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DETROIT - Ford is introducing its first SUV specially designed for police use, a model based on the new Ford Explorer.
The Police Interceptor utility, along with a new Ford Taurus-based Police Interceptor sedan, will replace the Ford Crown Victoria sedan as Ford's police offerings when they come on the market late next year.
Some departments modify the current Explorer for police use, but the new one will be specifically built and pursuit-rated for police, with factory-included options like bulletproof doors and anti-stab plates between the back and front seats.
Ford said the SUV and sedan, which share a 280-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 engine, get 17 miles per gallon in the city, which is 20 percent better than the Crown Victoria with its 4.6-liter V-8. An optional EcoBoost V-6 engine can get 365 horsepower with the same fuel economy. The vehicles are rated for severe police duty and have passed a 75-mile-per-hour rear crash test.
Ford is aiming to keep its longtime dominance in the police market despite growing competition from the Dodge Charger and Chevrolet Caprice. Ford controls around 70 percent of the U.S. police market.
Pricing hasn't been announced.
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