Arresting Development
Amped-up Ford vehicles provide a new lift for law enforcement.
The latest lineup of Ford Police Interceptor undergoes high-speed pursuit performance tests on a Los Angeles track.
The latest lineup of Ford Police Interceptor undergoes high-speed pursuit performance tests on a Los Angeles track.
By Brian O'Connor
Designing a vehicle for law enforcement requires serious consideration—police officers need to be confident that their vehicles will handle well at high speeds, while they’re in pursuit or racing to a crime scene. They also need to be able to accelerate around corners, brake quickly and respond to any number of surface conditions.
The less a law enforcement official has to worry about a vehicle’s prowess and ability, the more focus can be applied to the job at hand. The task of designing a vehicle that meets all these criteria places a role of great importance upon the team of Ford designers.
The new generation of Ford Police Interceptor vehicles benchmarked the beloved Crown Victoria Police Interceptor—an industry standard since 1992—and expanded the portfolio by offering agencies “choice”: a selection of pursuit-rated sedan or utility body styles, standard all-wheel drive, and a series of specially configured V-6 powertrains, each of which delivers more power and fuel efficiency* than the 4.6-liter single-overhead-cam V-8 that was a staple in the ol’ Crown Vic.
Both versions of law enforcement’s latest lift pack serious power. The new utility vehicle can muscle through any punishing grind with its 3.7-liter V-6 engine, which delivers more than 300 horsepower. The sedan, on the other hand, offers a choice between a 3.5-liter V-6 engine delivering at least 280 horsepower and the 3.5-liter EcoBoost® V-6, a twin-turbocharged, direct-injection engine that provides at least 365 horsepower and 350 foot-pounds of torque.
Ford has led the police squad car market since 1932, when the flathead V-8 engine made its debut. The Blue Oval’s market share currently stands at 70%.
Each new Police Interceptor, with its ergonomically designed interior, ballistic door panels and the safety assurance provided by 75 mph rear-end crash testing, is being built at the Ford Chicago Assembly Plant and will reach active duty this spring.
