Ford Explorer is fastest US cop car at 150 mph
The best-selling police vehicle in America will soon be faster than ever.
In head-to-head testing, the new Ford Explorer-based law enforcement vehicle will be the fastest cop car on the street, according to new preliminary test data from the Michigan State Police based on a 32-lap dynamics test.
“The fact that a big SUV can smoke a Hemi Charger around a racetrack is pretty ridiculous,” said Chris Terry, Ford product communications spokesman. “The 2020 Ford Police Interceptor Utility is a beast. When a car blows past you at 120 miles an hour, you need to get that person off the road as quickly as possible in the interest of public safety.”
The Michigan State Police and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department tests establish benchmarks that law enforcement agencies all over the country use to evaluate vehicles.
The Dodge Charger had the quickest acceleration at lower speeds – 0 to 20 mph, 0 to 30 mph and 0 to 40 mph. But the Ford Police Interceptor had the best times going 0 to 50 mph, 0 to 60 mph and 0 to 100 mph. A heavy SUV going faster than a fast sedan in a pursuit ratings test is notable, Terry said.
Michigan State Police drive-test data measured time down to hundredths of a second. The results show the Ford Police Interceptor Utility had an average lap time of 1:36:47, while the Dodge Charger finished second at 1:37:11.
Precision drivers, whose outcomes determine the official claims of all 2019 police vehicles sold, tested the Dodge Charger, the Chevy Tahoe, the Dodge Durango, the Ford F-150 Responder and the Ford Fusion Hybrid.
Speed charts showed the Interceptor reached 150 mph, the Charger reached 149 mph, the Tahoe reached 134 mph, the Durango reached 118 mph, the F-150 Responder reached 106 mph, and the Fusion Hybrid reached 119 mph.
Ford dominates the police vehicle market, selling 65 percent of the 55,517 police vehicles in 2017. Last year, Ford sold 33,075 Police Interceptors alone, up 2.7 percent from 32,213 in 2016.
The police SUV, which mimics the design of the forthcoming 2020 Ford Explorer, will be delivered to law enforcement in the summer of 2019. Orders have already been placed.