Ford Motor Co. is preparing to offer police departments something extra – a pursuit rate F-150 pickup truck with a feature allowing officers to remove the key but leave the engine running to power all the vehicles’ lights and sirens.
The 2021 F-150 Police Responder also comes with automatic four-wheel drive, a top speed of 120 miles per hour and an on-demand transfer case that constantly adjusts torque to front and rear wheels depending on the road surface.
It also comes with a feature to increase up-time, such as over-the-air updates as well as Ford’s Sync 4 telematics unit.
Police trucks gaining fans
“Law enforcement agencies told us they would love to add the F-150 Police Responder towing and off-road performance to their fleets,” noted Greg Ebel, Ford police vehicle brand manager. “But they needed more confidence in speed and handling.
“Whether suburban police departments or border patrol agents or rural sheriffs, officers never know where the job might take them, but the all-new F-150 Responder provides a pickup truck option engineered to their faster with more agility.”
Ford introduced the first F-150 Responder as a law enforcement vehicle in 2017 as a vehicle capable of traveling on any sort of terrain.
Built on the Super Crew platform
The new responder is built on the F-150 Super Crew platform and engineered to meet a wide range of agency needs, Ebel said, allowing officers to travel with more emergency gear.
It is powered by a standard 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine with 400 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque. The engine is paired with a 10-speed Select Shift automatic transmission that is calibrated to meet the requirements of law enforcement agencies.
The new torque-on-demand transfer case includes a 4-automatic mode with an electrically actuated clutch that automatically adjusts torque as needed on all kinds of terrain or surfaces, according to Allen Magolan, Ford police vehicle integration manager.
Improved performance
“On dry pavement is where you see the real payoff because it allows you to carry more speed when cornering – a rare benefit in a pickup truck,” he said.
A 4×4 off-road package is standard and includes under body skid plates, off-road shocks, electronic rear axle and hill-descent control to help maintain speed driving down an incline.
With 11,200 pounds of towing capacity, the F-150 Police Responder also can tow boats, horse trailers and even mobile command centers used by a variety of police agencies, Ford representatives noted.
It also has more interior space for passengers even when wearing duty belts and comes with a new factory installed center console that includes an interior work surface for writing or using laptop computer.