The 2017 Ford Police Interceptor Utility is Going Stealth

BOLD RIDE

Copyright © 2016 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Zach Doell 

 

                               

                                         

With sirens blaring and lights flashing, it can be critical that a police cruiser be noticed immediately. Moments earlier however, and the name of the game may be discretion. 

 

Modern police vehicles must toe the fine line between these two opposites, and Ford recently announced it will be making that balance just a bit easier. Meet the 2017 Ford Police Interceptor Utility—the same Ford Explorer-based cruiser many have seen for years, but now with a stealthier look.

For 2017, Ford has debuted a new interior “no profile” visor light bar, which replaces the traditional roof-mounted light bar (seen below), giving these cruisers a more discrete front and side profile.

Ford says the addition was not solely a matter of added stealth, but also added visibility. Interior light bars have become a popular upgrade amongst police agencies, but Ford says many aftermarket units tend to be somewhat bulky and obstruct a driver’s field of view. This new interior light bar is said to integrate cleanly where the headliner and windshield meet, providing a better field of view for today’s officers.

Of course, you probably won’t be mistaking these police utes for garden variety Ford Explorers any time soon—the 18-inch steel wheels, “Interceptor” badging, post-mounted spotlights, and blacked-out or police liveried appearance will continue.

All Ford Police Interceptor Utility vehicles come fitted with all-wheel drive as standard, and the option of either a 3.7-liter V6 or twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6.