SEATTLE – As Seattle Police test drive six car models to replace its fleet of Crown Victoria squad cars, the department says will consider fuel efficiency.
Ford is retiring the Crown Victoria, which has been a workhorse for police agencies around the country. SPD officers are being given a chance to test the six candidates on the street over the next several weeks.
But, all six models in contention are big gas guzzlers.
Chevrolet Caprice
- V6: 17 mpg city / 28 mpg highway
- V8: 15 mpg city / 24 mpg highway
Chevrolet Impala
- 18 mpg city / 30 mpg highway
Chevrolet Tahoe
- 15 mpg city / 21 mpg highway
Dodge Charger
- V6: 18 mpg city / 27 mpg highway
- V8: 16 mpg city / 25 mpg highway
Ford Interceptor Sedan
- 18 mpg city / 26 mpg highway
Ford Interceptor Utility
- 16 mpg city / 22 mpg highway
Compare to the Crown Victoria
- 14 mpg city / 21 mpg highway
Why not go hybrid or electric? KING 5 car expert Tom Voelk says those cars would not work for because they don’t have the necessary power for police work, such as pursuit. But some police agencies, including the New York Police Department, have experimented with using hybird vehicles.
Fuel economy stats according to Motor Trend and Autoblog.com.
KING 5's Travis Pittman contributed to this report
