{"id":132485,"date":"2019-01-04T15:46:25","date_gmt":"2019-01-04T20:46:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=132485"},"modified":"2019-01-04T16:10:33","modified_gmt":"2019-01-04T21:10:33","slug":"ford-hints-at-2020-explorer-with-debut-of-all-new-police-interceptor-utility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2019\/01\/ford-hints-at-2020-explorer-with-debut-of-all-new-police-interceptor-utility\/","title":{"rendered":"Ford Hints at 2020 Explorer With Debut of All-New Police Interceptor Utility"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
The hybrid version of the new 2020 Ford Police Interceptor gives officers instant torque when they need it.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you see flashing lights in your rearview mirror in the coming months they just might be mounted on the 2020 Ford Police Interceptor Utility based on the all-new version of the big Explorer SUV Ford that will officially introduce at the North American International Auto Show later this month.<\/p>\n

While there are some notable differences between the cop model and the one civilians will be able to buy, the Interceptor offers some big clues as to what\u2019s to come with the 2020 Ford Explorer, starting with an all-new platform and the hybrid driveline that will also be offered on the retail model.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The Last Word!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Interceptor, however, will be offered only with the hybrid drivetrain, Ford officials told TheDetroitBureau.com during a sneak peek event ahead of the Explorer\u2019s official Detroit debut. It\u2019s something that \u201cmakes perfect sense for the law enforcement application where they\u2019re idling 60% of the time,\u201d explained Greg Ebel, the Interceptor\u2019s marketing manager.<\/p>\n

Ford has long been the dominant force in the police vehicle market, though its position came under threat when it decided to abandon the long-lived Crown Victoria sedan early in the decade. It came back with three alternatives based on the Fusion and Taurus sedans, as well as the Explorer. Now, with Ford planning to all but abandon the U.S. passenger car market, the automaker is looking for ways to make the Explorer-based Interceptor even more attractive to the law-enforcement community.<\/p>\n

(Ford introduces new Police Responder version of F-150 pickup.\u00a0<\/em>Click Here<\/a><\/span>\u00a0to check it out.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The hybrid drivetrain is a key part of that strategy. The system is based around a 3.3-liter naturally-aspirated V-6 paired with an electric motor, the combined package making 318 horsepower and 336 pound-feet of torque. The hybrid system is designed to deliver instant power, but it also promises to average 24 miles per gallon, according to Ford, or 41% more than the outgoing Police Interceptor Utility with a 3.7-liter gas engine.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The new Ford Police Interceptor Utility provides a slew of new technology as well as energy savings.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That actually understates the advantages of going hybrid, suggested Ebel. With pursuit vehicles spending most of their time idling, the new Explorer-based model will be able to have its engine shut down most of the time, power for onboard functions, including computers and radios, coming from the SUV\u2019s lithium-ion battery pack. When the battery starts to drain, the engine will automatically fire up and help recharge the pack before shutting down again.<\/p>\n

At $2.75 a gallon \u2013 about what gas had been averaging nationwide before the recent slump in pricing \u2013 Ford estimates a police department could save $3,500 a year thanks to the hybrid system. That could add up substantially for major agencies, such as the Los Angeles Police Department, which fields hundreds of Interceptors.<\/p>\n

While Ford isn\u2019t ready to discuss pricing, Ebel said the fuel savings alone should readily offset any premium for the hybrid package. And that doesn\u2019t include the estimated savings on maintenance and repairs, Ford is predicting, by not having the engine run constantly.<\/p>\n

The automaker has taken several other steps to enhance the appeal of the 2020 Interceptor. Unlike the three-row civilian Explorer, the cop version will have just two rows. That allows Ford to integrate a special safety cage designed to withstand a rear-end impact of up to 75 mph \u2013 the federal standard being just 50 mph.<\/p>\n

(<\/em>Click\u00a0<\/a><\/span><\/strong>Here<\/a><\/span>\u00a0for more about Ford addressing concerns about previous Interceptor models.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe safety of the officer is our first concern, said Ebel.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The new Ford Police Interceptor Utility is designed protect officers from rear collisions as well as rear ambush attacks.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In most years, traffic accidents are the leading cause of death among officers on duty, not gunfire, according to federal data.<\/p>\n

A few years ago, Ford introduced a system designed to detect when someone approaches one of its Interceptor Utility vehicles from the rear, helping officers avoid a potential ambush. The new model adds an updated version, dubbed Police Perimeter Alert. Using the rear parking assist system it can track the movements of someone approaching the Explorer from the rear \u201cand can tell the difference between a jogger and an actual threat,\u201d Ebel noted.<\/p>\n

If a potential threat is detected, the system rolls up the vehicle\u2019s windows, locks the doors and sounds an alert.<\/p>\n

Ford became the first automaker to introduce a dedicated police package in 1950. It started using the Interceptor name a year later on a model equipped with its old flathead V-8 engine making 110 horsepower.<\/p>\n

(To see more about Ford’s other police vehicle offerings,\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Click Here<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ford won\u2019t discuss sales volumes or market share but independent data suggest it currently controls more than half of the U.S. market for dedicated police vehicles.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ford’s new 2020 Police Interceptor Utility features a slew of innovations designed to make life safer for our men and women in blue as well as saving police departments a few dollars while remaining effective. Additionally, the new model also offers some insight as to what the next-gen Explorer will look like when it arrives. Have a look at TheDetroitBureau.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":132489,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,7,8,5,12,9],"tags":[],"make":[56],"post-state":[],"category_old":[149,150,151,123,276,319,299,248,154,132,125,137,139,128,291,295,288],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132485"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132485"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132485\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/132489"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=132485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132485"},{"taxonomy":"make","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/make?post=132485"},{"taxonomy":"post-state","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-state?post=132485"},{"taxonomy":"category_old","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category_old?post=132485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}