This is a Skoda Kodiaq vRS police car

The days of the British police force pottering around in old Vauxhall Astras are over. Take note next time you see a police car, not just of your speedo, but of what the bobbies are driving. It’ll most likely be a BMW 5 Series estate, or perhaps a lovely-looking Volvo.

And perhaps that most fashionable of things, the fast SUV, in the form of this Skoda Kodiaq vRS. 

Mechanically it remains standard, so its twin-turbo 2.0-litre diesel engine puts out 236bhp and 369lb ft of torque. That may not sound like much in a 1.8-tonne car, but it should be more than enough to keep up with a few stolen mopeds. 

Visually it looks pretty menacing compared to most police cars too, and maybe the thinking is that having a vRS on the fleet will convince a few petrolheads (dieselheads?) to join the force. Potentially a decent recruitment technique, either way.

Skoda says that the Kodiaq has been ‘converted to offer excellent levels of space and payload capabilities’ – so we’re assuming that the third row of seats has been removed and replaced with all the gear our police officers need. Then there’s extra LEDs on the front bumper and, of course, a 100-amp siren for maximum get out of our way-ness.

The police are stepping up their game then, but what car would need to join the fleet before you seriously thought about joining the force?