Nov. 2024. Blues Vol 40 No. 11

BACK TO THE What

BACK TO THE What Police1.com readers said about their time in a Crown Vic By Police1 Staff As the Ford Crown Victoria is declared the “Best Police Cruiser of All Time” by Haloid Fleet, we turn to the experiences of the Police1 readers who have driven this iconic vehicle on patrol. Despite production ending in 2011, the Crown Victoria still holds a special place in the hearts of many law enforcement officers and continues to set a high bar in terms of performance, safety, reliability, and cost. Here’s what readers had to say about why the Crown Victoria still reigns supreme in the eyes of those who’ve had the privilege of driving one. • I pushed one for just shy of 17 years. I abused them, as anyone I worked with could attest, including the shop. They were all but indestructible, only blew one engine and a couple of transmissions usually driving the same car for years so it was constant abuse and it just kept taking it. It was such an amazing car I bought a low mileage (2002 46k miles) personal one. Such a good car. I cannot believe Ford quit making them. Bring it back and don’t change much Ford! • Still drive three of them, can’t get enough. I’ve hit a deer at 45 with no damage to the car. Can’t say enough how amazing they are. • The Crown Vic had great performance power and excellent cornering ability. I drove one in the early 1990s. • It was solid and it held the road. It was a big boat but didn’t float like a Caprice. It offered a lot of cover protection. One anecdote: I chased a Ferrari one night on I-171 in Fort Worth and caught him. I let the guy go with a warning telling him I caught him with an old Crown Vic with over 100,000 miles on it. He wondered why and I told him it was not his father’s V8 under that hood. It was a great car. • Fantastic K-9 vehicle. All your gear fit in the trunk. As long as you do all the required maintenance and repairs, the Crown Victoria will last many years. Both of mine had over 250,000 miles before I was required to return them back to the county that I worked for. • First and foremost, it was a car, as in a police car. Not a tall wagon/van (called a SUV or crossover now). It was RWD, handled very well with a great turning radius and the power a police car should have. Did I mention it was a CAR! • Many years ago I drove through some very tough neighborhoods. That car was my friend. • In my experience, the Chevy Caprice beat the Crown Vic in acceleration, braking, passenger room and trunk space. The Caprice also had a larger alternator to keep pace with the extra lights on a police car. • Beautiful highway car. • The Crown Vic was a very stable platform. Mine was very reliable as long it was taken care of. There was also ample room. I also loved how the rear-wheel drive car excelled at driving in snow and ice. I teach EVOC at ID POST and we use an older Crown Vic as the rabbit car during the pursuit course. • Still drive a 2005 P71, 239,000 and still a beast. The only issue with these cars is the crappy plastic intake. They all cracked and that was a ,000 repair job. Other than that, Panther Platform 4ever! • Very roomy, has excellent handling, is reliable and the A/C got cold enough to hang a side of beef inside (definitely a plus working in Florida). • You cannot beat a body on frame, rear-wheel drive car for toughness, durability and a great driving experience. The Crown Victoria had/has all that and Ford kept this platform long after Chrysler and Chevrolet ceased making them. Although the Chevrolet and Chrysler counterparts were fairly evenly matched, Ford 82 The Blues - November ‘24

FUTURE deserves top honors for keeping their body on frame cars well past the others (Chrysler 1989 and Chevrolet 1996). The replacement vehicles are just not the same. The Impala for example was referred to as the “Wimpala” by the Ford guys. • Owned a 99 white one. P71. Loved that car. Saw the newer model and got a detective’s car. Still have it. Has 160000 miles and runs and looks like new. Love the push button middle of the dash for the trunk, and the headlamp above head. Put a cold air kit on it and you can hear that Crown Vic sound. 235 55 r17 tires coil over shocks handles great. Never sell it! • I drove them since they were boxes, great room and visibility. When I retired in 2018 I bought my own 2010. I love that beast and call it the Battlestar Galactica. Best police car ever made. • Imported a 2009 CVPI from Warminster, PA to the UK. Despite coming into the country with 130k miles, it drives like new. Still has all the original lights, sirens, graphics, partitions, etc. The only problem I had that put it off the road was the intake manifold cracking. This car can take abuse. I can floor it over speed humps, knock into curbs and reverse into concrete posts, and the car just keeps it together. Ultra reliable and sounds awesome when you floor it. Pretty quick for a car weighing 2 tonnes! • I currently still push one with SDPD in the Mid-City Division. I love the stability, suspension, engine power and full fuel injection. Not like the new slow hybrids with engine lag delay. I can still fit a 300lb 10-16 in the back seat. • Still use them in our training environment. They are the only platform we can get consistent skids (oversteer and understeer) for our recruits to experience. In my 36-plus years in law enforcement, it is and will be the best and most consistent platform for law enforcement. • Great acceleration, responsive handling and it looked like a police car! • Despite its unflattering description as an “upside down bathtub,” the Ford Crown Victoria was a beast! Rapid acceleration, smooth motor function, easy handling, could turn on a dime, and roomy enough inside for even the biggest officers. Nothing since has compared to it. In my humble opinion, it was a mistake for Ford to discontinue production. • I never lost a pursuit, always had room to put my gear and it ran like a scalded dog! The new stuff just cannot even come close to comparison. • I started my career in 1986 and after three agencies, I have driven the Ford Crown Vic, Chev Caprice, Chev Lumina, Ford Explorer, Chev Tahoe and Dodge Charger on patrol. The Ford Crown Victoria was the best car for the patrol function because of the room, outside visibility, handling and reliability. Even with the MDT in the vehicle, it was by far the most functional vehicle ever suited for patrol use. I was disappointed when the model was discontinued. • I owned a 94, 97 and 2003. The Blues - November ‘24 83