It’s time to talk about cop cars and no one does it better than Ford and its Police Interceptor. For years, these purpose built Crown Victoria’s have been making sure motorists hit the brakes as they cruise the countries highways. Over the year’s the aging Interceptor continued to dominate in sales because Ford offered a fantastic package with excellent fleet pricing, but then came the Dodge Charger Pursuit, which made police forces take a second look, with its tough crosshair front end and modern platform and power plant.
By:Â Mitch C. Johnson
Trust me, there were some people at the blue oval upset at Dodge sticking its nose in Ford’s cop business.
Ford’s Answer – ALL-WHEEL-DRIVE
So, Ford decided to come up with answer – with its all-new Interceptor based off the Taurus platform coming in late 2011. The key to its success – hands down – is all-wheel-drive. It’s something the new Chevy Caprice, Dodge Charger or the upcoming Carbon E7 doesn’t have. The Interceptor destroys the real-wheel-drive Charger in the wet, in the snow or whatever else mother nature might throw at it. Check out Ford’s You Tube videos if you don’t believe me! Frankly, I cannot see the rear-wheel-drive Caprice or E7 doing much better in the elements without all-wheel-drive. Driving dynamics is so fundamental to a police vehicle, its hard to believe that Ford is the only one to think of all-wheel-drive it in a cruiser.
The Bottom line is this – forget about purpose built rear seats in the Carbon E7, V8 power in the Caprice or Charger, limited-slip differentials, integrated light bars, reverse opening doors, fuel saving, etc. because these features don’t do a thing if your cruiser get stuck in heavy snow, loose grave or goes out of control in a rain storm. So, Chrysler, Carbon and Chevy pay attention – the most important think about a cop car is that its safe and the only way to make sure its safe is to key it on the road in the first place.