The New Ford Police Interceptor sedan (right) and utility vehicles replaced the long-running Crown Victoria as the cornerstone of the Ford police vehicle lineup in 2012.
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TBT: Ford’s Crown Victoria Retires After Nearly 30 Years on the Force
Jan 09, 2025
The Crown Victoria anchored the Ford police vehicle lineup for nearly 30 years. The 2005 model is seen here.
The newly redesigned LTD Crown Victoria with police package was introduced in 1983 and went on to become the full-size police cruiser of choice for decades in many municipalities. The car featured an optional 5.8-liter high-output V8, and in 1992, Ford debuted a dedicated Crown Victoria Police Interceptor with a 4.6-liter V8 engine and other police-friendly attributes, such as beefed-up electrical, cooling, and braking systems. By 1998, the Crown Victoria accounted for 85% of police pursuit vehicle sales in the U.S. and Canada, and Ford had been a leader in police vehicle sales for three years.
End of the line
By 2011, with Ford still leading the market, it was time to replace the Crown Victoria. Ford introduced a new Police Interceptor, as well as a Police Interceptor Utility vehicle, which would assume the crown as America’s best-selling police vehicle. The pair went on sale in 2012 and the 100,000th Police Interceptor was sold in 2015.
Crown Victoria accounted for 85% of police pursuit vehicle sales in the U.S. and Canada by 1998.
While the Crown Victoria was known for its big V8 engines, the new vehicles were a showcase for Ford’s then-new EcoBoost powerplants. The 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 offering was capable of producing at least 365 horsepower and 350 ft.-lb. of torque in the sedan. The new EcoBoost engines not only offered performance upgrades, but also made for environmentally friendly pursuit vehicles in both varieties.
Nearly all of the interior of the Police Interceptor sedan was designed based on feedback from law enforcement customers.
Also, Ford listened to its customers in developing the new Interceptors. For more than a year, members of Ford’s newly formed Police Advisory Board provided their input on key features such as safety, performance, and comfort. Approximately 90% of the interior of the Interceptor sedan was specially redesigned to meet the needs of law enforcement, and both Interceptors included assets such as front seats that better accommodated officers’ utility belts and a specially designed column shifter designed to free the vehicle’s console area to be used as a workspace. Also, the added interior space that came with the Interceptor Utility vehicle allowed for use by K-9 officers and SWAT operations.
The Interceptor Utility and sedan model highlighted Ford’s new EcoBoost engines as well as driver-assist and other technologies.
The 2013 model year Interceptors also included Ford driver-assist and other technologies, including Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) and Cross-Traffic Alert, as well as Ford’s SYNC infotainment system. Also, they were the only all-wheel-drive vehicles built specifically for law enforcement at the time.
The 1996 Crown Victoria is seen with another famous crime fighting vehicle with Ford ties: the original Batmobile.
Production of the Ford Crown Victoria at Ford’s St. Thomas Assembly plant in Ontario, Canada, ended in late-2011 as the team at Chicago Assembly Plant transitioned to production of the new Police Interceptor and Interceptor Utility vehicles.
The retirement of the Crown Victoria was a significant change, but it also signaled the beginning of a new chapter in Ford’s long history of serving law enforcement that continues today with the Police Interceptor Utility and the rest of Ford’s industry-leading lineup.
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