2008 Ford Crown Victoria to be fleet-only, new features offered for police version
Over at The Blue Oval Forums, the new vehicle inventory manager for Hamden, CT's Bob Thomas Ford posted word that the ordering guide for the '08 Crown Vic came in and the car is now only available to fleets. This is good news for taxi/limo companies, government users and police departments, who are guaranteed at least one more year of the car in its current form. If you wanted to buy an '08, you're outta luck, however. Fret not, as used (and identical-looking) ones are not hard to come by. We'd be looking for a retired police car, ourselves.
Speaking of the police, the '08 Crown Victoria Police Interceptor has a few new features for the upcoming model year. The 4.6L V8 is flex-fuel compatible and will run on E85, a tire pressure monitoring system is now standard equipment, and remote keyless entry is now offered as an option. According to a poster on CrownVic.net, the cops won't be ordering Driftwood Beige cars any longer (good for us, because we find the beige cars to be essentially invisible when parked roadside), and 3.55 gears will not be available on 50-state-emissions-legal cruisers. Other than that, the cars are the same as they've been for many years.
We haven't heard anything regarding the Vic's sister sled, the Mercury Grand Marquis, so tell grandma and grandpa not to worry themselves just yet. Meanwhile, at Ford dealerships, salesmen will be happy to show you a shiny new Taurus in lieu of the Crown Vic. It's worth noting that when Ford consigned the last-gen Taurus to fleet sales only, it essentially marked the car's death knell since it was discontinued completely the following year. As such, we could finally be witnessing the beginning of the end of the Crown Victoria as we know it.
Thanks to Bryan for the tip!
[Sources: Blue Oval Forums, CrownVic.net, Ford]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
twinstick 2:28AM (2/17/2008)
Ford has spent millions on the 500/Taurus, and haven't sold enough of them to cover the interest payments on the development costs. Only thing they need to do is to update the drivetrain and tweak the suspension and trims and then they would have a winner.
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Dudeman 11:35AM (2/19/2008)
The CVPI is a proven public saftey vehicle. The Charger is playing catch-up. We specialize in emergency equipment installation for most public saftey vehicles, which includes lights and sirens, consoles and radio communications. The Crown Victoria Police Intercepter has plenty of space in the trunk for radio equipment as well as in the driver/passenger compartment for the laptops and varous console configurations. The CVPI has great driver visability and plenty of power and decent handling and brakes. Cost after PIT is about $1400.00.
Charger has issues. Trunk is small and very cramped for radio installations as well as storing any saftey equipment. The folks at Dodge decided to put the battery in the trunk which has its own issues as far as storing equipment and rear-end collisions. Poor driver visibility very cramped interior. Very tight when all public safety equipment i.e. laptop an consoles are added. Brakes wear quickly and handling is a concern. Easy to over-steer and with the added horsepower this becomes a saftey issue. Cost after PIT $2200.00! Seems the design of the frontend causes more of the front suspension to absorb the impact and results in major front suspension damage. Strut-towers easily damaged. So in conclusion the Crown Victoria Police Interceptor is far superior to the current Dodge Charger as far as intergration of equipment and ease of operation and better gas milage to boot. Dodge will have it easy if Ford drops the CVPI and has the smallish 500/Tarus put in some type of police package. Ask any cop about their experience with the Charger vs. CVPI. If your Hemi-head than you'll love the Charger, but if you want to catch and then stop a bad guy you'd better be in a Ford CVPI!!!!!!
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Alvis Alley 9:46PM (1/10/2009)
I have a 2008 Crown Victoria, and I like it very much. I think Ford is making a mistake by not holding on to the Crown Vic name. Instead of doing away with the Crown Vic, Ford should downsize it somewhat with a new appealing body with the 4.6 V8 engine, and please make it quieter and with six-speed transmission..
Alvis
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bmw122487 3:50PM (3/25/2007)
Believe it or not i actually liked these at one point, but that was years ago and they have long out stayed there welcome, bring on something better!!
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James 3:51PM (3/25/2007)
I like the bit of the Ford Fleet website that lists one of the Crown Vic Interceptor's "key features" as:
"Tested in 75-mph rear-end crash – no other car in the world is tested to this standard!"
No word though on whether it passed the test or not, although having that vast trunk full of roadside Police paraphanelia probably helps soak up the impact. Would be interesting to see if you get a Crown Vic up to 75 in reverse gear though: reminds of the old Dutch Daf cars which had Variomatic gearboxes which allowed them to go as fast backwards as they could forwards.
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Matt 4:04PM (3/25/2007)
I was at an auto show about a week ago and since there was no Lincoln Town Car there I ask what was going and he told me that this was going to be the last year for the Town Car at the dealerships but you could order one from the same Factory that builds Mercury Grand Marquis' and Crown Victoria's sice Ford was closing the Michigan Plant that builds the Towncar and that the Town Car would still be available to the public but only if you order one from the factory and that the majority would be going to fleets.... And when I asked him about the Grand Marquis he said that production was still going on.. So that made my day....
