The fastest cop car today is not what you might expect, and this car is everywhere. It is the Ford Police Interceptor Utility, which is the best-selling Police vehicle in America. Because of the similarities between the Interceptor Utility EcoBoost and the Ford Explorer, many people confuse these two cars with each other. After all, on any given day, you might drive by a soccer mom picking up her kids from school in a Ford Explorer.
So it might surprise you to know that the nearly identical-looking Ford P.I. Utility is the fastest car the American police force currently has on the road. While the modern police force also has cars like the Dodge Charger pursuit, it is the Ford Police Interceptor Utility with a whopping 148 mph top speed, which is the fastest cop car today.
Fast And Fuel-Efficient Powertrains
So, why is this ordinary-looking mid-size SUV so fast? After all, it is far bulkier than many other cars on the road, and it doesn’t have an engine that sounds monstrous upon ignition. Well, as you may have guessed, although they look similar at face value, the Ford PI Utility EcoBoost isn’t the same as the average, ordinary Ford Explorer. The P.I. stands for Police Interceptor, and as the name suggests, this special version of the Ford Explorer is designed to chase down criminals.
Meaning it has to have enough power to be successful in high-speed pursuits. The standard powertrain includes a 3.3-liter V-6 Hybrid with 318 horsepower and 322 pound-feet of torque. The hybrid technology is beneficial for in-town driving, as it captures energy the car would usually lose during braking, idling, and coasting. The police-calibrated regenerative braking charges a 48-volt lithium-ion battery. This is not just good for the environment, but it leads to considerable savings in terms of fuel costs, up to $3,509 annually.
If you choose the gas-only variant, power drops to 285 horses and 260 pound-feet of torque. However, it is the 3.0-liter EcoBoost V-6 engine with 400 horsepower and 415 pound-feet of torque which outruns every police car out there. In fact, Fors days that, P.I. Utility vehicles equipped with the 3.0-liter EcoBoost even outperformed V-8-equipped police cars from competitors. According to PoliceMag the Ford P.I. Utility with a 0-60 mph time of 5.68 seconds and a topspeed of 148 was both the quickest and fastest cop car among gas-powered models, breathing out the V-8 HEMI-powered Dodge Charger's 140 mph.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Michigan State Police put these police vehicles through their paces, be it with acceleration runs, top speed numbers, or even lap times, and the Ford Utility P.I., came out on top. Power is sent to all four wheels via a 10-speed automatic transmission and special police-calibrated intelligent all-wheel drive system.
What Makes the Ford P.I Utility Different from The Ford Explorer?
Designed in Dearborn Michigan and assembled in Chicago, the Ford P.I. Utility has added durability and safety because of the special purpose this vehicle serves. One of the most dangerous parts of a highway patrol officer’s job is making stops on the side of the road. When an officer has pulled someone over, they are in a very vulnerable position. Being stationary on the side of the road puts them in danger of being rear-ended by cars passing on the highway. That is why the rear of the Ford P.I. Utility is designed to withstand a collision with another vehicle at speeds up to 75 mph. But this is far from the only feature that makes this vehicle fit for service.
Special Features & Police Equipment
The Fastest Cop Car of 2022
As you can imagine, everything thing is beefed up considerably on the Interceptor Utility, as opposed to the regular civilian version of the Ford Explorer. As standard you get
- Heavy-duty suspension and steering
- Heavy-duty ABS
- Heavy-duty cooling
- Heavy-duty stylized steel wheels with police-purpose hubcaps and tires
- Heavy-duty door tethers and recovery hooks
Safety is obviously paramount and everything from extra-tough anti-stab plates to Level III or Level IV+ballistc front door panels are also available. Ford also offers a number of optional, compatible, factory-direct police equipment and packages with very less up-fitting time.
The sirens on this Ford P.I. Utility have a couple of different modes to help in different circumstances. These modes include the standard red and blue lights with sirens that all motorists are familiar with, along with a method for illuminating the general area around the car, directing traffic, and more. The front of the Ford P.I. Utility also has a strong spotlight that can be used to illuminate dark areas.
Automatic LED headlamps are standard, and with pre-drilled holes, more LEDs as part of the lighting solutions package can be fitted out around the vehicle right from the roof, and the grille to within the headlights themselves. The nifty vault is a lockable storage compartment in the cargo area on the driver's side.
As part of the available perimeter and camera-on-demand features, the Ford Police Interceptor Utility also has a motion sensor that can detect people approaching the car from 270 degrees around. This sensor feeds the information to a computer that analyzes behavior and produces a “threat Level” reading on the dash to help officers make their assessments. If the software determines the movements to be threatening, the car will automatically activate a rear camera to document the activity and help the officer determine what to do next.
The Interior
The Ford Police Utility Interceptor has an interior that is built for the specific purpose of intercepting, apprehending, and transporting people of interest into custody. One of the key pieces of equipment that help police officers achieve this goal is the smart controller located in the front of the vehicle. This smart controller helps them operate all the features on the exterior of the car.
Inside the vehicle is also a “mobile digital communicator”, which is a special laptop computer that allows officers to connect to the department's database at any given time. It can sit in the 11-inch space between the driver's seat and the front passenger seat. Alternatively, there is also a 12.1-inch touch screen available, that mirrors the laptop display and eliminates the need for a keyboard. This unit comes with SYNC 3 built-in.
One of the features of the Ford Interceptor Utility that distinguishes it the most from the Ford Explorer is the back seat of the car, which is designed to transport suspects. As you can imagine, luxury is not a priority for this portion of the car and there are no door handles in the vinyl backseat.
Conclusion
The Ford Police Interceptor Utility’s body might fool lawbreakers into thinking that being pursued by this car will make for an easy getaway, but they’d be mistaken. The Ford Police Interceptor EcoBoost Utility is the fastest Police car patrolling the highways. This car’s speed paired with its automatic smart capabilities can help the modern police force apprehend even the fastest offenders.