Ford police vehicles

[John105]

Yes - they returned to a true RWD platform with AWD available. Not a true 4WD system no matter what the badging may say.

Can't help you on the crash rating - wasn't part of our process in buying.

The 2.3 turbo has plenty of power and can use it with the 10 speed. Set up on snow tires its been our favorite winter vehicle yet... and if the snow is less than 6 inches my preferred snow machine. Helps make decisions being Hockey parents - hockey never cancels

I always said ice hockey costs $xx,xxx per year. The Suburban to go with it, $94k. It wasn’t planned but our car was a total loss in May, so we ordered a Tahoe…dang kid outgrew his shoulder pads so we likely will go sidelineswap.com (it’s ridiculous what great deals there are on lightly used skates—got a $280 pair for $28! $45 shipped)…

Ps I learned this phrase that originated in your neck of the woods—“that time of year when the North hates the Metro and the Metro hates Private schools and Everyone hates Edina.”

 

[y_p_w]

I remember a time when law enforcement SUVs seemed like a pipe dream except for specialty vehicles for snowy areas or possibly gravel/dirt roads. The San Francisco Police Department might have been one of the first large police agencies to consider the Explorer back in 1997. But back then the Explorer was body on frame and probably a lot more top heavy than the current version.

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Hold-the-crash-scenes-3121259.php​

SAN FRANCISCO police officials should consult with automotive safety experts before rushing into more road tests of vehicles ill-suited to police-chase maneuvers. Two officers were injured the other day when a Ford Explorer they were putting through a test course at the Candlestick parking lot failed to make a turn at 40 mph and rolled over. The $24,000 sport-utility vehicle was a total loss.​

​

A mystifying aspect of the incident was how surprised police brass seemed to be about the instability of this top-heavy kind of truck when put through the motions of a police pursuit.​

Still - I remember seeing Explorer based police vehicles soon after that anyways. There was a TV show (Nash Bridges) of a fictional SFPD station. One episode had some officers "borrow" a visiting patrol Lieutenant's Explorer where they accidentally blew a hole in the roof with the shotgun mounted in the front. They were trying to find a way to fix it before it was discovered with a hole in the roof.

 

[earlyre]

Isn't that generation a true RWD platform, and they beefed them up to sustain a 50 mph rear end collision or something like that? I know I was intrigued by the newer gen and ST model. But we've ultimately gone Tahoe ourselves...

actually, the Previous FWD model had that... in the PPV's. They (ford) removed the 3rd row seats, and bolted in a Steel X- brace in their place. With that Brace, AND the Spare tire in the well, The Rear cargo area would "absorb" up to a 50-60 mph Rear impact.. as in they're stopped on the side of the road, and someone going at Speed slams into the back of them. it would Pancake it up to the Rear Doors, but the front seat would DEFINITELY be survivable.

 

[TomYoung]

The Interceptors are trash. It pains me to say it. The 15-18 models work OK and are the standard. My 2015 sill runs but has some quirks. The 20s were a hybrid abomination and my place is still shipping them off at auction whenever possible. The vehicles had a big availability problem for a few years. The new 24's with the standard gas engine have been working OK, but a lot of the fleet is getting replaced by Durangos. I've seen the Fusions outfitted for service work. I think those have a place and look pretty cool.

Fusions have been gone for five years, so might not have that much of a place.

 

[football]

Ford makes a heck of a police vehicle. They are durable and can beat on them and they just keep going and going.

My county tried Hybrid Ford Explorers for fuel savings and they found out the fuel savings just were not there. Maintenance and repair cost went up big time with the Hybrids so that the overall daily cost was actually higher with the Hybrids than with the regular gas cars. They stopped buying the hybrids and are auctioning them off as they get used up. They are buying standard Exlporers going forward/

 

[John105]

Ford makes a heck of a police vehicle. They are durable and can beat on them and they just keep going and going.

My county tried Hybrid Ford Explorers for fuel savings and they found out the fuel savings just were not there. Maintenance and repair cost went up big time with the Hybrids so that the overall daily cost was actually higher with the Hybrids than with the regular gas cars. They stopped buying the hybrids and are auctioning them off as they get used up. They are buying standard Exlporers going forward/

I didn’t realize the Explorer (current) was not body on frame (but makes total sense since prior was FWD based). One of the things that is unattainable for us are those 6 piston 16” rotor Brembos that are also part of the Tahoe PPV. If ordered with the vehicle they are dealer installed and a $3,700 option. Online they can be had for $2k, and someone online said $400 to install. It requires vehicle coding which comes with the hardware. But even if $2500, just too much. But the rotors on a 2025 Tahoe are smaller than my 2007 335….too small!

Confession: the Tahoe 4 piston calipers brand new, look like a Cardone or Raybestos remanufactured. Why GM?!! If I could Brembo calipers would be black or gray, to remove the flashiness

Edit Here’s a pursuit with Chevys and Fords. Ultimately a Tahoe deploys a grappler

 

[y_p_w]

Fusions have been gone for five years, so might not have that much of a place.

Like I said, I still see police Crown Vics on the street. I remember chatting it up with an officer about the Crown Vic he just parked, and he was saying they would keep them as long as they could. Of course those were the backbone of many taxi fleets, but in several cities they have to retire taxis after several years (8 in San Francisco).

For light duty use like detectives or as some said, service vehicles for non-sworn personnel, I guess they could operate for a long time if not abused. When I was near that police station, the patrol cars were absolutely being abused. But I guess it's not their own cars. I don't think there's necessarily a need to treat them like that unless there's an actual pursuit, but I guess that's how they like to drive them.

 

[TomYoung]

Like I said, I still see police Crown Vics on the street. I remember chatting it up with an officer about the Crown Vic he just parked, and he was saying they would keep them as long as they could. Of course those were the backbone of many taxi fleets, but in several cities they have to retire taxis after several years (8 in San Francisco).

For light duty use like detectives or as some said, service vehicles for non-sworn personnel, I guess they could operate for a long time if not abused. When I was near that police station, the patrol cars were absolutely being abused. But I guess it's not their own cars. I don't think there's necessarily a need to treat them like that unless there's an actual pursuit, but I guess that's how they like to drive them.

No question that the cars last forever when maintained and not abused, but police districts will replace cars as funding is available. Where I live , there are very few Panther law enforcement vehicles left on the road, if any. I do see old geezers (but not this old geezer) arriving them around. Fusions were not very popular in law enforcement, but see some in NYC. All that said, the Crown Vic’s and Marquis’s are very, very old at this point.

 

[y_p_w]

No question that the cars last forever when maintained and not abused, but police districts will replace cars as funding is available. Where I live , there are very few Panther law enforcement vehicles left on the road, if any. I do see old geezers (but not this old geezer) arriving them around. Fusions were not very popular in law enforcement, but see some in NYC. All that said, the Crown Vic’s and Marquis’s are very, very old at this point.

I've seen some old, old stuff from time to time. I remember years ago (maybe 1996) when I was in a collision, the first officer on the scene was a California Highway Patrol officer in an old looking pickup truck. He was wearing a utility uniform, which I understand is primarily for commercial vehicle enforcement where they often end up crawling under semis. But that truck looked like they kept it around since the 1960s and just repaired and repainted it as needed.

I guess the other thing about all these police vehicles is that they still have steelies and hubcaps. Can't think of anything other than police vehicles that uses those. At least not hubcaps.