The new Police Interceptor will be based on the Tauras, the company's popular (and recently redesigned) front- and all-wheel-drive sedan. “Police nationwide asked for a new kind of weapon in the battle for public safety, and Ford is answering the call with a purpose-built vehicle – engineered and built in America – that’s as dynamic as it is durable,” said Mark Fields, Ford president of The Americas.
The new Taurus-based police car comes on the heels of safety concerns about the old Crown Victoria-based vehicle, which was faulted for its fuel-tank design and location. Law enforcement officials said the cars were to blame for fires resulting from rear-end collisions. Ford later offered a fire suppressions system for their fuel tanks and a protective shell around the trunk itself which prevented items inside from piercing through into the tank. The new Taurus-based model passes a brand-new 75-mph rear-end crash test, something Ford claims no other law enforcement vehicle can do.
Ford will offer law enforcement two different engines, but in a surprise move indicative of the times, no V-8 engine will be offered. Vehicles will be outfitted with either a 3.5-liter V-6 (263 hp) or the 3.5-liter Ecoboost twin-turbo V-6 (365 hp). In keeping with the efficiency theme, the Ecoboost cars come equipped with a six-speed transmission. Current Taurus EPA fuel economy puts the sedan at 18 city / 28 highway, but given the added weight on the police unit, fuel economy will likely drop by a few miles per gallon.
Ford insists their new V-6 engines offer the power of a V-8 with the efficiency of a smaller engine. Letting the numbers tell the story, the V-6 Ecoboost has significantly more power than today's Crown Victoria PI with its modular V-8 engine. The Crown Victoria's V-8 pumped out a comparably smaller 239 horses, a difference of more than 100 hp against the new Ecoboost V-6.
