2020 Ford Police Interceptor Utility officially revealed – now available as a hybrid, previews new Explorer SUV

2020 Ford Police Interceptor Utility officially revealed – now available as a hybrid, previews new Explorer SUV

Ford has unveiled the new Police Interceptor Utility (PIU), which doubles as an early look at the new Explorer that will debut in just a few days. The revamped SUV will not only gain a number of styling and design revisions, but also the addition of a hybrid powertrain.

On the exterior, the SUV sports a new set of slimmer headlamps as well as a reshaped front grille. Just below that is an entirely new apron that features a hexagonal lower intake, new fog lamps and trim. The police version comes fitted with a bull bar, spot lights and emergency lights, as these images clearly show.

Compared to the version civilians will get, the new PIU meets Ford’s stringent 120 km/h (75 mph) rear-impact crash standard, well above the federal standard of 80 km/h (50 mph). There’s also a lot more structural reinforcement and safety cells to better deal with collision forces during a pursuit, using ultra-high-strength boron steel and crumple zones.

Efforts have also been made to improve vehicle durability with better cooling systems, a specially tuned braking system and police-purposed steel wheels. Ford says the police SUV has been tested for eight-inch curb impact, median crossing and 48 km/h (30 mph) railroad crossing validation, and water fording to 18 inches at 24 km/h (15 mph) and 10 inches at 64 km/h (40 mph).

There’s also range of standard equipment like Bluetooth pass-through commands to mobile devices, 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.

Three powertrain options are offered for the PIU, with some likely being available for the new Explorer as well. As mentioned at the start, there’s a 3.3 litre hybrid system, which is available alongside a 3.0 litre EcoBoost and 3.3 litre V6. All setups use a 10-speed automatic transmission as standard with full-time all-wheel drive.

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Gerard Lye

Originating from the corporate world with a background in finance and economics, Gerard’s strong love for cars led him to take the plunge into the automotive media industry. It was only then did he realise that there are more things to a car than just horsepower count.

 
 

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