In September, Ford (NYSE:F) announced it has an engine built for efficiency, rather than speed, to satisfy the modern needs of police forces. Nonetheless, the automaker is proving it hasn’t forgotten about the occasional high-speed pursuit. Ford announced its Police Interceptor fleet beats out the competition from GM (NYSE:GM) and Dodge (FIATY.PK) in acceleration tests on a Michigan track.

According to a company statement, Ford’s police sedan with Ecoboost recently bested the Hemi Dodge Charger and Chevy Caprice V8 in track tests conducted by the Michigan State Police. The Police Interceptor ran 0-60 in 5.66 seconds, better than the 6.01 seconds by the Caprice from GM and the 6.04 mark from the Dodge Charger packing a 5.7-liter Hemi engine. Ford’s cop car also beat its rivals in 0-100 times by more than a full second.

The same placing held police utility vehicles tested, with Ford’s edge growing larger in proportion to vehicle and engine size. The Police Interceptor utility vehicle, which packs a 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine under the hood, went 0-60 in 6.28 seconds, trouncing the Chevy Tahoe V8 by GM, which took 8.22 seconds to hit the 60 mph mark. In the 0-100 race, the Ford police utility vehicle beat the Tahoe by more than 6 seconds. The edge Ford has in police fleet sales looks certain to hold.

Ford has taken down the competition in police vehicle fleet sales every year since 1996. In addition to holding the line on the Chevy Impala and Caprice, Ford has muscled aside competition from the Chrysler Group as well. While the more efficient EcoBoost makes sense for less chase-intensive modern police work, there are times when that power will become essential in capturing suspects fleeing the scene of a crime.

“Agencies tell us if the bad guys see the police vehicle quickly close in pursuit, they’re less likely to try to run,” said Bill Gubing, chief engineer at Ford, in a company statement. He also noted how it could affect the are in which a chase is taking place.”If this can help reduce the number of high-speed chases, then we could improve public safety on our nation’s roads.”

Ford saw an opening in the need for more efficiency in vehicles when the automaker unveiled its EcoBoost police cruiser. However, there is still a need for speed when criminals hit the accelerator. Ford’s 3.5-liter EcoBoost vehicles prove the automaker has the clear edge overall, giving it the tools to lock down its sales lead in the segment.

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