Polar

Polar
Vehicle
Manufacturer	Brubeck
Vehicle Type	Civilian car (Civilian) Law enforcement vehicle (Police/SWAT)
Category	Truck
Body Style	4-door SUV
Capacity	4 (driver and 3 passengers)
Price	$3,000 (Car On Demand)
Appears in	Watch Dogs

❝ An off-road capable SUV popular with weekend warriors.❞ 

―Description

The Brubeck Polar is an SUV that appears in Watch Dogs.

Design

The Polar mostly resembles the 2007 Chrysler Aspen and the 2006 GMC Envoy. However, its use in the Chicago Police Department–as well as the overall body and wheels design–hints to more of a resemblance to the 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe.

At the front, the most distinct feature is a large, black push bar that spans the central area, covering half the SUV's width. Behind the push bar is a large chrome grille, with three horizontal strips and then a large strip at the top. The headlamp units are mostly clear coloured, but there is an area on the outer edges that is amber, for the turn indicator lamp. The sides of the SUV are fairly linear and the lower edges of the side windows are straight, reflecting a totally straight wheelbase, where subtle side steps are mounted. The vehicle is designed to seat five passengers comfortably, with a headrest above each seat for the passengers. Above the occupants, there are two roof rails, perpendicular to the SUV's length. The SUV features five spoke wheels, wrapped in high-profile tires.

The SUV is equipped with a soft suspension setup, to help it traverse rough terrains. The result of the setup is shock absorbers that offer a large amount of literal travel. Police variants seems to be upgraded, as both emmits a louder noise from the engines.

Performance

Top speed is average, as is acceleration. Handling is quite good though it is top heavy and has above-average body roll, though not any more than expected from a vehicle of its size and stature. As a getaway car, its selling point is its good balance of mass, speed, and handling, especially compared to smaller vehicles. Its this good balance that also makes the Police version very dangerous, as it can keep up with most cars and has much greater mass to throw around should the driver start getting rough. CPD SWAT Polars are easily the highest priority targets for ctOS hacks, having very skilled and aggressive drivers that can make the most of the Polar's strengths and minimize its weaknesses, not to mention the four boys in black inside.

All variants of the Polar are powered by a V8 engine, coupled to a 4-speed gearbox in a front engine, all wheel drive configuration. Its torque distribution appears to be more favored to the rear wheels than to the front ones.

Overview

Watch Dogs

General Aspects
Top Speed	Acceleration	Durability	Handling
Technical Aspects
Acceleration	Engine	Drivetrain	Gears
N/A	V8 (In-game model)	Front engine, all wheel drive	4

Variants

• Viceroys Polar: The Black Viceroys owned modified Polars with customized rims, crown signs on the hood and rear, an orange interior, a different engine sound, a two-tone paint scheme of dark blue and white, and an orange pinstripe dividing the two, as well as headlight cages attached to aftermarket push bars on the front and rear bumpers.
• Police/SWAT Polar: The Chicago Police Department and SWAT team also use modified Polars that appear during a Police Pursuit, after the player reaches three Heat Level bars. Apart from the paint scheme and police/SWAT stencils, both are physically identical, and both behave aggressively, as they will ram the player and/or attempt to knock the player off the road. While not as fast as the sedans, they are still respectably quick and are not to be underestimated.

Front and side view of Black Viceroys' Polar (Rear quarter view).

A police variant of the Polar with its lights on (Rear quarter view).

The SWAT variant of the Polar with its lights on (Rear quarter view).

Notable Owners

• Black Viceroys
• Chicago Police Department (Police and SWAT divisions)

Gallery

A rear and side view of the SUV.

A comparison of the Polar and the model from which it was derived

A police variant of the Polar being driven by Aiden Pearce.

Render of the Polar.

The Viceroy Variant.

The Police variant.

The SWAT variant.

Locations

• May be seen driven in The Loop and the Wards district.
• Can spawn in Parker Square.
• Sometimes found in the parking lot of The Owl Motel.
• Viceroy variants can be found in missions and Criminal Convoys involving them.
• The Police Variant will start to spawn after reaching the third heat level. It can also sometimes be found parked at The Wards Police Station.

Obtaining Police variants

The SWAT Variant will start to spawn after reaching 4 heat bars, being dispatched with elite police, as well the driver or passenger being an enforcer commonly found, which makes most on-foot engagements suicidal for any unprepared player. These will also spawn in a Criminal Convoy involving a corrupt police team.

While doing this is risky and complicated, is possible to obtain it during online matches, such as Hacking Contracts. If the player is lucky, one can find the victim chased by the cops. If the victim causes too much havoc, is possible to spot one of the Vans forming a roadblock. Be careful to not to be on the heat, for the player is likely to be rammed by a pursuing police car, blown away by the victim's weapons or, rarely, being spotted by a cop and being shot by one of them. After obtaining a SWAT Polar, one can simply quit the match.

Police Polars will spawn at the Wards Police Station, both in front and in the staff parking lot. In original editions of the game, driving a normal Polar to the afformentioned station will add Polars to the spawn queue, forcing at least one Police Polar to spawn.

Trivia

• Like the Vessel, the Polar is a vehicle model that was borrowed from another game, in this case Splinter Cell Conviction, and updated for Watch_Dogs. This would make sense, since they're both Ubisoft Montreal games.
• The civilian Polar features a set of unused lights that the police/SWAT versions uses as emergency lights.
• In the PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii U versions, SWAT Polars are merely pallet swapped Police Polars, and are still labled with "POLICE". Is likely that, for the enhanced editions, these Polars are changed to "SWAT" for better identification. However, the emblem on the hood still reads "POLICE".
• Dispatch refers to the Police Polar as a "Patrol SUV" and the SWAT Polar as a "Patrol Van", respectably.
• Oddly, the SWAT Polar has the speed and acceleration of the Papavero, but has the sound of the Convoy.
• The standard police Polar will only carry two regular officers, while the SWAT Polar will carry an enforcer and three elites.