Holden Commodore joins South Australian Police fleet

Crooks in South Australia will have a familiar sight when they look in their rear-view mirrors, with the ZB Commodore officially joining the state's police fleet.

While police in NSW have adopted a mix of Chrysler and BMW vehicles as replacements for the homegrown Commodore and Falcon, and QLD officers will be steering a fleet of Kia Stingers, South Australia Police has just taken delivery of the first of its liveried (and now fully imported) ZB Commodores.

Holden tells us the South Australian fleet will eventually be home to more than 100 examples of the Commodore, with police opting exclusively for the RS trim - powered by a 3.6-litre V6 good for 235kW and 381Nm, sending that power to all four wheels via a nine-speed gearbox.

“Our Holden engineers know what Australian drivers – and police officers – expect from driving a Commodore and this vehicle delivers,” says Holden’s Director of Sales, Peter Keley.

“We’re proud to see the new Commodore wearing the South Australian Police livery and look forward to seeing it in action on roads across South Australia.”

While almost every state police department used homegrown Ford and Holden products in its fleet, the demise of local manufacturing sparked individual testing in each state to determine which vehicles were suitable to replace them. While Victoria, NSW and Queensland opted for German, Korean or American product, crooks in Adelaide will still see a Holden badge in their rear-view mirror when those red-and-blue lights flash.

“SA Police have run an exhaustive comparison of vehicles from every manufacturer and we’re proud our latest Commodore has once again proven its credentials when it comes to vehicle safety, specifications, durability, dynamics, performance and importantly manufacturer and servicing support,” Keley, says.

More: Chrysler 300 SRT and BMW 530d confirmed for NSW Police

More: Kia Stinger police pursuit vehicles hit Queensland

Is the Commodore still the best crook-catcher? Tell us in the comments below.