2015 Ford Interceptor Utility Review

The irony of driving a 2015 Ford Interceptor Utility hard on an autocross track near Atlanta?

Someone we know… recently paid a ridiculously high-priced speeding ticket to the City of Atlanta. But was it an Explorer police truck that pulled that person over?

Nope. A motorcycle cop.

Which is rare in 2014. Ford notes that more than 60-percent of new police vehicles solid this year were Interceptor Utilities. The Explorer Police upfit is simply the most popular cop car around — and this includes the Dodge Charger and even the Charger V8 AWD.

The Interceptor Utility comes with a thorough police overhaul, including optional bulletproof Kevlar panels in the doors and the backs of the seats — to keep our men in blue safe when in harmful situations.

Other additions to the civilian model? A larger oil cooler, steel wheels, a heavy-duty suspension, and jumbo battery and alternator combination. This keeps all the many high-tech tools inside operational even after long idle times.

But what is the Interceptor Utility’s major advantage over the Tahoe PPV and Durango Pursuit? It is cheaper, smaller and has standard AWD. Until 2014, the Tahoe PPV was rear-drive only. It now offers 4WD, but is still significantly more expensive than the Explorer police variant — yet no quicker and with worse fuel economy and operating costs.

Two engine choices — the base 3.7-liter V6 and the super-fast EcoBoost turbo — are available for LEO duties. Combined with the six-speed automatic of the Interceptor Utility, even the base engine of the test truck feels mighty quick.

There is a wonderful and secure feeling inside the Explorer police SUV — with high-riding visibility but also an ensconced and low-slung roof to bring the cool factor. With no roof rack like the normal Explorers, and LED lighting galore — the gloss-black trim of the Interceptor Utility has a strong cool factor.

All we know since these law-enforcement interactions in Atlanta is that the Ford Interceptor Utility with lights and sirens is alot more fun behind the wheel than it is being the scofflaw in the car he’s pulling over…

But beware: doing 81 in a 55 in Atlanta is a $710 ticket.

If only we’d been driving an Interceptor … we might-ve slipped through the dragnet…!

2015 Ford Interceptor Utility