These Are The Weirdest Cars You've Seen Used By Local Government
Last week we asked you to share the weirdest car you've seen used by your local government, and the answers were sufficiently strange. Some cars that your local governments use aren't even sold in this country, but that doesn't stop them from being mighty useful. Other cars that you've seen used by local governments work in roles that demand respect, but the vehicles chosen are potentially the least intimidating vehicles possible.
My answer to the question is still the first-generation Honda Civic Hybrid that I saw recently being used by the City of Los Angeles as the street sweeper chase vehicle. It was a pre-facelift model which means it had to be a 2003 model year car that is still serving is civic duty over 20 years later, and while I appreciate that the government isn't spending needlessly on expensive brand-new cars, I am still surprised that such an old vehicle is still in service. If you've got an interesting car you've seen used by your local government, feel free to share in the comments. These are the weirdest cars you've seen used by your local government.
Read more: These Are The Dumbest Looking Cars Of All Time, According To You
20 plus years ago, I saw a CHP Volvo, North of Escondido on the I-15, at the time I worked with CHP closely and never saw another one before, or after.
Submitted by: towman
I always enjoy seeing cops on horses. It's not super rare, but horses are cool and there is something funny about knowing the horse might actually be a top-notch chaser in dense, urban environments.
Submitted by: engineerthefuture
Pre-pandemic, my town used to have a small fleet (maybe 3 or 4) of Polaris side-by-sides that were used for parking enforcement and other jobs in the downtown area where a Charger or Explorer cruiser would be overkill. I haven't seen them used recently, so they may have been retired.
Submitted by: Earthbound Misfit I
Growing up, my local Washington State Patrol office was pretty small, so instead of buying fleet vehicles, they'd just use seized, auction cars ..80's Camaros, Mustangs, Caravans .. my neighbors "patrol car" was an unmarked '90 Cavalier .. he said they had a good dozen of oddball unmarked cars (with hidden lights) at the station to choose from... even a Corvette.
Submitted by: JCB
Any small town that thinks it needs an armored tank to keep the peace 🙄
Submitted by: Jimboy Junio
I don't know how weird it is considered given the context, but i have seen a Smart ForTwo used as a police car during exceptionally congested rush hour where i am from.
Submitted by: epep-
Up until a few years ago my County's crime scene unit used a Ford Aerostar... I remember watching the show CSI as a kid thinking that could be a cool job then I started seeing the local CSI group rolling around in an Aerostar. Hard pass.
The most recent string of County pool vehicles has been Dodge Nitros, Jeep Cherokees (with the V6's and leather which seems awfully fancy for municipal pool vehicles) and now Bronco Sports.
Submitted by: cintocrunch1
My town's parks and recreation department has a Daihatsu Hijet mini truck as a maintenance vehicle.
Submitted by: Giantsgiants
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It comes from the correct place too, emanating not from the dashboard ahead but somewhere low and behind you. The note is also quite enjoyable, being reminiscent of the three-pot burble of the old Puma ST but with a bassiness in the vein of air-cooled Porsche 911s and, as speeds increase, a higher-frequency element a bit like that of the V6 in a Ferrari 296 GTB. Strange but true. The performance level is also exactly where you would want it to be in a sprightly, small EV without overtly sporty pretensions but with a bit of driver appeal. At MIRA, the sprint to 60mph took 7.2sec, which isn't quick but certainly isn't slow, either. Tip-in acceleration is also delivered sensibly, with a gratifying sharpness that never overspills into hair-trigger jerkiness. You can choose from a couple of modes that vary this sort of thing, but the Gen-E always feels intuitive. Our only real criticism is that you can't mix and match. It would be useful to have the crisp accelerator pick-up of Sport mode while retaining the easygoing, fingertippy steering calibration you get in Normal mode. As is the norm in this class, there isn't a vast array of regeneration braking options or paddles with which to vary the strength of the system on the fly, but you can go into the menus and select a (slightly grabby) 'one-pedal' mode that ramps up the regen normal driving, there are two settings, the default being close to a freewheeling mode and moderately strong 'L' mode selected via the drive selector stalk. Meanwhile, outright braking performance wasn't especially impressive during our tests (the Renault 5 stops more keenly), but the pedal feel is mostly good. The handover from regenerative to physical braking has been carefully considered, it seems. A showdown with the Renault 5 beckons, because the Gen-E handles very agreeably by class standards. Given that underneath the crossover-lite body and the electric powertrain sits more or less the same platform as the old Fiesta, this shouldn't come as a