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REPORT: Ford preparing cops for life after Crown Vic, has police sample Taurus

wickedstangs

wickedstangs

Chula Vista, CA
Staff member
Administrator
<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/sedans/" rel="tag">Sedan</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/government-legal/" rel="tag">Government/Legal</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/ford/" rel="tag">Ford</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/special-limited-editions/" rel="tag">Specialty</a></p><a href="http://www.detnews.com/article/20090828/AUTO01/908280392/Ford-to-cops--Crown-Vic-is-out/?imw=Y"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/08/ford-crown-victoria-police-interceptor-f-3-4-630.jpg" alt="" /></a><br /><br />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.<br /><br />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. <br /><br />According to <em>The Detroit News</em>, 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<em /> 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 <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/30/carbon-motors-picks-connersville-in-for-new-hq-e7-police-car-p/">Carbon Motors E7</a> 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.<br /><br />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 <em>The Detroit News</em>, 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.<br /><br />[Source: <a href="http://www.detnews.com/article/20090828/AUTO01/908280392/Ford-to-cops--Crown-Vic-is-out/?imw=Y">Detroit News</a>]<p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/28/report-ford-preparing-cops-for-life-after-crown-vic-has-police/">REPORT: Ford preparing cops for life after Crown Vic, has police sample Taurus</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.autoblog.com">Autoblog</a> on Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.detnews.com/article/20090828/AUTO01/908280392/Ford-to-cops--Crown-Vic-is-out/?imw=Y>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/28/report-ford-preparing-cops-for-life-after-crown-vic-has-police/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/forward/19143673/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/28/report-ford-preparing-cops-for-life-after-crown-vic-has-police/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>


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sdsubzero4

Spring Valley, CA
We tested the Impala and the front wheel drive did poorly in the test. Not that great in handling on rough terrain either. With the Charger, there is no legroom in the back for prisoners transport after putting the cage in. The prisoner practically have to sit sideway to fit their legs in. The Crown Vic is the most suitable. I put mine through some rough terrain, and drove it pretty rough, too. Got airborne a few times (LOL), went up on curbs, off-roading, etc. But keeps going.
 
spdpilot

spdpilot

Well-Known Member
Crown Vic almost tradition with Police/Public Service cars. Seeing any other model would be like having UPS change their color from Brown to Green.

Our local PD has some Chargers, which I must admit give them a mean look.

75,000 vehicles is not that many vehicles for Ford, but would still not be something Ford would want to give up.

I think they should go Ford Focus. We are following everything else Europe is doing and you don't see full size police cars over there! Why do we need them here? Ford Focuses and paddy wagons for transport. It works!
 
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sdsubzero4

Spring Valley, CA
Ford Focus is too small. Most agencies don't have vans for transport anymore. all prisoners transport are done by the patrol vehicles. focus will not have sufficient room for a prisoner in the back after the cage is install. Also the cage limit the movement backward of the front seats, so the cage had to be install a little further back which cuts into the space for the back. Most average size prisoners already had to sit with their knees up to the chest because of the cramp space. I'm not saying they should be comfortable, but more for safety in case of accidents.
The euro use the vans because their streets are a lot smaller then ours and the full size vehicles won't travel well on them. That is why they require the use of vans for transport because they can't fit a prisoner in their patrol vehicle. Plus its a lot more economical when you can use one car for patrol and transport whether then have 2 to do the job of one.
 
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sdsubzero4

Spring Valley, CA
Escape wouldn't be a bad idea. I believe the hybrid is being use by some gov't agencies, but not for police use. But could be an interesting experiment.
 
yosemiddysam

yosemiddysam

Well-Known Member
Donator
Lol If an Escape ever tries to pull me over I am gonna mash the gas and hope the Helo is not airborne!!!!!!
 
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