T'Cal

It looks much more aggressive. Real body lines rather than the slab-sided look of most sedans these days. I like it! It's supposed to have 12+% more glass for greater visibility than the previous model. I read that the police package will offer AWD. Any confirmations on this?

The 9C1 Malibus of the early '80s and '00-'11 Impalas were/are a bit cramped too. I never drove a Nova. Did yours have 350s or 396s?

The Camaro is too portly for a pony car, yes. It's almost as big overall as the midsize Challenger yet it's only a 2+2. The Camaro is based on a large sedan and wasn't downsized all that much to be what it is. I would've prefered a midsized, 5 passenger Chevelle coupe based on the zeta platform rather than this "little" pig.

Nice job! I'm not sure if the Flex can survive surrounded by the Edge and Explorer. Ford needs a minivan and Lincoln needs the Flex to replace its strangely designed and cramped MKT. The Flex feels so much roomier than the MKT that it feels more luxurious than the MKT. Change the sheet metal a bit but keep it big, and start with the Titanium for the new MKT.

Now that any chance of a new Cougar is lost, I have modified my dreams to include a large coupe for Lincoln perhaps based on the MKS. It would have distinctive styling and share nothing visual with the sedan on which it would be based, but nothing as monstrously designed as the CTS Coupe. Terrible. I would also like to see a fullsized, RWD flagship powered by the Mustangs plants - an American take on the BMW 7-Series or Mercedes S-Class. Lastly, I would like to see a sporty two-seat hardtop convertible based on the Mustang powered by the 3.7L V6 and the EBTT 3.5L V6. Am I missing anything?

I love a good war story too having started in LE over 27 years ago. I miss my '94 9C1 with the LT1 350. It was the best squad car I've driven. The quality of interior parts was lacking but for a big car it was very fast, it had lots of room, and it handled better the faster you went. The new Caprice will be a very good car. Still, the AWD Taurus and AWD Explorer might prove to be the best suited for modern police work. I'm in the Chicago area and AWD will run circles around FWD and RWD cars during the nasty weather. I look forward to driving them all, but my first impression is that the AWD Explorer is my favorite.

Knowing the performance of the lower HP 5.0L V8 and the EB3.5L V6 in the new F150, is there any accurate way to extrapolate what the EB would do in a Mustang? This would be an excellent option with the Pony Package even if it came with only an automatic.

The Mustang and Camaro are pony cars and are considerably smaller than the Challenger, which is a muscle car, and the only one available at that. For about $40k, you could buy a loaded GT, SS, or RT. All three are handsome, great performing vehicles and they appeal to different people's tastes. For my money, I would have a tough time choosing between a Mustang convertible with the pony package and a Challenger RT Classic. The Camaro is too portly for my tastes but I wouldn't fault anyone for buying one. And that's the point: why dis any of these cars? Competition improves the breed. The reason the Camaro is available is because the Mustang is successful. The same might be said to a smaller degree for the Challenger.

I was at a PI Sedan introduction put on by Ford last month in Elk Grove Village, IL, and learned that the AWD option will cost $2,000 while the EB option above that (AWD is req'd for the EB) is another $2,500. While no MSRP was given, the rep said the new PI Sedan will be priced higher than the CVPI. The Explorer-based PI Utility will not offer the EB engine. In its literature, Ford has written that the NA 3.5L V6 in the Taurus-based PI Sedan will have "at least 263 HP," which is its current rating. But the 2011 civilian Explorer will be rated at 290 HP per its press release and the 2011 Edge's NA 3.5L is rated at 285 HP. My guess is the PI Sedan and Utility will be rated identically at 285 or 290 HP. Lastly, many of us grew to love the reliable, roomy CVPI but it's as good as dead. It is old, old, old, and now there is some real competition from Chevy and Dodge. The CVPI would need so much revision to meet new safety standards that it's just not worth the cost of engineering on such a limited production vehicle. The new Taurus and Explorer PIs will service law enforcement very well especially in AWD form. As for the Ecoboost option, I will be very surprized if many are sold. The NA 3.5L is faster, quicker, and much more fuel efficient tha the old SOHC 4.6L V8. The new PIs will outdo the CVPI in almost every catagory. It won't be quite as roomy, but it will be bigger in the passenger compartment than the Impala and AWD will be a godsend to those of us in the snowbelt. For those who need a bit more room, there's the PI Utility, which will be a much better pursuit and patrol vehicle than the huge, inefficient, ungainly RWD Tahoe. Ford may have the best squadcars on the market. I can't wait to read Michigan State Police's test of all of the new police vehicles.

How about an Escape-based compact pick-up? It could use the existing drivetrains - I4, hybrid, V6, FWD, AWD. It could even use the new TT2.0L I4 Ecoboost. With a bit of engineering, like what was done to turn the Taurus X crossover into the Explorer SUV, the Escape-based truck could haul/tow more than the current Ranger. It would likely cut costs since the Escape SUV and truck could be built on the same line. It could be two door, extended cab, and 4 door crew cab with a couple of bed sizes too.

Have you considered an Escape? At first glance from the side, I thought the new Explorer looked like a bigger Escape. I still do. The Escape is surprizingly roomy and the drivetrains are modern and efficient offering an I4, a V6, and a hybrid all in FWD or AWD, not to mention the choice of manual and automatic transmissions. The Edge might be an option but I prefer the traditional truck lines of the Escape. My wife has been driving a Mariner for almost two years and loves it.

