Subaru WRX enlists in Australia police

A number of police departments in the Australian Northern Territory have taken delivery of 15 Subaru WRX patrol vehicles, reports The Drive. The cars were custom-ordered by the police and outfitted with all kinds of useful upgrades.

Compared to its civilian counterpart, the WRX police interceptor comes equipped with an extra battery, a weapon rack in the cabin, advanced speed guns and number plate readers, and so on. It also wears a distinct police car livery with blinking lights and an alarm.

Things look more exciting for drivers, too, because every such car can hit a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph). The regular WRX is capped at just 215 km/h (133 mph) on the Australian market. We don’t know how exactly Subaru lifted the speed limit, but it certainly sounds like a welcome modification.

According to the local authorities, the Subaru WRX fleet is coming to gradually replace the Kia Stinger and Volkswagen Passat police cars used before. A single car like this cost the department an approximate equivalent of U.S. $45,000 – not that much higher than the base version cost of $38,000. With an area of 1.3 million square kilometers (~502,000 square miles) to patrol, these Subarus sure have their work cut out for them.