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2020 Ford Police Interceptor Utility dominates Michigan State Police testing

The Michigan State Police has released its preliminary findings from testing the 2019 crop of police vehicles, and the results are a bit surprising. The consistent top performer of the bunch was the 2020 Ford Police Interceptor Utility, better known to civilians as the Ford Explorer. Specifically, the top performer was the model with the new turbocharged 3.0-liter V6. The Michigan State Police conducts acceleration, top speed, braking and lap time tests of all the available police vehicles. The 3.0-liter Police Interceptor Utility was the fastest to 60 mph at 5.77 seconds, had the highest top speed of 150 mph, and the best average lap time of 1:36.47. The lap time was particularly impressive as it was just over half a second faster than the next quickest car, the all-wheel-drive V8 Charger. View 13 Photos Still, the 2019 Dodge Charger gave the Explorer a serious run for its money. The all-wheel-drive V8 Charger was only 0.1 seconds behind the Explorer to 60 mph with a time of 5.87 seconds, and the rear-drive version was third quickest at 6.15 seconds. Both V8 Chargers were only 1 mph off of the Explorer's top speed, and the V6 example was third fastest at 141 mph. We already mentioned the all-wheel-drive V8 Charger was half a second off the Explorer's lap time, and the rear-drive variant was just over 1 second behind, giving it the third fastest average time. Dodge also took home braking bragging rights. The V6 Charger won out with a distance of 126.9 feet, followed by the rear-drive V8 Charger with 128 feet, and the V6 Durango Pursuit stopping at 128.8 feet. Now of course where there are winners, there are also losers. The slowest accelerating police car was the Ford Police Responder Hybrid Sedan, better known as the Fusion Hybrid, with a time of 9.24 seconds. At 8.59 seconds was the V6 Dodge Durango, and the V8 Chevy Tahoe with four-wheel-drive was third slowest at 7.98 seconds. Lowest top speed was 106 mph with the Ford F-150 Police Responder with the 3.5-liter turbocharged V6, followed by the V6 and V8 Durangos with 117- and 118-mph top speeds respectively. In braking, the Chevy Tahoes performed the worst with the rear-drive version stopping at 145.7 feet and the four-wheel-drive version stopping at 142.5 feet. The F-150 followed with 141.9 feet. When it came to lap times, the Fusion Hybrid lapped the slowest with a time of 1:46.31. The V6 Durango was about a second faster with a time of 1:45.45.

Burglars target Detroit-area dealership, steal Hellcat from showroom floor

A crew of Detroit car thieves seriously upped their game this week after stealing a Hellcat Challenger straight off the showroom floor. According to CBS Detroit, at around 1:00 am on January 24, a crew of burglars hit the Snethkamp Ram City dealership in Highland Park, MI. In full view of surveillance cameras, the burglars smashed a large glass door that led to the showroom floor and within seconds made off with a $75,000 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. First they pushed the car through the broken door and out on to Woodward where a van was waiting. The van then pushed the car to a waiting tow truck and, just like that, the car and the crooks were gone. "It looks like they had about a minute and 30 seconds to open the door and push the car out, and then we see another car pushing it away," owner Mark Snethkamp told WWJ. "We've got some really good video and I'm shocked that the Highland Park police didn't catch them because they were here very shortly right after them." Snethkamp also told WWJ that they haven't had a break-in at the dealership like this since the 90s. Both the car and the suspect remain at large, and the Detroit Police Department are encouraging anyone with information to call either DPD or the Help Eliminate Auto Thefts (HEAT) tip line. VIDEO-2: Not gone in :60 but :90. Thieves still a $75,000 @DodgeHellcat off the showroom floor in #HighlandPark. @WWJ950 @CBSDetroit pic.twitter.com/8FvDkgboJ5 — Vickie Thomas (@VickiethomasWWJ) January 24, 2017 News Source: CBS Detroit Auto News Dodge Coupe Performance Detroit thieves challenger burglary

Thieves stealing Dodge and Ram vehicles right off factory lots

Stellantis-operated storage lots in and around Detroit have been hit by a wave of thefts in recent weeks. Thieves are getting their hands on new, high-end models such as the Dodge Challenger Hellcat by going straight to the source, helping themselves, and driving off. Detroit news channel WDIV Local 4 reported that over half a dozen new cars and trucks have been stolen from various storage lots since the beginning of 2022. On March 10, five Ram trucks were taken from a secured facility in Shelby Township. Several more Ram trucks were stolen on March 8, and one smashed into a semi truck's trailer as it attempted to get away. On March 3, thieves took three Dodge Challenger Hellcat models from a lot in Auburn Hills. And, on February 28, a Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk and a Dodge Challenger Hellcat were stolen from a lot near the Jefferson North assembly plant. Many of the vehicles that thieves are targeting cost nearly $100,000. Stealing a new car from a storage lot is reportedly easier than it might sound. Citing anonymous sources, WDIV explained that the keys are normally left inside of the vehicles while they're parked on the storage lot, waiting to be dispatched to dealers. Security guards patrol the property, yet the thieves are finding ways to sneak into the lot, hop in a car, and drive off by ramming through the gates. Stellantis told the news channel that the Sterling Heights Police Department is investigating the thefts, and that at least one of the lots is managed by a third-party company. It declined to comment on the number of vehicles stolen or the methods used because the investigation is ongoing. In the meantime, the Sterling Heights Police Department plans to send extra patrol cars to the areas around the storage lots. There's no word on whether the missing cars have been found. And, this isn't the first time that thieves have stolen new V8-powered Dodge and Ram vehicles in the Detroit area. In October 2021, thieves stole four cars from a Dodge and Ram dealership about an hour away from Detroit; one was a rare 2021 Durango SRT Hellcat. All four cars were recovered, though the Durango was stuffed into a wall. And, in May 2018, eight Ram trucks were stolen from a factory in Warren, Michigan, by thieves who got away by driving through the main gates.