Yes that’s right, I drive a police car… sort of. More specifically it is a campus security car that was used at Syracuse University.

These cars are widely available, as they have been the car of choice for law enforcement departments around North America for over a decade. Used CVPIs (Crown Victoria Police Interceptors) can be a great deal and are available from some dealers, auctions and private sellers. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another one either.

The car looks very sleek and formal for a full-size American sedan. The long subtle body lines and not so subtle reputation make it easy to look at.

Although some of these are put through a significant amount of abuse, they are built Ford tough and also fleet maintained (unlike your grandmother’s Gran Marquis). My first month with this car has been quite joyous and enlightening. I now understand why law-enforcement uses these cars, and how they can be a ridiculously fun, yet practical daily driver.

While I was shopping around for a new vehicle, people couldn’t seem to make up their minds about the Crown Victoria’s performance. I’ve been bombarded with plenty of opinions saying the car was sluggish, and just as many calling the CVPI a “sports car”.

Well let’s begin by breaking down the guts of the CVPI. It has the same 24-valve 4.6 liter V8 engine that the civilian Crown Victoria has. The main difference being a much less restrictive air-delivery system borrowed from the Mercury Marauder.

This addition along with a less restrictive exhaust system gives the CVPI 250 horsepower and 295 ft-lbs of torque… Definitely nothing to scoff at. Mated to the torque monster is a 4-speed automatic gear box delivering power though a limited-slip differential and live rear end to the wheels. The shift-points are slightly higher and faster than the civilian model, making for quicker, but less-civilized hard acceleration.

And then there is the sound, which is nonexistent while at cruising speeds around town or on the highway. Kick the gas a little bit and then car comes alive with beautiful noise. The slight whistle coming from the airbox compliments the hum of the rear differential nicely. Contrasting these sounds is the V8 rumble pouring out of the H-pipe full dual exhaust.

The real vice of this car is its weight. The power is just enough to get the car from zero to sixty in about eight seconds. Moving two tons of steel off of the line is what really kills the numbers. Once this car gets moving it won’t stop pulling hard until it hits about 120mph, and even then it will keep going until it hits it’s aerodynamically limited top speed of 135mph.

The CVPI feels at home on the highway. Even at high speeds it is controllable and feels surprisingly safe and mellow. There is plenty of power to overtake other cars with ease. The throttle feels very responsive as well, probably because of the amount torque that resides in the lower power-band.

Around town the steering takes a little more effort than what I am used to for a sedan. The CVPI redeems itself with an excellent turning radius of just about forty feet, making it a breeze to park (provided you can find a space big enough). Going around tight corners at speed I’ve notices that the front-end stays more planted than the rear, giving an oversteer characteristic.

There is also minimal body roll thanks to heavy sway bars and extreme-duty springs and shocks. Despite the huge size of this vehicle, it’s surprisingly firm and solid while going over bumps or angles which would otherwise force some chassis flex. This is largely due to a newly redesigned frame which is 20% stiffer than before.

Living in the northeast, in the heart of lake-effect country, people said I was crazy to buy a rear-wheel drive car! And for a novice driver, this car would be undoubtedly terrifying to drive on snow covered roads. Even with very good snow tires, the car naturally goes sideways around corners. However I find it all very enjoyable.

The CVPI remains poised and controllable while sliding about, all it takes is an understanding of oversteer. Thanks to the limited-slip I haven’t had any problem getting up steep unplowed driveways, or moving forward on snowy roads.

So now I understand why I was reading such mixed reviews on performance, it’s because this car HAS mixed performance. Off of the line it’s sluggish for a V8, but once it gets moving it just doesn’t stop. The steering is crude but the car is always controllable even when it looks out of control. Bottom line: very entertaining.

Even though this is a relatively new 2005 model, it feels far less refined than the 1999 Chevrolet Monte Carlo it is replacing. Everything is literally a decade behind the curve. All of the controls feel uncomfortable yet indestructible. Even the steering wheel feels like it was made from some super industrial plastic more suitable for robots than humans. The only hint of modernization this car has is the Alpine head unit which I installed to replace the CASSETTE PLAYER!

In the dead center of the dash, there is the trunk release button. I don’t know what the hell was going through their heads when they designed that. If it wasn’t for the “trunk release” printed on the bezel, you would think it was an ejection or self destruct button, it’s that poorly placed. Under this trunk release button is a tray that can be pulled out revealing an ash tray (or coin holder in my case), cigar lighter and two cup holders. The cup holders work very well, holding everything from red bull cans to coffee mugs without drama.

