To date, the Ford Police Interceptor Utility -- AKA an Explorer with a badge -- is the only one of the Ford->ke31 Interceptors that is not available with the powerful 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6. This leaves it with the either 3.7-liter V-6 powerplant that it borrows from the Mustang or the base 3.5-liter V-6. Though Ford does not disclose the output of these two engines, we assume the 3.7-liter produces -- at the most -- the stock 305 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque that it does beneath the Mustang's hood, whereas the 3.5-liter V-6 likely stays home at 290 horsepower and 255 pound-feet of torque.
Well, apparently Ford has fielded enough calls asking for some added power, so it has just announced that the now-legendary 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine will soon be an option on the Interceptor Utility with all-wheel drive. The police-spec 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6, will produce the same 365 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque that you'd find in the 2013 Ford Explorer Sport.
In independent testing, this engine launched the Explorer Sport to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds -- 2.4 seconds faster than the base 3.5-liter-equipped Explorer -- and to 100 mph in 15.3 seconds. Needless to say, bad guys in fast cars had better be on the lookout for these deceptively quick SUV->ke145s
There is no release date for this option, but we're pretty sure that police forces everywhere are lining up to snag one up.
Read more about the Ford Explorer Sport after the jump
2013 Ford Explorer Sport
In 2013, the Ford Explorer Sport roared onto the scene boasting a twin-boosted 3.5-liter six-pot -- a far cry from the Sport being the base Explorer of the 1990s. This beast pumps out 365 horsepower and twists with 350 pound-feet of force. Combined with the aggressive styling of the Sport model, the entire package was a marvel of the non-luxury-SUV realm.
Though Ford never officially revealed a 0-to-60 mph time for the Explorer Sport, plenty of outside testing from zealous journalists pegged it at under 6 seconds. This puts it between the Dodge Durango R/T's 6.7-second run and the Jeep Cherokee SRT8's 5.1-second run to 60 mph.