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Australia Gets Their Fastest Police Car To Date

With the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore on their way out, Australian police departments are scrambling to find replacements to use as police cars. Police in Victoria are trying out a vehicle that is not only the fastest but the most expensive.
Posted: March 16, 2016 - 9:57AM
Author: Will Maley
Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-AMG, GLE63, Mercedes-AMG GLE 63

A Mercedes-AMG GLE63 - nicknamed Guardian by the Victoria Police - has been pulled into service. Unlike other exotic police cars that are used for public awareness campaigns, the GLE63 will be used for everyday police work according to CarsGuide.com.au. With figures of 550 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, and a 0-62 mph time of 4.2 seconds, the GLE63 will be the ultimate weapon to catch speeders or criminals on the run.

The cost for one of these is about 198,900 AUD (about $148,409.23) making it the most expensive police vehicle in Australia. Before anyone in Victoria goes to the police station with pitchforks and torches, the GLE63 is being loaned to the Victoria police by Mercedes-Benz for a twelve month trial. The plan is to use this as a benchmark for possible replacement vehicles.

What are the possible replacements police departments in Australia considering?

The Toyota Camry is expected to replace general duty vehicles for police. But the replacement for the Falcon and Commodore highway patrol units is a bit more difficult. CarsGuide explains that the pursuit versions of both vehicles offered excellent performance at a decent price - about 45,000 AUD (around $33,493.95) once Government incentives are taken in.

Currently, various police departments are considering the Chrysler 300 SRT, Ford Mustang, Subaru WRX, and even a Volvo (possibly the S60 T6) as possible replacements. At the moment, none of the vehicles listed have passed an in-field trial period to see how they handle the daily grind of police work.

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