As of last year, the Explorer Police Interceptor accounted for nearly two-thirds of police sales in the U.S. The limousine business also abandoned when Ford killed the Lincoln Town car is another losing matter with no redemption in sight.
The all-new 2020 Police Interceptor Utility, with a standard hybrid all-wheel-drive powertrain, will save police agencies and taxpayers as much as $5,700 per vehicle annually in fuel costs* compared to the current Interceptor Utility equipped with a 3.7-liter gas engine. It’s a unique selling point in a world of meaningless marketing babble. (Blues Brothers Note: Ford Police Interceptor Fastest Cop Car)
After a bonehead decision by management to abandon the police car business in 2011 by killing the Crown Victoria, Ford has clawed its way back into leading the segment. Ford says it has found the strategy to continue courting the enforcement community – better-performing vehicles that keep officers safer and save departments and taxpayers money. It’s hardly a new concept that good product sells, but in tan industry that seems to need constant reminders that mass production and big sales is the result of mass appeal. This, of course, fits Ford Motor to the T, so to speak.
When the all-new Police Interceptor Utility takes to the streets in 2019, the hybrid lineup will include the Police Responder Hybrid Sedan, F-150 Police Responder, Expedition SSV, F-150 SSV, Transit PTV and SSV Plug-In Hybrid Sedan.
Hybrid technology is ideal for law enforcement, urbanites – and taxpayers – because of the potential for significant idle-time fuel and cost savings. When police vehicles are stationary, a conventional gasoline engine must run continuously to power emergency lighting, radios, computers and other on-board electrical equipment. The Police Interceptor Hybrid’s powertrain allows the engine to shut off for extended periods, powering the electrical equipment via its lithium-ion battery, providing significant reductions in fuel usage and CO2 emissions.
“Significant fuel savings with improved performance and no tradeoffs in safety or interior passenger or cargo space,” says Stephen Tyler, Ford police brand marketing manager. “It’s a win-win-win formula for law enforcement.”
The 2020 model has a projected EPA-estimated rating of 24 mpg combined, a 41% improvement over the current Police Interceptor Utility equipped with a 3.7-liter gas engine.
*Projections indicate the first pursuit-rated hybrid police utility will save between $3,500 and $5,700 per vehicle annually in fuel costs versus the current Police Interceptor Utility. If those savings were applied to every Police Interceptor Utility sold in 2017, it would equate to between $118 million and $193 million, or more than 43 million gallons of fuel.
In recent testing by Michigan State Police, the Police Interceptor had the fastest 0-100 mph acceleration, fastest lap, fastest average lap and highest top speed of 137 mph, versus competitive police utility vehicles tested, including V8-powered entries. (Hint – think Dodge) The only faster entry was its cousin – Ford Police Interceptor Utility powered by a 3.0-liter EcoBoost engine.
During Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department testing, the hybrid bested the outgoing 3.7-liter model in 0-60 mph by 1.1 seconds and 0-100 mph by 4.7 seconds. It also turned the fastest lap time that was 2.4 seconds better than the 3.7-liter and the fastest average lap time that was 1.7 seconds better.
The Police Interceptor Utility platform was engineered around its lithium-ion battery, which does not intrude into the cargo area, meaning there are no tradeoffs in passenger volume, cargo volume behind the first row, cargo volume behind the second row or total interior volume – in fact, most of these measurements improve compared to the current vehicle.
The factory-installed Police Perimeter Alert uses sensors to monitor an approximately 270-degree area around the vehicle. It analyzes nearby movement to detect potentially threatening behavior. When such motion is detected, the system automatically turns on the rear camera, sounds a chime, rolls up the windows and locks the doors. Motion trails of the detected threat appear on the digital instrument cluster, so officers can monitor.
Ford also equips its new Police Interceptor Utility and Police Responder Hybrid Sedan with a Ford modem and two years of complimentary Ford Telematics service that enables timely feedback of vehicle usage and location to agency fleet managers.
Optional driver-assist technology includes Pre-Collision Assist with automatic emergency braking, which features Pedestrian Detection and forward collision warning. A unique disable switch for law enforcement allows officers to temporarily override the system to perform precision immobilization technique maneuvers – bumping – when necessary.
Additional optional equipment includes Rear Camera On-Demand, which allows officers to view behind the vehicle at the touch of a button, and a variety of factory-installed and factory-sealed wiring and lighting packages that offer agencies turnkey solutions.
Purpose-built features include heavy-duty cloth front seats with reduced bolsters for comfort and easy entry and exit. Vinyl rear seats and vinyl flooring enable easy cleanup. Anti-stab plates in the rear of the front seat backs help protect officers from potential threats.
Three powertrain options for the all-new Police Interceptor Utility include a standard 3.3-liter hybrid, plus optional 3.0-liter EcoBoost and 3.3-liter V6 engines. All are powered by a new 10-speed automatic transmission and have standard full-time Intelligent All-Wheel Drive and deep snow/sand traction control mode.
