These aren’t out-of-the-box Subies, of course. Patrol cars are equipped with emergency lights, dual battery system, rifle mount with electronic release, automatic license plate recognition software, advanced speed radar and light bar with message board. O police specification WRXs can also reach speeds of up to 155 mph. The top speed of a pedestrian WRX is 134 mph per Car and driver. Officials said each police WRX costs the Australian equivalent of about $45,000 ($70,000 AUD). A new WRX RS in Australia costs around $38,000 ($58,534 AUD).
“Designed by the Police themselves, this latest edition of the Force’s arsenal of resources is another example of how the Police and the Lawler Labor Government work hand in hand to reduce crime,” said Brent Potter, Minister for Police, in a statement. Press release. “These vehicles were designed to have everything a police officer could want or need to do their job efficiently and safely.”
The NT covers more than half a million square miles, making it the third largest federal division in Australia. Even with the fleet upgrade, there’s still quite a bit of ground to cover. But the area is sparsely inhabited. More than half of the territory’s population lives in Darwin.
No additional information was provided about the WRX’s trim or what engine or other technological modifications were made. The new WRXs will replace Kia Stingers and Volkswagen Passats, which are being phased out of the high-performance fleet. The unit will total 29 vehicles when the Subies are added. The Stingers themselves replaced the then outgoing Commodore Holden SS. Kind of makes us wonder which vehicles make up the other half of police units. Maybe it’s a sensible hot hatch like the Hyundai i30N? Perhaps.
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