Ford Police Interceptor quickest in LA Sheriff’s Department testing

Filed under: Sedan, SUV, Government/Legal, Work, Ford, Specialty

2011 Ford Police Interceptor – Click above for high-res image gallery

The battle for law enforcement domination rages on. A gaggle of would-be police cruisers showed up at the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department for public testing recently, and of all the competitors, the Taurus-based Ford Police Interceptor with its twin-turbocharged, direct-injected 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine managed to turn the quickest lap time of the bunch by beating out the V8-powered forces from Dodge and Chevrolet. It also ran from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 5.8 seconds. Ford isn’t saying exactly which other cars were on hand for abuse, but we can probably guess they were the Caprice and Charger.

The new 3.7-liter V6-powered Police Interceptor Utility, which is based on upcoming 2011 Ford Explorer, also managed to turn a lap time that was a full two seconds quicker than the new law enforcement Chevrolet Tahoe. Both vehicles were laden with a 400-pound cargo box at the time.

Ford’s standard 3.5-liter V6 held its own during the competition, too – beating out the rest of the V6-equipped enforcers in handling, braking, acceleration and lap time tests. Ford says that in addition to performance and durability, the Interceptor also brings impressive fuel economy to the table – offering up to 20-percent better economy than the outgoing Crown Victoria.

How’s that for a change from the last time these bruisers locked horns? Hit the jump for the full press release.

Gallery: 2012 Ford Police Interceptor