2012 Ford Interceptor Burns More Rubber, Less Gasoline

Over its twenty year run, Ford’s Crown Victoria-based Interceptor became the most popular law enforcement vehicle on American streets. The rear-wheel-drive, body-on-frame sedan is the benchmark to which every other police cruiser is compared.

The 2012 Ford Interceptor represents a dramatic departure from what was the norm. Common sense says that big American police cars have big V8 engines, with less than stellar mileage, as a result. But not anymore. The 2012 Interceptor has changed the game.

All-wheel-drive is standard on the new Taurus-based unibody Interceptor sedan and utility. There are two naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 engines, along with a 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 that puts out 365 horsepower (HP). The base V6 in the sedan puts out 288 HP, while the utility’s V6 cranks 304 HP. The previous Interceptor put out just 250 HP.

Gas mileage ratings on the base sedan are 18 miles per gallon (MPG) city and 26 MPG highway … a jump of 4 MPG in the city and 5 MPG on the highway. The new engines are more than thirty percent more efficient at idle. The potential for gasoline savings? Huge.

– by Daniel Gray