03-14-2010, 09:35 PM
0
VAROOOOOOOM!! 
Ford Motor Co. is getting ready to retire the full-sized Crown Victoria sedan and, with it, the Crown Victoria Police Interceptor that is the most widely used police car in America.
Ford isn't about to give up on that market and all the sales -- and the prestige -- that it brings. So it has unveiled an all-new Police Interceptor to replace the venerable Crown Vic in 2011. The new Police Interceptor, a variation of the full-sized Taurus sedan, will be a front-wheel drive car powered by a choice of two V6 engines.
Ford promises its police customers won't want for power or performance, though, but they will save money on gas compared to the big rear-wheel-drive Crown Vic.Competition's already heating up. General Motors is getting ready roll out the Chevrolet Caprice PPV, a police-only model imported from Australia, and a start-up company, Carbon Motors, is preparing its own diesel-powered police-specific model.
Despite having a 3.5-liter V6 compared to the 6.0-liter V8 that will be in GM's upcoming police car, the Ford Police Interceptor is available with slightly more horsepower.
Police departments that opt for Ford's twin-turbocharged EcoBoost engine will get 365 horsepower compared to 355 in the Chevy Caprice PPV. And Ford promises 25% better fuel economy compared to today's Crown Victoria Police Interceptor.
The new Ford will also have a heavy-duty six-speed transmission and full-time all-wheel-drive as well as bigger heavy-duty brakes.
The Crown Victoria came under criticism years ago after crashes in which some police cars burst into flames following rear-end collisions. That's a particular danger for police cars which are commonly stopped right alongside high-speed highways.
Ford responded by beefing up the Crown Vic's rear crash protection and adding a fire suppression system. Today, Ford boasts that the Crown Vic is the only police car to pass 75 mile per hour rear-end crash testing.
The new Police Interceptor is, likewise, engineered to protect against high-speed rear hits. It's designed to protect against more than just crashes, though. The front seatbacks have anti-stab inserts to protect against attacks from back-seat occupants.
ford_police_interceptor3.jpg (Size: 76.44 KB / Downloads: 0)
ford_police_interceptor2.jpg (Size: 76.21 KB / Downloads: 0)
Ford Motor Co. is getting ready to retire the full-sized Crown Victoria sedan and, with it, the Crown Victoria Police Interceptor that is the most widely used police car in America.
Ford isn't about to give up on that market and all the sales -- and the prestige -- that it brings. So it has unveiled an all-new Police Interceptor to replace the venerable Crown Vic in 2011. The new Police Interceptor, a variation of the full-sized Taurus sedan, will be a front-wheel drive car powered by a choice of two V6 engines.
Ford promises its police customers won't want for power or performance, though, but they will save money on gas compared to the big rear-wheel-drive Crown Vic.Competition's already heating up. General Motors is getting ready roll out the Chevrolet Caprice PPV, a police-only model imported from Australia, and a start-up company, Carbon Motors, is preparing its own diesel-powered police-specific model.
Despite having a 3.5-liter V6 compared to the 6.0-liter V8 that will be in GM's upcoming police car, the Ford Police Interceptor is available with slightly more horsepower.
Police departments that opt for Ford's twin-turbocharged EcoBoost engine will get 365 horsepower compared to 355 in the Chevy Caprice PPV. And Ford promises 25% better fuel economy compared to today's Crown Victoria Police Interceptor.
The new Ford will also have a heavy-duty six-speed transmission and full-time all-wheel-drive as well as bigger heavy-duty brakes.
The Crown Victoria came under criticism years ago after crashes in which some police cars burst into flames following rear-end collisions. That's a particular danger for police cars which are commonly stopped right alongside high-speed highways.
Ford responded by beefing up the Crown Vic's rear crash protection and adding a fire suppression system. Today, Ford boasts that the Crown Vic is the only police car to pass 75 mile per hour rear-end crash testing.
The new Police Interceptor is, likewise, engineered to protect against high-speed rear hits. It's designed to protect against more than just crashes, though. The front seatbacks have anti-stab inserts to protect against attacks from back-seat occupants.
ford_police_interceptor3.jpg (Size: 76.44 KB / Downloads: 0)
ford_police_interceptor2.jpg (Size: 76.21 KB / Downloads: 0)