surprise. What's encouraging is that the Fiesta's enthusiasm for turning in to corners, and its well-judged balance of fun-invoking roll and neat control, has largely survived the transition from supermini to far heavier, taller, electric crossover. The Gen-E is good to drive. Much of this stems from the steering. For this kind of car, you need to temper your expectations in respect of feel and communication, but do that and you will find the Puma rack's crisp off-centre pacing satisfying, with an enjoyable lightness that stops short of feeling disconnected. It's an engaging helm and, as with the petrol Puma, means the Gen-E is fun to put down all manner of roads at everything from a canter to a committed lick. Helping matters is the fact that the Gen-E will have a better weight distribution than the petrol Puma, hardly a nose-heavy car itself in the first place. The EV is conspicuously well balanced and cannily damped, which not only makes it easy to place but also allows the chassis to claw considerable lateral grip out of its efficiency-minded tyres. With 166bhp, there was never going to be any need for a limited-slip differential, as the old Puma ST had, but even with that car's 197bhp output, we doubt the Gen-E would need mechanical intervention to remain hooked up. This a neat, cohesive car to drive, with a good sense of flow and personality. As for comfort, the Gen-E uses a torsion-bar back axle where several rivals have fully independent rear suspension, which might be a concern for some. Equally, at this point Ford knows a thing or two about setting up a smallish hatchbacks, and we found our Select test car to ride well enough despite its comparatively ordinary mechanical layout, even at low speeds. Note, however, that the entry-level Gen-E tested here wears 17in wheels with generous sidewalls. Premium-grade cars have 18in wheels with shorter sidewalls, and in our experience this can make a noticeable difference to compliance on a small wheelbase, and with a quite a taut, sporty setup. Still, we can only assess the car we've driven and, by class standards, the Gen-E Select cushions sharp impacts (potholes and the like) surprisingly well for a car with such engaging handling and it also exhibits a fine long-wave gait on motorways – although you won't be spending too much time on those, as we will come to soon. The Gen-E is refined enough too. Its 66dBA at a 70mph cruise is an exact match for the larger (and independently suspended) Skoda Elroq, as well as the considerably more expensive Mini Aceman SE Exclusive we've previously tested. Ford has taken its time to deliver a sub-£30,000 EV, but the Gen-E is, finally, that car – so long as you go for the entry-level Select without any options whatsoever. (Add £2000 to go for Premium grade.) In fairness, doing so won't leave you bereft of kit. You might want to spec an option pack or two for heated seats and a fancier sound system, but even if you don't, you still get the Sync 4 infotainment, the digital instruments, wireless phone charging and a rear-view camera. It puts the Gen-E in an interesting position, usefully undercutting some of the premium brands but starting at a noticeably higher price than the Renault 5, which has to be considered this car's chief rival. In terms of usability, the small battery capacity should concern anybody undertaking longer drives on a regular basis. Our test car's 3.4mpkWh at 70mph isn't poor, but with just 43.6kWh to draw from, it translates to a motorway range of only 148 miles. Public charging can be done at up to a claimed 100kW, which is par for the class, but we saw a considerable drop-off in speed from a 50% state of charge (SoC) onwards, and a weighted average of 68kW for the 10%-90% SoC period. The Renault 5 has the same maximum charging speed but maintained a quicker rate for longer. However, the Gen-E aced our 'everyday' economy test for low- to medium-speed routes, averaging 6.2mpkWh. That should give you a strong 270-mile day-to-day range. Because we're dealing with a small crossover here, that's probably a compromise most Gen-E owners will be prepared to make. Ford is also offering a free home charger in partnership with Octopus Energy and 'up to 10,000 miles' of charging credit if you opt for the Intelligent Octopus Go tariff, though only for cars bought before the end of June. There's five years' free servicing on offer too, although the likes of Kia, Hyundai and MG all offer longer vehicle warranties. Being based on the existing petrol Puma platform, the Gen-E's potential to change the game in its class was always going to be limited. Certainly, Ford's belated introduction of a more affordable EV doesn't set new benchmarks for range, charging speed or price, even if the car's 'everyday' efficiency is very good indeed. Instead, this is a nicely rounded small electric crossover and, unlike the VW-based Explorer, it is recognisably 'Ford' in its handling. Owners will enjoy driving it, even if they can't quite say why. Its easygoing manner extends to its refinement, which is a surprising strength, to go along with that everyday economy and a vast boot. The Gen-E straddles the outright-budget EV class and the more refined small SUV class and does so neatly. ]]>
