(Ford)
The all-new 2020 Ford Explorer has yet to be revealed, and won’t be in showrooms until next summer, but we know one thing about it: it can move.
The Police Interceptor Utility version of the upcoming SUV was quicker and faster than any other pursuit vehicle in the latest round of the benchmark Michigan State Police tests.
Powered by a new 3.0-liter turbocharged V6, the all-wheel-drive Ford accelerated to 100 mph in 13.59 seconds and hit a top speed of 150 mph. Those figures beat the second place rear-wheel-drive, 5.7-liter V8-powered Dodge Charger sedan by 1.07 sec. and 1 mph, respectively, while the all-wheel-drive Charger finished a close third on both marks.
The Ford also outperformed the all-wheel-drive Charger on braking, while coming up a couple of feet short against the lighter rear-wheel-drive sedan. Crucially, the Ford nipped both by less than a second around the road course at Grattan Raceway, which offers the best overall assessment of their crook-catching capabilities.
The Interceptor and civilian Explorer will be built on an all-new platform that they will share with a new Lincoln Aviator. Unlike the current front-wheel-drive architecture the current Explorer uses, the new retail models are expected to also be offered with rear-wheel-drive to better compete with premium SUVs.
A hybrid version of the Interceptor will also be offered that’s not nearly as fast as the turbo, but will deliver an estimated 24 mpg combined, according to Ford.