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A dark colored 2021 Ford F-150 parked in front of a white building.

Is the 2021 Ford F-150 Police Responder the Fastest Police Vehicle Yet?

The Ford F-150 is one of the most popular vehicles in America. Now, the F-150 is breaking into the law enforcement market in a big way. Here's a look at the 2021 Ford F-150 Police Responder, which may be the fastest cop car in America right now.

The Ford F-150 is one of the most popular cars in America, and every year, Ford sells hundreds of thousands of F-150s to American customers. And now, the F-150 is breaking into the law enforcement market in a big way. Here’s a look at the 2021 Ford F-150 Police Responder, which may be the fastest cop car in America right now.

Cop cars are just modded civilian cars

A dark colored 2021 Ford F-150 parked in front of a white building.
2021 Ford F-150 | Getty Images

At the end of the day, the police aren’t that different from regular people when it comes to cars. No company just makes cop cars. Instead, police departments buy them from regular automakers. However, the police have different needs than regular civilians do. Therefore, cop cars have to be modified to suit those needs.

Some police departments have bought Dodge Chargers to be part of their fleet. Chargers are a good option because they are fast cars, serving law enforcement well during chases. However, Chargers are not exactly spacious. That’s why many police departments use SUVs, such as the Dodge Durango, as well. Surprisingly, one option which may be a good blend of both speed and utility is the F-150.

The 2021 Ford F-150 Police Responder may be the fastest cop car yet

As Ford wrote, the F-150 Police Responder started its life in 2017. Like other cop cars, it’s based on a regular vehicle but modded to suit the needs of law enforcement. This is especially true with its engine, which is a 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6 that was tuned for police work. This V6 engine gets 400 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque. 

Ford says that the F-150 Police Responder’s engine gets more torque than any other pursuit-rated cop car. Thanks to that large amount of torque, this F-150 can accelerate quickly with 0 to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds, which is a 1.2-second improvement over the last version of the truck. Its 0 to 60 mph time is also 0.4 seconds faster than any other cop car that was tested. 

The F-150 Police Responder’s 0 to 100 mph time was also the fastest of the bunch. It accelerated to 100 mph in just 13.1 seconds, which is a 3.7 second improvement from the last model year. It’s also 0.8 seconds faster than the runner-up. This Ford pickup can hit a top speed of 120 mph, a 15 mph improvement from before. That said, its top speed doesn’t appear to be the best in the class.

 It’s not just a fast Ford F-150

While the F-150 Police Responder may very well be the fastest cop car in America, it’s more than that. Like Ford wrote, it’s currently the only truck that’s been modded for police use. And since it’s still an F-150 at its core, the F-150 Police Responder also excels at the same things that the regular F-150 does well on.

For example, Ford said that the F-150 Police Responder has the most towing capacity, the most payload capacity, and the most internal passenger volume of any pursuit-rated cop car. On top of that, since this Ford pickup has all-wheel drive, it’s also a capable all-terrain vehicle. These features will do a lot of work, as it makes the F-150 Police Responder a great vehicle for cops to carry all of their gear anywhere, and at high speeds.

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