Ford Police Interceptors remain the only vehicles in the world engineered to meet Ford’s stringent 75-mph rear-impact crash standard. The federal standard for such testing is 50 mph. Additionally, safety cell construction directs collision force around the occupant compartment, and has advanced ultra-high-strength boron steel, crumple zones that absorb and dissipate crash energy, and architecture that provides structural reinforcement and side-impact protection.
Police Interceptor Utility is tested for enhanced police durability, including improved cooling, specially tuned braking system, front-door tethers, and police-specific steel wheels, tires and hubcaps that are designed to withstand the rigors of a chase. The vehicle is also tested for eight-inch curb impact, median crossing and 30-mph railroad crossing validation, and water fording to 18 inches at 15 mph and 10 inches at 40 mph.
Other standard equipment includes Bluetooth pass-through commands to mobile devices, to help officers keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel, low- and high-beam LED headlamps, four user-configurable steering wheel switches, a Class III trailer tow receiver with 5,000-pound capacity and a tilt/telescoping steering wheel.
Police Car History
The popularity of Ford police vehicles continues a history that spans nearly seven decades. In that time, Ford has outfitted law enforcement with purpose-built vehicles based on some of its most popular nameplates.
In 1950, Ford became the first manufacturer to offer a police package vehicle, focusing then – as it does now – on safety, durability, performance and the attributes of being purpose-built and upfit-friendly. The Interceptor name debuted on the optional 110-horsepower flathead V8 engine for 1951.
By 1961, 58% of police vehicles in use in the 50 largest U.S. cities were Ford models. An emphasis on delivering total performance – including driving dynamics such as acceleration, braking and cornering – continued throughout the 1960s.
The Crown Victoria name was given to the Police Interceptor in 1983. Its optional police package had an optional 351-cubic-inch 5.8-liter high-output V8 that helped make it the preferred choice of municipalities across North America for decades.
Ford discontinued the once-ubiquitous V8-equipped Crown Victoria in 2011, and since then, its new Police Interceptors – most notably, Police Interceptor Utility – have earned their way back into the business. In 2017, Ford Police Interceptor Utility alone accounted for more than half of all police vehicle sales in the United States, outselling all other police vehicles combined.
*Computed using fuel costs of $2.75 to $4.50 per gallon.
Ford Police Interceptor Claws Back the Profitable Business that Dearborn Abandoned by Killing the Crown Victoria in 2011
As of last year, the Explorer Police Interceptor accounted for nearly two-thirds of police sales in the U.S. The limousine business also abandoned when Ford killed the Lincoln Town car is another losing matter with no redemption in sight.
The all-new 2020 Police Interceptor Utility, with a standard hybrid all-wheel-drive powertrain, will save police agencies and taxpayers as much as $5,700 per vehicle annually in fuel costs* compared to the current Interceptor Utility equipped with a 3.7-liter gas engine. It’s a unique selling point in a world of meaningless marketing babble. (Blues Brothers Note: Ford Police Interceptor Fastest Cop Car)
After a bonehead decision by management to abandon the police car business in 2011 by killing the Crown Victoria, Ford has clawed its way back into leading the segment. Ford says it has found the strategy to continue courting the enforcement community – better-performing vehicles that keep officers safer and save departments and taxpayers money. It’s hardly a new concept that good product sells, but in tan industry that seems to need constant reminders that mass production and big sales is the result of mass appeal. This, of course, fits Ford Motor to the T, so to speak.
When the all-new Police Interceptor Utility takes to the streets in 2019, the hybrid lineup will include the Police Responder Hybrid Sedan, F-150 Police Responder, Expedition SSV, F-150 SSV, Transit PTV and SSV Plug-In Hybrid Sedan.
Hybrid technology is ideal for law enforcement, urbanites – and taxpayers – because of the potential for significant idle-time fuel and cost savings. When police vehicles are stationary, a conventional gasoline engine must run continuously to power emergency lighting, radios, computers and other on-board electrical equipment. The Police Interceptor Hybrid’s powertrain allows the engine to shut off for extended periods, powering the electrical equipment via its lithium-ion battery, providing significant reductions in fuel usage and CO2 emissions.
“Significant fuel savings with improved performance and no tradeoffs in safety or interior passenger or cargo space,” says Stephen Tyler, Ford police brand marketing manager. “It’s a win-win-win formula for law enforcement.”
The 2020 model has a projected EPA-estimated rating of 24 mpg combined, a 41% improvement over the current Police Interceptor Utility equipped with a 3.7-liter gas engine.
*Projections indicate the first pursuit-rated hybrid police utility will save between $3,500 and $5,700 per vehicle annually in fuel costs versus the current Police Interceptor Utility. If those savings were applied to every Police Interceptor Utility sold in 2017, it would equate to between $118 million and $193 million, or more than 43 million gallons of fuel.
