Crown Victoria laid to rest

[lethalLemon]

It is a sad day for many of North America's Police Departments who rely on the brute force, rapid acceleration, and spaciousness of the Crown Victoria Police Interceptors...

An old article nonetheless but still relevant, text in yellow - my additions:

Ford to retire Crown Vics; police cars to get makeover
By Brian Freskos - STAR News Online

If a cop has pulled you over anytime since 1992, chances are the officer was driving a Ford Crown Victoria.

It has long been a defining symbol of police, one that proved its worth time and again in the fight against crime. Now, however, the United States and Canada will soon say goodbye to the sleek automobile that over the decades has grown into a staple of nearly every law enforcement fleet.

...

The end of the Crown Vic has prompted law enforcement agencies everywhere, including those in Southeastern North Carolina, to reevaluate the composition of their fleets. And though Ford plans to try to keep its customers by offering a new line of police cars later this year, its competitors are viewing this as an opening to capture more market share.

...

More at http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20110423/ARTICLES/110429869/-1/opinion?p=1&tc=pg

The new Ford Taurus concept is interesting and while it is more efficient AND more powerful than the CVPI, it doesn't have a lot of room. I saw one of Delta Police (of Delta, BC) Chevy Malibu interceptor and it looks quite sleek, as well as the 2012 Caprice. Some RCMP detachments have converted over to Dodge Chargers, however there's been issues with their very large blindspots.

It's unfortunate to see the Crown Vic go but it was going to happen eventually.

Wikipedia states:

On March 12, 2010, Ford Motor Company introduced the 2011 Police Interceptor as a rebadged and reengineered version of the current Taurus. This new vehicle bears no relation to the Panther platform on which the previous Police Interceptors were built. In response, police departments like that of Austin, Texas, are buying reserve supplies of the last Crown Victorias to allow them to maintain a fleet of reliable police cars into the future. The London, Ontario, police department noted when stockpiling extra CVPI's that while potential replacements may use less gasoline, the CVPI may be easily and cheaply converted to run on propane, giving it lower running costs than its competitors and the Taurus Ford is touting as a replacement. Others have reluctantly shifted to other models and manufacturers.

On September 15th 2011, the final built Crown Victoria, a civilian model destined for Saudi Arabia, rolled off the assembly line at 12:30 PM, concluding assembly operations of the St. Thomas, Ontario plant.

Sources:

"Ford to retire Crown Vics; police cars to get makeover" : http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20110423/ARTICLES/110429869/-1/opinion?p=1&tc=pg

"Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor" : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Crown_Victoria_Police_Interceptor

 

[jollyjacktar]

I remember when they first came to the guard houses, what a breath of fresh air and WOW factor when set against the Chrysler POS that had been foisted upon them previously.  The Luminas were only slightly better than the Chryslers.  The Vics were great cars and served well. 

 

[mariomike]

They were fun to drive. Good weight distribution, handling, and traction. Idled without over heating. Had a fairly tight turning radius . Roomy trunk with some interesting features inside. They had the "Interceptor" package.
There was a driver-ed course on the skid-pad before taking them on the street. They took a lot of punishment ( curbs, mostly ) .

 

[Hurricane]

These cars take a beating, beat the hell out of these for 2 days straight on EATD in NC. Not a problem for the overworked ex police cars they pick up at auction. I would love to see any other car take the abuse a crown vic can.

 

[mariomike]

Crown Vic in action at Yonge and Wellesley:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGH-oKt5hlE

 

[Bass ackwards]

Ever since I heard Ford was discontinuing the Crown Vics I've wondered why ?
When you think about the sheer bloody numbers of these things on the road in the fleets of the large forces; LAPD, NYPD, RCMP, plus the mid-size and smaller police and government agencies -it can't be a sales issue. They have to be replaced on a fairly regular basis.
I don't imagine they're easy on fuel but at the same time you didn't see anybody trading them for something smaller and more fuel efficient.
From everything I've heard, they're a good, rugged machine and popular with their users.

So why ? 

 

[PuckChaser]

Police fleets would be a fraction of what civilian sales would be for the same vehicle minus the interceptor package. Perhaps it wasn't cost effective anymore for Ford to keep a Crown Vic production line open for just LEO sales. Either that, or the cynical would think Ford is trying to get all the LEO agencies to purchase one of their new vehicles to prop up those sales.

 

[Haggis]

The Crown Vic is an iconic police vehicle.  I remember coming back from a range day with our local ERT and asking the officer driving  "Hey, just how fast will this thing go?"  Instead of blurting out something like "well, I think it'll do XXX", he says "let's see!" and stomps it!

 

[jollyjacktar]

Police fleets would be a fraction of what civilian sales would be for the same vehicle minus the interceptor package. Perhaps it wasn't cost effective anymore for Ford to keep a Crown Vic production line open for just LEO sales. Either that, or the cynical would think Ford is trying to get all the LEO agencies to purchase one of their new vehicles to prop up those sales.

But it also was a darling amongst cab companies as well.  Not an insubstantial customer base.

 

[Thompson_JM]

But it also was a darling amongst cab companies as well.  Not an insubstantial customer base.

Also keep in mind, most Crown vic Cabs were CVPI's sold off at auction and then in many cases converted to propane...

So Ford was not really making any more money off of those vehicles....

I'll be sorry to see em go, but all good things.... etc...

 

[mariomike]

Interesting pic attached from Halton Region, Ontario. The roof sign says, "Police".

The second pic is a Crown Vic versus house in the Jane and Dundas area of Toronto. No injuries - other than a destroyed fish tank - reported.

 

[George Wallace]

Who is to know?.  Perhaps Ford may do like Coke did when they brought out "New Coke" and bring back what was old and make it new again.

 

[Hurricane]

Has everyone seen the episode of Car Warriors on Speed? The build was 2 '00 Crown Victoria's. The other car is too stupid looking to post a picture.

 

[Nfld Sapper]

Has everyone seen the episode of Car Warriors on Speed? The build was 2 '00 Crown Victoria's. The other car is too stupid looking to post a picture.

lol the pimp my cruiser episode......

;D

 

[Hurricane]

Just looked at Fords website for their new line of potential Police Interceptors. Looks like a sedan and SUV will be available.

Comparison:

Crown Vic Interceptor                          New Interceptor Sedan
250HP 4.6L V8                                    280+HP 3.5L TiVCT V6 FFV(Standard) or 365HP 3.5L V6 Ecoboost (Optional)
4 Speed Trans                                      6 Speed Trans
Rear Wheel Drive                                  All Wheel Drive (Standard) or Front Wheel Drive (TiVCT Option Only)
200A Alternator                                    220A Alternator


Also, the SUV variant (yes variant as its based off of the same unibody platform) apparently will have many if not all interchangeable parts with the sedan version. (suspension, brakes etc.) Only difference listed on their site is it only comes with a 300+HP 3.7L V6 TiVCT as opposed to the 3.5L.

Now i am no expert on the matter, these are only specs I found at http://www.ford.com/fordpoliceinterceptor/#

But the idea of a Sedan/SUV Platform with interchangeable parts seems like a very good idea for maintenance purposes. (Though don't most civ police services contract out with a dealership anyway?)

 

[mariomike]

(Though don't most civ police services contract out with a dealership anyway?)

I don't know about out of town, but Toronto does not contract out. ( Not yet, anyway. )

A pic attached of what Metro used to drive.