Content area
Full text
Ford brings on multiple vehicles to compete in the police marketplace.
By PFM Staff
Mid-size SUV? Full-size crossover? Full-size crossover SUV? Maybe a seven-passenger utility? Whatever you decide to call it, Ford is calling it the Utility Police Interceptor. And the Utility PI is very much in the hunt for the TFord CVPI volumes when it goes away after August 2011. By the way, the last date to order the Ford CVPI is March 1, 2011. The Ford Sedan -Police Interceptor and. the Utility Police Interceptor will be produced in late 2011 for delivery in early 2012.
The Utility PI, the second of Ford's two Police Interceptors, is an excellent solution for officers who need to carry more gear Jn their police vehicles than can typically fit in a police sedan.
The big news is that the Utility Police Interceptor will be pursuit-rated. That will make the Utility PI the only pursuit-rated 4x4 SUV. (The pursuit-rated Chevy Tahoe only comes with Rear-Wheel Drive.) The top speed of the Utility PI is 120 mph. At Ford, the terms "police package" or "pursuit rated" mean the vehicle has been tested in high energy rear crashes, and, is designed to prevent fuel leaks in the event of such, crashes.
The formal police package for the Utility Police Interceptor, just like the NextGen' Sedan Police Interceptor, is still under delopment. While they have both been formally "revealed," both are still 2012 or 2013 model year police vehicles. However, even at this early stage, we know quite a bit about the Utility PI.
Car Chassis
First, the chassis or platform. The current Explorer has a more truck-like chassis, while die next generation retail Explorer and police Utility PI will have a more car-like chassis. The current Explorer is built on the U2 platform, designed for Ford's mid-size SUVs. It is different from the Tl (Ford F-150) platform used for the full-size SUV, like the Expedition.
The new Explorer is built on the D4 car platform, the same platform as the Ford Flex. This is a modified version of the D3 platform, the Ford global full-size car platform. The D3 platform is used for the current retail Ford Taurus and Sedan Police Interceptor. Internal platform codes aside, the new...