Michigan test archive
2002 Michigan State Police Patrol Vehicle Test
Mopar comes back, the pursuit Camaro leaves, and two brand-new cars fail the braking requirement — one of them by four hundredths.
Fifteen vehicles ran in September 2001, and the preface announces two endings and a beginning in three sentences. Mopar is back in the police car business — the Dodge Intrepid police package made its official debut, a year after being run at Grattan as an unpublished prototype. This was the last year of the pursuit Camaro. And General Motors brought a non-published prototype Tahoe, which Michigan flagged in print as being of particular interest because it would be a pursuit-rated sport utility for the future. It arrived three model years later as the Tahoe PPV.
The Intrepid announced itself properly. It ran 135 mph — faster than either Police Interceptor in the test, faster than any American police sedan Michigan had measured since the Caprice died — reached 60 in 8.72 seconds and lapped Grattan in 1:42.83, within three tenths of the Ford. Then it posted a braking score of 25.92 ft/s² against a stated minimum requirement of 25.96. It missed on its debut by four hundredths of a foot per second squared.
It was not alone. Ford brought both the 2002 and the 2003 Police Interceptor — the following year’s car, tested twelve months early. The 2003 car scored 25.03 against a 25.87 minimum, and its story is worse than the number: its ABS failed twice during the handling test, nobody could diagnose why, and on the fourth run the driver was instructed to continue with the system inactive.
The police category
| Vehicle | 0–60 (s) | 0–100 (s) | Top speed | ¼ mile | Dynamics | Brakes (ft/s²) | Minimum | 60–0 (ft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet Camaro (automatic) | 5.69 | 13.48 | 159 ** | 14.14 @ 102.48 | 1:37.14 | 27.51 | 26.05 | 140.8 |
| Ford Police Interceptor (2002) | 8.42 | 23.34 | 129 ** | 16.43 @ 86.53 | 1:42.55 | 27.67 | 25.87 | 139.9 |
| Dodge Intrepid | 8.72 | 24.27 | 135 ** | 16.68 @ 85.48 | 1:42.83 | 25.92 | 25.96 | 149.4 |
| Ford Police Interceptor (2003) | 8.84 | 23.83 | 127 ** | 16.72 @ 85.80 | 1:42.60 | 25.03 | 25.87 | 154.7 |
| Chevrolet Impala | 9.21 | 26.27 | 124 ** | 17.04 @ 83.65 | 1:44.65 | 26.06 | 25.96 | 148.6 |
| AM General Hummer | 20.03 | never reached | 83 ** | 21.90 @ 62.40 | 2:01.55 | 22.28 | — | 173.8 |
Gold row: the last pursuit Camaro, and it went out with the quickest quarter-mile time in this archive — 14.14 seconds at 102.48 mph, four hundredths quicker than the 2001 car’s 14.25 — plus 5.69 to 60 and 159 mph. It also stopped better than the outgoing Interceptor over the full twelve, improving from 26.79 in the first phase to 28.23 in the second. Nineteen years after Michigan first tested a police-package pony car and declined to print the numbers, the type left the programme having beaten everything in front of it.
The two braking failures are the year’s substance. The Intrepid came within 0.04 ft/s² of its requirement, which on the stopping distance is a matter of inches; the 2003 Police Interceptor missed by 0.84 and needed 154.7 feet, the longest stop of any sedan on the page. Read that against the ABS faults recorded during its dynamics runs and the 2003 car looks like a vehicle that arrived at Chelsea not quite finished.
The Hummer returned, and got worse. Where 2001 gave 18.55 seconds to 60 and a governed 88 mph, this year it recorded 20.03 and 83, lapped 2:01.55, and stopped from 60 in a computed 173.8 feet. Its heat-up stops had to be run at 75 mph because it could not reach the standard 90.