So I guess that the Grand Marquis will be the only one left on the showrooms for the general public...
So Grand Marquis "should" have a rise in sales...
And even though i am only in my 20s i like all the three of these cars but my favorite is the Grand Marquis...
But i really hate to see the Town Car and Crown Victoria go....
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BKadalur 4:07PM (3/25/2007)
i personally think that all crown vics in existence should go to government cars so i don't have to get scared when i spot one from far away, even if it's an old lady driving.
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Michael Karesh 4:10PM (3/25/2007)
Does Guiness have a listing for "most once-successful models neglected to death?" Ford has got to be the leader.
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Mansoor 4:22PM (3/25/2007)
I wonder why Ford is giving up so many future sales by just letting the Crown Vic die off? IMO they could easily make the car competitive for another couple of years by doing some simple things.
1) Put a more powerful engine in with numbers like the Hemi.
2) Stick a 6-speed automatic with some sort of manual shift funtion.
Thats it! I think if they did these two things fleets would still keep buying them over the Charger. The body on frame is strong enough to deal with police/taxi work and the new improvements will definately keep it on par with the Charger.
What do you guys think???
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ToyotaNationMyAss 8:00AM (3/26/2007)
I love how the article mentions that it is ending its tenure next year, which obviously means a replacement - yet many will chime in on it's aging platform and ignorantly ask for a replacement.
Duh.....does anyone really think Ford will not have a replacement after next year?
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Steve 4:35PM (3/25/2007)
Not only does the Grand Marquis remain available to retail customers for '08, a new "Palm Beach" option package should really stimulate demand for this classic automobile... :)
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MikeW 5:13PM (3/25/2007)
'We've tried nothing, and we're out of ideas'
Good job Ford-o (fido)
Roll over and die.
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Howard 5:42PM (3/25/2007)
Would have bought one a few years ago if I could have purchased the P-71 (police interceptor) drivetrain. But Ford did not offer that as an option. Probably could superimpose the life expectancy curve of Grand Marquis target market with that of FOMOCO.
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Tool 5:40PM (3/25/2007)
I think the most amazing news is that there is a forum dedicated to the Ford Crown Victoria--CrownVic.net. I guess there really is a forum for everything and anything.
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Bryan 6:21PM (3/25/2007)
I posted a link to this story days ago...do you guys need some help here at Autoblog? Anyways, this is a good thing. It is about time. That means something good to replace it should be on the way! I really like the Crown, Grand, and Town car names. Hopefully, they keep them around and attatch them to some more upscale cars. Funny about the Town Car not being at the auto show because there were some at the Houston auto show when I went a couple months ago.
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DPC car videos 6:29PM (3/25/2007)
These cars are perfect for cop cars, they are roomy and comfortable enough so the police car stay in the during their shift and not get tired. On the other hand I saw a Dodge Charger police car
http://new-york-auto-show.autoblog.com/2005/03/24/new-york-auto-show-dodge-charger-police-cruiser/
in my neighborhood but without the Dodge stickers and must admit it looked so mean. I looked something out of Robocop.
http://www.dpccars.com
DPCcars
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Alex Nunez 6:40PM (3/25/2007)
Bryan,
I knew someone had posted the link, and I bookmarked it, but I couldn't find your original comment. I had every intention of tipping the cap, which, as you can see, is now done. Thx for the link.
-Alex
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Gardiner Westbound 6:42PM (3/25/2007)
The Crown Vic has been in production so long it should be the most reliable car on earth. Unfortunately Ford "value engineering" has put it on Consumer Reports not recommended list.
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Crown Vic Forever! 7:52PM (3/25/2007)
#14 Gardiner...Have you ever thought that maybe CR (who are a bunch of morons) didnt recommend the Crown Vic because the platform it's built on is close to 30 years old?? There are a lot better cars out there for the PUBLIC. I would LOVE to see a Camry, Accord, whatever take the kind of punishment the Crown Vic can easily take. And I would love to see one of those Japanese vehicles get rearended on a freeway at 60-80 mph and see what happens to the people inside. The Crown Vic is beyond durable and just because CR didnt put it on it's "Recommended List" doesnt mean jack. Hey, hows your sludging engine and busted steering systems on your "invincible" Toyota??
Before I bought my current car (which is a POS), I was looking at a couple of P71s. Both were detective's cars (low mileage AND cruise control) and very clean. I decided not to buy one because I was afraid of high gas prices. But when I found out a friend of mine gets about 18-20 mpg in the city with his, I started to kick myself in the ass. They are tough cars and are VERY reliable.
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far jr 7:52PM (3/25/2007)
The dinosaurs at Ford are slowly becoming extinct as the new breeds take over. Ford is obviously trying to corral Crown Vic types into the 500...err..ehh.. Taurus. This should boost Taurus sales somewhat, but loose some the the Charger too. Maybe this is a good sign that the Interceptor is just around the corner.
Now when is that relic of a Ranger gonna get a "real" refresh?
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