RE: Ford Interceptors: Fastest cop cars in the US
Discussion
American v8's are generally renowned for reliability.
I would be surprised and very impressed, if the ecoboost could match that over a few years.
These cars are used 24/7 and plod takes no prisoners regards driving sympathy
Would be fascinating to hear the view of a real traffic cop,in a few years time.
I would be surprised and very impressed, if the ecoboost could match that over a few years.
These cars are used 24/7 and plod takes no prisoners regards driving sympathy
Would be fascinating to hear the view of a real traffic cop,in a few years time.
Fire99 said:
Isn't the 3.5 V6 Ecoboost engine a twin-turbo configuration? So without wanting to sound too dismissive, smaller output turbo engines have been producing greater power than larger NA engines since the origins of turbo's..
I'm not sure where the surprise is here?
Also surely part of the appeal of the large capacity N/A engine was that it was a tough, reliable engine that was relatively easy to maintain? The modern Eco-boost with turbo's and direct injection etc will be a far more complex affair..
Just my slant on it..
Confusing line up: http://www.ford.com/newsevents/news/newsdetail/?id...I'm not sure where the surprise is here?
Also surely part of the appeal of the large capacity N/A engine was that it was a tough, reliable engine that was relatively easy to maintain? The modern Eco-boost with turbo's and direct injection etc will be a far more complex affair..
Just my slant on it..
R8VXF said:
littlebasher said:
Was i the only one who found that article difficult to read?
Nope, I found it quite hard to read as well.This is definitely the worst sentene I've ever seen in a supposedly professional article:
"Hopefully because of this swiftness, Ford Interceptor vehicles are apparently the most popular across US forces."
Edited by MustardCutter on Monday 1st December 16:29
tload better than the V8s of yesteryearI had a Taurus rental a couple of weeks ago in the US.... basically the civilian version of the saloon in the pics.
It was absolutely woeful. The handling was dangerous!
Taking your eye off the road for a second even to check the rear view mirror was a bad idea. The steering is so vague you drift off line in a moment. The inevitable correction you then need to make just highlights the horribly understeery nature of the thing.
The brakes were far too small. After grabbing it by the scruff of the neck and doing some spirited driving through the hills of West Virginia (more out of frustration than genuine interest) the disks had warped and there was a nasty wheel bearing sound emanating from somewhere.
On the plus side it did have some blue mood lights in the footwells so you could see your shoes while driving at night....
To give some context, I hired a new shape transit van this weekend and it handled, rode and stopped far more nicely than the Taurus did!!
It was absolutely woeful. The handling was dangerous!
Taking your eye off the road for a second even to check the rear view mirror was a bad idea. The steering is so vague you drift off line in a moment. The inevitable correction you then need to make just highlights the horribly understeery nature of the thing.
The brakes were far too small. After grabbing it by the scruff of the neck and doing some spirited driving through the hills of West Virginia (more out of frustration than genuine interest) the disks had warped and there was a nasty wheel bearing sound emanating from somewhere.
On the plus side it did have some blue mood lights in the footwells so you could see your shoes while driving at night....
To give some context, I hired a new shape transit van this weekend and it handled, rode and stopped far more nicely than the Taurus did!!
KTF said:
I believe they are trained to give the car they are perusing a 'nudge' in an attempt to make them spin out of control hence the bull bars.
Indeed.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PIT_maneuver
Note how the Americans can't even spell 'manoeuvre' properly.
Mostly works because they all drive RWD cars in the states. A robber just needs an FWD car to escape the rozzers.
rm163603 said:
The steering is so vague you drift off line in a moment. The inevitable correction you then need to make just highlights the horribly understeery nature of the thing.
Yet, us Americans like this. Not me, I'm a weirdo, but the average American expects that light vagueness, and there's a reason why.See, growing up, Joe American's parents had some land barge of a Chrysler in the 70s. It was slower than their 60s land barge, but they got used to barges, so didn't mind a slower one to sip fuel. In the 80s they bought a Chrysler K-car like a Plymouth Reliant. It was smaller and even slower, but it still sort of floated about, which is what they were used to.
So Joe American gets that Plymouth Reliant as his first car. That is now what he knows. When he forgets to change the oil for 20,000 miles, the Plymouth dies he buys a late 90s Ford Thunderbird. It's big, it's quicker (but certainly not quick) and most importantly it's floaty and vague, just as he remembers every other car he's driven. That dies, so he drives his grandma's early 90s Cadillac Deville, which is bigger, slower, and floater. But it's a (FWD, V8) luxury car. Surely this is living it up, right?
So Joe American now is in his 30s, is out of student debt, has things stable. What does he want? Something big and floaty. Or small and floaty. Or small, vague, and floaty. Vague and floaty is what he knows. So he buys a Toyota Camry. One day he'll get an Avalon though!
