge vehicle like that makes you have a sincere sense of security that when the drunk plows into the back of it while you're talking to the driver of the car you have stopped, you'll fare a much better than with the CV's or anything else out there.  They handle great, they get up when you need to, but everyone is aware of the respect you have to give while braking considering how heavy they are.   Awesome is the best one word description of the 2012 Tahoe's.  Any department would be lucky to have them.  

marauder6 says:

01:00 PM, 01/07/2012

The Ford  Ecoboost V-6 twin turbo is the best choice in my opinion. Awd for better auationll around traction in snow, mud, water and clay etc., Too many times here in Georgia it rains for days and that doesnt go well with just a a single front wheel or rear wheel drive vehicle. There are times that no police vehicles here whatsoever can get to calls on dirt or clay roads....... And only a few here (Undercover Drug Force Agents) have four wheel drive pickups. And of course they can`t and wont respond to normal emergencies in rural or city areas (with clay or dirt roads) given the size of the county and number of calls.
I drive a towtruck and have for 20 years and am a former Military (AIr Force) Policeman and have family in law enforcement locally. And let me tell you it is bad when tow trucks/two wheel drive and police vehicles can`t get to an accident or emergency incident period when someone needs help in a life or death situation. All wheel drive or four wheel drive vehicles(at least some) are needed to be on patrol in any county or municipality all all times and I know of none that don`t have dirt roads and inclimate weather.
On the performance side, the Ecoboost can be adjusted to go as fast as you want. Each turbo can be given just one psi of boost and there`s an instant 20 to 40 horsepower, closer to 40 on a twin turbo set up and the expense of this is a $50 dollar manual boost control valve(a simple bleeder valve).  And you can turn them up to around 5 psi more on most turbo cars without any problem. Or you could go the route of a programmer to turn it up by computer but at the cost of 3 to 5 hundred bucks. Simply said, once you have a turbo platform to begin with a major boost in horsepower and performance is very economical compared to having to add a supercharger to a V-8 to get comparible horsepower at a cost of 3 to 5 thousand for a supercharger.
And by the way, a cop nearby in an adjacent county attempted chasing a pickup (Ford F-150 V-8 5.0) on pavement for 20 miles first then on dirt for a few miles and the Chevy 6.0 Caprice was totalled in the trees and the cop got several broken ribs and a bruised heart. (he had no traction on the dry dirt) And the pickup got away and the driver was never located or found.
Simply said I think each law enforcement division etc., should have an equal blend of different vehicles to serve the community`s needs.

k55 says:

01:58 PM, 09/25/2011

as long as these and the Dodge Charger Pursuit reported earlier and those that serve get more dirtbags off the streets and into the slammer I'm for any one they prefer to get the job done....

.And BTW Bravo to those in uniform who serve to uphold the law. You have a damn hard job to do and want you to know there are those of us out here who notice and appreciate your efforts . Thank you for the sacrifices you make every day.

bizzle1 says:

12:12 PM, 09/25/2011

The V8 in the Caprice is an all American engine. Ultra reliable, powerful, durable, and made here in the U.S.A.

bizzle1 says:

12:04 PM, 09/25/2011

Love GM :)

atdcorp28 says:

09:09 PM, 09/24/2011

I couldn't agree more with efj2461. My best friend is a cop and he has always said that the crown vic was his and every other cops car of choice. Speed is great but the fact that most cops are moderate to large means that ford was  the optimal vehicle. I had said as many as 10 YEARS ago that ford needed to give the crown vic a a 300 hp engine and add a six speed trans. Now all the hardware is available and mass produced. Ford  has a 300+ hp v6 that when mated to the six speed trans in the base model ford pic up will move it with authority but still put up decent gas mileage.What dod you think the ECO V^ would do in the already proven panther platform?  Just a few aero dynamic tweeks and the crown would have been around another 10 years easy.But as is the norm for the big 3 , they will take the something that is perfected or damn near it and discard it to start all over again or follow Toyota or Honda. Patrol vechicles need to be reliable, spacious , repairable,and plentiful. Speed is not tops on the list but handling should be the focus. The CROWN VIC was almost there but Ford didn't see what they had.

kevm14 says:

02:26 PM, 09/24/2011

Not to pick nits, but I like my GM trivia.

6L80 (they don't use the E anymore because everything is -E) had its first application behind the new 4.4L supercharged Northstar in the 2006 XLR-V and STS-V.  It was also used in the 2006 Corvette, and the 2006 Holden Caprice.  Brand new trans for 2006.  First used in 1/2 ton trucks in 2009.  There is also a 6L90 variant used in some specific high performance or heavy weight applications (CTS-V, 3/4 ton trucks, etc.).

The 6.0 is a Gen IV and is fairly carry over from the G8 GT, but I can't think of a car application before 2008.  Of course, it is in the SBC family so it's a known quantity.  The L76 dates back to 2006 in Holden vehicles, coincidentally (or not) with the trans.

Every cop I've talked to over the past 10 years has missed his LT1 Caprice for the performance.  Though, with opti-sparks and 4L60-E transmissions, I think the CV turned into the more reliable vehicle.  But from 94-96, I don't think the CV was more reliable, at all.  In fact, I think it was inferior all the way around, from acceleration and braking to handling and interior space.

You may recall the Caprice refurbishment specialty shops that existed for a while.  There was such an outcry about the departed 9C1 that companies like Shaheen Chevrolet began fully refurbishing used 9C1s in the late 90s.  This is significant if you think about it, because Ford would sell you a brand new P71 in 97, 98, 99, etc, when Caprice refurbs were big business.

ejf2461 says:

10:58 AM, 09/24/2011

I shake my head when I read some of these comments.. First the Caprice is assembled in Australia because like Canada they have Government health care! The 6.0L engine & 6L80E transmission are the built here in the states and are the same reliable engine & tranny gm has been using in its full size trucks since 1999. Also the test with simlar performance times to the V8 Caprice were done with a twin turbo awd taurus that no dept can afford or will buy. There is a maintence cost issue if you civilians want to post one. I have been a cop for 15 years and maintain our police fleet. Here are some facts about Police we hate FWD cars!, We hate slow cars! and we dont really like unreliable squad cars. The Caprice will sell like crazy! Our dept has pre ordered six and in January will order and additonal 6. The reason the Impala even though its fwd sales well is because it cost about $17.5k compared to $24k for a new vic.(Those are Police Agency prices.) The Impala also get better gas mileage and today thats important to bean counters. I agree Ford made a huge mistake on dropping the rwd Crown Vic. If they would of put the Mustang V6 (305hp) and a 6spd automatic in it they could of sold it for another decade. The Dodge Charger is a decent police car but is no where near as reliable as were used to with the Crown Vics. Thats another reason why the Caprice will do well. We all remember how fast & reliable our LT1 94-96 Caprices were.

rwdmuscle says:

02:04 PM, 09/23/2011

I can't believe how much these new Chevys are out performing the Fords; 6MPH faster and 4 foot shorter stopping distance!  Absolutely mind blowing!  Give me a break.

One important thing this article forgets to mention is how the Tahoe PPV is only pursuit rated in RW drive while the Explorer is pursuit rated for AWD.

I live in Chicago and last year when we had the big snow storm that shut down Lake Shore Dr. all the CPD's Tahoes were completely useless while thousands were stranded on Lake Shore Dr.  Imagine how many people could have been rescued if the city had AWD vehicles.