New garda Volvo XC 70

AJ1 · 04-09-2008 5:12pm

Evil_Clown wrote: »

Affixable indentifying strips, flashing lights and an identifying matrix will mark out the turbo diesel cars, which will carry patrols of two or three officers and firearms ranging from MP7 sub machine guns and Sig handguns to less than lethal weapons.

I take it they meant the Heckler & Koch MP5 :rolleyes:

I remember being stopped at a checkpoint coming home past the border a few years ago and an armed garda was pointing his UZI 9mm at my car. I said to him "aren't you supposed to be holding that weapon in the 'non threatening position' ?"

"What the FCUK would you know about it" was his polite response.

I told him I was a professional soldier for 3 years so I would know. He went scarlet red and said "oh, er, ok move along now":D

WHITE_P · 04-09-2008 5:29pm

Good to see them getting some decent hardware, and hopefully they will get the training to go with it.

Can't help but find it amusing, how many people on boards think 4x4's don't handle and can't be driven quickly.

I know they will never handle like a sports car but in the end it all comes down to the compentancy of the drivers.

I gave a genuine 02 BMW M5 a real run for its money across a section of the N52 a few years back while driving a Nissan Terrano, I'd say the driver of the M5 was not impressed as he couldn't lose me no matter how hard he tried, and I'm no race driver either.

ArseBurger · 04-09-2008 5:38pm

S.I.R wrote: »

brings each upto around the 100k mark... so basically 3 million for 30 cars... we could buy poland or romias army for the day with that kinda money....

What planet are you on? For a start, Poland and Romania are countries and deserve capitalisation. Secondly, both have strong economies (Romania has negative inflation) and have large military infrastructures - far outweighing Ireland's feeble effort.

I find this remark racist and endemic of our nations culture.

These days I'm embarrassed to be Irish more and more. Where do I hand my passport back?

Owen · 04-09-2008 5:51pm

According to Jalopnik, Volvo are actually offering police forces in Europe a turnkey police car product :

http://jalopnik.com/5044935/volvo-claims-v70-police-package-first-turn+key-police-car

superjosh9 · 04-09-2008 5:52pm

arse- why would you take offence from a throw-away comment like that and try to make a big deal out of it. get off your horse. it was clearly only banter.

btw, are you a student?

Owen · 04-09-2008 5:54pm

WHITE_P wrote: »

I gave a genuine 02 BMW M5 a real run for its money across a section of the N52 a few years back while driving a Nissan Terrano, I'd say the driver of the M5 was not impressed as he couldn't lose me no matter how hard he tried, and I'm no race driver either.

I call bullsh*t on this one. A genuine 394 Bhp e39 M5 would have no issue dusting a Nissan Terrano. I would imagine, he was happy to let you be the human shield for the Gard's radar/laser detector, and be the car behind.

Especially as I've driven a Terrano II, and have driven both the e39, and e60 M5's. There's a whole world of difference.

superjosh9 · 04-09-2008 5:55pm

ned78 wrote: »

According to Jalopnik, Volvo are actually offering police forces in Europe a turnkey police car product :

http://jalopnik.com/5044935/volvo-claims-v70-police-package-first-turn+key-police-car

Saw that alright, been reading for a few months now how uk are using V70s etc. was it the 2.5t flexifuel I think. Nice engine.

btw all - I once saw a saab 9-3 sedan in garda blues driving around, anyone else ever noticed it about?! It was in temple bar..!

Samson · 04-09-2008 7:09pm

AJ1 wrote: »

I take it they meant the Heckler & Koch MP5 :rolleyes:

No, the Regional Support Units will be equipped with the MP7: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MP7
All of the force's Uzi SMG's are due to be replaced with the MP7 eventually.

AJ1 · 04-09-2008 7:55pm

Samson wrote: »

No, the Regional Support Units will be equipped with the MP7: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MP7
All of the force's Uzi SMG's are due to be replaced with the MP7 eventually.

