2012 Dodge Charger Pursuit Brings Muscle to ‘The Man’
by Patrick Rall
While the last 50 years have brought various American towns police cars based on sporty models, the 2012 Dodge Charger Pursuit is the most aggressive looking factory looking cop car on the market today – maybe ever. Imagine that fierce looking grill filling up your rear view mirror. But the Charger Pursuit is about far more than good looks.
Recently at the Michigan State Police annual vehicle
evaluation tests at Grattan Raceway in Belding, the Charger Pursuit went head to head with its main
competition, including the EcoBoost-powered Ford Police Interceptor and
the Chevrolet Caprice PPV. The Pursuit showed great
results, setting a variety of records in proving itself as the
best performing modern cop car.
The 2012 Dodge Charger Pursuit is offered with two different engines
-the New 3.6L Pentastar V6 and the tried and true 5.7L Hemi V8. Both
engines receive special treatment to provide great power throughout
the rigors of police work. The 3.6L Pentastar V6 offers 292 horsepower
and 260lb-ft of torque, helping the V6-powered Charger Pursuit to set
the standard for being the fastest V6 police car to lap Grattan Raceway, posting a time of 1:37.71 on gasoline and a quicker 1:37.57 on E85 Ethanol.
The 5.7L Hemi V8 packs 370 horsepower and 390lbn-ft of torque, sending
the power to the rear wheels via an automatic transmission with a
specially tuned engine control unit that allows for a top speed of 151 miles
per hour. Thanks to the help of a new sport tuned suspension setup with
a police specific dual mode stability control and new heavy duty
/performance braking package, the Charger Pursuit with the Hemi also set
the top numbers for the V8 police car class, turning in the best time ever at that track by a stock cruiser with a time of 1:33.70. The
Charger Pursuit also used the Hemi to turn out the best 0-60 (5.83
seconds), 0-80 (9.18s) and 0-100 (13.65s) times while Chrysler’s Fuel
Saver Technology helping the Hemi cop car to yield an impressive 25 miles
per gallon on the open road.
On the outside, the 2012 Dodge Charger Pursuit offers the same super
aggressive look as the civilian models with an angry scowl providing an
appropriate countenance for this high performance cop car. The angled
headlights and protruding grille make for a menacing look in your rear
view and the black-and-white paint job adds to the great looks of this
new police sedan.
Inside, the Charger Pursuit was designed with help
from the company’s Police Advisory Board, fitting the car up with unique
features, like the Vehicle Systems Interface Module for easy equipment
integration, heavy-duty police-duty front seats that allow more room for
police utility belts and column-mounted shifter with Auto Stick.
The Dodge Charger Pursuit could very well be one of the coolest
non-special edition cop cars of all time. With performance numbers
like those turned out at the Michigan State Police annual vehicle
evaluation tests, getting away from the cops will be harder than ever
once these new models hit the streets.
The Dodge Charger Pursuit is definitely bad, but what’s the baddest police vehicle you can imagine? Shout off in the forums after you watch video of the evaluation test below.