Our hardworking police can’t seem to get a break these days, but at least they get to drive the latest and greatest performance sedans. As we all know the Crown Vic was put out to pasture and since then, police forces all over the country now have a very cool array of cop cars to choose from. Of all of them, the Charger is arguably the coolest and now that the civilian model with its revised front end has dropped, Chrysler has unveiled the heavy duty law enforcement version. Car and Driver took it for a spin.
The new Mopar cruiser is available only with a 5.7 HEMI and AWD (V-6/AWD is now the only combo available on civilian Charger/300) and hustles pretty good for a big fella with all that extra weight of the four wheel drive.It blows 0-60 in 5.2 seconds and does a 13.2 quarter-mile at 103 mph. The new 8-speed transmission isn’t available as the old 5-speed with a column shifter is deemed tough enough for patrol duty.
In addition, there are other cop car bits that will help thwart the bad guys. Heavy-duty suspension with rear load-leveling, electrohydraulic power steering with a fluid cooler, a 220-amp alternator and 800-amp battery, heavy-duty disc brakes and severe-duty engine cooling. It will also howl around a skid pad at 0.85 g on 18 inch, Goodyear Eagle RS-A all-season tires. Pretty good considering the Charger’s donut fed 4579-pound curb weight.
That’s all well and good but here’s a tip for you left lane bandits. Memorize the new “tuning fork” LED headlight cluster with integrated turn signals. Recognizing this distinctive “light signature” (especially from the rear view mirror) might save you a trip down to the local courthouse.