Next Generation Police Interceptor

[r0tor]

 

damn you for having that audi in your sig 

[giant_mtb]

Annnnnnd boom goes the Ford stock.

$13.20+

http://stockcharts.com/h-sc/ui?s=f

[r0tor]

r0tor making more money again.... soon i'll be able to buy an A4 for my $4000 investment 

[93JC]

So, has this new Taurus police package been unveiled yet?

[giant_mtb]

Ouch.  Perhaps I spoke too soon.  All the profit takers are gettin' out.  Pullllllllllllllback.

Regardless, they've officially broken the $13 mark.

[S204STi]

An AWD option would be good for agencies that frequently have inclement weather. 

I can think of a number of states that could benefit from that.

[WookieOnRitalin]

Coldplay? La Vida? Nice Ford.

[Catman]

Decent looking Taurus. 

[WookieOnRitalin]

It looks pretty damn good. Taurus based. AWD. 3.5L Duratec with or without EcoBoost. Vinyl seats. 18 inch wheels.

I'd rock one!

[3.0L V6]

After seeing this, I think the Charger will take most of the police market for several reasons:

1. The Charger is rear-drive, is on a proven platform and did very well in MSP testing.
2. The Charger offers a choice of engines - the more efficient 3.5L V6 for city police and the 5.7L V8 for highway patrol. Both engines have a good track record for durability.
3. Unlike the Caprice, the Charger has excellent aftermarket parts availability in North America thanks to years of sales of the 300C and civilian Charger.

I can't see Ford offering a competitive price for the Taurus with Ecoboost and AWD due to complexity and since GM has to import the Caprice and related parts from subsidiaries around the world, I can't imagine how that would be competitive either.

[Catman]

After seeing this, I think the Charger will take most of the police market for several reasons:

1. The Charger is rear-drive, is on a proven platform and did very well in MSP testing.
2. The Charger offers a choice of engines - the more efficient 3.5L V6 for city police and the 5.7L V8 for highway patrol. Both engines have a good track record for durability.
3. Unlike the Caprice, the Charger has excellent aftermarket parts availability in North America thanks to years of sales of the 300C and civilian Charger.

I can't see Ford offering a competitive price for the Taurus with Ecoboost and AWD due to complexity and since GM has to import the Caprice and related parts from subsidiaries around the world, I can't imagine how that would be competitive either.

I was driving a Charger yesterday.  We won't buy anymore. 

[Catman]

http://www.fordpoliceinterceptor.com

[GoCougs]

Wow did the presenters go to great lengths to not mention the "T" word.

[Catman]

Wow did the presenters go to great lengths to not mention the "T" word.

I know

[ifcar]

[3.0L V6]

I was driving a Charger yesterday.  We won't buy anymore. 

May I ask why?

[93JC]

You know what this means, right?

[S204STi]

This seems like a decent car, to my unprofessional eye.  Maybe once MI starts testing them you'll get to see if it can handle the needs of LE effectively.  The idea of the EcoBoost with AWD get my juices flowing...  would make this a great vehicle for the Colorado State Patrol.

[Catman]

May I ask why?

We only have one and it drive well enough but the visibility is terrible, the dealer network is poor and many departments have had reliability issues with them.

[Raza]

 

I know, I know, but whenever I see a copper pull into a doughnut shop, I still laugh. 

[Catman]

Been following some of the comments over at officer.com.  I don't think some of these guys realize how archaic the CVPI is.

[the Teuton]

Been following some of the comments over at officer.com.  I don't think some of these guys realize how archaic the CVPI is.

But other than gas mileage and a dated design, can you tell me why the CVPI would be a bad car for cops? It's rugged, reliable, it handles reasonably well, has a huge GVWR, and it's comfortable.

My thought was that they should have put a hybrid engine/motor in the CV, updated the styling and bits that needed it, and called it a day.

[3.0L V6]

But other than gas mileage and a dated design, can you tell me why the CVPI would be a bad car for cops? It's rugged, reliable, it handles reasonably well, has a huge GVWR, and it's comfortable.

My thought was that they should have put a hybrid engine/motor in the CV, updated the styling and bits that needed it, and called it a day.

I wouldn't say a hybrid design, but maybe the new 3.7L V6 or 5.0L V8 with a six speed automatic might be a worthwhile improvement. Possibly relocating the fuel tank might be an idea also. However, I'd imagine that those improvements would utterly destroy any profit margin on the car itself.

[Catman]

But other than gas mileage and a dated design, can you tell me why the CVPI would be a bad car for cops? It's rugged, reliable, it handles reasonably well, has a huge GVWR, and it's comfortable.

My thought was that they should have put a hybrid engine/motor in the CV, updated the styling and bits that needed it, and called it a day.

The CVPI will not meet safety standards going forward, it's terribly dated and does virtually nothing well.  Yeah they are pretty durable but not great in my opinion.  We've always had front ends that don't last, bad transmissions on occasion and poor fuel economy.  The engines have been incredible though.

