Are these the best 4 Malaysian police cars ever?

We’ve seen a Nissan GTR police car, a Lamborghini Police car, and even a Porsche 911 Police car elsewhere in the world. They are the kind of cars that make little kids want to become police officers. Police cars need to be fast so they could respond to emergency situations swiftly. They don’t have to be supercar fast, but some grunt is appreciated by our boys in blue.

This year, the Malaysian police force started using the Honda Civic in their fleet of Mobile Patrol Vehicles (MPV). You’ve probably seen some of them around town already. Other than the Civic, other cars used by our Police officers include the Volvo S90, Toyota Corolla Altis, and the Proton X70. But did you know that we used to have Alfa Romeos as police cars? Or even a “Peugeot” 206? The list of cars that have served as Malaysian police cars is actually quite interesting.

Unfortunately, we don’t have a full-fledged transportation Museum in Malaysia to curate these kinds of things. We have the National Automobile Museum but there’s not much to see there. At the National Police Museum, the only cars on display are cars of former IGPs (Inspector General Police). Those are mainly older Mercedes-Benz cars.

In appreciation to our police force, I’ve made a list of what I presume to be some of the best police cars that have served us. Agree or disagree with this list? Share your thoughts with us.

1. Alfa Romeo Alfetta

Alfa Romeos no longer have an official presence in Malaysia after Sime Darby Auto Italia (SDAI) stopped distributing them in 2013. Before that, Alfa Romeos were officially sold by City Motors Group in the 70s, and later Milan Auto in the '90s.

The Alfetta was powered by a 130 PS 2.0 L gasoline engine. That’s some decent power for a little 4-door car from the seventies. To give you some context, a 1.2 L Datsun Sunny 120Y at that time only produced 68 PS of maximum power. The 2.0 Alfetta managed 65 PS/l while the 120Y only managed 56 PS/L. If there was a car to match the 2.0 Alfetta police car at that time, it would be the 1.6 L Datsun 510 with a 109 PS (68 PS/L) four banger.

2. Proton Satria GTI

The Proton Satria GTI is probably the sportiest Malaysian car to ever exist. It was introduced when Proton got its 80% ownership stake in Lotus.The Satria itself (non-GTI) is a good-looking car and is a popular choice for young car enthusiasts looking for something to play around with.

The stock 1.8 L engine was capable of producing 140 PS of maximum power and 164 Nm of maximum torque. Combining a Japanese car with some British handling, the Satria GTI still has no successor to its name. 

The Satria GTI is used as a highway patrol car, specifically on the North-South highway. There’s not many of them, but you can sometimes spot them in the Northern region of our peninsular. One problem with the Satria GTi is that you’d have to fold the front seats down to put the criminal at the back.

3. Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X

The Lancer Evolution is a favourite car among Malaysians. This is probably thanks to Jackie Chan movies like “Thunderbolt”, the Lancer Evo’s rally heritage, a bit of initial D, and perhaps the fact that you could convert a Proton Wira to a Lancer Evolution III (if you put in enough effort).

With the Lancer Evo being so popular among Malaysians, using the Evo X as a police car sure wins the hearts of some car enthusiasts.

Churning out around 295 PS max power and 366 Nm max torque, the Evo X is the most powerful Malaysian police car we’ve ever had.

4. Honda Civic FC

In June 2020, the Malaysian Police force began using the Honda Civic FC as patrol cars. Before that, pictures of the FK8 Honda Civic Type R with police livery had popped up on social media. Had the FK8R pass PDRM’s evaluation, we wouldn’t be seeing the FC on this list.

The Civic used by PDRM is not the most powerful variant. Instead of the 173 PS/220 Nm 1.5 Turbo variant, PDRM uses the 141 PS/174 Nm 1.8-litre variant. However, the intention of utilizing the Civic is to replace the aging Proton Waja and Proton Wira in PDRM’s fleet.

With that in mind, the Civic FC is a rather decent choice. Using the smaller Honda City wouldn’t give the police force the same “presence” that the Civic does.

Whatever cars our police force decide to use, we're thankful they're here to keep our peace, especially during trying times like the pandemic this year.

Agree or disagree with this list? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.