Nothing new there - they were introduced a few months back - a lot of fanfare in the news at the time. NSW has Volvos as well in country areas.
With Ford and Holden closing down local manufacturing of the common Falcon, Territory, Commodore platform
What will the Australian Police use???
In many areas, they are already using different vehicles
Nissan Patrol and Toyota Landcruisers, even Pajeros are common place in some regional areas.
But yesterday i saw something that took me by surprise!
An Unmarked Vic Pol Volvo S60!
It was driving towards me on a single lane country road and i had no idea until i was 50ft from the vehicle!
Very stealth.
Last edited by ol' boy; 08-09-17 at 07:38 PM.
If u want to go on an expedition get a Land Rover, if u want to come home from an expedition get a Landcruiser!
Look Here -> |
Nothing new there - they were introduced a few months back - a lot of fanfare in the news at the time. NSW has Volvos as well in country areas.
There's an unmarked Hyundai i30 around here and apparently a couple of WRXs. An i30 is the last thing I'd expect the boys in blue to drive.
ol' boy (08-09-17)
Exactly shred. I was just cruising doing my normal 90kph on this country road, probably pissing off the milk tankers no end
When i noticed this Volvo S60 coming towards me, didn't much of it, then at the last minute noticed the lights mounted in the grill and radar
Very well disguised vehicle
I am used to NSW having all kinds of Vehicles as Police Cars, but Vic has been fairly standard in their selection
Until now. Stickered up with lights it would be obvious, but as an unmarked car, very hard to tell.
Last edited by ol' boy; 08-09-17 at 08:48 PM.
If u want to go on an expedition get a Land Rover, if u want to come home from an expedition get a Landcruiser!
Well, I can tell you Vicpol have used numerous unmarked vehicles since the 70's, more for surveillance than traffic duties.
There have been various BMW's, Mercedes, Audi, Volvo, Subaru WRX and even an old dented XB Falcon.
The twin-turbo V6 Kia Stinger GT is currently being trailed for highway patrol use in 3 states that I'm aware of... VIC, NSW and QLD.
BMW has announced it will supply 80 BMW 530d sedans to Victoria Police by the end of 2018 as Highway Patrol cars for that state.
With german number-plates?Lol
NSW Highway Patrol cars come in all colours and with the low profile roof bars are almost impossible to identify head on as the 'face' of the vehicle is virtually unmarked.
From the side and rear they stand out like beacons with the high resolution reflective Police Decals but by then, you DUN !!!
I stand unequivicably behind everything I say , I just dont ever remember saying it !!
While its performance is quite good for a diesel - 0-100kph 5.8secs and a top speed of 253kph it is not quite up with their predecessors.
I'm surprised the BMWs even passed the Police reliability test , lets see how long they last.
As long as anything else does, why would they be any different ?
BMW is one of the few manufacturers that supplies a "police pack", and they supply police vehicles to several european countries as well as the UK and have for a number of years. Its a proven product......the new "Opel" Commodore is not.
Nothing has failed on my 20 year old BMW in the last 10 years and I seriously doubt the above will be any different given the reliability of modern vehicles and the fact that these cars are modified specifically for police work by BMW.
Thanks to its efficient diesel engine, the 530d drinks a claimed 4.7L/100km on the combined cycle test, while its carbon dioxide emissions have been rated at 124 grams per km.
Comparatively, a Commodore SS drinks 12.9L/100km and emits 300g/km.
Then there is the wage saving of only having to fuel them half as much.
The BMW does 0-100km/h in 5.7 seconds, which is marginally slower than the 304kW/570Nm Commodore SS's 5.0s effort.
Lets face it, will it make any difference at all ? Victoria does not engage in high speed pursuits anymore, so top speed doesn't mean much ( I cant remember anything recent in Victoria at that sort of speed). The 620 Nm's of torque it puts out (50 Nm's more than the SS Commodore) will be more handy than anything else, and the 8 speed auto has a good reputation as smooth and precise.
Also some interesting info :
"While a number of other vehicles remain under consideration to replace the traditional V8 Commodore and Ford Falcon based highway patrol cars, it’s understood police forces outside Victoria will follow that state’s lead with the BMW 530d.
There are about 1000 highway patrol vehicles across Australia, including more than 400 in NSW and more than 200 in both Victoria and Queensland.
Other options on the table include the Chrysler 300 SRT8 and Toyota’s new Camry V6 due on sale from November, while general duties police will continue to drive Camry sedans, Hyundai SUVs and vans from Volkswagen and Hyundai."
Source : motoring.com.au
Does it matter what they drive in Victoria? They're not allowed to chase anyone anyway are they?
The fact that there's a highway to hell and a stairway to heaven says a lot about the anticipated traffic flow.
Somewhat limited pursuit exceptions.
Vicpol could have saved a fortune with a fleet of Toyota Prius.
Seriously though, the BMW costs well over double the price of the SS Commodore.
The BMW will save heaps on fuel expenditure, but I expect maintenance will also be more expensive than the Holden.
It's surprising the other contenders didn't/couldn't offer a factory-fitted 'police pack'.... upgraded brakes, suspension, etc, which is what sealed the deal for BMW.
Given BMW supplies beefed up spec police fitouts for several European countries, I guess it wasn't too arduous a task to supply an Aussie version.
One way to reduce the pursuit problem is to have more cars on the road located in areas that appear to encourage speeders.
I am wondering what percentage of pursuits involve stolen cars as I have a very punitive suggestion to 'encourage' vehicles owner to do all possible to reduce the chances of their vehicle being stolen to begin with.
I believe there are Laws already in place about leaving a vehicle unattended with the keys in the ignition (engine running or not) so it wouldnt take much to add a bit more 'Hip Pocket Pain' to wake up people.
I stand unequivicably behind everything I say , I just dont ever remember saying it !!
gulliver (24-09-17)
hazman (25-09-17)
NSW Police announce Chrysler 300 SRT Core and BMW 530d sedans will begin replacing the Commodore and Falcon from next year.
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