All-New Ford Police Interceptors Challenge Competitors

[russellw]

• Ford readies for the launch of its all-new Police Interceptors with an action-packed web-based video series
• Four experienced law enforcement officers from the US and Canada put the Police Interceptors and the competition through real-world police manoeuvres
• Interceptor sedan and SUV are purpose built to give law enforcement agencies a comprehensive choice of pursuit vehicles

Ford, the leader in the police vehicle market in North America, has put the company's all-new Police Interceptor sedan and utility up against the competition.

In six action-packed web-based short videos, the vehicles are shown undergoing rigorous testing against their key US competitors.
Cameras rolling, Ford turns its all-new Police Interceptors, which debut in North America later this year, over to the authorities for a series of competitive driving exercises against the Chevrolet Tahoe PPV and Dodge Charger Pursuit, proving that Ford's Police Interceptors are up for any challenge.

Officers test Interceptor power and performance on a giant skid pad flooded with water to simulate slick conditions, capability and durability in the 'Dog Bone' gravel pit, and acceleration, handling and braking tests on a tight, aggressive cone course.

"We set out to develop our new Police Interceptors to not only meet the current leader – our own Crown Victoria – but to exceed it and the competition," Ford Police Interceptor marketing manager, Lisa Teed, said.
"As we prepare for one of the biggest launches in our history of developing police vehicles, we're committed to remaining the nation's largest provider. These videos prove our new vehicles are purpose-built, capable, and deliver the safety, technology and performance officers need to excel at their jobs," she said.

Rigorously tested, police-tuned
Proven on and off camera, Ford's Police Interceptor sedan and SUV have been put through their paces, undergoing a battery of torture tests to ensure the vehicles' individual components can hold up to rigorous driving.
Certification testing designed by the Michigan State Police and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department proved out the durability and capability of the vehicles through a variety of punishing tracks.

Meeting a spectrum of needs
With the launch of the all-new sedan and SUV Police Interceptor, Ford now provides a complete package of performance and capability designed to meet the diverse and ever-increasing needs of law enforcement agencies across North America.
Ford's pursuit-rated utility brings versatility to law enforcement in times where resources are constrained and agencies have to do more with less.
Ford's portfolio provides departments with the ability to select the vehicle that best meets their needs. Agencies can now select from a combination of two bodystyles, all-wheel drive (AWD) or front-wheel drive (FWD), and multiple powertrains delivering at least 20 per cent more fuel efficiency than the 4.6-litre single-overhead-cam (SOHC) V8 offered in the current Crown Victoria Police Interceptor.

Ford's new Police Interceptor SUV is equipped with the highly efficient 3.7-litre V6 engine. This Ti-VCT engine, delivering at least 224kW and E85 compatibility, is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission that combines lowered initial gears for improved off-the-line acceleration and higher gearing for improved efficiency at lower engine rpm when cruising.

For the sedan, officers will have their choice of a highly capable 3.5-litre V6 engine delivering at least 208kW and E85 compatibility, or the 3.5-litre EcoBoost™ V6 twin-turbocharged, direct-injection engine delivering at least 272kW and 474Nm of torque across a broad rpm range.

Both Ford Police Interceptors will be manufactured at Ford's Chicago Assembly Plant and will debut in North America after production of the Crown Victoria Police Interceptor ends at the end of 2011.

To check out the video links:
Ford Police Interceptor Official Test Drive 1 – Performance & Handling:
Officers test power and performance on the handling course in Ford Police Interceptor sedans with standard 3.5-litre V6 and optional twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6, and the Ford Police Interceptor utility with 3.7-litre V6

Ford Police Interceptor Official Test Drive 2 – Wet Pad:
On a giant skid pad flooded with water, officers push the limits of handling and control in a Ford Police Interceptor sedan and utility, Chevrolet Tahoe PPV and Dodge Charger Pursuit

Ford Police Interceptor Official Test Drive 3 – Dog Bone:
The capability of the all-wheel-drive, pursuit-rated Ford Police Interceptor sedan and SUV are demonstrated in the 'Dog Bone' gravel pit

Ford Police Interceptor Official Test Drive 4 – City Pursuit:
Officers test the acceleration, handling and braking of the Ford Police Interceptor sedan and SUV, the Chevrolet Tahoe PPV and Dodge Charger Pursuit on a tight, aggressive cone course

Ford Police Interceptor Official Test Drive 5 – Officer Protection:
The next-generation Ford Police Interceptor is built to protect officers in the event of a crash, and engineered to help them avoid a crash before it happens

Ford Police Interceptor Official Test Drive 6 – Purpose Built:
Two distinct Ford Police Interceptor models, on one common platform, are designed and engineered from the ground up to help officers do their jobs better

[csv8]

That looks like a Tezza !!! be interesting to see a road test against the Holden Stato Police car! Good to see Ford AMERICA with new engines..while we wait and wait and wait...Ford have put a lot of effort into the new Interceptor, lets hope Ford Oz has done the same with FG2.!!

