It was my fault. I entered the hairpin curve way too fast, and the SUV I was driving went into a spin. But I had two things going for me that prevented the spin from being dangerous: I was in the 2007 Chevy Tahoe Police Package Vehicle and I was on a closed course at GM’s Scottsdale, Ariz., proving grounds.

The 2007 Chevy Tahoe Police Package Vehicle (PPV) is the first SUV designed from the ground up for law enforcement duty. And the difference between the cop model and the civilian SUV was readily evident on the test track.

One thing that made it so easy for me to recover from that spin was the fact that the police Tahoe has a lower center of gravity than the civilian model. My sloppy driving also tested the 2007 Tahoe PPV’s front and rear suspension, which has more robust springs than the civilian suspension.

Under normal conditions—not driving like a loon on a test track—it would probably be pretty difficult to spin the 2007 Tahoe PPV. It has four-wheel disc brakes with ABS that are so effective that the Michigan State Police estimates they can stop the more than 5,200-pound vehicle in 138.2 feet from a speed of 60 mph.

The new 2007 Tahoe PPV also has plenty of power. Its Vortec 5.3L V-8 engine generates 320 horsepower, 25 more than the 2006 model. In the Michigan State Police test, the Tahoe reached speeds of 136 mph. Running E-85 Ethanol, it hit 137. No wonder the 2007 Tahoe PPV comes with H-rated tires.

Just in case you get in trouble with all that power, the 2007 Tahoe PPV comes standard with driver and front passenger airbags. And if your agency really wants to keep you safe it can spring for the optional roof-mounted side-curtain airbags.

The 2007 Chevy Tahoe PPV is a great drive. It’s got power, it’s engineered for safety, and its Active Fuel Management Technology boosts highway fuel economy to 22 miles per gallon. It’s also a lot of fun in a hairpin curve on a test track.