The quickest new police vehicle on the market today is the 2021 Ford F-150 Police Responder pickup truck, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) testing.
In those tests, the F-150 recorded 0-60 mph in 5.9 seconds, and a quarter-mile time of 14.44 seconds at 98.19 mph. To put that in perspective, a Dodge Charger with the 5.7-liter V-8 engine recorded 0-60 mph in 6.5 seconds, and ran the quarter-mile in 14.85 seconds at 99.9 mph.
Michigan State Police tests are typically used as a benchmark for cop cars, but spokesperson Lori Dougovito said the latest report hasn't publicly released yet. However, Ford claims preliminary results show the F-150 on top.
Those results show 0-60 mph in 5.4 seconds—1.2 seconds quicker than the 2020 F-150, and at least 0.4 second quicker than any other vehicle tested, Ford said in a press release. The F-150 also recorded a 0-100 mph time of 13.1 seconds, which is 3.7 seconds quicker than the outgoing model and 0.8 second quicker than the best competitor, per Ford.
2021 Ford F-150 Police Responder
Michigan State Police testing also confirmed a 120-mph top speed, which is 15 mph faster than before, Ford said.
That brisk acceleration is made possible by a twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6, which makes 400 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque, and is coupled to a 10-speed automatic transmission. Standard four-wheel drive includes a torque-on-demand transfer case, albeit without low range. Ford quotes standard towing capacity of 7,000 lb (upgradable to 11,200 lb), and a 2,030-lb payload capacity.
Ford also claims better performance in 32-lap handling tests conducted by the LASD and Michigan State Police. The 2021 F-150 Police Responder shaved 5.8 seconds off the 2020 model's average lap time in the Michigan test, and 3.6 seconds in the LASD test, according to Ford. The latter test is conducted with 400 lb of payload to simulate cargo.
The Police Responder starts life as a 2021 Ford F-150 four-door SuperCrew cab with the FX4 off-road package. It's built at Ford's Kansas City Assembly Plant in Claycomo, Missouri, with deliveries to government fleets scheduled to begin this fall.
