Pickup in the service of the police? In America, this has long been a familiar picture. Special versions of their pickup trucks are mass-produced by Ford and Chevrolet, although they are mostly ordinary patrol cars with a minimum of technical differences from civilian counterparts. However, a few years ago, Ford first offered a pickup truck for the traffic police, that is, a “catch-up”. Until now, this Ford F-150 Police Responder has remained the only one of its kind, but now it has a competitor.
Pickup Chevrolet Silverado PPV (Police Pursuit Vehicle) created with an eye on a related SUV Tahoe PPV, which in the new generation has been produced since 2020. The main difference from the basic patrol version is the redesigned chassis. The Silverado PPV has the hardened suspension from the Z71 off-road package. Brembo brakes with 406 mm discs and six-piston mechanisms are installed on the front axle, and a reinforced limited slip differential is installed at the rear. All this should make the pickup truck more suited to high-speed pursuits.
The Silverado PPV has 20-inch steel wheels instead of the 17-inch Patrol versions, but instead of road tires, All-Terrain tires are installed. And as an option, a ground clearance increased by 50 mm (up to 288 mm) is offered. It turns out that the specialization of the Chevrolet Silverado PPV pickup truck will be the high-speed pursuit of violators over rough terrain.
The engine is left standard: it is an aspirated V8 5.3 with a capacity of 360 hp, but if patrol pickups have an eight-speed “automatic” and all-wheel drive is offered for a fee, then the PPV version has a ten-speed gearbox and standard all-wheel drive. The Ford F-150 Police Responder has more power, as it has a V6 3.5 EcoBoost turbo engine with 406 hp and a top speed of 193 km/h. Chevrolet does not give the maximum speed.
Deliveries of Chevrolet Silverado PPV pickups to police units in the US and Canada will begin this summer. All machines will have a two-row cab, a short cargo platform and an overall length of 5.9 m.
