They reused the engine block from the "old" Crown Vic (pre '98 models). The actual car received a few updates and actually grew a few inches when they introduced a new chassis in '03.

 

As Darkangel said, it was designed in the nineties and used tech from the nineties throughout its life and the first sign of real competition on the market came in '05 with the Charger followed by Chevy that had both the new Impala AND the Tahoe, the previous generation Impala never caught on with police.

 

Competing products always benefit the customer which is evident today. A fleet manager had the choice between a Crown Vic and the old Chevy Impala FWD 3.6 V6 which wasn't exactly known for its massive boot. Now you can choose between Fords Police Interceptor Sedan and Utility, Chrevrolet's Caprice and Tahoe as well as Dodge's Charger and Durango.

 

The new cars are as fast (if not faster), better for the environment, they're kinder on fuel, they can carry more equipment and they're safer. However they're also relatively new so there's going to be some reliability issues that weren't present during development (something every new car has).

 

Everything else doesn't necessarily concern the car itself, some police forces will have lower maintenance costs with the new cars and some will have higher maintenance costs, it could be the weather, the area (road conditions and environment) and all the different police equipment the cars are fitted with (ANPR, radios, MDC, pushbar, lights, etc).

 

 

 

I don't really see a reason to close the thread as long as everyone acts civil towards each other. Ultimately were discussing opinions, people will have contradicting experiences and facts (see above) with the different cars.

You know, Why dont you think about it, I am not sure what cars were around before the CVPI but we got used to having the crown vic after them, So why cant we get used to the Taurus/Chargers Etc? For all we know in 10 years we will be having petitions for those cars.

Signed. yeah yeah!

I still drive a 2005 P71 Crown Victoria (P71 is the correct term for the police issued crown victoria) it has 317,000 miles on it and runs like a champ. Some of the newer chargers such as the newer 2013 models have been known to head for the shop within 15,000 miles due to transmission issues and alternator problems because they designed a flawed alternator not expecting these units to be equipped with lights, radars, computers and other electronics. The P71 however was the best setup for all of todays technology and equipment. It hands down in 'my opinion' is the finest patrol unit on the road. It is a mobile office on its own. The only other car that could possibly top it is a 93 chevy caprice police package. Other then that these newer smaller compact cars may have a bit more go go but they have issues that these p71s have never seen or if they did it was a cheap fix unlike these newer units.

Just so we're clear: At the end of the Crown Vic's life, Ford actually gave up on selling them on the general American market. Even *before* they shut down production, they decided that it wasn't even worth *offering* to the general public; there wasn't enough interest to justify the cost of keeping it in dealers' inventories. The only people who might have convinced them not to stop offering the car would be fleet managers (i.e. their actual customers at the end); however, I seriously doubt there would be anywhere near enough fleet sales to justify re-establishing production (which is rather expensive, since they trade higher upfront cost for lower continuing cost of production - e.g. robots).

Yeah it's sad but at the end..the Crown Victoria is gone.

Maybe they will bring it back someday as a new Model (like they did with the Caprice)

 

 

 

 

 

You know, Why dont you think about it, I am not sure what cars were around before the CVPI but we got used to having the crown vic after them, So why cant we get used to the Taurus/Chargers Etc? For all we know in 10 years we will be having petitions for those cars.

He has a really good point, you know. Personally, I don't see what's wrong with the Taurus (<3 I love the Taurus), but the Charger is more of a sports car. Ford had in mind that when the were going to discontinue the CV that they had to make a replacement vehicle. It's come a long way since the 2012 models, which I never liked in the first place. I am in love with the 2013 one, though. As for the Chevys, the Caprice has grown on me, but I'm not really interested in any of the other cars.

Personally, I don't see what's wrong with the Taurus

I outlined pretty clearly what was wrong with the Taurus, but everyone has their own opinions. There's nobody saying it can't become a better car than it is now, either. But I'd like it if they'd scrap the Taurus and go with something else. Make a patrol car that's actually designed from the very beginning for the job, rather than gutting and microchipping an existing 4 door sedan and calling it a Police Interceptor. They can keep the Tauruses for undercover work and use a 100% police design for marked cruisers, or reverse the order of design and start with an Interceptor, and then equip it well enough and soften it up enough to be sold as a civilian car.

Edited February 23, 201412 yr by unr3al

I wish they would at least offer a V8 option for the Taurus, as V8 engines have been proven to be more reliable in most cases. I wouldn't mind seeing a 4.6 or 5.0 with cylinder deactivation, and other aspects to improve efficiency. 

 

But it would be nice if they could create a new global RWD platform, specifically designed for police work, or at least a long-wheelbase/ widened Taurus. 

I wish they would at least offer a V8 option for the Taurus, as V8 engines have been proven to be more reliable in most cases. I wouldn't mind seeing a 4.6 or 5.0 with cylinder deactivation, and other aspects to improve efficiency. 

 

But it would be nice if they could create a new global RWD platform, specifically designed for police work, or at least a long-wheelbase/ widened Taurus. 

Hell I'll I just settle for a global model, so I can get one in Aus