New Ford Police Interceptors deliver up to 35 per cent better fuel economy when idling

With experts predicting fuel prices are headed for record highs this year, the fuel efficiency of the new Ford Police Interceptors has the potential to help America’s cash-strapped cities reduce their fuel bills.

Ford engineers tuned the all-new Police Interceptor sedan and utility vehicle
models to save fuel even when they are standing still, with no sacrifice to pursuit performance.

The city and highway fuel economy ratings for the new Police Interceptors have increased by an impressive 25 percent over the retired Crown Victoria. But many law enforcement vehicles spend the majority of their lives idling, and that is where the new models can provide even more fuel savings.

“Our latest fuel-efficient V6 engines deliver on our promise for increased performance and improved economy, while providing government agencies with a money-saving solution,” said Bill Gubing, Chief Engineer of the Ford Police Program.

Top fuel economy and performance
The Police Interceptor sedan and utility vehicle that are now being delivered to law enforcement agencies are available with efficient powertrain packages that provide more performance and better fuel economy, and are paired with standard and exclusive all-wheel drive for optimised traction and control.
> The base 3.5-litre V6 in the Police Interceptor sedan delivers 288 hp and EPA-certified fuel economy of 18 mpg city, 26 mpg highway. Compared to the Crown Victoria – America’s top-selling law enforcement vehicle for the past 15 years – the Police Interceptor sedan offers an improvement of 4 mpg city and 5 mpg highway, and 38 more hp
> The optional EcoBoost 3.5-litre V6 in the all-wheel-drive Police Interceptor sedan is rated at 365 hp and is EPA-certified at 16 mpg city, 23 mpg highway. In recent Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department testing, the EcoBoost Police Interceptor beat all competitive police cars from General Motors and Chrysler in 0-60 mph acceleration tests
> The Police Interceptor utility is built with a 3.7-litre V6 rated at 304 hp. The EPA rating of 16 mpg city, 22 mpg highway is best in class, topping the Chevrolet Tahoe PPV. The Police Interceptor utility easily out-accelerated the V8-powered Tahoe in the LASD tests, reaching 60 mph in 8.4 seconds compared with 9.5 seconds for the Tahoe

Fuel-sipping while idle
A recent study of police car use in Ottawa, Canada, showed the average police vehicle idles for up to 6.7 hours in every 10-hour shift. And, according to Police Fleet Magazine, the typical police vehicle wastes half a gallon of fuel for each hour it idles.

For example, a 35 per cent fuel economy gain during idling for a government agency with 100 vehicles would save taxpayers $153,300 per year with gasoline prices at $4 per gallon, if the vehicle idled for a minimum of three hours per day for two shifts.

The 3.5-litre V6 engine in the Police Interceptor sedan uses 35 per cent less fuel idling than did the 4.6-litre V8 engine in the Crown Victoria. The 3.7-litre V6 in the Police Interceptor utility uses 32 per cent less fuel when idling than the Crown Victoria’s engine.

“Our extensive experience with the Crown Victoria and feedback from our Police Advisory Board helped us develop the next-generation Police Interceptor to be a no-compromise vehicle that can easily be outfitted to meet the needs of individual agencies,” said Lisa Teed, Ford Marketing Manager for Police Interceptor.

Under the hood
All three Police Interceptor engines feature double overhead cams, four valves per cylinder and Ti-VCT, or twin independent variable camshaft timing, plus several other high-tech features that improve fuel economy at idle and at speed without sacrificing the performance that is required by law enforcement.

An example of how Ford engineers improved the fuel economy of both Police Interceptor models, beyond the powertrain changes, is outfitting the vehicles with EPAS, or electric power-assisted steering. The old-style hydraulic power steering system found on competitive police vehicles, such as the Chevrolet Caprice PPV and Dodge Charger, forces the engine to work harder – and waste fuel – at idle because the pump runs whenever the engine does.

When a Ford Police Interceptor is idling, no energy is consumed by the steering system until an officer turns the steering wheel. Other fuel improvements come from optimizing the energy consumed by the air conditioning compressor and alternator.

Purpose-built
Working with Ford’s Police Advisory Board, which consists of law enforcement professionals from the United States and Canada who contributed to the development of these vehicles on attributes such as safety, performance, durability, driver comfort and functionality, the new Police Interceptor vehicles are purpose-built to meet the requirements of this demanding industry.

Posted in: Crown Victoria,EcoBoost Engine,Ford,Ford Police Advisory Board,Ford Police Program,Police Interceptors,Sedan,SUV,V6 Engine,V8 Engine