The special-service vehicles
| Vehicle | 0–60 (s) | 0–100 (s) | Top speed | ¼ mile | Brakes (ft/s²) | 60–0 (ft) | Fade? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet Tahoe (2WD) | 8.62 | N/A | 98 ** | 16.66 @ 83.68 | 24.59 | 157.5 | No |
| Chevrolet Tahoe (4WD) | 8.73 | N/A | 98 ** | 16.84 @ 82.45 | 24.49 | 158.1 | No |
| Dodge Durango (2WD) | 9.23 | 30.19 | 114 ** | 17.17 @ 80.20 | 25.05 | 154.6 | Yes |
| Ford Crown Victoria (long wheelbase) | 9.90 | 29.60 | 104 ** | 17.48 @ 82.58 | 27.33 | 141.7 | No |
| Dodge Durango (4WD) | 10.08 | 34.93 | 112 ** | 17.66 @ 77.38 | 24.12 | 160.6 | Yes |
| Ford Excursion (4WD) | 10.31 | N/A | 93 ** | 17.73 @ 79.58 | 23.50 | 164.8 | No |
| Ford Expedition (4WD) | 10.58 | 36.27 | 105 ** | 17.84 @ 79.43 | 23.57 | 164.3 | No |
| Ford Explorer (4WD) | 11.07 | 34.31 | 105 ** | 18.16 @ 78.60 | 27.47 | 140.9 | No |
The final column is why this test exists. Every vehicle in the archive up to now has answered “no” to the fade question. Both Dodge Durangos answered yes — the only vehicles on record here showing evidence of severe fading, and the per-stop sheets show it plainly: the two-wheel-drive car’s last two measured stops fell to 24.13 and 23.33 ft/s² from a first-phase best of 26.68.
Two other results are worth noticing. The Explorer, with the 4.6 V8, is the slowest vehicle in this table to 60 mph and has the best brakes on the page at 27.47 ft/s² and 140.9 feet — better than four of the six police-category cars. And a long-wheelbase Crown Victoria appears for the first time, stopping in 141.7 feet, quicker to 60 than any of the trucks, and classified special service all the same.
Vehicle dynamics at Grattan — every lap, every driver
Sixteen timed laps per vehicle over the two-mile course, four drivers, score being the average of the fastest twelve. Testing began three hours late after morning rain; the track dried and the full programme was completed in the afternoon.
| Vehicle | Driver | Lap 1 | Lap 2 | Lap 3 | Lap 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet Camaro (automatic) | overall average 1:37.14 | ||||
| Wilson | 1:36.05 | 1:36.20 | 1:36.68 | 1:36.60 | |
| Schutter | 1:37.97 | 1:38.87 | 1:39.29 | 1:38.99 | |
| Flegel | 1:37.20 | 1:38.36 | 1:37.74 | 1:39.00 | |
| Clark | 1:37.11 | 1:38.29 | 1:36.81 | 1:36.68 | |
| Ford Police Interceptor (2002) | overall average 1:42.55 | ||||
| Wilson | 1:42.36 | 1:42.57 | 1:42.34 | 1:42.96 | |
| Schutter | 1:42.83 | 1:43.04 | 1:43.02 | 1:43.44 | |
| Flegel | 1:42.36 | 1:42.24 | 1:42.38 | 1:42.71 | |
| Clark | 1:42.76 | 1:42.09 | 1:43.02 | 1:43.60 | |
| Ford Police Interceptor (2003) | overall average 1:42.60 | ||||
| Wilson | 1:43.33 | 1:43.20 | 1:43.11 | 1:43.35 | |
| Schutter | 1:42.40 | 1:42.43 | 1:42.56 | 1:42.48 | |
| Flegel | 1:43.05 | 1:43.09 | 1:43.05 | 1:43.20 | |
| Clark | 1:43.14 | 1:42.03 | 1:41.86 | 1:42.03 | |
| Dodge Intrepid | overall average 1:42.83 | ||||
| Wilson | 1:43.19 | 1:42.33 | 1:43.52 | 1:43.76 | |
| Schutter | 1:44.05 | 1:43.63 | 1:43.78 | 1:43.74 | |
| Flegel | 1:42.57 | 1:42.25 | 1:42.54 | 1:42.79 | |
| Clark | 1:42.91 | 1:42.58 | 1:42.92 | 1:42.76 | |
| Chevrolet Impala | overall average 1:44.65 | ||||
| Wilson | 1:44.76 | 1:44.53 | 1:45.61 | 1:45.03 | |
| Schutter | 1:44.87 | 1:44.77 | 1:44.41 | 1:44.85 | |
| Flegel | 1:44.87 | 1:44.40 | 1:44.67 | 1:44.50 | |
| Clark | 1:44.90 | 1:44.58 | 1:44.60 | 1:45.13 | |
| AM General Hummer | overall average 2:01.55 | ||||
| Wilson | 2:02.14 | 2:02.02 | 2:01.63 | 2:02.38 | |
| Schutter | 2:02.44 | 2:03.69 | 2:03.06 | 2:02.89 | |
| Flegel | 2:01.11 | 2:01.10 | 2:00.64 | 2:00.39 | |
| Clark | 2:02.55 | 2:01.84 | 2:01.33 | 2:01.60 | |
The three big sedans finish within 0.28 seconds of each other over a two-mile lap — Interceptor 1:42.55, next year’s Interceptor 1:42.60, Intrepid 1:42.83. On a course this long that is close to a dead heat, and it is the clearest sign that the Intrepid arrived as a real competitor rather than a gesture. The Impala, two seconds back, is the odd one out among the front-drive sedan’s otherwise strong results.
