The 2021 Ford F-150 Police Responder is proving to have a serious turn of speed in tests undertaken by police departments around the country. This surprisingly racy four-door pickup is presently being put through its paces by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Michigan State Police.
More than a few rivals
Pitted against a wide range of rival makes and models, the F-150 Police Responder has been found to have the quickest acceleration times of them all. Ford nabbed second place as well with its all-wheel-drive Police Interceptor Utility.
With its impressive zero to 60 mph time, this Ford truck has the legs to outrun some potent police hardware.
That includes the Hemi-powered Dodge Charger sedan (5.91 seconds) and Dodge Durango SUV (7.01 seconds), along with the rear-wheel-drive Chevrolet Tahoe motivated by a 5.3-liter V8 (7.6 seconds). In fact, the F-150 Police Responder also happened to post the fastest quarter-mile time, and was the quickest to sprint from zero to 100 mph.
“Vehicle acceleration and speed contribute to how quickly first responders can safely arrive at an emergency scene,” said Greg Ebel, Ford police vehicle brand manager. “Shaving even a few seconds off response times can make a big difference. Whether responding to an accident on the highway or a distress call from somewhere off-road, law enforcement officers can count on 2021 F-150 Police Responder to get them there fast.”
Why the F-150 Police Responder is so fast
Under this F-150’s hood is a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 that sees duty in the regular F-150. With 400 horsepower, toughened FX4 off-road suspension, and even an available 360-degree surround-view camera, this blue-oval wearing police car would get the Jake and Elwood seal of approval. Oh yes, and it’s available in eight fetching color choices, including one that seems ironic in for coming with the name Race Red. When it comes to the cabin color, it’ll be black or, well, black.
Ford even nudged its latest police-tuned pickup’s overall top speed, from 105 mph in the previous version to an even 120 mph in the 2021 model. What’s the, ahem, ticket to the F-150 Police Responder’s sudden turn of speed?
To start, four-wheel drive is standard, and the truck’s 500 pounds-feet of torque is routed to a beefy torque-on-demand transfer case.
This allows the F-150 Police Responder to balance output from the front to the rear wheels, depending on whichever tires have the most grip. No matter where or how it tested, this Ford truck proved a massive step forward in terms of how it performs compared to the previous generation.
This allows the F-150 Police Responder to balance output from the front to the rear wheels, depending on whichever tires have the most grip. No matter where or how it tested, this Ford truck proved a massive step forward in terms of how it performs compared to the previous generation.
What police department testing reveals
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department found the 2021 F-150 Police Responder could hit the quarter mile in only 14.4 seconds. That was 0.4 seconds faster than any competitor, and a second quicker than the 2020 F-150 police truck. It’s worth noting these tests were conducted with 400 pounds of added weight, to simulate a real-world result with a fully outfitted police version.
Testing by the Michigan State Police found the F-150 Police Responder churned out that zero to 60 mph time of 5.4 seconds – a whopping 1.2 seconds faster than the previous model. Heading to speeds that would get you quickly acquainted with a police car, at 13.1 seconds the F-150’s zero to 100 mph time was 3.7 seconds faster than the 2020 model.
More than a drag racer
Don’t think this truck is only speedy in a straight line. Tests done in both California and Michigan found the 2021 F-150 to be several seconds faster when thundering around various test tracks. Designed to put the engine, handling, and brakes to extreme use, the courses are meant to simulate a variety of pursuit and emergency scenarios.
“The vehicle dynamics course is where the entire vehicle is put to the test,” said Allen Magolan, Ford police vehicles integration manager. “It shows how well the vehicle’s systems work together to deliver the performance an officer relies on in an unpredictable high-speed situation – its acceleration, straight-line speed, cornering and overall performance.”
The 2021 Ford F-150 Police Responder will begin appearing in police fleets this fall.
