Chevrolet Caprice PPV Review

Rumor had it that GM would continue to import the Pontiac G8 as a police-package Chevy. It turns out rumor had it wrong—mostly. While the Pontiac G8 is officially dead, another car on its platform is coming from Australia to patrol our roads. GM will allow U.S. police departments to order a cop-spec Chevrolet Caprice beginning next year, with the first cruisers hitting the road in 2011. The Caprice is built on the Holden platform used for the G8 and which also underpins the new Camaro. Holden calls the car Statesman in Australia, while it is rebadged as a Chevy Caprice for sale in the Middle East.
At 118.5 inches, the Caprice rides on the longest wheelbase of any car using GM’s global rear-drive platform; the G8 was nearly four inches shorter between its wheels. Most of that room is accounted for in the larger back seat—GM claims a four-inch advantage in rear legroom over the Ford Crown Victoria. The Caprice PPV (for Police Patrol Vehicle) will do battle with the ubiquitous Crown Vic as well as the Dodge Charger. The front-seat design is police-specific, able to accommodate officers wearing utility belts for long drives. Departments can also opt for a rear-curtain-airbag delete to allow for a full-width rear partition, making the police safer and ignoring the extra harm that may befall perps in the back after a rollover or side-impact collision.

We already knew what to expect for the standard police-spec Caprice, but we've been extra curious about the special "Detective package" that adds some plainclothes stealthiness to the Caprice, especially as it seems to hint at what the oft-rumored civilian version of this car might look like. It's available in seven different colors (we'll just stick with black, thanks), uses all the same mechanical underpinnings as the standard Police PPV, and for the moment at least, remains unavailable in a retail model for John Q. Public.