- The 2013 Ford Police Interceptors have begun a tough round of testing at the hands of police and the early results say they are "pursuit-rated."
- Ford said the Ford Police Interceptor sedan and utility vehicles passed stringent Michigan State Police tests on Tuesday.
- The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department will conduct a second round of testing on the Ford Police Interceptors in November.
DEARBORN, Michigan — The 2013 Ford Police Interceptors have begun a tough round of testing at the hands of police, and the early results say they are "pursuit-rated."
Ford said the Ford Police Interceptor sedan and utility vehicles passed stringent Michigan State Police tests on Tuesday.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department will conduct a second round of testing on the Ford Police Interceptors in November.
There was a certain amount of trash talking aimed at General Motors in Ford's recounting of the Michigan State Police testing of the Interceptors.
"Of special note was the performance of the Police Interceptor Utility, which not only outperformed the Chevrolet Tahoe but held its own amongst the sedans," Ford said in a statement.
Ford noted that the Ford Police Interceptor Utility "excelled in zero-60 acceleration, braking and handling over the two-day testing," but it did not disclose specific results. It said that the Interceptors are "the only vehicles certified to pass 75 mph rear collisions." Optional ballistic door panels are designed to protect police from gunshots.
The Ford Police Interceptor sedan is equipped with a 280-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 engine, a major shift away from the 4.6-liter V8 in the outgoing Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor. The Ford Police Interceptor utility is equipped with a 300-hp 3.7-liter V6.
Inside Line says: Be forewarned.
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clim72 says:
12:09 AM, 10/04/2011
Police agencies across the country are experiencing major quality problems with the new Chargers. Two friends of mine are Police officers, one city, one county, in Arizona, and they both said they enjoy driving the Chargers, but they are not as dependable as the Ford or Chevy interceptors. A recent USA Today article read that Chargers require more maintenance than the Crown Vics, and the Impalas.
tbone85 says:
06:51 AM, 09/24/2011
AWD has some good applications in the midwest and NE. It would make sense for departments there to mix in some platforms other than RWD.
pei_asdf says:
10:31 AM, 09/22/2011
What ever happened to the special built police car that will use BMW engine?
run_and_drive says:
08:47 AM, 09/22/2011
I'm with northsparrow. The police departments will stick to RWD offerings. We're already seeing it in my area. All the new police cars are Dodge Chargers.
Every once in a while you'll see a Chevy Impala or last-gen Ford Taurus police car, but more often they're used by the Park Service or something.
paulvincent1 says:
06:50 AM, 09/22/2011
I read elsewhere that all Ford pursuit rated PI come standard with AWD unless FWD is optional. The EcoBoost produces 365 horsepower and 350 lb.-ft. of torque. So much for the Caprice.
zohsic says:
11:46 PM, 09/21/2011
Give me the Caprice
northsparrow says:
04:42 PM, 09/21/2011
I'm sticking with an earlier prediction, the new Taurus Police Interceptor will do a face plant as police departments across the continent switch to GM and Chrysler RWD models.
Goodbye Crown Vic and goodbye market share.
threemopars says:
02:51 PM, 09/21/2011
Ecoboost engine is OPTIONAL on the sedan.
zoomzoomn says:
02:46 PM, 09/21/2011
I think that the Ecoboost was going to be listed as an option, but may have been deleted due to cost/maintenance/premium fuel considerations?
bankerdanny says:
02:21 PM, 09/21/2011
I thought the sedan used the 360hp Ecoboost engine from the SHO.