The company reportedly sold more than 14,000 of the police-edition SUVs last year, marking a 140-percent jump over the previous year. Adding sales numbers for the Taurus-based Interceptor, which rose 31 percent to reach nearly 11,000, data from research firm Polk suggest Ford is landing nearly half of all police vehicle sales in the US.
The SUV is claimed to address a growing need for cargo space to hold equipment, while standard all-wheel-drive and new turbocharged engine options further sweeten the proposition, Ford’s police marketing manager, Jonathan Honeycutt, told the Detroit Free Press.
Originally only available with a naturally-aspirated 3.7-liter V6, producing 304 horsepower and 279 lb-ft of torque, the Explorer Police Interceptor last year added an optional twin-turbo “EcoBoost” V6 that brings the power ratings up to 365 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque.
The Explorer PI will soon face renewed competition as General Motors’ 2015 Tahoe police-patrol vehicle (PPV) arrives on the market with a torquier V8.
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