A new SUV will be showing up at those 11-95s, routine traffic stops, checking for those 10-30s, things that don't conform to regulations, now that Ford has refreshed its Police Interceptor Utility.
Ford is preparing to debut its 2016 Police Interceptor Utility at the Chicago Auto Show and the crossover SUV's refresh appears to be 10-4a, good. Ford's Police Interceptor Utility has claimed 55 percent of the U.S. market for law enforcement vehicles, the automaker says, since its 2012 debut. The auto show runs Feb. 14-22.
"Our Police Interceptor Utility is the best-selling police vehicle in America because we have a unique relationship with our customers," says Jonathan Honeycutt, Ford North American marketing manager for police vehicles. "By listening to the Ford Police Advisory Board, we have engineered a vehicle that officers love."
Many of the changes rolled out in the new police SUV have already hit the streets in the consumer version of the vehicle. And after consumers tested the new features in their daily commutes and weekend getaways, the Police Advisory Board of law enforcement professionals collaborated with Ford to determine what was needed for the policing version of the crossovers.
"From the heavy-duty suspension and powertrain offerings, to the unique steering and transmission calibrations, Ford Police Interceptor Utility is built to provide any law enforcement agency a vehicle ready to meet extremely demanding needs," says Arie Groeneveld, chief engineer for the new police vehicle.
The new Police Interceptor Utility features a rearview camera standard, which feeds video to a four-inch screen in the vehicle's console. There's also a surveillance system that alerts officers when someone is approaching the vehicle.
The refreshed police version of the Ford Explorer will be offered with a 3.7-liter V6 engine, that produces 304 horsepower and about 279 pound-foot of torque, and a 3.5 liter EcoBoost version that delivers 365 horsepower with about 350 pound-foot of torque.
Both of the available engines can be set for "pursuit" mode, which discards fuel economy in favor of maximum performance -- the engines will ease out of pursuit mode when they sense the cessation in the driver's aggression. Pursuit mode also is also tuned to enhance the J-turn, a maneuver in which the back end of the vehicle is swung around while in reverse to position drivers for heading in the opposite direction.
Other features rolled out in the 2016 Police Interceptor Utility include a ballistic shield fitted in the driver and passenger side doors, Ford's hands-free Sync system and Ford's Blind Spot Information System.