[mik]

they look to be bloody good, it will be interesting to see them in the field doing the job,and the interchange of parts is well thought out too. ford cop cars FTW.

[LeadFoot81]

Impressive, most impressive.

[Streets]

But why can't the police just have regular cars what about tax payers money boo hoo hoo hoo

[1TUFFUTE]

whats not regular about those cars....just because they r all stickered up and are the new model with new engines. Te whole car has been designed to be CHEAP. Running costs..gear changeover...weight..servicing and so on. Now compare that to aus police who buy top of the line HSVs...now dont get me started about wasting our tax payers money on them

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by 1TUFFUTE

whats not regular about those cars....just because they r all stickered up and are the new model with new engines. Te whole car has been designed to be CHEAP. Running costs..gear changeover...weight..servicing and so on. Now compare that to aus police who buy top of the line HSVs...now dont get me started about wasting our tax payers money on them

The difference is the cost and that most police departments expect 120,000
miles out of their car, be able to perform PITT Manoeuvre on errant drivers.
Taurus shares the same floorpan and running gear with Explorer so is basically an SUV with a sedan body.

Our Aussie car have much lighter frames and cannot handle the impacts expected of these vehicles.

[Jim Goose]

Originally Posted by 1TUFFUTE

whats not regular about those cars....just because they r all stickered up and are the new model with new engines. Te whole car has been designed to be CHEAP. Running costs..gear changeover...weight..servicing and so on. Now compare that to aus police who buy top of the line HSVs...now dont get me started about wasting our tax payers money on them

Yes fancy wanting the best equipment for Police... Ambos, Firemen, defence etc..... total waste of money.

[Franco Cozzo]

That was an awesome advertising campaign, very good.

[Buntz]

Funny how they didn't test the FWD models in the dirt or wet. Of which they intend to sell along side the AWD models. Expect to see stories of US cops driving the FWD models who thought: "Aha... they think they can out run me off road.... this here new Ford is ace off road.".

Wha, wha, wha, whawhawhawhawha.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Buntz93ED

Funny how they didn't test the FWD models in the dirt or wet. Of which they intend to sell along side the AWD models. Expect to see stories of US cops driving the FWD models who thought: "Aha... they think they can out run me off road.... this here new Ford is ace off road.".

Wha, wha, wha, whawhawhawhawha.

The versions being offered to police as PIs and Squad cars are AWDs,
the FWDs are optional and intended as as support staff vehicles.

We often forget that most of the US population lives in the North East where a lot of snow falls
in the winter months, AWD has a big advantage there as does FWD over RWD, allowing
the driver to have weight over the driving and steering wheels.

[Buntz]

Originally Posted by jpd80

The versions being offered to police as PIs and Squad cars are AWDs,
the FWDs are optional and intended as as support staff vehicles.

We often forget that most of the US population lives in the North East where a lot of snow falls
in the winter months, AWD has a big advantage there as does FWD over RWD, allowing
the driver to have weight over the driving and steering wheels.

Nopt according to the OP. They have their choice of either drive train.

If I were in America... i'd befriend some Americans to sit in the back for traction. About three or four hundred kilo's of traction would do. So two Americans. :P

[Ohio XB]

Originally Posted by 1TUFFUTE

whats not regular about those cars....just because they r all stickered up and are the new model with new engines. Te whole car has been designed to be CHEAP. Running costs..gear changeover...weight..servicing and so on. Now compare that to aus police who buy top of the line HSVs...now dont get me started about wasting our tax payers money on them

What's not regular? A lot.

