The winner of the Crown Vic replacement is...

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06-20-2013, 11:52 AM

#16

Z28x

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Join Date: Jan 2000

Location: Albany, NY

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Re: The winner of the Crown Vic replacement is...

Quote:

Originally Posted by guionM

Gotta disagree with you. Charger is cleaning up in the law enforcement business right now. Taurus seems to be making inroads into agencies that might have picked up Impalas. Taurus' Interceptor has AWD, which I'm sure plays a big role in decisions made in snowy local areas.

Caprice still has a lot of potential for growth. There is already a pretty sizable "aftermarket" of Caprice police gear.

Crown Vic became popular with police because it was around so long there was a heap of "plug and play" items available for police departments where they didn't even have to do much if any rewiring. The Charger has been around long enough that it also has quite a lot of those systems (the restyled Charger is still the same under the skin).

I'm seeing it as more Ford departments sticking with Ford. There are a couple of local departments that have Impala's, I haven't seen them buy anything new yet.

As far as SUVs go, I'm seeing more Explorers than I expected. Didn't think they would have much of a chance against the Tahoe, but it make sense if you are also buying the Taurus.

06-21-2013, 07:00 AM

#17

Wild Willy

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Location: upstate New York

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Re: The winner of the Crown Vic replacement is...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Z28x

Crown Vic is dead and Chevy, Dodge, and Ford all have new police car offerings. It has been about 1 year and the next cop car king looks like it is the Ford Taurus.

So far out of all the municipalities around me it looks like most have decided to go with Ford. Not only do all their current electronics work in the new cars (no need to buy new spare parts) but I feel the real reason for their popularity is AWD. I'm in the north east so this makes a lot of sense. 2nd choice seems to be the Charger. The new Ford Explorer is even stealing some sales away from the Tahoe.

NY State Police are testing all 3 cars. They bought 10 of each and the test cars are black instead of navy blue. Well today I just saw a navy blue Taurus, I think that means they picked winner.

Nice photos- I worked in Bldg 22 from 1998 to 2003- Used to have an LT1-powered Caprice, modded pretty good- 4.10 rear, shorty headers, CAI- went really good (that I parked in "S" lot with). I replaced that car with my Z28, an ex fleet car from the Feds- I missed the room and comfort of the Caprice, GM has a track record of getting their cars just about perfect, then quitting them.
I have driven the Chargers, they go, stop and handle pretty good. More performance, but less room than the Crown Vics. Now that Ford is bowing out of the patrol car market, still waiting to see who will be the big winner.

06-23-2013, 09:03 PM

#18

99SilverSS

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Join Date: Jun 2000

Location: SoCal

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Re: The winner of the Crown Vic replacement is...

It doesn't seem to me that there will be one big winner or replacement for the Crown Victoria like it replaced the Caprice. There are a lot more options now and the products are better so that a department or agency can really get more specialized in what they buy. The days of what color Caprice or Crown Vic are to be ordered are thankfully over. Now there is RWD or AWD, SUV or sedan, V6 or V8 and departments can mix and match to best meet their needs. By Ford retiring the Crown Vic it actually broadened the police vehicle market. Even Ford sees this as they are essentially replaced the CV with 2 vehicles.