While the new Taurus is a very good car, that name has always been associated with a midsize sedan and wagon. The replacement for Five Hundred should've been named Interceptor while the Fusion should've been called Taurus. The old Taurus and the Fusion are actually very close in size.

My guess is this vehicle will cause the same stir and create solid sales just like the original Explorer. I'm really looking forward to seeing this up close, especially the Police Interceptor model. I'm interested in how the cargo area looks without the third row, which I'm guessing the PI lacks. "Can anyone remember when we used to be explorers?" Capt. Jean-Luc Picard, Star Trek: Insurrection

Shoulda stuck with the real names. The MK- is very confusing even for a Lincoln fan like me. I always hesitate when descussiing one of the new models. Didn't I read that originally they were going to use "Mark"" instead of MK? The Zephyr was to become the Mark Z and so on. Not a great idea either. I prefer the names such as Continental, Town Car, Navigator, Aviator, Zephyr, Mark IX, etc. As each is replaced by a substantial updated model (more than a freshening up), the names should return.

I'm sooooooooooo embarassed to be from Illinois. I have Daley as a mayor, Stroger as the county president, up until too recently, Blago as my governer, Emanuel os the chief of staff, and Obama as president. Can it get any worse? I'm moving far away...to Alaska!

If I had to replace my family mover soon, I'd look long and hard at the new Explorer. I liked the Freestyle (stupid name, tho) and the Taurus X (too much grille chrome, tho) and thought they both looked enough like the old Explorer to have taken that name. The new one takes everything I liked about those two and improves on them in so many ways. It's the front runner as far as I'm concerned.

With the loss of Mercury goes any chance that a midsize Cougar could return, it's time for Ford to build a new personal luuxry coupe and Thunderbird would be a fine choice for its name. Based on a stretched and widened Mustang platform, the new 5 passenger T-Bird would come with the 3.7L V6/6 speed automatic as standard. A GT model could come with either the EB TT 3.5L V6 or the 5.0L V8.

Too late! Honda makes a FWD truck - the Ridgeline. Good bye...

http://www.fordpoliceinterceptor-form.com/ Nothing unexpected here, but that's not bad news. The PI Utility will be sold along side the Taurus-based PI Sedan. The PI Utility will not offer the twin turbo V6, which isn't surprizing since that engine isn't planned for the civilian model Explorer during its first year. It is fully pursuit rated and will come in FWD and AWD with the 280+HP 3.5L V6 and six speed automatic. If Ford prices it close to the PI Sedan, I predict it will sell well. Hey, how do we get a forum here dedicated to Ford's police vehicles??

I've read everything I can get my hands on regarding the new PIs and the only item Ford has stated is interchangeable is the console. Perhaps, depending on the brand, the cage/shield could be reused if new brackets are available to mount it in the Taurus. I doubt it though. The shape and size of the two cars' passenger compartments are different. We'll see.

Good points. My agency is smaller and overall cost is a major consideration. The Impalas are cheaper so we tried them but costs to maintain and repair them were substantially higher so we went back to CVPIs - costlier up front but cheaper in the long run. As for the cost of switching from one car to another, that affects every agency, big or small. Since we run CVPIs currently, it's going to cost us to get new prisoner cages and moulded back seats, but the consoles, computer mounts, overhead lights, deck lights, and much of the rest will fit in/on the Taurus, Explorer, Caprice, and Charger by purchasing inexpensive brackets.

Ford reveals the new Explorer-based Police Interceptor Utility tomorrow at 3:00 pm EST!

For those agencies that have CVPIs, the field is wide open. They can no longer just purchase another PI and transfer the parts from the old to the new. The Caprice was the car that most interested me at first. It is so reminiscient of the 94-96 Caprice 9C1 what with its traditional front engine/rear drive set up, long wheelbase/wide track platform, and small block Chevy V8. It supersedes it with an IRS, almost 100 more HP, and a lot more safety features, although it looks a lot like the old one. The Charger turned off a lot of cops with its restricted view all around compared to the Impala and CVPI. Still, the Hemi plant made up for a lot and the 2011 comes with many improvements overall. The Taurus-based PI looks very tempting when equipped with AWD and the naturally aspirated V6 likely to have 285-290 HP by the time it's released. It's bigger than the Impalas but narrower than the CVPIs. I seriously doubt many agencies will opt for the Ecoboost V6 at $2500 over the NA engine plus $2000 for mandatory AWD. That brings me to the Explorer PI Utility. If Ford brings this out at a price close to that of the Tarus PI, this will be a hot seller. With more interior room for passengers and cargo plus a full pursuit rating, this SUV will run with the best sedans while outdoing the Tahoe in straightline performance, fuel economy, braking, ride, traction, handling, and price. I can see this vehicle serving as the vehicle of choice for police supervisors, K9 officers, accident investigators, evidence technicians, animal control, and a few others who carry extra equipment. On Sept. 1, 2010, Ford will be unveiling it live online and I can't wait.

With a "lowly" Ford stacking up so well against the vaunted M3, imagine if FoMoCo built a Lincoln version off of this platform! With even half of the diffence invested in this platform, the much called for IRS along with other performance and luxury features could push it past the Bimmer. Lincoln could have a coupe, sedan and convertible a la 3 series. It could run along side the MKZ as the GS and ES models do at Lexus. While I love Ford's new 5.0 V8, a 400HP EBTT V6 would make the Lincoln unique.

^Hopefully not like the Probe or last gen Cougar...