In recent testing by Michigan State Police, the Police Interceptor had the fastest 0-100 mph acceleration, fastest lap, fastest average lap and highest top speed of 137 mph, versus competitive police utility vehicles tested, including V8-powered entries. (Hint – think Dodge) The only faster entry was its cousin – Ford Police Interceptor Utility powered by a 3.0-liter EcoBoost engine.
During Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department testing, the hybrid bested the outgoing 3.7-liter model in 0-60 mph by 1.1 seconds and 0-100 mph by 4.7 seconds. It also turned the fastest lap time that was 2.4 seconds better than the 3.7-liter and the fastest average lap time that was 1.7 seconds better.
The Police Interceptor Utility platform was engineered around its lithium-ion battery, which does not intrude into the cargo area, meaning there are no tradeoffs in passenger volume, cargo volume behind the first row, cargo volume behind the second row or total interior volume – in fact, most of these measurements improve compared to the current vehicle.
The factory-installed Police Perimeter Alert uses sensors to monitor an approximately 270-degree area around the vehicle. It analyzes nearby movement to detect potentially threatening behavior. When such motion is detected, the system automatically turns on the rear camera, sounds a chime, rolls up the windows and locks the doors. Motion trails of the detected threat appear on the digital instrument cluster, so officers can monitor.
Ford also equips its new Police Interceptor Utility and Police Responder Hybrid Sedan with a Ford modem and two years of complimentary Ford Telematics service that enables timely feedback of vehicle usage and location to agency fleet managers.
Optional driver-assist technology includes Pre-Collision Assist with automatic emergency braking, which features Pedestrian Detection and forward collision warning. A unique disable switch for law enforcement allows officers to temporarily override the system to perform precision immobilization technique maneuvers – bumping – when necessary.
Additional optional equipment includes Rear Camera On-Demand, which allows officers to view behind the vehicle at the touch of a button, and a variety of factory-installed and factory-sealed wiring and lighting packages that offer agencies turnkey solutions.
Purpose-built features include heavy-duty cloth front seats with reduced bolsters for comfort and easy entry and exit. Vinyl rear seats and vinyl flooring enable easy cleanup. Anti-stab plates in the rear of the front seat backs help protect officers from potential threats.
Three powertrain options for the all-new Police Interceptor Utility include a standard 3.3-liter hybrid, plus optional 3.0-liter EcoBoost and 3.3-liter V6 engines. All are powered by a new 10-speed automatic transmission and have standard full-time Intelligent All-Wheel Drive and deep snow/sand traction control mode.
Ford Police Interceptors remain the only vehicles in the world engineered to meet Ford’s stringent 75-mph rear-impact crash standard. The federal standard for such testing is 50 mph. Additionally, safety cell construction directs collision force around the occupant compartment, and has advanced ultra-high-strength boron steel, crumple zones that absorb and dissipate crash energy, and architecture that provides structural reinforcement and side-impact protection.
Police Interceptor Utility is tested for enhanced police durability, including improved cooling, specially tuned braking system, front-door tethers, and police-specific steel wheels, tires and hubcaps that are designed to withstand the rigors of a chase. The vehicle is also tested for eight-inch curb impact, median crossing and 30-mph railroad crossing validation, and water fording to 18 inches at 15 mph and 10 inches at 40 mph.
Other standard equipment includes Bluetooth pass-through commands to mobile devices, to help officers keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel, low- and high-beam LED headlamps, four user-configurable steering wheel switches, a Class III trailer tow receiver with 5,000-pound capacity and a tilt/telescoping steering wheel.
Police Car History
The popularity of Ford police vehicles continues a history that spans nearly seven decades. In that time, Ford has outfitted law enforcement with purpose-built vehicles based on some of its most popular nameplates.
In 1950, Ford became the first manufacturer to offer a police package vehicle, focusing then – as it does now – on safety, durability, performance and the attributes of being purpose-built and upfit-friendly. The Interceptor name debuted on the optional 110-horsepower flathead V8 engine for 1951.
By 1961, 58% of police vehicles in use in the 50 largest U.S. cities were Ford models. An emphasis on delivering total performance – including driving dynamics such as acceleration, braking and cornering – continued throughout the 1960s.
The Crown Victoria name was given to the Police Interceptor in 1983. Its optional police package had an optional 351-cubic-inch 5.8-liter high-output V8 that helped make it the preferred choice of municipalities across North America for decades.
Ford discontinued the once-ubiquitous V8-equipped Crown Victoria in 2011, and since then, its new Police Interceptors – most notably, Police Interceptor Utility – have earned their way back into the business. In 2017, Ford Police Interceptor Utility alone accounted for more than half of all police vehicle sales in the United States, outselling all other police vehicles combined.
*Computed using fuel costs of $2.75 to $4.50 per gallon.