REPORT: Ford Police Interceptor to go FWD or AWD?
It's hard to turn away as loyal customer base as Ford has for its Police Interceptors, but the writing is on the wall for the Ford Crown Victoria, and has been for some time. The full-size sedan is based on Jurassic-era technology, and as of last year, it was taken off the consumer market and is available essentially only by fleet purchase for police, taxis and such. But even those are reportedly slated to be discontinued by 2011 (as are the Mercury Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town Car). With the Crown Vic still worth 65,000 units annually, Ford isn't keen to leave the segment to the competition.
At the Detroit Auto Show two years ago, Ford showed the Interceptor concept, but sources suggest that it was never meant for production. And with the cancellation of the Blue Oval's rear-wheel-drive platform, Ford is reportedly looking at front- and all-wheel drive options over the long term. Could that include the new Taurus? Possibly, but so far Ford's not saying, and besides, that would conflict with the Blue Oval's new "flagship" messaging for the sedan.
For his part, Jim Farley, Ford's group vice president of marketing and communications, says that he envisions a move from "the legacy products" to all-wheel drive or front-wheel drive unibodies over the long haul, and perhaps unibody rear-drive crossovers as an interim solution.
We'll be watching – engines running and sirens blaring – to see what Dearborn has up their sleeves.
[Source:Automotive News, sub. req'd]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Torrent 10:44AM (1/20/2009)
it will suck if it's fwd. Try an ecoboost AWD V8. now that would be cool.
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MikeW 1:37PM (1/20/2009)
It is a Ford Taurus with 3.7 V6, 3.39 axle ratio & Haldex.
(basically a Lincoln MKS)
ken_aisin 1:47PM (1/20/2009)
FWD cop cars do suck. But remember this? ;)
"The hitch: only 4-wheel-drive and front-wheel-drive cars with chains have any traction. That means that even the police can't drive on many roads. If the police make a call to a location on a hill, they park at the bottom and walk up the hill. As well, the police are having to respond to literally hundreds of collisions and disabled vehicles."
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/27/seattles-plow-crews-not-trying-to-clear-snow-from-roads-by-desi/
A Nissan GT-R sedan would have been perfect as a cop car. The GT-R's all-wheel-drive system is biased towards rear-drive in most conditions, but can transfer up to 50 per cent of the power to the front wheels. It's got a dual clutch box meaning the cops can drive it as an automatic. The car is easy to handle even at high speed. Best of all, it is capable of chasing speeding supercars.
Torrent 3:40PM (1/20/2009)
imagine throwing a criminal into the back seat of a GT-R. you will have to dislocate his limbs in order to jam them into the back.
jv2k 4:17PM (1/20/2009)
ken_aisin:
Not even close.
top 5 reasons:
1.It's a coupe. You can't make putting criminals in the back difficult.
2.It's expensive.
3.It's expensive to repair.
4. Nissan will never make enough GT-Rs to fill production numbers
5.Reliability is a must for cop cars and expensive turbocharged supercars just do not fit that bill. Cops thrash their cars and drive aggressively.
SimbaDogg 10:33PM (1/20/2009)
@ ken aisin
thats honestly the worst joke i've heard all day, honestly...be ashamed of yourself
Rafael Illan 9:41PM (1/21/2009)
local cops in Cabo Rojo, Puerto RIco, had a white pearl1993 300ZX Twin Turbo just that was seized and put to service(read: handing ticket). the car lasted like 4 years and was retired due to the expensive repair bills.
our state plice over have had:
Crown Victoria
2004 Mustang GT
2003 Mustang Cobra(yes, it was seized too)
Ford Explorers
Chevy Impalas
Ford Taurus(for light duty)
Mitsubishi Montero
Dodge Chargers
so i say we might get a GT-R if one is seized.
i will say that any proper cop car has to be RWD, thats one of the main reasons why the Crown Vic has been a good sellers over the years.if not RWD isn not possible then i say AWD FTW!!
Avinash machado 10:48AM (1/20/2009)
The Aussie Falcon would have made a great replacement.
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Steve Lopez 10:52AM (1/20/2009)
The Australian Falcon would have been an excellent choice. I agree 100%
What is Ford thinking? Not much.
Maybe the all new Taurus in AWD and the Ecotech the new high out V6.
The original 2002 Ford 527 and the Lincoln Continental should have been on the LS platform.
Well, its a wait and see thing.
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Matt 10:31PM (1/20/2009)
The only problem is it is currently right hand drive only. But for 60,000 cars I'm sure Ford Australia would be more than happy to do the engineering for left hand drive. Does the job for Aussie police no worries
Hamud 11:00AM (1/20/2009)
Maybe a Taurus SHO with AWD.
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Illegal Machine 11:01AM (1/20/2009)
Every cop I know hates their junk old Crown Vic.
They all want Chargers. Dodge Charger interceptors are flat out evil looking.
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Mr_Pie 11:07AM (1/20/2009)
yea chargers would be so cool, but now that i think of it, there arent too many cheap rwd cars around these days.
or if theyre gonna go 4wd, lancer evolution.
Benfolio 11:08AM (1/20/2009)
Any every cop I know hates the Charger. Yeah it's faster then a Vic (even with the V6), but they hate the small interior and tiny trunk, not to mention how much time they spend in the fleet garage for repairs. Same for the Impala.
Oh well, the legacy of the P71 seems to be over. Time to move on.
Brn 11:24AM (1/20/2009)
With a name like Illegal Machine, I wonder in what context you know law enforcement. I'm willing to wager that I know more police officers than even a scofflaw such as yourself.
When they first had the opportunity for the Charger, they flocked to it. It's fast and it looks cool. Now they flock away from the Charger, back to the Crown Vic. The CV is roomy, handles predictably, can take abuse (drivetrain and body). It's just evolved over decades with law enforcement in mind.
I think a Taurus SHO is an interesting choice. I wonder if it can live up to the Crown Vic when it comes to taking a beating.
Randy 3:01PM (1/20/2009)
@Illegal Machine
Funny you say that because i keep hearing how big a piece of shat the Charger is for Police work! And I own an R/T. What I've heard so far is that they are all "In the shop" constantly!
And remember... I own a Charger R/T which is the car they base the Cruisers on!
For a Cop car I recommend a Ford Crown Victoria even though the Charger is cooler looking. But is being a cop supposed to be cool or are you supposed to get to where you need to go without breaking down! Ya know?
Something tells me Ford has something up their sleeve for a cruiser replacement! They have to!
Illegal Machine 3:29PM (1/20/2009)
You guys are nuts. Crown vics are in the shop all the time. There are just tons of spare parts everywhere to keep them running.
Edward Alward 4:40PM (1/20/2009)
I spoke an officer that had a new Charger once and he said that he very much prefered it over the Ford.................
Can the Charger be had with AWD ?
BigMcLargeHuge 11:06AM (1/20/2009)
When you know you have a huge sales base acting as a single customer, you absolutely MUST land their business.
Whatever specs they desire, you should deliver. Ask, do not tell them, what they want.
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AntBee 11:27AM (1/20/2009)
I agree! What The Fcuk are they thinking or not?!?!