Mustang fails NSW Police Testing

[Micks]

I truly believe the only suitable vehicles must be built in the Country they will be used in, to date this is tried & true.

[Devil CV8]

surely they would have had more than 1 car to test. The R&D from ford would have put the car through their paces before hitting the market.

I see very little reason for highway patrol cars to be anymore then the base model, considering the pursuit laws and governing conditions in most states now. So other then a set of fancy high vis stickers how about the revenue goes back to supporting the boys in blue with more suitable resources like assistance with PTSD and other family or psychological assistance packages. Atleast that has some benefit.

Why test the same model multiple times. There's only a need to have 1 car of each type under consideration. Where a model fails the tests its back to the manufacturer to see if they'll upgrade the police spec. Thats what happened with the falcon when they failed the brake test. Mustang being fully imported means that won't happen. The 3 front runners are now the s60 volvo, 300C (but higher repair costs might rule that out) or a BMW 5 series diesel (won't that be fun for the cops to remember what fuel to use)
General duties in NSW will get camry's and other base sedans

[motomk]

Why didn't they send out a RHD Taurus or something?

[highlander_69r]

Why test the same model multiple times. There's only a need to have 1 car of each type under consideration. Where a model fails the tests its back to the manufacturer to see if they'll upgrade the police spec. Thats what happened with the falcon when they failed the brake test. Mustang being fully imported means that won't happen. The 3 front runners are now the s60 volvo, 300C (but higher repair costs might rule that out) or a BMW 5 series diesel (won't that be fun for the cops to remember what fuel to use)
General duties in NSW will get camry's and other base sedans

That's an interesting point of view. They must have won lotto when they tested the holdens then because their performance and capability from factory is pretty lack lustre.

Either way, id rather the s60.

[XUV]

I truly believe the only suitable vehicles must be built in the Country they will be used in, to date this is tried & true.

that probably what the yanks said about the Caprice ..........

so what ever happened to that , why not use it into the future , till the shells run out or retro fit old ones

[GPT]

Testing the Mustang was a complete waste of time , and a poor choice considering

1. It's 2 door only
2. Ford wouldn't be able to deliver due to supply constraints

[Devil CV8]

Testing the Mustang was a complete waste of time , and a poor choice considering

1. It's 2 door only
2. Ford wouldn't be able to deliver due to supply constraints

1. 2 door isn't a problem. HWP in NSW don't usually transport crooks. thats what general duties cage trucks are for. There's nothing wrong with using the front passenger seat anyway. For example my son was taken to the local hospital 50 odd kms away for blood and urine tests after the fatal crash he was involved in back in 2014 and he rode in the front passenger seat of an unmarked xr6T HWP car.
2.Supply wouldn't be an issue.Police orders would have been pushed through. we aren't talking thousands of cars for the HWP at one time.

[RED R8]

I would have thought a 2 door would be useless for duties....

[RED R8]

I was reading about this on one of the Ford forums
& some of the boys were saying that this is only to be expected as
Ford was only bringing very low spec Mustangs ("Show Ponies") to Australia.

They were saying it's a shame but they are not expecting anything special from these cars.

Odd they say that as we get the equivalent to the premium spec American model they get a move pack or premium. No we don't get the GT350 flat plane crank 5.2L and may never get it but it would be a 100k car anyway. Im on the Mustang forums and in the Hot parts of America and the growing number of Australian owners no one has ever had Gear box temperature issues so Im not sure how they test them for the police?

[Micks]

I don't think the cops really need any performance vehicles these days as they're prohibited on hi speed chases, we already have an untold amount of combination red/speed cameras at notorious intersections too. Not to mentioned unmarked contractors performing speed checks. After all any sort of vehicle would suffice!

[Jag530G]

The NSW Plod used 2 door Minis as GD vehicles back when my Father came to Oz in the late 60s. He used to say it was always funny watching a GD Mini pull up and 4 beefy coppers hop out.

I remember a discussion on TTAC a while ago about the US police forces' love of the Ford Crown Vic. In no way is it a particularly fast car but the point was made a trained driver behind the wheel of a Crown Vic could catch Fred Amateur behind the wheel of something somewhat faster.

I would argue the police should look at a large AWD sedan. AWD for all weather grip, large for space and a reasonable engine for performance. The next Insignia (AKA 2017 COmmodore) in TTV6 AWD guise would probably end up being used.

Cheers, Matthew

[whitels1ss]

Here's a link to the Goulburn Police testing area (just in case anyone wants to see what their track looks like...)
https://www.google.com.au/maps/place...0609b4904427d0



Below are a couple of quotes from another forum which I have been reading...

"Ford warns you specifically to never even think of trying to fit a towbar or attempt towing with the Mustang...

Kind of speaks to how durable they are..."

& another posted...


"The only reason the Mustang has a strong following is because Ford is trading on the nameplate's success from the 1960's.
Nameplate aside, the vehicle itself is inferior to the current local offerings in just about every way. It is nothing more than a "look at me" car. All style and no substance.
Mustang is supposed to be the performance flagship, yet we are going backwards - From supercharged V8's and turbo 6's to a slower and less powerful n/a V8 in a vehicle that cannot survive a couple of laps around a track.
If this is progress then I'm really dreading the future"



Also...
a fully kitted out Highway Patrol car would weigh heaps more than a normal private car but
at the end of the day 306kW @ 6500rpm / 530Nm @ 4250rpm at the flywheel in a large car (1709kg)
like the Mustang GT does not exactly cut it for exhilarating performance in this day & age IMHO.

http://www.redbook.com.au/cars/resea...POT-ITM-429117

[Micks]

Here's a link to the Goulburn Police testing area (just in case anyone wants to see what their track looks like...)
https://www.google.com.au/maps/place...0609b4904427d0



Below are a couple of quotes from another forum which I have been reading...

"Ford warns you specifically to never even think of trying to fit a towbar or attempt towing with the Mustang...

Kind of speaks to how durable they are..."

& another posted...


"The only reason the Mustang has a strong following is because Ford is trading on the nameplate's success from the 1960's.
Nameplate aside, the vehicle itself is inferior to the current local offerings in just about every way. It is nothing more than a "look at me" car. All style and no substance.
Mustang is supposed to be the performance flagship, yet we are going backwards - From supercharged V8's and turbo 6's to a slower and less powerful n/a V8 in a vehicle that cannot survive a couple of laps around a track.
If this is progress then I'm really dreading the future"



Also...
a fully kitted out Highway Patrol car would weigh heaps more than a normal private car but
at the end of the day 306kW @ 6500rpm / 530Nm @ 4250rpm at the flywheel in a large car (1709kg)
like the Mustang GT does not exactly cut it for exhilarating performance in this day & age IMHO.

http://www.redbook.com.au/cars/resea...POT-ITM-429117

Yes in NSW they carry around half the mainframe electronics with them including cams for number plate recognition etc etc!! Not good for Mick when he forgets to pay his rego on time

[matthewfnorbert]

I truly believe the only suitable vehicles must be built in the Country they will be used in, to date this is tried & true.

Toyota LandCruiser? - 'the' choice in the outback and deserts around the world, a 'legend'
Beige Volvo 240GLE - the choice in Toorak 1980's

[Micks]

Mattie talking here of street vehicles not off road! Know well Toyota make gr8 off road vehicles too