What went wrong during testing — the report’s own disclosures
The Camaro broke. The primary test car’s transmission failed. MSP staff and Chevrolet personnel had a back-up Camaro safety inspected, equipped and prepared, and the test was completed in the alternate vehicle. The figures published — and reproduced above — are the back-up car’s.
The 2003 Police Interceptor’s ABS failed twice. It went down during the third test driver’s run. Ford and MSP staff together could not diagnose what had happened. The system was reset, the run repeated without trouble, and then it failed again during the fourth driver’s run — at which point the driver was instructed to continue with the ABS inactive.
Three hours of rain. The dynamics session at Grattan was delayed all morning and run in the afternoon once the track dried, using what the report calls the team’s new testing equipment.
The Hummer couldn’t reach the heat-up speed. Its brake conditioning runs were made at 75 mph rather than the standard 90, because the vehicle is unable to attain 90.
Fuel figures for the 2003 Interceptor did not exist yet. Its EPA line reads TBD, not available until March 2002 — a car tested before its own economy ratings had been issued.
Ergonomics, communications and fuel
| Vehicle | Category | Ergonomics & communications | EPA city (mpg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Excursion (4WD) | Special service | 235.14 | — |
| Chevrolet Tahoe (2WD) | Special service | 229.56 | — |
| Chevrolet Tahoe (4WD) | Special service | 229.23 | — |
| Ford Expedition (4WD) | Special service | 228.63 | — |
| Ford Police Interceptor (2003) | Police | 223.08 | TBD |
| Ford Crown Victoria (LWB) | Special service | 223.35 | — |
| Chevrolet Impala | Police | 221.64 | 19.5 |
| Ford Police Interceptor (2002) | Police | 221.26 | 15.5 |
| Dodge Intrepid | Police | 218.34 | 18.0 |
| Ford Explorer (4WD) | Special service | 210.75 | — |
| Dodge Durango (2WD) | Special service | 206.48 | — |
| Dodge Durango (4WD) | Special service | 205.19 | — |
| Chevrolet Camaro | Police | 161.98 | 16.6 |
| AM General Hummer | Police | 154.40 | 9.0 |
Among the cars that could actually conduct a pursuit, the 2003 Police Interceptor tops the table at 223.08 — the highest police-category ergonomics score in this archive to date, and a reminder that the car whose brakes and ABS embarrassed it was simultaneously the nicest place to work in the field. The Impala edges the 2002 Interceptor by 0.38 points, continuing an unbroken run since 2000, while returning four more miles per gallon in the city.
The Camaro’s departing scores show why the type never won this column: 1.50 out of ten for rear-seat entry and exit and 2.00 for rear legroom. The Hummer took 3.50 for entry and exit and 3.90 for its outside mirror controls.
What 2002 settled
Chrysler came back and the pony car went away, in the same three days. The Intrepid arrived as a genuine competitor — 135 mph, faster than both Police Interceptors, within three tenths of the Ford over a two-mile lap — and then missed the braking requirement by four hundredths of a foot per second squared on its first official outing. The Camaro left having posted the quickest quarter-mile in this archive, 14.14 seconds at 102.48 mph, from a back-up car hastily prepared after the primary’s transmission failed.
And the year’s most consequential vehicle is one with no data at all. General Motors brought a Tahoe as an unpublished prototype and Michigan told its readers exactly why it mattered: it would be a pursuit-rated sport utility for the future. The paperwork was being laid three years before the Tahoe PPV appeared in the police category and started beating sedans.