Photo: Ford
The Ford-Chevy-Chrysler war is not just about road cars and racing, Detroit’s Big Three are also competing for the quickest and most fuel efficient police interceptor vehicle.
While Chevrolet and Dodge are still offering V8 engines in their Caprice and Charger police cars, the guys over at Ford decided to plant a 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 unit in the Taurus-based Interceptor. The same thing is available in the SUV segment, where Ford’s Explorer-based vehicle boasts the same engine, while Chevrolet’s Tahoe is still with the V8.
Should we care? Well, Ford says we should, and points out a recent comparative test done by the Michigan State Police, who have concluded that the EcoBoost-powered Blue Oval-badged cars outran competition from Chevrolet and Chrysler in terms of acceleration. All told, the Taurus Police Interceptor with all-wheel drive posted a 0-60 mph time of 5.66 seconds, while the Chevrolet Caprice and the Dodge Charger stopped the clock at 6.01 and 6.04 seconds respectively. In 0 to 100 mph tests, Ford did a 13.5-second run, beating Chevy’s 14.35 seconds and Dodge’s 14.70 seconds.
Moving over at utility vehicles, Ford’s EcoBoost SUV smashed Chevy’s V8 Tahoe, being almost two seconds faster from 0 to 60 mph (6.28s vs. 8.22s) and more than six seconds quicker from 0 to 100 mph (15.51s vs. 21.95s).
"These tests conducted by the Michigan State Police are an important validation of best-in-class performance in outright acceleration – the most critical measure of police pursuit vehicles," said Bill Gubing, Ford chief engineer. "Agencies tell us if the bad guys see the police vehicle quickly close in pursuit, they're less likely to try to run. If this can help reduce the number of high-speed chases, then we could improve public safety on our nation's roads."
Should we care? Well, Ford says we should, and points out a recent comparative test done by the Michigan State Police, who have concluded that the EcoBoost-powered Blue Oval-badged cars outran competition from Chevrolet and Chrysler in terms of acceleration. All told, the Taurus Police Interceptor with all-wheel drive posted a 0-60 mph time of 5.66 seconds, while the Chevrolet Caprice and the Dodge Charger stopped the clock at 6.01 and 6.04 seconds respectively. In 0 to 100 mph tests, Ford did a 13.5-second run, beating Chevy’s 14.35 seconds and Dodge’s 14.70 seconds.
Moving over at utility vehicles, Ford’s EcoBoost SUV smashed Chevy’s V8 Tahoe, being almost two seconds faster from 0 to 60 mph (6.28s vs. 8.22s) and more than six seconds quicker from 0 to 100 mph (15.51s vs. 21.95s).
"These tests conducted by the Michigan State Police are an important validation of best-in-class performance in outright acceleration – the most critical measure of police pursuit vehicles," said Bill Gubing, Ford chief engineer. "Agencies tell us if the bad guys see the police vehicle quickly close in pursuit, they're less likely to try to run. If this can help reduce the number of high-speed chases, then we could improve public safety on our nation's roads."
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