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2020 Ford Police Interceptor Utility Previews New Explorer SUV

Coming as standard with all-wheel drive and hybrid assistance, the Police Interceptor Utility with the optional 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6 is “the best accelerating and fastest police vehicle in America.” Compared to the previous generation, the Explorer-based SUV has raised the bar for police vehicles by a long, long margin.
2020 Ford Police Interceptor Utility 29 photos
Photo: Ford
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“The all-new 2020 Police Interceptor Utility offers significant potential fuel savings with no trade-offs in safety, passenger or cargo space – on top of bringing improved performance,” says Stephen Tyler, brand marketing manager for the automaker’s police division. Ford and the Michigan State Police have tested the newcomer, concluding that the optional 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6 has bested “all competitive SUV entries, including V8-equipped models.”

Read what you will into these claims, but the Ford Motor Company has a winner on its hands. The Michigan State Police clocked the hybrid at 137 miles per hour. The EcoBoost managed 150 miles per hour, the sort of top speed that most passenger cars aren’t even capable of hitting.

As standard, the Police Interceptor Utility for the 2020 model year comes with hybrid technology and an unspecified engine. Ford says the CD6 vehicle architecture-based SUV is 40 percent more efficient than the 3.7-liter Ti-VCT V6, which means that the internal combustion engine of the hybrid powertrain could be the 3.3-liter Ti-VCT V6.

Even though Ford isn’t specific about the number of cylinders and displacement, the automaker did mention that the gas engine can run intermittently to charge the lithium-ion battery. Start/stop has been confirmed too, and the order books have opened. Shipments to law enforcement agencies begin in the summer of 2019, which means that the 2020 Ford Explorer should go official at the Detroit Auto Show.

The brochure for the Police Interceptor Utility also confirms seating for five people, 168 cubic feet of total interior volume (compared to 166 for the previous model year), and Bluetooth wireless connectivity. Ford claims the HEV AWD configuration has the potential to save 343 gallons of fuel per year while driving and 933 gallons per year while the vehicle is at idle.

From the options list, the highlights come in the form of Perimeter Alert (270-degree monitoring), Rear Camera On Demand, Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection, Automatic Emergency Braking with Forward Collision Warning, and a heavy-duty AGM battery (92 amp-hr, 900 CCA). The Class III Trailer Tow Lighting Package raises the towing capacity to 5,000 pounds.
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 Download: 2020 Ford Police Interceptor Utility brochure (PDF)

About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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