2015 Dodge Charger Pursuit Five-Point Inspection

Police fleet vehicle sales are a big deal, but it’s hard to care about numbers when the rare opportunity rises to drive one.

It was the middle of February at a closed, snow covered road course in Montreal, Canada, and someone from Dodge gave me the keys to a brand new 2015 Dodge Charger Pursuit.

For those who don’t have regular run-ins with the law, the Pursuit is a police special, fleet only, version of the Dodge’s full size family car. With arguably the most menacing front fascia of any police vehicle currently in use, the Charger may not be the most popular cop car, but there’s no mistaking what it is.

The Charger comes with a choice of engines and drivetrains. Base models come with a 3.6-liter V6 making 292 hp and 260 lb-ft. of torque powering the rear wheels. Upgraded models can be had with a HEMI V8 making 370 hp and 395 lb-ft of torque and the choice of rear- or all-wheel drive.

SEE ALSO: 2015 Dodge Charger SXT AWD Review

Regardless of which engine and drivetrain your constabulary chooses, all configurations come equipped with the old five-speed automatic now removed from consumer editions of the Charger. Brakes are ventilated at all four corners, measuring 14.5-inches in diameter up front which are bigger than those on the Challenger R/T Scat Pack.

All Charger Pursuit models weigh in excess of 4,000 lbs. before additional police equipment is installed. Rear-wheel drive models use electric power steering while all-wheel drive versions get hydraulic power steering. Finally, the Pursuit can be equipped with 225/60R18 tires or wider 245/55R18 units.

On hand in Montreal is a 2015 Dodge Charger Pursuit V8 AWD. For the sake of officer safety and sustaining police budgets, stability control nor traction control can be fully disabled. Instead, it’s possible to put it into sport mode that allows a little more slip than usual. And honestly, it doesn’t matter as there is enough power to overcome this thanks to the HEMI V8 engine.

The car will slide through the snow in sweet sideways drifts that can’t be good for the car’s brakes or all-wheel drive system, but are great for my soul. The big car can really be hustled around in the snow and with proper skill, as it slips and slides through tight slaloms that mimic real world conditions. The only downside is the rear bias AWD system has a momentarily delay sending power to the front wheels when hard on the throttle from a dead stop.

The Pursuit is available in a host of colors including three shades of white, four shades of blue and “Sherriff Tan.” Various white vinyl packages and LED strobe light replacements can be equipped right from the factory.

Four key fobs can be ordered as part of a package, so all drivers of a particular Pursuit vehicle don’t have to share. To keep officers safe in rougher neighborhoods, ballistic door panels for all four doors and steel seat backs for the front seats can also be factory ordered.

Inside, the interior resembles a base Charger SE minus the middle console. It’s been removed to allow for installation of siren and light controls as well as a laptop bracket. For all the necessary police issue accessories, two optional pre-wired police packages are also available.

SEE ALSO: 2015 Dodge Charger Hellcat Review

Since perps can be unpredictable, violent, insane or all the above, the Charger gets optional deactivated rear windows and an can have a heavy duty vinyl rear bench seat. And to help a distracted officer park, the Pursuit can also come equipped with park assist sensors and a back-up camera.

Ripping around a full kitted-up police car on a snowy course with the lights flashing and sirens blaring is all sorts of juvenile fun. I felt like an action star for the day, sliding the car sideways chasing down imaginary criminals while I mashed the various siren buttons.

After a day driving the Charger Pursuit V8 AWD, I’ve concluded that I wouldn’t want to be a bad guy trying to run away from this V8 AWD monster with a skilled police officer behind the wheel. Slippery conditions or not, this is one serious pursuit vehicle.

Interested in purchasing a civilian Dodge Charger? Then head over to our New Car Buying Page where you can see the whole Dodge Charger lineup and pricing.