Police cruiser of the future

[PaulJ]

As for the light bar in the window: I wonder if that wouldn't be too distracting for the driver. Even if the light bar "points forward", there is probably still plenty of light getting scattered back into the drivers face.

Other then that: Looks nice. I want one :-) Guess price will matter. And with higher gas prices, I am wondering how long police departments can afford to drive Crown Vics and such.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[TN_Mike]

I really like this car. Once upon a time when I was a reserve Deputy in South Carolina (early 1990's, a life time ago) we talked about this very kind of car. Like the website says, the Fire Dept., and EMT's, even the Post Office has purpose built vehicles, but the Police do not. That is strange.

This car seems very well designed. I love the rearward opening back doors. That is a very nice design feature. Makes it a lot easier to get the bad guy in and out of the back. Also in the back seat area, the hooks that hold the seat belts so when you put the bad guy in the back you don't have to lean over their body to get the belt and put it on them. I always hated that. It's the perfect time for them to spit on you or, as once happened to me, make themselves vomit just as you are in there with them getting the belt.

The front area seems very well designed too.

About the only thing that I would change is, I still like the overhead light bar on today's police cars. That just seems like it is more visible to me than the one on this car that is integrated into the roof line. But if that is the only thing I can gripe about, then I say this car is very well designed indeed.

[snip]

Only thing i did not see on the that it needs is a HUD. other than that i want one for every day drive if you take off the police identifications just cause the technology in it is cool.

[Cthulhu]

Some of the departments around here are using Dodge Chargers now.

-JT

[Thanis]

...hobble system ...

Wow, the things I learn on this site.

[artz]

Didn't I see sumpin like that on RoboCop years ago

Yeah... the 2000 SUX. LOL...

I can see it now. Cars costing an arm and a leg, and breaking all the time, can't get'em fix by the local dealer because they aren't trained for such, etc. local tax goes up, etc.
The departments oughta stick with what they have !

[Kovernm]

I have seen a few Dodge Magnums around, but my favorite is up in the Grand Rapids area. It is a Michigan State Police Dodge Charger.

[cop2b]

This video has been around since some time this past summer but here it is.
Video - NEW COP CAR FROM CARBON MOTORS: Looks like it should give the aging Crown Vic a run for its money with a 0-60 time of of around six seconds and loaded with anti-motorist high tech equipment. However, its diesel engine should announce its pres

[ChiWeiSz]

Cool ride.

[HotGuns]

We are running about half Chargers and half Crown Vics. Although the Chargers run like scalded dogs, I like the Crown Vics better. Call me traditional.

The Carbon Motors(what kind of funky name is that?)looks pretty cool and well thought out.

I like the rear opening door feature. When handling unruly prisoners that refuse to enter within nice and peaceful like, that door will serve to help by guiding their entrance into the back seat. Sort of like a bank shot on a pool bumper. If you slam them at about a 45 degree angle, it'll be nice and quick. If you slam them at a right angle though, the door had better be very strong or you take the chance of knocking it right off.

I wonder if they have a totally enclosed passenger area with a Fog System? For prisoners with a bad case of potty-mouth, a simple switch could release Pepper Spray into their atmosphere and force them to be quiet. A recirculating air system would conserve the use of the Pepper Spray cartridge which could be easily changed by even the most technologically challenged Officer.

Or a TAZER mechanism of some sort wired into the seat? A simple touch of a switch could release a 5 second shock for the first one. A ten second shot for the second touch, a 15 second shot for the 3rd press, and so on, you get the idea.

How about a voice activated light and siren set up? Of course GPS would be nice, with a nice attractive sounding voice to help with those difficult locations.

Also, some sound sensitive pickups hidden in the door could pick up distant conversations to say, 250-300 yards away.

I like the back seat setup. Nowhere to hide guns,drugs,knives and such in the crack of the seat. It looks like it could be hosed out for people that cant hold their liquor or happen to be leaking from various places.

My main gripe is the recessed door handles. How in the heck can you cuff a person to a door handle that isn't there? No longer can you persuade them to do anything by "taking them for a long walk" like you could in the old days. Just a cuff to the handle and walk at a brisk pace down a gravel road for a couple of miles always revealed information that would not have been revealed otherwise.They started doing away with the door handles on the Crown Vics. I think its time to bring them back...

Run-flat tires would be nice. That way, when you are on the interstate doing 140MPH and you blow a tire, at least you would have time to bring it to a stop without doing several flips at high speed, which are alway hard on the nerves, not to mention the equipment.

Yeah..that car look good to me.

[SIXTO]

About the only thing that I would change is, I still like the overhead light bar on today's police cars. That just seems like it is more visible to me than the one on this car that is integrated into the roof line. But if that is the only thing I can gripe about, then I say this car is very well designed indeed.

Its plenty visable;

YouTube - Carbon Motors 2008 E7

A lot of you guys seem worried about the cost. They build the car tailored to the specific dept. needs. It comes fully equipt, lettered and decaled from the factory. Although the initial price tag is much higher than the standard Vic, the cost of the E7 is much lower once you consider that it is ready to go from the factory, and the life of the car is almost 4 times that of the Ford.
Carbon Motors buys back the car once its lifetime is up, and rebuilds/and sells it again. This car will never make it to the open market.

Oh yeah, the diesel engine is quite. Its not like the old loud and smelly diesels of the last generation.

[Superman]

Love the suicide doors on the rear and the interior is fantastic, but the overall car seems a little...Sunfire to me.
Kinda like a dolled up Chevy Cavalier. Too small and crunched up.

[Guns and more]

I like the suicide doors for the "cuff 'em and stuff 'em". Wouldn't mind them on every 4 door car made.
Needs donut holders though.......................j/k

[SIXTO]

Love the suicide doors on the rear and the interior is fantastic, but the overall car seems a little...Sunfire to me.
Kinda like a dolled up Chevy Cavalier. Too small and crunched up.

It does appear to be a small car, but its really not. Its about the same size as the Charger. I think what makes it look that way is that the hood and trunk lids are shorter and the cabin is longer. Compared side by side, the E7 appears to be pretty close in size to the Charger, and just a little smaller than the Vic. It does make better use of the space available for storage, equipment and seating than both the Charger and Vic.

[TheShadow]

As a retired body/paint man I've repaired quite a few wrecked police vehicles. One place I worked at many years ago (small 8 bays/single spray booth) 80% of our work was wrecked Charlotte Mecklenburg police and fire Crown Victoria's.

I'm just wondering how plentiful the repair parts would be like fenders, doors, hoods, bumpers, suspension etc. and how long would the unit be sitting waiting for these one of a kind proprietary parts? Or would the vehicle have to be shipped to the manufacture for repairs? Until they were common on the streets this may be an issue.