The Corral

Cops' Delight - The Return of the Chevrolet Caprice

Last Updated on Saturday, 06 February 2010 14:49 Written by Christopher Ihara Sunday, 13 December 2009 17:13

First Drives

After an absence of over 10 years, the 2011 Chevrolet Caprice will be returning to active duty. Starting in September 2010 orders will be taken for departments wishing to add the latest police vehicle to their fleets.

An initial inspection of the vehicle at the 2009 LA Auto Show reveals a car that seems poised to snatch the police market from Ford and this prediction may indeed come to fruition if the rumors of Ford’s intention to use the Ford Taurus are true.

The Chevrolet Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicle (PPV) will be built in Australia alongside the Holden Statesman. The full-sized Holden Statesman provides some of the basic underpinnings of the Caprice; however, many police-specific improvements have been added. The 118” wheelbase of the Caprice is the second longest offering on the market behind the Dodge Charger’s 120 inches.

* Caprice numbers derived from existing Holden Statesman production figures

Boasting a Flex Fuel 6.0L V8 with displacement on demand the Caprice is able to run on E85 or gasoline. The GM 6L80E six-speed automatic transmission will enable the Caprice to have the fuel economy of a V6 and the power of a V8. Current offerings in this vehicle family line generate 362 BHP and 390 ft-lb of torque and initial orders will only be for V8 powered cars; however, a V6 engine will be offered later in 2012.

* Caprice numbers derived from existing Holden Statesman production figures

Fully independent front and rear suspension helps to keep the car planted on even the worst road surfaces. Heavy duty brakes and brake pads work in conjunction with the car’s police-specific active handling calibration and traction control systems which are designed around a more highly trained driver.

To the naked eye it is easy to tell that the interior is slightly smaller than the current standard set by the Crown Vic. Head room is about 1-inch lower in the front, but slightly higher in the rear. Shoulder room is about 1 ½-inches narrower up front and hip room is about 1-inch narrower as well. Caprice leg room is definitely up though with almost a 1-inch front advantage and over 5-inches in the rear. With the front seats at maximum travel occupants over 6-feet tall will have no issues with comfort and leg room.

* Caprice numbers derived from existing Holden Statesman production figures

Those used to the confines of the Impala or Charger should have little difficulty in adjusting to the Caprice. Gun belts of right-handed shooters may encroach into the center console area slightly; however, left-handed shooters will have plenty of room for their weapon. Despite the Caprice’s narrower width, mounting long guns did not appear to be an issue, as the prototype car on display showed that both an M-4 style rifle and Remington 870-style shotgun will fit between the front seats.

The transmission tunnel mounted shifter also presents a possible obstacle to the installation of laptop docking stations and departments that rely on a flat dashboard for mounting equipment like RADARs, VG2 or other equipment may find the sculpted dashboard a challenge. These shortcomings aside there are a ton of other excellent characteristics of the Caprice.

The front seats are simply fantastic. During the design phase Chevrolet engineers did body scans of several officers of differing sizes with their issued equipment. They then designed several seats for testing ultimately selecting what is currently in the Caprice.

The material is military-spec fabric designed to withstand extended abrasion and wear. Side bolsters on the seats are notched out to allow easy ingress and egress from the vehicle and the lower portion of the seat back’s foam interior is also sculpted to accommodate a duty belt. A nearly flat seat bottom also aids in rapid entry and exit from the vehicle.

The Chevrolet Caprice PPV utilizes a narrower front passenger airbag. This change is because the vehicle is not configured as a six-passenger vehicle unlike the Crown Victoria and can thus use the smaller bag. This means the passenger airbag deployment zone is significantly smaller, leaving more room for laptops and other equipment.

A cavernous 18.9 cubic foot trunk contains a full-sized spare tire underneath a flat load floor, but while the Crown Victoria boasts a 20.6 cubic foot trunk the spare tire chews up nearly 3.5 cubic feet of space. Thus the Chevy’s stowed spare means the Caprice has 1.75 cubic feet more usable storage than the Crown Vic. An optional 5” dome light under the rear package tray provides ample illumination for the deep trunk that will swallow everything a Crown Vic can hold and more without all of the awkward nooks and contours.

Unfortunately the rear deck lid is not wide enough for mounting full-sized shotguns or rifles; however, a collapsible stock M-4 should fit and two gas-filled struts provide opening assistance and keep the trunk open.

Two batteries are located in the trunk: a primary battery on the driver’s side with a 12-volt power outlet and an auxiliary battery for powering lights and electronics is on the passenger side. The auxiliary battery should help reduce the need for extended idle times since a dedicated battery will power things like the radio, light bar, and other equipment. Not having to keep the engine running to charge the battery may reduce overall fuel consumption.

The Caprice utilizes an auxiliary equipment wiring harness similar to the Impala and Tahoe. A standard 42” light bar fits the roof and should enable departments to utilize existing inventory formerly used on Crown Victorias.

Pricing for the Chevrolet Caprice PPV will be competitive with current market offerings by other manufacturers; however, final numbers have not been released. As of right now no plans have been announced to offer the car to the civilian market. The Caprice will be offered in both a marked and covert package; however, it’s absence in the civilian market makes a covert car somewhat counter productive.

It is immediately evident that Chevrolet has done some serious homework when designing the Caprice PPV and address the insatiable demands for power, storage, handling, performance and comfort in a very capable package. The department brass should enjoy reduced fuel costs from cylinder deactivation, the six-speed transmission and an auxiliary battery. Individual officers will enjoy performance that should best the Dodge Charger in every performance category and the Crown Victoria in everything else.

After over 10-years of retirement think of the Chevrolet Caprice’s return to duty like that of a veteran officer fresh from a stint in SWAT training. The Caprice is faster, more agile, and more capable than its shift partner the Crown Vic who has spent the past ten years getting soggy around the middle. With acceleration and performance that will shame the Crown Vic and bust the rookie Dodge Charger back a notch, Chevrolet is poised to demote Ford to desk duty in the police car business. The Caprice is coming back, bad guys everywhere should beware.

See more images here.