Australia finds itself between a rock and a hard place as far as the local production of automobiles is concerned. Ford already closed shop in the Land Down Under, and General Motors-owned Holden will do the same thing by the end of the year. This state of affairs, consequently, has an effect on the police’s choice in cars.
Replacing the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore for imports is no easy task in the Oz. Ford tried it with the Mustang GT Fastback, which wasn’t near good enough to be added to the vehicle fleet of the New South Wales Police. In the southeast of Australia, the Victoria Police agency is facing a similar challenge.
Victoria Police has recently received an example of the Mercedes-AMG E43 on loan for the year, replacing last year’s GLE63 Coupe highway patrol car. “Our partnership with Mercedes-Benz is about highlighting safety features in vehicles,” said Doug Fryer, Road Policing Command Assistant Commissioner.
The thing is, Victoria Police likes the AMG-ified E43, so it’s now evaluating it for service. The law enforcement agency will be testing other patrol vehicles as well, with a decision slated to be made in 2018. Once Victoria Police makes up its mind, the chosen winner is due to roll out for police duty in late 2018, probably early 2019. Whatever happens, you can’t deny the fact that the 2017 Mercedes-AMG E43 looks sizzling hot in highway patrol attire.
And when you think about it, the E43 is a fitting addition to the fleet of zero-tolerance Victoria Police. It’s spacious enough for taller adults, it’s safe, it employs 4Matic all-wheel-drive for quick launches and high-speed stability, and it goes like a stabbed rat thanks to a force-fed V6 powerplant.
The non-police version starts from AUD 159,900 and needs 4.6 seconds to hit 100 km/h (62 mph), and on to an electronically-governed 250 km/h (155 mph). This comes courtesy of 295 kW (401 PS) and 520 Nm (384 lb-ft) of get-up-and-go, output that’s sent to all four wheels via a nine-speed automatic.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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