I stand corrected;)

Holsten · 04-09-2008 7:57pm

Car looks great, especially with the skinny lightbar.

miju · 04-09-2008 8:01pm

E92 wrote: »

The Guards certainly don't pay VRT, and I'm almost certain they don't pay VAT either.

mmmmmmmmmmm

S.I.R wrote: »

thats around 50k each, bargin basement style

oh and all the spare stuff for the booth like guns armor and first aid kits... they would be brought from home i'd say...

not cheap at all though regardless of the country.

seriously, you are either on a completely other planet and have no idea who these things work are your just plain crazy

superjosh9 wrote: »

btw all - I once saw a saab 9-3 sedan in garda blues driving around, anyone else ever noticed it about?! It was in temple bar..!

that marked one is a few years old IIRC

master-d · 04-09-2008 8:25pm

I gave a genuine 02 BMW M5 a real run for its money across a section of the N52 a few years back while driving a Nissan Terrano, I'd say the driver of the M5 was not impressed as he couldn't lose me no matter how hard he tried, and I'm no race driver either.

Are you sure it wasnt just a 520 with an m5 badge stuck on? Even still I find it hard to believe........Are you sure he was trying to race you??

WHITE_P · 04-09-2008 8:39pm

ned78 wrote: »

I call bullsh*t on this one. A genuine 394 Bhp e39 M5 would have no issue dusting a Nissan Terrano. I would imagine, he was happy to let you be the human shield for the Gard's radar/laser detector, and be the car behind.

Especially as I've driven a Terrano II, and have driven both the e39, and e60 M5's. There's a whole world of difference.

If you read the post, he was the one in front, and as I was just trying to point out, it's not always down to the car, but the compentancy of the driver.

There is no doubt that the M5, any 5 series for that matter should be able to out drive a Terrano, but that all depends on who's driving what.

You call it anyway you like, you have experience of both vehicles so you know the BMW should have left me for dead, but it didn't.

WHITE_P · 04-09-2008 8:53pm

master-d wrote: »

Are you sure it wasnt just a 520 with an m5 badge stuck on? Even still I find it hard to believe........Are you sure he was trying to race you??

I know cars well enough to know the difference, its all about attention to detail. As for the race, he was probably just out for a blast, but the way his back seat passengers kept looking back to see if I was still there, he obviously wasn't happy about it.

If the shoe was on the other foot and I had been driving the M5, I know I would have been very p!ssed off to see a Terrano keeping pace with me, particularly as I would have known that the cars capabilities were far greater than the jeeps.

As I've already said, more to do with who's driving what than the actual handling / capabilities of the vehicle.

Anyway if the garda drivers are porperly trained, I'd say only the really foolish, or totally reckless will try and outrun them these days, as they have some really serious vehicles now.

Owen · 04-09-2008 9:05pm

WHITE_P wrote: »

If you read the post, he was the one in front, and as I was just trying to point out, it's not always down to the car, but the compentancy of the driver.

You said in your post that the M5 driver couldn't loose you, which implies you were behind. But, if you were in front of the 'M5', there's little or no way to tell it's an M5 without noticing the exhausts, or rear view mirror, or wheel arches.

It was most likely a 5 series, with the M pack - which looks almost identical to the M5 from the front.

WHITE_P · 04-09-2008 9:07pm

ned78 wrote: »

You said in your post that the M5 driver couldn't loose you, which implies you were behind.

10 out of 10, I was behind him.

Owen · 04-09-2008 9:12pm

Jesus. I'd best sell my car and buy a Terrano - it's the way of the future!

maidhc · 04-09-2008 9:16pm

WHITE_P wrote: »

As I've already said, more to do with who's driving what than the actual handling / capabilities of the vehicle.

Or how far the guy in the m5 was pressing down the loud pedal! Seems like a waste to have an m5 and obey the speed limit, but maybe that is what he was doing!

Eoin · 04-09-2008 9:20pm

So, that volvo is pretty cool.

WHITE_P · 05-09-2008 9:13am

ned78 wrote: »

Jesus. I'd best sell my car and buy a Terrano - it's the way of the future!