You and I drive to work, get out of the vehicle and walk into a building. Then we drive home. We may drive another hour or two sometimes to run errands. A patrol officer's place of work is his Police car. He is in it for at least 8 hours a day, and among all shifts the car is probably on the road 20 hours a day. It needs to be built in a way that enables the car to last longer than a regular consumer car which will not be driven so much in so short a time. The engine has extra cooling, a high output alternator to handle all of the extra electrical demand, and much more. The seats are designed to be comfortable for 8 hours and also accomodate the officer's equipment on his belt.

The brakes are HUGE to accomodate severe stopping at extended durations.

The rims are wider than stock with performance tires for traction in all conditions.

The Crown Vic Interceptor has it's own floorpan which is reinforced and made from heavier gauge steel to strengthen the car for impacts and increased vehicle rigidity. The new Police Interceptor should have an equivalent type floorpan. Also the Crown Vic version has additional welds for strength. I would expect the new Interceptor to have them as well.

The old and new Interceptors are certified to withstand a 70 MPH rear end crash. This has happened too many times here and is highly desired by law enforcement. I don't believe a regular Taurus will handle such a crash.

There are even more differences (suspension, bumpers, etc.) but these are what I can think of off the top of my head.

Here in the US we expect law enforcement and emergency vehicles to be built with additional equipment and superior components. This enables the cars to last longer meaning fewer purchases of fleets with tax dollars. It also helps to keep these people safer while working in extreme situations. They have families to go home to too.


The vehicles are available in FWD and AWD. FWD will cost less and be a better choice for cities like mine (populations of 30K to 60K) where there is a lot of city driving. The initial cost will be lower, the weight is less which means better fuel economy, and will meet the needs of the officers "in town."

I would imagine most jurisdictions will have some AWD vehicles. There are others which will have all AWD vehicles, perhaps like the State Highway Patrol.

Here in the NE where the snow flies a FWD vehicle does great. Those who did not grow up in the age where RWD was the norm panic when driving a RWD car in the snow for the first time. There is that much of a difference in traction. I had a 1996 Ford Aspire, your Fiesta, and never got stuck in the snow. The engine being over the driving wheels is a serious benefit.


These cars are not designed to be cheap, but they are designed to be efficient in cost. Interchangeability in parts was considered. The space between the front seats is the same 9 inches as the Crown Vic, which enables the equipment from the Crown Vics to be installed in the new Interceptors, saving the cost of buying all new equipment mounting hardware.

The Interceptor and the SUV use the same size tires and rims.

When a driver gets out of the Interceptor and into the SUV the interior design is identical as is the reach to everything. This makes each vehicle completely familiar with no fumbling around to find anything. There is no "adapting" needed to function in the vehicle.


Steve

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Buntz93ED

Nopt according to the OP. They have their choice of either drive train.

Yes they do, but talking directly with dealers who have police department
contracts, I can tell you that Ford is pushing AWD as the primary vehicles
and FWD as the option, not the other way around.
It's great to have contacts and get the real story like V6 Charger being sold for $18,000,
Chrysler is giving cars away trying to break into the market but their reliability sucks and a
lot of officers aren't big fans, many depts that switched to Chargers are going back to Crown Vics.

If I were in America... i'd befriend some Americans to sit in the back for traction. About three or four hundred kilo's of traction would do. So two Americans. :P

The Ford AWD system can direct up to 90% of the torque to the rear wheels
on launch and then continuously varies the split depending on load and traction.

So in essence, hard launching on a dry road turns the the AWDs
into quasi RWDs.... A bit like friends with benefits...

[Buntz]

Originally Posted by jpd80

The Ford AWD system can direct up to 90% of the torque to the rear wheels
on launch and then continuously varies the split depending on load and traction.

So in essence, hard launching on a dry road turns the the AWDs
into quasi RWDs.... A bit like friends with benefits...

I'm still not a fan of the transverse on demand system though.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Buntz93ED

I'm still not a fan of the transverse on demand system though.

It needs to be put in a better car for a start, one with a sedan floor pan and
one preferably designed by Ford Australia or at least a healthy input from them.

Make it drive and perform like an Audi and then perhaps people might consider it...

[NAFairlane]

i reckon they are brilliant, also great to see the have switched to a more efficent and more advanced engine rather than just getting a 5.8 litre v8 and sticking it in. They look brilliant too, i'd love to see that sedan here with the ecoboost engine, tune it a little and you competition for the Mazda 6 MPS and dare i say it, the WRX, that thing would be a rocket!! especially in the wet.

The other thing that intrigues me.......could that AWD system be adapted to fit the Falcon in a couple generations..........

