Ford Falcon, Holden Commodore police cars get European PHEV SUV replacement

The bahnstorming Volkswagen Touareg R has been signed up by the Western Australia Police Force for use as an emergency response vehicle, following the retirement of its traditional Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon pursuit vehicles.

“Today, we’re rolling out our new patrol fleet! Boosting frontline power, safety, and performance. Say hello to the Volkswagen Touareg R turbo diesel hybrid!” said the WA Police Force on its social media channels this week.

“Following the decommissioning of the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore, a comprehensive review was undertaken to identify an operationally suitable vehicle to withstand the demands of police emergency response driving.”

The post erroneously calls the Touareg R a “turbo diesel hybrid”, when it’s actually a turbo-petrol plug-in hybrid; the rest of the Touareg lineup, in contrast, features turbo-diesel power.

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Priced from $133,490 before on-road costs, the all-wheel drive Touareg R became the Volkswagen brand’s first plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) in Australia last year.

It’s powered by a turbocharged 3.0-litre petrol V6 augmented by an electric motor, outputting 340kW of power and 700Nm of torque.

The German brand claims its large performance SUV can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 5.1 seconds, making it quicker than the Commodore SS and Falcon XR police cars of old.

Production of the homegrown Commodore ceased in October 2017, a year after Ford also ceased local manufacturing and discontinued its long-running Falcon.

While the social media clip released by WA police shows an unmarked version, it’s understood the Touareg R will be deployed in both high-visibility and covert roles.

It’s not clear how many examples of the Touareg R will be purchased by the WA Police Force, which is believed to be the first Australian state to employ the model, but it won’t be the first VW enlisted by police in the country’s western state.

Like other Australian states, law enforcement officers in WA use a variety of sedans, wagons, SUVs and vans, depending on their application.

For both marked and unmarked patrol duty, these include the mid-size Volkswagen Tiguan and large Kia Sorento and Toyota Kluger crossover SUVs, as well as the large Skoda Superb and Kia Stinger liftbacks and the Toyota HiLux ute.

The electric Kia EV6 has also been tested by WA police.

Depending on their use, each vehicle must meet strict safety and performance requirements, and patrol vehicles are fitted with technologies including number plate recognition.

In general, WA police vehicles are replaced less frequently than in other states, every four years or 120,000km.

While police in many states are tight-lipped about the type and number of vehicles employed for operational reasons, most police forces now have a diverse vehicle fleet comprising a variety of models from a range of auto brands.

The Kia Stinger remains the highway patrol vehicle of choice in Queensland, but the rear-wheel drive Korean liftback is currently being replaced by the all-wheel drive vehicles such as the BMW 340i xDrive in Tasmania and the Subaru WRX in the Northern Territory.

The BMW 530d large diesel sedan, meantime, remains the favourite police pursuit car in New South Wales and Victoria, where the BMW X5 and M5 Competition are also used.

Victoria Police also uses other passenger cars, SUVs, utes and specialist vehicles from brands including Ford, Toyota, Hyundai, Kia and Volkswagen. It’s evaluating several electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, and says most sedans and wagons added from 2025 will be hybrids.

In NSW, apart from the 530d, police also continue to employ the BMW X5 and Chrysler 300 SRT for highway patrol duty, while general-duties police vehicles include the Volkswagen Passat and Hyundai Sonata sedans, and the Isuzu D-Max ute.

And apart from the Stinger, Queensland Police use a range of both marked and unmarked frontline cars including the Kia EV6 and Sorento; the Toyota LandCruiser, Prado, Camry, Kluger, HiAce and HiLux; the Isuzu D-Max and MU-X; the Hyundai Santa Fe and iLoad; and the Volkswagen Amarok.

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