So you've known Joe American for 22 years. You let him drive your new Porsche Cayman GTS because you're feeling nice -- probably the benchmark for sports car value goodness right now. Verdict? Hates it. He fits perfectly fine despite being 193cm tall, but he doesn't have acres of room to stretch out in or lean the seat way back. It makes engine noises and stuff. There's feedback through the steering wheel instead of being numb. The Sport Chassis is telling him that the road isn't perfect, instead of floating like a bowl of Jell-O. There's no dead spot in the steering wheel, and the car actually moves if you have it barely off-center. "I don't like it. I much prefer my Toyota Camry."
Problem? It's different than what he knows, and people hate change. The Porsche anecdote is a true story by the way.
Edited by Goofnik on Monday 1st December 17:19
KTF said:
B10 said:
The bull bars are a travesty. Disgraceful.
I believe they are trained to give the car they are perusing a 'nudge' in an attempt to make them spin out of control hence the bull bars. mikEsprit said:
The police in the US generally don't do high-speed pursuit as a matter of policy. The risk of killing innocents is too great and even if uncommon, highly publicized when it does occur. A police radio 0-60 is still a little faster than any suspect vehicle's 0-60.
You are joking, arent you? A police deskpop is the second most popular sport in Hawaii, and third in California.Getting their gun off is what they live for.
big_rob_sydney said:
mikEsprit said:
The police in the US generally don't do high-speed pursuit as a matter of policy. The risk of killing innocents is too great and even if uncommon, highly publicized when it does occur. A police radio 0-60 is still a little faster than any suspect vehicle's 0-60.
You are joking, arent you? A police deskpop is the second most popular sport in Hawaii, and third in California.Getting their gun off is what they live for.
Why High-Speed Police Chases Are Going Away
"When things go wrong during police vehicular chases, the carnage is big news. In the past there were enough dash-cam images from disastrous law-enforcement pursuits to fill seasons of cheap, sensationalized TV shows, while live footage from helicopters made for some of the highest-rated shows on Los Angeles stations.
But things are changing. Almost all U.S. law enforcement agencies have adopted a restrictive pursuit policy,..."
big_rob_sydney said:
mikEsprit said:
The police in the US generally don't do high-speed pursuit as a matter of policy. The risk of killing innocents is too great and even if uncommon, highly publicized when it does occur. A police radio 0-60 is still a little faster than any suspect vehicle's 0-60.
You are joking, arent you? A police deskpop is the second most popular sport in Hawaii, and third in California.Getting their gun off is what they live for.
Dangerous to assume that all agencies won't chase (and Highway Patrol will run you down for a faulty tail-light), but most don't anymore.
If they are more economical when sat for hours on end idling then it is a good saving. That's all the cops do over here, even down dead end residential streets.
Apart from the one that hunted me down for doing 75mph a little bit ago. Charger Hemi beats Chrysler 200 rental.
The sooner the cop cars self destruct after giving a useful service life the better, all the Crown Vics are turned into taxis around here and it feels like there are atleast 4x more cops that there actually are.
Apart from the one that hunted me down for doing 75mph a little bit ago. Charger Hemi beats Chrysler 200 rental.
The sooner the cop cars self destruct after giving a useful service life the better, all the Crown Vics are turned into taxis around here and it feels like there are atleast 4x more cops that there actually are.
rm163603 said:
To give some context, I hired a new shape transit van this weekend and it handled, rode and stopped far more nicely than the Taurus did!!
I've driven both and I think there was something wrong with the Taurus.OK, it's not a 5 Series, but it's not that bad. I've certainly had rental cars several times with the steering way out of alignment which is maybe what you experienced. Take it straight back and usually get an upgrade.
I did have a Buick LeSabre some years ago with some kind of hydraulic suspension and that was fairly hilarious. But you just adjust to the car, the roads and the other drivers.
One thing I will say is that if the signs say "45MPH" on an off-ramp curve then they mean it!
Goofnik said:
Problem? It's different than what he knows, and people hate change. The Porsche anecdote is a true story by the way.
Hmmm....I tend to go to either the East or West coasts so I don't know what the middle is like, but I see an awful lot of BMW and Mercs in the US.rm163603 said:
I had a Taurus rental a couple of weeks ago in the US.... basically the civilian version of the saloon in the pics.
It was absolutely woeful. The handling was dangerous!
Taking your eye off the road for a second even to check the rear view mirror was a bad idea. The steering is so vague you drift off line in a moment. The inevitable correction you then need to make just highlights the horribly understeery nature of the thing.
The brakes were far too small. After grabbing it by the scruff of the neck and doing some spirited driving through the hills of West Virginia (more out of frustration than genuine interest) the disks had warped and there was a nasty wheel bearing sound emanating from somewhere.
On the plus side it did have some blue mood lights in the footwells so you could see your shoes while driving at night....
To give some context, I hired a new shape transit van this weekend and it handled, rode and stopped far more nicely than the Taurus did!!
I've driven plenty of current shape rental Taurus' 1000's of miles over the past few years. You must have had a knackered one, or you're making it up for dramatic effect?It was absolutely woeful. The handling was dangerous!
