JULY 2021 Blues Vol 37 No. 7

THE OPEN ROAD
by Michael Barron
Ford’s F-150 Police Responder
Quickest Vehicle at MSP, LASD Testing
The all-new 2021 Ford F-150
Police Responder has scored the
best acceleration of any pursuit-rated
police vehicle tested
at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s
Department testing and the
Michigan State Police testing.
America’s only pursuit-rated
pickup truck had the fastest
0-60 mph, 0-100 mph and
quarter-mile times of any law
enforcement vehicle, including
SUVs and sedans.
“Vehicle acceleration and
speed contribute to how quickly
first responders can safely arrive
at an emergency scene,” said
Greg Ebel, Ford police vehicle
brand manager. “Shaving even
a few seconds off response
times can make a big difference.
Whether responding to an accident
on the highway or a distress
call from somewhere off-road,
law enforcement officers can
count on 2021 F-150 Police Responder
to get them there fast.”
In Michigan State Police tests,
preliminary results show 2021
F-150 Police Responder clocked
a 0-60 mph time of 5.4 seconds.
That’s 1.2 seconds faster than the
outgoing model and at least 0.4
seconds faster than any other
vehicle tested. Its 0-100 mph
time was 3.7 seconds faster than
the 2020 model at 13.1 seconds
and 0.8 seconds faster than the
runner up. The agency also confirmed
the new truck’s 120 mph
top speed, a 15 mph increase
over the previous model.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s
Department tests showed 2021
F-150 Police Responder hitting
the quarter mile in just 14.4 seconds,
a full second faster than
the 2020 model and 0.4 seconds
faster than the closest competitor.
The main drivers of the acceleration
improvements are the
truck’s increased torque and new
torque-on-demand 4x4 transfer
case. The F-150 Police Responder
standard police-tuned 3.5-liter
EcoBoost engine produces
500 pound-feet of torque, more
than any other pursuit-rated
police vehicle. Its automatic
four-wheel-drive mode and
torque-on-demand transfer case
constantly adjust torque to front
or rear wheels as needed. This
contributes to faster starts because
it provides instant traction
to all four wheels regardless of
road—or off-road—conditions.
The torque-on-demand transfer
case also plays a role in the
truck’s overall performance,
since it facilitates carrying faster
speeds when cornering. This
was showcased during the 32-
lap vehicle dynamics tests run
by both the Michigan State Police
and Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department.
The 2021 F-150 Police Responder
showed dramatic improvements
over the original,
cutting 5.8 seconds off its average
lap time during the Michigan
tests, and 3.6 seconds per
lap during the Los Angeles tests.
(Los Angeles testing protocols
add 400 pounds of payload to
police trucks and SUVs to simulate
cargo). Laps in the dynamic
tests are run on winding, curving
tracks, as well as a tight city
course, to simulate real-world
pursuit driving conditions.
“The vehicle dynamics course
is where the entire vehicle is put
to the test,” explained Allen Magolan,
Ford police vehicles integration
manager. “It shows how
well the vehicle’s systems work
together to deliver the performance
an officer relies on in an
unpredictable high-speed situation—its
acceleration, straightline
speed, cornering and overall
performance.”
Introduced in 2017 as a powerful
and capable all-terrain law
enforcement tool, F-150 Police
Responder is part of America’s
best-selling police vehicle
lineup. The truck is built on
the all-new 2021 F-150 Super
Crew platform and engineered
to meet a wide range of agency
needs from allowing officers
to travel with an assortment
of emergency response gear to
transporting mobile command
centers. It offers the most towing
capacity, payload capacity, and
interior passenger volume of any
pursuit-rated law enforcement
vehicle.
F-150 Police Responder is assembled
at Kansas City Assembly
Plant in Claycomo, MO, and will
arrive in fleets this fall.
78 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 79