There's a new police vehicle that you'll need to be on the lookout for as Ford revealed the 2020 Police Interceptor Utility yesterday.

Before we get any further, this is our best look at the all-new Explorer, which we'll see next Wednesday. It appears that Ford is keeping the basic profile of the current Explorer, but has made some minor changes such as new grille shape and lower roofline. The Interceptor has some additional exterior treatments such as a push bar and searchlights. For the interior, Ford has fitted heavy-duty cloth upholstery to the front seats, along with anti-stab plates mounted in the backsides.

The base engine will be an all-new 3.3L V6 hybrid powertrain that Ford claims a 41 percent improvement in fuel economy over the 3.7L V6 found in the current Utility. Ford also says testing done by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and Michigan State Police shows the hybrid powertrain to be quicker than the 3.7 V6. Other engines include a non-hybrid 3.3L V6 and 3.0L EcoBoost V6. All engines will come teamed with a 10-speed automatic and all-wheel drive.

There is also a number of features exclusive to the Police Interceptor Utility to protect officers,

• Police Perimeter Alert System: Sensors monitor approximately 270 degrees around the vehicle to alert officers if someone is coming close to the vehicle. It can also secure the vehicle by locking doors and rolling up windows, along with providing a track of the intruder in the instrument cluster.
• The steel wheel and tire setup has been designed to deal with 8-inch curb impact, a median crossing, and a 30-mph railroad crossing.
• Ford claims this model has been engineered to withstand a 75-mph rear-impact crash.
• Optional safety features include automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection and forward collision warning.

The order books for the new Police Interceptor Utility are open now and deliveries will begin in the summer.

Gallery: 2020 Ford Police Interceptor Utility

Source: Ford

All-New Ford Police Interceptor Is The Future Of Pursuit-Rated Police Vehicles

• Powerful yet efficient new powertrains and custom Ford technologies to help keep officers safe build on Ford’s police vehicle dominance in North America
• All-new 2020 Police Interceptor Utility, with standard hybrid all-wheel-drive powertrain, will save police agencies and taxpayers as much as $5,700 per vehicle annually in fuel costs* over current Police Interceptor Utility equipped with 3.7-liter gas engine
• Technologies exclusive to Ford’s all-new Police Interceptor Utility – including Police Perimeter Alert and Ford Telematics™ – help elevate safety and fleet management for law enforcement officials across the country

Dearborn, Mich., Jan. 4, 2019 – Already accounting for nearly two-thirds of police vehicle sales in the United States, Ford believes it has found the key to continue winning over the hearts of the law enforcement community – even better-performing vehicles that keep officers safer and save departments, and taxpayers, money.

Led by a new hybrid variant of its popular Police Interceptor Utility, Ford’s new lineup of pursuit-rated vehicles aims to build upon its 65 percent of U.S. police vehicle sales in 2017.

When the all-new Police Interceptor Utility takes to the streets in 2019, that lineup will include Police Responder Hybrid Sedan, F-150 Police Responder, Expedition SSV, F-150 SSV, Transit PTV and SSV Plug-In Hybrid Sedan. 

Hybrid technology is ideal for law enforcement – and taxpayers – because of the potential for significant idle-time fuel and cost savings. When police vehicles are stationary, a conventional gasoline engine must run continuously to power emergency lighting, radios, computers and other on-board electrical equipment. The Police Interceptor Hybrid’s powertrain allows the engine to shut off for extended periods, powering the electrical equipment via its lithium-ion hybrid battery, helping achieve significant reductions in fuel usage and CO2 emissions.

“Our Police Interceptor Utility’s standard hybrid powertrain provides the potential for significant fuel savings with improved performance and no tradeoffs in safety or interior passenger or cargo space,” said Stephen Tyler, Ford police brand marketing manager. “It’s a win-win-win formula for law enforcement.”

The all-new 2020 Police Interceptor Utility hybrid has a projected EPA-estimated rating of 24 mpg combined, a 41 percent improvement over the current Police Interceptor Utility equipped with a 3.7-liter gas engine. Projections indicate the first pursuit-rated hybrid police utility will save between $3,500 and $5,700 per vehicle annually in fuel costs versus the current Police Interceptor Utility*. If those savings were applied to every Police Interceptor Utility sold in 2017, it would equate to between $118 million and $193 million*, or more than 43 million gallons of fuel.