[WookieOnRitalin]

I do not think the Charger will take over the market. I honestly believe that the Ford Interceptor will be the vehicle of choice. I cannot prove that and arguing about it would be total supposition. I'd be surprised if Ford's market share in this area dropped below 60%. The presentation said they had an 70% market right now.

Here's my problem and maybe Catman can help me out with this, but from what I understand, this is going to be a bit more expensive than the Crown Vic no? Vics and Impalas are typically chosen by a lot of municipalities do to the fact that they are inexpensive to buy, reliable, and easy to fix if something goes wrong. The Impala's ultimate problem is that it is FWD while the Vic was a RWD monster. Even if you take out the creature comforts out of the Taurus, will this vehicle be equally as expensive or will it sell for around the same price point as the Vic?

Superficially, this looks better and more rugged to me. I loved the design elements on the new Taurus. Between the Taurus and the LaCrosse, both Ford and GM have built some excellent large vehicles. I saw a LaCrosse today at the gym and my, was it looking great. It was a red CXL with a beige leather that looked plush.

I will say, AWD EcoBoost would be BA. I think the men in blue will have a great time with this vehicle and do it with a little more style.

[Catman]

I do not think the Charger will take over the market. I honestly believe that the Ford Interceptor will be the vehicle of choice. I cannot prove that and arguing about it would be total supposition. I'd be surprised if Ford's market share in this area dropped below 60%. The presentation said they had an 70% market right now.

Here's my problem and maybe Catman can help me out with this, but from what I understand, this is going to be a bit more expensive than the Crown Vic no? Vics and Impalas are typically chosen by a lot of municipalities do to the fact that they are inexpensive to buy, reliable, and easy to fix if something goes wrong. The Impala's ultimate problem is that it is FWD while the Vic was a RWD monster. Even if you take out the creature comforts out of the Taurus, will this vehicle be equally as expensive or will it sell for around the same price point as the Vic?

Superficially, this looks better and more rugged to me. I loved the design elements on the new Taurus. Between the Taurus and the LaCrosse, both Ford and GM have built some excellent large vehicles. I saw a LaCrosse today at the gym and my, was it looking great. It was a red CXL with a beige leather that looked plush.

I will say, AWD EcoBoost would be BA. I think the men in blue will have a great time with this vehicle and do it with a little more style.

If I had to guess I think the standard FWD with the 3.5 will be priced at or below the current CVPI.  The AWD drive option might be $1500-2000 more and the Ecoboost another $1500-2000 over that.  That's just a guess though.  One thing to consider is that some of that can be offset by fuel savings but intitial costs will be more due to the need to purchase new cages and other stuff.  I also wonder if there is a financial benefit to Ford dropping the inefficient CVPI due to poor fuel efficiency.

[3.0L V6]

I also wonder if there is a financial benefit to Ford dropping the inefficient CVPI due to poor fuel efficiency.

I'd imagine that increasing CAFE restrictions would encourage Ford to drop the CVPI, among a multitude of other reasons. Meeting next generation regulations for crash protection, stability control, etc. would likely require an expensive redesign of the car. Also, since Ford doesn't sell many civilian versions of the Panther platform anymore (who buys a body on frame, V8 rear-drive car anymore?), they have trouble keeping the assembly plant utilized at full capacity, so the advantage of using high volumes to offset costs is gone.

If Ford can produce a FWD Taurus at the same or less cost than the CVPI, why not? Everyone knew the writing was on the wall - the CV had to go sometime. It's been a heck of a run.

[GoCougs]

The reason why the CVPI is such a terrible car is the same reason why Detroit stopped making cars like it more than 20 years ago; all aspects of performance, economy, safety and space utilization being the biggies, are just plain bad. Further, its chassis couldn't handle the ~400 hp of the new 5.0L V8 without profound chassis and suspension upgrades.

[rohan]

If you knock a front wheel in on a RWD car while spinning out the bad guy, only some suspension and maybe steering pieces need replacement.  You do that in a FWD or AWD car and the suspension, steering, axles, and even tranny could be hosed...

Very very few agencies including ours even allow PIT to be used and then only by really highly trained people.  Plus you don't hit the fleeing car with your tire just the corner of the bumper.

[rohan]

I was driving a Charger yesterday.  We won't buy anymore.  

Interesting.  we just cancelled an order for 6 more Imps for 8 new chargers.  Imps we have are not holding together and have about 32% down/repair time (including gen. maint.) while both the CVPI's and Chargers are about 8% down/repair time.  Imps just aren't holding up and doing the math we discovered we could buy 2 extra cars for a 2 year period on the repair bills alone- so- we did.  we aren't even going to consider the new GM cars until MSP has a go at them in Lansing.

(I have my theories about the down times on the Imps tho based on how ppl here feel about them)