The 2015 Dodge Charger’s V-8 sings when Richard Petty Driving Experience driver Stephanie Reaves presses down the gas pedal, pushing it from a gentle cruise to that hectic hang-on-tight speed before the track molds from the straight-away into a sloped left curve.
Reaves was touring Central Coast law enforcement officials around the mile-long high-speed track at the Allan Hancock Public Safety Training Complex in Lompoc on March 19 for Chrysler’s Dodge Charger Pursuit event.
The auto company brought its “Dodge Law” vehicles to Lompoc for people like Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown to test drive on the track and around a precision driving course set up on the complex’s skid pad. Brown spent about half an hour with a white all-wheel-drive Charger, checking out the trunk space, the interior, and asking questions of the Chrysler crew. However, he said the Sheriff’s Office wasn’t ready to buy any new vehicles just yet.
The department bought about 30 Crown Victorias before Ford discontinued the law enforcement line in 2011/2012. Brown said they have about a year and a half left on some of the vehicles in the fleet.
David Callery, Chrysler’s program manager for law enforcement, said the company didn’t expect to sell any of the 2015s right away, as the wheels of government decision-making turn pretty slowly. However, he said the driving events are a great opportunity for law enforcement to get a feel for the new models.
“They get to really push the vehicle, get a feel for the suspension, in a drive course,” Callery said, adding that he’s been to many courses around the nation, and Hancock’s track was top-of-the-line. “This is very nice.”
This article appears in Mar 26 – Apr 2, 2015.