Driving the car through the obstacle course in Las Vegas emphasized the value of these technological advances. The Charger seemed to literally "stick" to the road. Throughout the course of the testing at the track it was rare to see the vehicle break traction with the road and when it was seen it was through a driver's serious effort to cause it. The drive train and four-wheel independent suspension package including the ESP and TCS are high-end options for police vehicles and are taken directly from the Mercedes E-Class line.
Enhancing the ESP and TCS in road gripping performance the Charger also comes standard with a new breed of tires made by Continental Tire Company called "ContiProContact." These high-end design performance tires offer some recent technological advances and are Vrated. They were originally designed for European sports sedans and offer excellent all-season traction even in light snow as well as increased performance in wet traction and hydroplaning resistance.
The enhanced heavy-duty four-wheel disc brakes on the Dodge police lineup are superior in initial testing as well. The stopping distance for the Charger Hemi from 60 mph was 131 feet. Brake endurance seems to be the Achilles for all police vehicles. The Daimler engineers have redesigned the brakes on the Charger/Magnum series by increasing the size of and venting the rear brake rotors along with other modifications to improve stopping power and reduce wear on braking.
With the 250hp V-6, the Dodge Charger and Magnum are very price competitive to other police sedans in most jurisdictions. At around $2,000, the Hemi V-8 upgrade certainly increases the price. However, when price shopping, the fleet managers and administrators must take all of the additional standard options into consideration in the area of preinstalled equipment and time-saving options for upfitting. Of course DaimlerChrysler offers GSA and government pricing in all jurisdictions; more jurisdictional specific information and local contacts can be found at the DaimlerChrysler Web site at www.fleet.chrysler.com.
The obvious thought and design invested into the police package Charger and Magnum are proof that not only did Daimler Chrysler wanted to officially reenter the full-size police car market, they want to take it over. The Dodge police cars are not simply rear-wheel sedans with heavy-duty transmissions; they are specifically designed to be police cars.
DaimlerChrysler assembled teams of design experts and experienced police personnel, they did extensive research, performed tests, conducted surveys, and went back to the drawing board when they found issues. The result is a police car designed with input from police agencies across the country that delivers exactly what it should, which is more than most expect. The introduction of the Charger/Magnum series police vehicles means that the police industry has caught up with automotive technology. These modern cars with their well-planned designs for safety, speed, comfort and pricing are sure to be a hit with police agencies big and small. Russell Schanlaub is a special agent with the Bi-State Drug Task Force in Northwestern Indiana.
2006 Law & Order. via ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved