If you’ve been in the habit of keeping an eye out for cops driving Ford’s iconic Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, you might want to recalibrate your eagle eyes. Ford recently debuted their next-generation cop car and for the first time in decades, the car won’t be based on the popular rear-drive sedan. The new Police Interceptor will be based on the Taurus, the company’s popular (and recently redesigned) front- and all-wheel-drive sedan.
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.
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