[jpd80]

This from a fleet dealer friend of mine in the USA:

Ford realizes the AWD version is going to be their bread & butter. No one wants a FWD around here, no matter how tough Ford says it will be. My guess is a few admin cars will be bought with FWD, and more non-Eco Boost AWD's, with larger dept's getting the Eco Boost. It's all going to come down to price...If they are higher than everyone else, they won't sell.

I'm in a weird predicament at this time, due to no more CVPI's, and no NGPI's until the end of the year! I only have about 30 to last, but we're not moving too many now. It will be interesting to say the least!

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by NAFairlane

i reckon they are brilliant, also great to see the have switched to a more efficent and more advanced engine rather than just getting a 5.8 litre v8 and sticking it in. They look brilliant too, i'd love to see that sedan here with the ecoboost engine, tune it a little and you competition for the Mazda 6 MPS and dare i say it, the WRX, that thing would be a rocket!! especially in the wet.

The other thing that intrigues me.......could that AWD system be adapted to fit the Falcon in a couple generations..........

Mazda 6 MPS hasn't been available for a few years now, and the new 6 won't have an MPS version.

[Road Games]

Next Falcon anyone ?? The Tezza looks TUFF as also ...

Daz..x..

[Buntz]

Originally Posted by jpd80

It needs to be put in a better car for a start, one with a sedan floor pan and
one preferably designed by Ford Australia or at least a healthy input from them.

Make it drive and perform like an Audi and then perhaps people might consider it...

I think FoA will put it off until the next time Falcon needs replacing... so they can turn local production around.

We need to see what LPi. XR8, and EB do for falcon before consigning it to history.

[NAFairlane]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Mazda 6 MPS hasn't been available for a few years now, and the new 6 won't have an MPS version.

i know lol, still have a love of them though. There are quite a few around. And they go well

[1TUFFUTE]

Originally Posted by Ohio XB

What's not regular? A lot.

You and I drive to work, get out of the vehicle and walk into a building. Then we drive home. We may drive another hour or two sometimes to run errands. A patrol officer's place of work is his Police car. He is in it for at least 8 hours a day, and among all shifts the car is probably on the road 20 hours a day. It needs to be built in a way that enables the car to last longer than a regular consumer car which will not be driven so much in so short a time. The engine has extra cooling, a high output alternator to handle all of the extra electrical demand, and much more. The seats are designed to be comfortable for 8 hours and also accomodate the officer's equipment on his belt.

The brakes are HUGE to accomodate severe stopping at extended durations.

The rims are wider than stock with performance tires for traction in all conditions.

The Crown Vic Interceptor has it's own floorpan which is reinforced and made from heavier gauge steel to strengthen the car for impacts and increased vehicle rigidity. The new Police Interceptor should have an equivalent type floorpan. Also the Crown Vic version has additional welds for strength. I would expect the new Interceptor to have them as well.

The old and new Interceptors are certified to withstand a 70 MPH rear end crash. This has happened too many times here and is highly desired by law enforcement. I don't believe a regular Taurus will handle such a crash.

There are even more differences (suspension, bumpers, etc.) but these are what I can think of off the top of my head.

Here in the US we expect law enforcement and emergency vehicles to be built with additional equipment and superior components. This enables the cars to last longer meaning fewer purchases of fleets with tax dollars. It also helps to keep these people safer while working in extreme situations. They have families to go home to too.


The vehicles are available in FWD and AWD. FWD will cost less and be a better choice for cities like mine (populations of 30K to 60K) where there is a lot of city driving. The initial cost will be lower, the weight is less which means better fuel economy, and will meet the needs of the officers "in town."

I would imagine most jurisdictions will have some AWD vehicles. There are others which will have all AWD vehicles, perhaps like the State Highway Patrol.

Here in the NE where the snow flies a FWD vehicle does great. Those who did not grow up in the age where RWD was the norm panic when driving a RWD car in the snow for the first time. There is that much of a difference in traction. I had a 1996 Ford Aspire, your Fiesta, and never got stuck in the snow. The engine being over the driving wheels is a serious benefit.


These cars are not designed to be cheap, but they are designed to be efficient in cost. Interchangeability in parts was considered. The space between the front seats is the same 9 inches as the Crown Vic, which enables the equipment from the Crown Vics to be installed in the new Interceptors, saving the cost of buying all new equipment mounting hardware.