The rest of the dashboard isn’t terribly nice either. Everything is hard plastic, grey in color. I’ve recently had the interior of my car described as being like Susan Boyle, open and inviting, but defiantly not attractive. It’s hard to disagree with that statement though, it’s true. I consider this car somewhat of a butterface. In other trims of the crown Victoria, there are nice wood grain trim pieces which have been blatantly replaced with said cheap plastic, but keep in mind this is a law enforcement trim.

The fact that this car legally seats six people astounds me. Thanks to two huge bench seats, the CVPI does it quite comfortably as well. The seats themselves are made from very firm foam, this absorbs a lot of vibration while still giving great support. Covering the seats is a very fine plain grey cloth that matches the door panels and headliner. Lack of contour makes driving feel much more free and informal. The front driver side seat is adjustable with an eight way control attached to the door panel, while the front passenger seat requires manual adjustment.

So as some of you may know, a point in the tenth dimension is all possible time lines of all possible universes. I am confident I could fit the tenth dimension in my trunk. It is simply massive at over 20cu-ft. What it does lack however is a folding rear seat, but for all practical purposes, there is more than enough room. Accessing items in the trunk is much easier than most other sedans thanks to the deep but close to the back design. This truck also houses a full size spare tire and screw style jack.

At first glance there isn’t much in the way of tech in the CVPI, and that’s because there really just isn’t. As previously mentioned, this car came with a cassette player, this is a 2005! Granted police officers probably shouldn't be rocking out on duty, but it's still surprisingly behind the curve.

Within the first 48 hours of owning this car, I removed the factory head unit and replaced it with the cheapest Alpine I could find. After the removal tool, wiring adapter and bezel along with the head unit itself I ended up spending under $150. Money well spent in my opinion.

More often than not used police vehicles will have CB radios or other electronics installed, then removed prior to resale. Sometimes law enforcement adaptations can be a little extreme. It's important to make sure all of the electrical components work prior to purchasing one of these vehicles. This includes but isn't limited to: Horn, Defrost, Cabin lights, Dash lights, Cruise control, all speakers and all signal lights.

I have seen plenty of cars where equipment was removed sloppily damaging other connections. In my own vehicle, the car is missing a piece of carpet trim under the cup holder, it looks like a CB radio was installed there at one point. It's out of the way and out of sight, but there are some wires and very sharp metal edges exposed as a result.

Because it's illegal to have police sirens and strobes in most states, these are removed. But the spotlight and cats-eye lights are usually left undisturbed. If the spotlight doesn't interest you, they can be removed and plugged for very little money. The cats-eye light looks kind of silly at first, sort of like one of those stick on convenience lights. However, they are very effective interior lights, bright enough to really piss off any sleeping passengers.

The 2005 CVPI is sort of a mixed bag when it comes to saftey. On paper it looks very good. All around five-star crash test ratings from the NHSTA, and a rating of GOOD for front impact from the IIHS. We are entrusting the lives of the people sworn to serve and protect us to this car, so they are the best, right?

Well, not really. The car has three safety flaws. The location of the gas tank is the first notable design flaw. It sits back in the car, and is susceptible to puncture in a rear impact. Over the years this has been tweaked, and CVPIs can now be outfitted with a fire suppression system, arguably making it more safe than it was before.

The second flaw is with the steel wheels which were offered up to 2005. These wheels may have a poor weld, which could result in catastrophic deflation if the weld fails while the car is traveling at speed. Ford will inspect and replace any defective wheels. The third problem is with the structural design of the car itself. In a very specific scenario where the ford experiences a side impact between the A and C pillars above the frame into the body itself, the car can give in up to a foot. With the optional side airbags this isn't a huge deal, but without them the IIHS gives it a POOR rating.

Keep in mind that these safety issues were found only after a lot of trial by fire, and the car has an excellent track record. There is a reason law enforcement continues to use these cars, they are very very safe.

Some of the standard safety features include a EXTREMELY annoying seatbelt warning notification for the driver and front passenger seats. Anti-lock brakes feel solid and work very well, and there are passenger and driver airbags, with optional side curtain airbags.

Confusingly there is a fuel pump kill switch in the trunk, along with an internal trunk release pull. Despite the trunk space, this makes the CVPI useless when transporting hostages.

The CVPI proves to be a very interesting beast to drive. Sort of a cross between old American muscle power, 90's technology and a stiff modern chassis. Even after long road trips, the car never seems to tire or bore you, it feels like an old friend.

Even for people living in an urban area, this car isn't a bad choice. Used police vehicles will have their dings and scratches already, so don't stress about leaving it on the street. It's size and comfortable seating makes this car the perfect choice for long road trips or hauling friends around town. Not to mention people will almost always get out of your way immediately on the highway.

Why spend more money on a car that has less space, power, comfort, safety and reliability? Maybe the cassette player needs to be replaced, and the blood stains removed from the carpet.. but at its heart, this is an unparalleled vehicle.