This is the last month that Ford is building the Crown Victoria anyway -
Ford's replacing it with the FWD Taurus, an even larger car.
If the police want more power, they can get the 3.5L Ecoboost Taurus with AWD, and if they need more room the Explorer is also available as the "Police Utility" - note this is the NEW unibody Explorer, not the older body-on-frame model, and shares a lot of components with the Taurus.
Ford is intending the cars to be used like this -
Base FWD 3.7 L V-6 - Routine city patrols
Premium AWD 3.5 L V-6 - Highway Patrol, high speed pursuit
The Explorer based units would be used like the police currently use their SUV's (K-9, drug enforcement, evidence collection, etc) with FWD and AWD versions.
Supposedly, the larger Taurus based PI goes faster (better acceleration, not a better top speed), stops faster, maneuvers better, and uses less fuel than the Crown Victoria it's replacing, and still maintains its 75 MPH rear crash rating. it's also got a larger interior and more trunk space.
Get used to this headlight style in your rearview mirror -