In recent testing by Michigan State Police, the all-new Police Interceptor Utility hybrid had the fastest 0-100 mph acceleration, fastest lap, fastest average lap and highest top speed of 137 mph, versus competitive police utility vehicles tested, including V8-powered entries. The only faster entry was its cousin – Ford Police Interceptor Utility powered by a 3.0-liter EcoBoost® engine.

And at Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department testing, the new Police Interceptor Utility hybrid bested the outgoing 3.7-liter model in 0-60 mph by 1.1 seconds and 0-100 mph by 4.7 seconds. It also turned a fastest lap time that was 2.4 seconds better than the 3.7-liter and fastest average lap time that was 1.7 seconds better.

As is the case with other Ford hybrids, there is simply no compromise in terms of functionality. The Police Interceptor Utility platform was engineered around its lithium-ion battery, which does not intrude into the cargo area, meaning there are no tradeoffs in passenger volume, cargo volume behind the first row, cargo volume behind the second row or total interior volume – in fact, most of these measurements improve over the current vehicle.

Using technology to keep officers safer

The all-new Police Interceptor Utility introduces a number of advanced innovations designed for officer safety.

Factory-installed Police Perimeter Alert uses sensors to monitor an approximately 270-degree area around the vehicle. It analyzes nearby movement to detect potentially threatening behavior. When such motion is detected, the system automatically turns on the rear camera, sounds a chime, rolls up the windows and locks the doors. Motion trails of the detected threat appear on the digital instrument cluster so officers can monitor.

Ford also equips its new Police Interceptor Utility and Police Responder Hybrid Sedan with a Ford modem and two years of complimentary Ford Telematics™ service that enables timely feedback of vehicle usage and location to agency fleet managers.

“Officers take care of people in our communities, so we feel it’s important that our vehicles help take care of our officers,” Tyler said.

Available driver-assist technology includes Pre-Collision Assist with automatic emergency braking, which features Pedestrian Detection and forward collision warning. A unique disable switch for law enforcement allows officers to temporarily override the system to perform precision immobilization technique maneuvers when necessary.

Additional optional equipment includes Rear Camera On-Demand, which allows officers to view behind the vehicle at the touch of a button, and a host of factory-installed and factory-sealed wiring and lighting packages that offer agencies turnkey solutions.

Purpose-built features include heavy-duty cloth front seats with reduced bolsters for comfort and easy entry and exit for officers. Vinyl rear seats and vinyl flooring enable easy cleanup. Anti-stab plates in the rear of the front seat backs help protect officers from potential threats.

Three powertrain options for the all-new Police Interceptor Utility include a standard 3.3-liter hybrid, plus available 3.0-liter EcoBoost® and 3.3-liter V6 engines. All are powered by a new 10-speed automatic transmission and feature standard full-time Intelligent All-Wheel Drive and deep snow/sand traction control mode.

Ford Police Interceptors remain the only vehicles in the world engineered to meet Ford’s stringent 75-mph rear-impact crash standard. The federal standard for such testing is 50 mph. Additionally, safety cell construction directs collision force around the occupant compartment, and features advanced ultra-high-strength boron steel, crumple zones that absorb and dissipate crash energy, and SPACE architecture that provides structural reinforcement and side-impact protection.

Police Interceptor Utility is tested for enhanced police durability, including improved cooling, specially tuned braking system, front-door tethers, and police-purposed steel wheels, tires and hubcaps that are designed to withstand the rigors of a chase. The vehicle is also tested for eight-inch curb impact, median crossing and 30-mph railroad crossing validation, and water fording to 18 inches at 15 mph and 10 inches at 40 mph.

“Whether patrolling or sitting idle, the all-new Police Interceptor Utility will change the way officers work,” said Bill Gubing, chief engineer for Police Interceptor Utility and Ford Explorer. “Everything about it was designed for keeping police officers safe, comfortable and ready for action.”

Other standard equipment includes Bluetooth™ pass-through commands to mobile devices, to help officers keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel, low- and high-beam LED headlamps, four user-configurable steering wheel switches, a Class III trailer tow receiver with 5,000-pound capacity and a tilt/telescoping steering wheel.