Taking your eye off the road for a second even to check the rear view mirror was a bad idea. The steering is so vague you drift off line in a moment. The inevitable correction you then need to make just highlights the horribly understeery nature of the thing.
The brakes were far too small. After grabbing it by the scruff of the neck and doing some spirited driving through the hills of West Virginia (more out of frustration than genuine interest) the disks had warped and there was a nasty wheel bearing sound emanating from somewhere.
On the plus side it did have some blue mood lights in the footwells so you could see your shoes while driving at night....
To give some context, I hired a new shape transit van this weekend and it handled, rode and stopped far more nicely than the Taurus did!!
It's not a very exciting car, but it's by no means a bad car to drive either. A smooth, quiet and relaxing place to be on the whole in my experience.
Goofnik said:
rm163603 said:
The steering is so vague you drift off line in a moment. The inevitable correction you then need to make just highlights the horribly understeery nature of the thing.
Yet, us Americans like this. Not me, I'm a weirdo, but the average American expects that light vagueness, and there's a reason why.See, growing up, Joe American's parents had some land barge of a Chrysler in the 70s. It was slower than their 60s land barge, but they got used to barges, so didn't mind a slower one to sip fuel. In the 80s they bought a Chrysler K-car like a Plymouth Reliant. It was smaller and even slower, but it still sort of floated about, which is what they were used to.
So Joe American gets that Plymouth Reliant as his first car. That is now what he knows. When he forgets to change the oil for 20,000 miles, the Plymouth dies he buys a late 90s Ford Thunderbird. It's big, it's quicker (but certainly not quick) and most importantly it's floaty and vague, just as he remembers every other car he's driven. That dies, so he drives his grandma's early 90s Cadillac Deville, which is bigger, slower, and floater. But it's a (FWD, V8) luxury car. Surely this is living it up, right?
So Joe American now is in his 30s, is out of student debt, has things stable. What does he want? Something big and floaty. Or small and floaty. Or small, vague, and floaty. Vague and floaty is what he knows. So he buys a Toyota Camry. One day he'll get an Avalon though!
So you've known Joe American for 22 years. You let him drive your new Porsche Cayman GTS because you're feeling nice -- probably the benchmark for sports car value goodness right now. Verdict? Hates it. He fits perfectly fine despite being 193cm tall, but he doesn't have acres of room to stretch out in or lean the seat way back. It makes engine noises and stuff. There's feedback through the steering wheel instead of being numb. The Sport Chassis is telling him that the road isn't perfect, instead of floating like a bowl of Jell-O. There's no dead spot in the steering wheel, and the car actually moves if you have it barely off-center. "I don't like it. I much prefer my Toyota Camry."
Problem? It's different than what he knows, and people hate change. The Porsche anecdote is a true story by the way.
AER said:
Goofnik said:
rm163603 said:
The steering is so vague you drift off line in a moment. The inevitable correction you then need to make just highlights the horribly understeery nature of the thing.
Yet, us Americans like this. Not me, I'm a weirdo, but the average American expects that light vagueness, and there's a reason why.See, growing up, Joe American's parents had some land barge of a Chrysler in the 70s. It was slower than their 60s land barge, but they got used to barges, so didn't mind a slower one to sip fuel. In the 80s they bought a Chrysler K-car like a Plymouth Reliant. It was smaller and even slower, but it still sort of floated about, which is what they were used to.
So Joe American gets that Plymouth Reliant as his first car. That is now what he knows. When he forgets to change the oil for 20,000 miles, the Plymouth dies he buys a late 90s Ford Thunderbird. It's big, it's quicker (but certainly not quick) and most importantly it's floaty and vague, just as he remembers every other car he's driven. That dies, so he drives his grandma's early 90s Cadillac Deville, which is bigger, slower, and floater. But it's a (FWD, V8) luxury car. Surely this is living it up, right?
So Joe American now is in his 30s, is out of student debt, has things stable. What does he want? Something big and floaty. Or small and floaty. Or small, vague, and floaty. Vague and floaty is what he knows. So he buys a Toyota Camry. One day he'll get an Avalon though!
So you've known Joe American for 22 years. You let him drive your new Porsche Cayman GTS because you're feeling nice -- probably the benchmark for sports car value goodness right now. Verdict? Hates it. He fits perfectly fine despite being 193cm tall, but he doesn't have acres of room to stretch out in or lean the seat way back. It makes engine noises and stuff. There's feedback through the steering wheel instead of being numb. The Sport Chassis is telling him that the road isn't perfect, instead of floating like a bowl of Jell-O. There's no dead spot in the steering wheel, and the car actually moves if you have it barely off-center. "I don't like it. I much prefer my Toyota Camry."
Problem? It's different than what he knows, and people hate change. The Porsche anecdote is a true story by the way.
"A hunned and niney three cm? What the hell is that?!"
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff