no french cars in the USA?

[patrickl]

That Dodge Charger looks cool.

[ChadTower]

In New England they pretty much all use the Crown Vic.  There are so few patrol cars (aside from the occasional SUV) that aren't Crown Vics that it catches attention when they go around.

[TOK]

That Dodge Charger looks cool.

The department in my area has 2 of them. They're the 6.1 liter 425 horse Hemi's too.
Has to be the most fun of cop cars. 

[danny_galaga]

well, i must admit ive never seen a charger in those 'funniest police video' shows. i would hate to ram anything with it...

[TOK]

well, i must admit ive never seen a charger in those 'funniest police video' shows. i would hate to ram anything with it...

Its rear wheel drive with a honkin' V8, way faster than the lame Ford Triton 5.4 V8. Due to the more modern design with short overhangs, the Charger looks smaller in pictures than it actually is. The Police Package Charger is pretty new. It'll start showing up on Cops in a year or so. 
It is shorter than the Crown Vic, but still a full sized 4 door. Its also a better car in every way than the outdated CV. It might actually be able to get around something to stop it instead of just smashing into the sides. 

[ChadTower]

The Crown Vic is also a rear wheel drive with a big honkin' v8.  The ones they sell to Police move pretty well.

[TOK]

The Crown Vic is also a rear wheel drive with a big honkin' v8.  The ones they sell to Police move pretty well.

250 horse 4.6 V8 in the Ford. If anything is honking, its a grandma in a Camry trying to get around it.
The 5.7 liter police package in the the Charger is has 100 more HP in a lighter car, and there is a 425 horse 6.1 liter also. The CV is a pooch. 

Edit to add comment from Car & Driver... The 6 cylinder Charger runs with the V8 CV.

But the Hemi Charger (as well as the Magnum) cleaned up in the Michigan State Police’s yearly cop-car smackdown. According to those results, the V-6 Charger’s performance is roughly on par with the 250-hp V-8–powered Crown Vic’s, and the Hemi version cuts a three-second-quicker lap time around Grattan Raceway’s 2.0-mile road course and is more than two seconds quicker to 60 mph. The cops also reported best-in-class braking performance in the Charger, as well as a slightly better ergonomic rating than the Crown Vic’s, despite the Dodge’s smaller front seats and trunk. Further humiliating the Ford, the Charger posts better EPA fuel-economy numbers; 17 mpg city and 25 highway, versus 16/23. The Crown Vic’s only advantage, it seems, is price, which, at $26,380, is cheaper than either the Hemi ($29,160) or V-6 ($26,930) Charger’s.

If any cops are driving new CV's next year, it's because the township accountants are cheapskates. 

[ChadTower]

It doesn't need to be that powerful... after all, if they actually chase someone, they're just being "evil cops".  What it does need to be able to do is keep up with most cars while also being able to knock them off the road if necessary.  They need beef, they need a large back seat, and they need a large trunk.  The Charger is a lot more machismo than it is practical for Police use.

[TOK]

I'll have to read up on evil cops and why fast cop cars that brake better and get better fuel mileage can't also be driven slowly. Is there some Bizarro World library where I could find that book?

[ChadTower]

Cost.  That's why.  Why purchase a more expensive car with an engine you don't need?  It's taxpayer money.  Especially one that doesn't suit the other requirements.