REPORT: Ford preparing cops for life after Crown Vic, has police sample Taurus
Quick quiz: What vehicle transported Paris Hilton to prison? If you answered Ford's Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, you took the easy route and you were correct. The older than thou Crown Vic accounts for about 85% of the 75,000 police vehicles sold each year – a market where styling, amenities and new safety features have little to do with the vehicle's success.
The CV's body-on-frame construction helps the ubiquitous cop cruiser stand up to the punishment doled out by the guys and gals in blue. Body-on-frame platforms are generally also easier to repair, and anyone who has been in a police parking lot can plainly see that these vehicles take a big-time beating in the name of public safety. The CV is also rear-wheel drive for better handling, it's large enough to fit even the biggest of felons (and cops), and its column-mounted shifter enables the fuzz to have plenty of room for a laptop. But alas, the Crown Vic is also older than dirt. We'd joke that Henry Ford himself had a hand in the creation of the CV, but chances are that Henry II actually did, and he retired as the head of the Blue Oval when Pong was state-of-the-art video gaming technology.
According to The Detroit News, in June, Ford hosted police personnel from some of America's biggest cities to discuss the future of the police cruiser. The Dearborn, MI-based automaker told the police departments that the Crown Vic would be gone by 2011. That's bad news for departments like the LAPD, which has a shop set up specifically to deal with the CV. Some police departments told the Motown newspaper that rear-drive vehicles like the Charger can't hold up to the abuse of police work. Others are looking into the Impala, though the front-drive Chevy hasn't gained much traction with law enforcement. One ray of hope could come in the form of the Carbon Motors E7 purpose built police cruiser, but it isn't quite ready for prime time yet, and it's likely to be significantly more expensive than the equivalent Blue Oval cruiser.
Ford is in a bit of a predicament in that the Crown Vic has the police (and cab) market to itself and, as Ford President Mark Fields points out to The Detroit News, the CV gives Ford a presence in just about every municipality in America. One vehicle that Ford gave to police to drive during their stay in Dearborn was the new Taurus, which is almost as big and roomy as the CV, but with far more safety tech, improved fuel economy and the (costly) option of an Ecoboost V6 under the hood in the form of the SHO model. The Taurus may not be the ultimate answer (at least it won't be outrun by a Toyota Camry or Nissan Altima), but Ford insists that it isn't giving up its police share without a fight.
[Source: Detroit News]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Mitchell Scott 11:32AM (8/28/2009)
Taurus SHO would make a pretty awesome police car.
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Cody 11:58AM (8/28/2009)
Down here in Alachua County, Florida, I cannot count the number of Marauders I've seen as undercover cops on the highway and streets.
BTW, loved this line in the article "Motown newspaper states that rear-drive vehicles like the Charger can't hold up to the abuse of police work."
LOL Dodge will never catch a break.
Joe K. 12:42PM (8/28/2009)
Taurus SHO P71, haha... Strip it of everything and beef the motor and tranny... That's one hell of a pursuit vehicle... Plus How sweet would it look in the black and white motif?!
FitFan 1:10PM (8/28/2009)
"The CV is also rear-wheel drive for better handling"
RWD enables better handling for capable drivers. Most people would be better off with FWD cars -- cops included.
I remember when the California Highway Patrol bought a bunch of the V8 Mustangs for high speed pursuits, and discovered that fewer than half of their officers knew how to drive a car with a manual transmission.
Ari 2:14PM (8/28/2009)
Cody,
I was actually stopped by a Marauder a week ago on I-75 in Gainesville. It turned out to be FHP. I usually disregard Mercury vehicles, but have learned to pay attention. Also, look out for undercover Impalas if you're ever in Palm Beach county.
Cody 2:50PM (8/28/2009)
Ari,
Yep! That's exactly the spot where I've seen the highest volume of those Marauder cops. Also, I-75 just south of Gainesville (Paines Prarie) is a well known cop trap.
And you're right about Palm Beach.
Actually, I've noticed alot of places around Florida have a WIDE variety of cop cars. I even saw a Marion County Sheriff in a Prius last year.
jcar302 3:20PM (8/28/2009)
While i do love the SHO taurus, I for one think the taurus SHO will make a crappy police car.
It's awd and turbo, cops will beat the crap out of them, they will land up being unreliable and costly to repair.
While i do prefer fords, right now the G8 would probably be law enforcements best choice.
Sopherion 4:37PM (8/28/2009)
@Cody
I've got you beat. Here in Beaverton, Oregon I saw a squad car from Tigard (OR) and they were driving a black Volkswagen Beetle. I was flabbergasted.
James 6:17PM (8/28/2009)
"One vehicle that Ford gave to police to drive during their stay in Dearborn was the new Taurus..."
Robocop
..life imitates art.
Randy 7:46PM (8/29/2009)
"charger can't hold up"
I agree it can't. I have an R/T Charger and it powerful but not the most durable thing. It has suspension and steering issues to say the least. Great looking car though... If I could get the quality and durability of a Crown Vic in the Charger, I'd keep it. Hence, I'm eventually going to get rid of it.... ugh
Danimal 11:37AM (8/28/2009)
They should go with a G8 based version
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james 11:46AM (8/28/2009)
The G8 is a pretty heavy duty sedan. It is built for Australian roads, where potholes can devour wheels, if not cars. It also doubles as a taxi down under, because they are so mechanically solid and love top cop abuse, passengers and luggage. They are the perfect highway patrol vehicles down here also, generally in V8 guise.
Patrick 12:56PM (8/28/2009)
We are a Ford family and my dad is a police officer, but we both like the G8. However, the interior space up front is just too cramped for police duty. I'm not sure about the Australian versions though, as I can imagine they must offer some stripped down versions (at least in the Utes) with no center console. That being said, we know the G8 would never happen, and GM has more pressing issues on it's plate than a measly 75k sales/year in police vehicles.
Ford needs to pull their heads out of their asses and stretch the Mustang platform back into a sedan. I pine for Ford and Lincoln to go back to RWD lineups, and even though they were pretty unreliable, I've found myself looking at used Lincoln LS's because they are cheaper than dirt right now with low miles.
dak 2:45AM (8/30/2009)
@ patrick i was looking at those same LS' the other day....they sure are priced right, but i dont know if i can afford parts and labor when the car needs work....
Luis 11:38AM (8/28/2009)
Using the Taurus as a cruiser will surely diminish it's market standing for consumers. If they're sold as fleet cars then the re-sale will be hurt pretty badly.
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79Mustang 1:43PM (8/28/2009)
Exactly. I pretty sure I remember Ford saying that they wouldn't be making the new Taurus into a fleet vehicle because people will get tired of seeing them or think of them as cheap. I guess when the money's right...
Timsvtgen1 11:40AM (8/28/2009)
Holy Italics Batman!
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Visnick 11:40AM (8/28/2009)
It's sad to see the last American body on frame car go.... but it's time
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dukeisduke 12:13PM (8/28/2009)
Well, the Corvette is still body-on-frame.
Visnick 12:18PM (8/28/2009)
You're right! Forgot about that.
How about last American body on frame classic sedan?