Cars and Drivers

Ford Releases Police Pick-Up, Similar To One Anybody Can Buy

Douglas A. McIntyre

Published: July 21, 2017 6:44 am

Last Updated: January 12, 2020 9:55 am

Ford (NYSE: F) has been the leading producer of full-sized pickups for decades. Its F-150 has long been the top selling vehicle in the U.S. beating out even the most popular cars. The No.2 U.S. car company has extended its product line to a version of the truck made for police departments. The sales for the product are bound to be small. That did not stop Ford from a very visible launch of the new product.

According to the company:

Ford is revealing the industry’s first pursuit-rated pickup, the 2018 F-150 Police Responder, giving law enforcement agencies a more versatile and capable patrol vehicle.

Capable of speeds up to 100 mph, the all-new F-150 Police Responder features a powerful and efficient 3.5-liter EcoBoost® engine and Ford SelectShift® 10-speed transmission, plus four-wheel drive for all-terrain police performance. The truck offers 375 horsepower and 470 lb.-ft. of torque – more than any other pursuit-rated police vehicle.

Based on the F-150 FX4 off-road model, the Police Responder’s 145-inch wheelbase sits on a high-strength steel frame, and features Ford’s high-strength, military-grade, aluminum-alloy SuperCrew body – giving it the largest passenger volume, payload and towing capacity of any pursuit-rated police vehicle. The truck features best-in-class front and rear shoulder and hip room, as well as rear legroom.

The “revealing” part makes the news seem almost a secret.

Some of the features are already available in the F-150 the public can buy. For example, the base version can hit a top speed of 105 miles per hour.  The F-150 the public can buy has a 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine.  It can also be ordered with a 10-speed transmission. The F-150 Police Responder is also built of high-strength, military-strength, aluminum alloy. Ford has pushed this combination of metals every since it moved away from the version built primarily from steel.

In short, the new  F-150 Police Responder is not much different from a version that a customer could buy at most Ford dealerships