Well I wouldn't go that far.

WHITE_P · 05-09-2008 9:17am

maidhc wrote: »

Or how far the guy in the m5 was pressing down the loud pedal! Seems like a waste to have an m5 and obey the speed limit, but maybe that is what he was doing!

Quite right, however we were well beyond speed limits, at one point the Terrano was at the bottom of the clock and I was wondering why I was still reasonably close to the M5, given its speed and acceleration advantage.

WHITE_P · 05-09-2008 9:33am

What about this for a police special.

Special Police Cars
Ford Escort Cosworth
The Ford Escort RS Cosworth. was currently in use in Humberside, is a
development vehicle based upon the standard model available to the public.
Members of the Vehicle Crime Unit teamed up with Ford Motor Sport and Ford
Special Vehicle Engineering, to develop one of the most sophisticated Police cars
ever to be constructed.
The end product of the research and development is a250 brake horsepower, 16
valve, turbo charged 'Super Car', which is fitted with permanent four-wheel drive.
The acceleration rate of this vehicle is shatteringly quick 0 to 60 miles per hour
(mph) in 5 seconds, with a top speed of 150+ mph.
This level of performance, coupled with the safety of four-wheel drive and brakes,
which are almost as incredible as the engine, make the Cosworth one of the
safest vehicles available for this type of application. Other special components
fitted to the vehicle include competition suspension, competition wheels, underbody
protection and specially developed tyres.
The vehicles' main purpose is to act as an evidence-gathering car, to present a
higher standard of evidence to the courts. To this end, it is fitted with the most
advanced speed detection and video recording equipment available. Additionally,
it is equipped with no less than three separate communications systems

bloke · 05-09-2008 7:06pm

is it just me, or is there something funny going on with the wiper arms on that Garda volvo?

slimjimmc · 05-09-2008 7:51pm

bloke wrote: »

is it just me, or is there something funny going on with the wiper arms on that Garda volvo?

Nope, those wipers look perfectly normal. The passenger side wiper has a wider sweep than the driver side. They only appear ready to collide but they won't.

bloke · 05-09-2008 7:55pm

slimjimmc wrote: »

Nope, those wipers look perfectly normal. The passenger side wiper has a wider sweep than the driver side. They only appear ready to collide but they won't.

Ah, Just me then :-)

slimjimmc · 05-09-2008 8:03pm

Another question... anyone know if the doors are lined with ballistic material or anything similar? Ducking down behind 0.7 mm thick mild steel door skin won't offer much protection against a hail of lead if things got hairy :eek:

Turner · 05-09-2008 8:16pm

LIGHTNING wrote: »

I can tell you from my own experience in working in the mondello race school all the gardai I have had as students have ranged in skill from very poor to average. Now I know driving around a track is quite different than the open roads some of the techniques do apply to both. None of them understood the differences between oversteer/understeer and most used far too much steering in the corners. However the all did listen and managed to get a better by the end of the course. Hopefully their are few better gardai drivers because of me

The Gardai who receive driver training are trained not to ever encounter over or under steer. (apart from on ice)

They are trained to anticipate every hazard and reduce their speed to negotiate that hazard.

Skidding/under or oversteer should never occur if they drive to the system under which they were trained.

Its the same system the uk police are trained under.

woop · 05-09-2008 8:26pm

is it true traffic corp have an evo or is that just urban myth?

maidhc · 05-09-2008 8:27pm

Chief--- wrote: »

The Gardai who receive driver training are trained not to ever encounter over or under steer. (apart from on ice)

They are trained to anticipate every hazard and reduce their speed to negotiate that hazard.

Skidding/under or oversteer should never occur if they drive to the system under which they were trained.

Its the same system the uk police are trained under.

Sort of makes sense, but surely being able to regain control of a car is a useful skill. Of course in theory it should never happen, but it does, quite a bit, even to Gardaí.

Turner · 05-09-2008 8:55pm

woop wrote: »

is it true traffic corp have an evo or is that just urban myth?

The had on test yeah, gone now.

New garda Volvo XC 70

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