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Exclusive: Police Stinger! Commodore and Falcon NSW police cars replaced again as Kia Stinger steps in for V8 Chrysler 300 SRT

The Kia Stinger will soon wear police colours in NSW. (Credit: Thanos Pappas)

The Kia Stinger has stepped up to fill the void left by the Commodore, Falcon and, more recently, the Chrysler 300, with the NSW Police Force to take on the Korean performance car as a part of its patrol fleet.

Chrysler has reportedly withdrawn support for its 300 SRT, leaving the NSW Police Force once again searching for a replacement. The answer is the Kia Stinger, with around 200 vehicles to take to the road in police colours.

And it's not alone. CarsGuide sources have confirmed the new-look police fleet will consist of the BMW 530d, the Kia Stinger, and the BMW X5. Early suggestions suggest the the total numbers will be around 700 units of the 530d, 200 units of the Kia Stinger, and 100 units of the BMW X5.

The news wasn't exactly unexpected. The Chrysler brand was withdrawn from private sale late last year, meaning the clock was ticking on the Police contract. FCA has reportedly said it will no longer support the vehicles already in action on the police fleet.

Australia was already the last right-hand drive market globally offering Chrysler.

“The global push towards electrification and focus on SUVs has resulted in a consolidation of the overall product line-up in Australia,” FCA told us last year.

"Chrysler has held a special place in the heart of many Australians and we are proud of its history here.”

Kia has long help police aspirations for its Stinger, dressing its vehicles in police livery in an effort to highlight its suitability. The model is already on official duties in Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

It makes the second time the Stinger has followed in the Commodore's footsteps, with the first model arriving in Australian dealerships in 2017 - just four weeks after the final Aussie-made Holden rolled off the production line.

It will make a formidable police vehicle, with the top of the range Stinger GT listing for around $64k, and arriving with a 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6 that produces a considerable 274kW and 510Nm. That pales in comparison to the Chrysler 300's big Hemi V8, which churns out 350kW and 637Nm.

Despite the grunt mismatch, the Kia is actually faster, reporting a 4.9s sprint to 100km/h, compared to five seconds flat for the Chrysler.

Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
Andrew Chesterton should probably hate cars. From his hail-damaged Camira that looked like it had spent a hard life parked at the end of Tiger Woods' personal driving range, to the Nissan Pulsar Reebok that shook like it was possessed by a particularly mean-spirited demon every time he dared push past 40km/h, his personal car history isn't exactly littered with gold. But that seemingly endless procession of rust-savaged hate machines taught him something even more important; that cars are more than a collection of nuts, bolts and petrol. They're your ticket to freedom, a way to unlock incredible experiences, rolling invitations to incredible adventures. They have soul. And so, somehow, the car bug still bit. And it bit hard. When "Chesto" started his journalism career with News Ltd's Sunday and Daily Telegraph newspapers, he covered just about everything, from business to real estate, courts to crime, before settling into state political reporting at NSW Parliament House. But the automotive world's siren song soon sounded again, and he begged anyone who would listen for the opportunity to write about cars. Eventually they listened, and his career since has seen him filing car news, reviews and features for TopGear, Wheels, Motor and, of course, CarsGuide, as well as many, many others. More than a decade later, and the car bug is yet to relinquish its toothy grip. And if you ask Chesto, he thinks it never will.
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