Ford has begun producing the company's two new Police Interceptor models. According to Ward's Auto, both the Taurus and Explorer-based cruisers are rolling off of the line at the automaker's Chicago Assembly Plant. All told, the sedan variant has accounted for around 60 percent of orders so far. Currently, the law enforcement market is Ford's to lose: Dearborn has controlled up to 70 percent of police car sales in the U.S. with its now defunct Crown Victoria in the past.

 

Any word on what's under the hood of the tarus? I wonder if SHO is an option for the police interceptor?

As much as I love to support Ford, it's my understanding that the dodge charger is what most of the departments are leaning towards right now. Nothing has more of the things they want at a better price right now. Plus a lot of the police departments want a rear wheel drive platform for their patrol cars.

 

The Ford Falcon would have been the best choice...

 

3.5L 290 hp FWD
3.5L EcoBoost 365 hp AWD

 

Wow, that sucks... for us! I like the matte though.

 

Just like in Robocop!

 

On what planet? The one where Ford really wants to lose money on its police cars?

 

^^^Yeah, the Police Package Caprice has been an unmitigated disaster for GM, so much so that they have already reduced capacity for the same in Oz. To be fair I don't think Ford would have the same export/import problems GM does due to superior management at the former. However, Chevy didn't have to engineer a lhd version of the car and Ford absolutely would have run into the same exchange rate issue GM has. Throw in the fact that the Falcon is just plain expensive and you have a pretty good case to stay away.

I've softened on my opinion regarding a lhd Falcon somewhat, but this wouldn't be the application to test the waters with.

 

City of Chicago Places Order for 500 Ford Police Interceptors

http://wot.motortrend.com/chicago-bo...rs-173061.html


Ford has long cornered the cop-car market with the old Crown Victoria, but now that the aging sedan has been put out to pasture, police departments must find new cruisers. The City of Chicago will continue to use Ford vehicles, and mayor Rahm Emanuel today announced that Chicago plans to buy 500 new examples of the Ford Police Interceptor police cars. It’s a fitting choice, given that the vehicles are built just south of the City at Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant.
Though Chicago has committed to ordering 500 police cars from Ford, the city hasn’t yet determined what proportion of those will be sedan versus Utility models. The Police Interceptor sedan is based on the Ford Taurus, while the Police Interceptor Utility is based on the Explorer crossover. Both of the police cars are upgraded with features like stab-resistant seats, column shifters to make more space for gear in the center console, unique hinges to allow the rear doors to open wider, larger brakes, an enlarged engine radiator, and a heavy-duty alternator.
A Ford spokesman said that over 1200 law-enforcement agencies nationwide have ordered the new Police Interceptor models so far. He noted that the Ford Crown Victoria was America’s dominant police car for over 15 years, until the model was phased out last year.
The Ford Police Interceptor sedan is powered either by a 3.5-liter V-6 with 280 hp, or Ford’s EcoBoost twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6 with 365 hp. In recent testing, the Michigan State Police found the EcoBoost-powered sedan could charge to 60 mph (in pursuit of criminals, of course) in as little as 5.92 seconds. The Police Interceptor Utility receives a 3.5-liter V-6 engine rated for 300 hp, which the Michigan State Police found could complete the 0-to-60-mph dash in 8.01 seconds.
Both of Ford’s new police cars went into production at the Chicago plant last month, adding over 230 jobs at the plant that already employs 2646 people. The Chicago Assembly Plant also builds civilian versions of the Ford Taurus and Ford Explorer, as well as the Lincoln MKS.
Source: Ford

 

Watching the PI succeed while the Caprice spins its wheels makes me sooo happy. There are some sad Lutz-ites out there.

 

Lets hope the PI proves to be very reliable and inexpensive to operate.

We have way to many chargers in both civi and police guise. I'd certainly welcome a set of headlights that are easy to pickout when I'm looking in my rearview mirror

 

I had a V6 Charger patrol car and it was junk. If they haven't improved any then they can keep them. It took way too long to shift gears. If I put it in drive, I wanna go now! Not when some computer says it's okay. It was faster to go around the block than to try and turn around. Brakes didn't last long at all. No low end grunt. I will give it praise for high speed handling. It was rock solid at 130mph.

My department bought a whole years worth of extra CVPI's so we are getting some test units from each manufacturer before deciding on what's next.

 

You can count me as one of them, if for no other reason than it makes me wonder what America has a against domestic V8 RWD 4d performance sedans and wagons?

 

Cadillac CTS and XTS, Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger. That's pretty much it.

 

I think the current Taurus is too big on the outside too small on the inside to be considered a strong contender in the consumer market. But as a Police Intercepter, on looks alone it kicks ****.

 

Ya know what, I think you're exactly right. I drove a new Taurus at work yesterday and today and there was something about it that I didn't really like but I couldn't put my finger on it. But it's what you said about the size. It's a big car but the interior feels small. The center console is too tall and wide and the dash is too big. Although I do like the shape of the dash, it sort of pays homage to the mustang dash. Overall it felt very cramped inside compared to other cars in it's class.

I have driven a SHO, though and loved it. It was so much fun to drive that I could overlook the other issues.