Skoda Superb wagon earns its stripes as a police car in Australia

The Skoda Superb wagon is set to join police ranks as a highway patrol car in Australia.

A fleet of 55 Skoda Superb wagons – with turbocharged all-wheel-drive power that delivers similar performance to a V8, but half the fuel consumption – is due to be rolled out across Western Australia this year.

Although Skoda cars are a popular choice with authorities in Europe – and neighbouring New Zealand (pictured below), this is the first large-scale police order in Australia for Skoda vehicles.

The Skoda Superb wagon – similar in size to the Volkswagen Passat on which it is based, but with a larger cargo area – will work alongside Western Australia’s highway patrol fleet of Kia Stinger twin-turbo V6 sedans.

The Kia and Skoda police vehicles replace homegrown high-performance Holden Commodores and Ford Falcons, which went out of production five years ago after decades of service.

While the Volkswagen Passat Proline packs used by authorities in Victoria and NSW are specially-prepared for police work, the Skoda Superb to be used by highway patrol in Western Australia is the same as a civilian car, but with one modification.

The extra audio speaker in the cargo hold has been removed, to make way for a second battery.

Police cars place enormous demands on vehicle electrical systems, and most run dual battery set-ups to be able to power ancillaries.

While the equivalent Volkswagen Passat carries slightly less weight and offers brisker acceleration than the Skoda Superb, the car company says the 206kW/350Nm turbo 2.0-litre petrol four-cylinder engine – which powers all four wheels via a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission – is capable of reaching 100km/h in 5.8 seconds.

This is a fraction slower than the Holden Commodore V8 but with better fuel economy, more grip, and better braking performance.

Drive understands there will be a mix of marked and unmarked Skoda vehicles deployed in Western Australia.

A statement from Skoda Australia said Western Australia police have ordered 55 examples of the Superb wagon for highway patrol duties, with an order for a further 10 vehicles expected to follow.

The boss of Skoda Australia, Michael Irmer, said it was “an honour” to help serve police with a suitable vehicle.

“Skoda could hope for no more resounding endorsement of our (vehicle) than its selection by WAPOL,” Mr Irmer said in a media statement. 

“To be the car of choice for the officers who serve the great state of Western Australia is an honour.”

Western Australia is the largest police jurisdiction in Australia, accounting for more than a third of the mainland – or 2.5 million square kilometres.

Police across Australia have grappled with suitable replacement vehicles since Holden and Ford closed their local car assembly lines.

The Kia Stinger twin-turbo V6 sedan was initially selected by police in Queensland, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory.

However the Kia Stinger is due to be phased out in the next year or two – according to overseas reports – due to weaker than expected sales globally.

Police in Victoria and NSW have used BMW 5 Series sedans for a number of years.

However, Victoria Police are now skewing the highway patrol fleet towards the BMW X5 SUV because it offers similar performance to the BMW 5 Series sedan, but has a roomier and more practical cabin, a higher vantage point to spot seatbelt and mobile phone offences, and has better resale value, which lowers overall running costs.

Police in Victoria also operate a number of Volkswagen Passat sedans and wagons, primarily for general duties work.

NSW Police are just starting to roll-out the Volkswagen Passat (pictured below) as a general duties replacement for the Hyundai Sonata and Holden ZB Commodore.

NSW Police are still conducting trials of several vehicles to supplement the current highway patrol fleet, with the Chrysler 300 SRT V8 due to go out of production later this year.

In the absence of a suitable V8-powered sedan to replace it, authorities are looking at alternatives.

The challenge is to find vehicles that offer similar performance to the former Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon pursuit cars, but can also handle the daily grind of police work.

Vehicles under consideration but not yet confirmed include the BMW X5, BMW X3, Audi A5, new-generation Subaru WRX, Volvo XC60, and Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series for remote areas.

Here is Drive’s Top 10 list of cars we believe police should be considering for highway patrol duties across Australia.