Police in Italy have a pretty varied motor pool to
work with, made up of everything from Seat Leons and Alfa Romeo Giuilias to
Lotus Evoras and Lamborghini Huracans. And now the national Carabinieri
will have another tool at their disposal in the form of the Jeep Grand
Cherokee.
Stemming from a longtime partnership between Fiat
Chrysler (and its constituent predecessors) and Italy’s paramilitary police
force, the Carabinieri have taken delivery in Rome of nineteen Grand Cherokees
that will serve in anti-terrorism units across the country.
The Carabinieri might be disappointed that they are
not Trackhawks fitted with the supercharged Hellcat V8, but are powered instead
by the 3.0-liter Multijet diesel V6, driving all four wheels through an
eight-speed automatic transmission – which is probably just as well,
considering that Italy has some of the highest pump prices in the world. But
the vehicles aren’t stock, either.
While the powertrain was apparently left untouched,
the nineteen Grand Cherokees had their suspensions beefed up for police duty,
and everything from the bodywork and tires to the windows and windscreen was
armored up. They’ve also been fitted with the Odino police database system
(interfaced with a 7-inch Android tablet on a sliding track), as well as blue
LED strobe lights and the Carabinieri’s signature dark blue, white, and red
livery.
As varied as it is, these aren’t the first Jeeps to
join the Carabinieri motor pool. The Grand Cherokees will join the Renegades
and Wranglers that are already into service for the Defense Ministry’s national
police force.