The Interceptor and the SUV use the same size tires and rims.

When a driver gets out of the Interceptor and into the SUV the interior design is identical as is the reach to everything. This makes each vehicle completely familiar with no fumbling around to find anything. There is no "adapting" needed to function in the vehicle.


Steve

my point was that the car was designd cheaply for what it is and will do the jog exceptionally well for the police...whereas a over priced speed machine which costs a fortune and does nothing for officers in a regular police issue way except go fast.......hence HSVs are a waste of money.....those police cars are NOT a waste

[Jim Goose]

Originally Posted by 1TUFFUTE

my point was that the car was designd cheaply for what it is and will do the jog exceptionally well for the police...whereas a over priced speed machine which costs a fortune and does nothing for officers in a regular police issue way except go fast.......hence HSVs are a waste of money.....those police cars are NOT a waste

That may well be true, but how much of a market does Ford Australia have (or Holden) to develop a special model just for Police work here?

How much would a few hundred cars per year as opposed to tens of thousands of cars cost?

Its all very well to say its a waste of money.... how about you look at it in the other direction and work out how much it would cost to make a custom model here in australia

[Buntz]

Originally Posted by Ohio XB

The vehicles are available in FWD and AWD. FWD will cost less and be a better choice for cities like mine (populations of 30K to 60K) where there is a lot of city driving. The initial cost will be lower, the weight is less which means better fuel economy, and will meet the needs of the officers "in town."

I would imagine most jurisdictions will have some AWD vehicles. There are others which will have all AWD vehicles, perhaps like the State Highway Patrol.

Here in the NE where the snow flies a FWD vehicle does great. Those who did not grow up in the age where RWD was the norm panic when driving a RWD car in the snow for the first time. There is that much of a difference in traction. I had a 1996 Ford Aspire, your Fiesta, and never got stuck in the snow. The engine being over the driving wheels is a serious benefit.

So why no demonstration videos of police testing the FWD models? Surely they'll need practice in them as well for chasing down baddies in the city?

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Buntz93ED

So why no demonstration videos of police testing the FWD models? Surely they'll need practice in them as well for chasing down baddies in the city?

My fleet dealer friend in the US says that Ford are pushing AWd versions as the bread and butter car and that FWD vehicles are more for Administration vehicles, none of the patrol cops really want just FWD, Ford knows it no matter how much they want to spin otherwise, they have to offer AWD to get PDs interested.

[Buntz]

Originally Posted by jpd80

My fleet dealer friend in the US says that Ford are pushing AWd versions as the bread and butter car and that FWD vehicles are more for Administration vehicles, none of the patrol cops really want just FWD, Ford knows it no matter how much they want to spin otherwise, they have to offer AWD to get PDs interested.

Yes but if they're selling FWD PD cars all the same... then the cops need to test them too. And Ford haven't released any promo's of those trials.So the FWD's under recommendation or not could be selected as a patrol vehicle. A swaying factor in them doing just that would be cost. As I understand the cops need them to be cheap too. I realise that the Interceptor's have been cut down significantly in spec... and I don't know how much that will cut it's cost from a production SHO. But Holden will be charging $30'995 USD for the Caprice. That's one model, one layout, one engine.

Production SHO 38 grand. So I hope Ford has cut it down enough... where the extra for AWD won't be an issue. But what if they buy the FWD's in bulk because they're cheap... and they have a limited fleet budget?

For Ford's sake... that FWD Interceptor better haul and handle.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Buntz93ED

Yes but if they're selling FWD PD cars all the same... then the cops need to test them too.

No they don't because those vehicles will not be pursuit rated in any case and merely offered as support staff vehicles.
The main game is AWD, the PDs know that and are not interested in FWD as interceptors, maybe urban squad cars...

[Chilliman]

I'm impressed. Just imagine how much better these cars will be once they move to the lighter CD4 platform (at least Taurus anyway). If Ford Australia can just snare local production maybe they could offer, for the first time in Australia, a purpose built police vehicle?

I also note that they've bumped up the naturally aspirated 3.5Litre's power from 196kW (263hp) to 209kW (280hp).

[Joe5619]

Originally Posted by Buntz93ED

So why no demonstration videos of police testing the FWD models? Surely they'll need practice in them as well for chasing down baddies in the city?

It was a Ford PR stunt.. You want to put your best foot forward, not the 2nd best!!