Victoria Police lock in new Ford Ranger fleet

FORD Australia has been selected by Victoria Police as the new supplier of divisional vans going forward with the deal set to see the Blue Oval provide 200 specially designed vehicles each year.

The majority of the vehicles in question are 4x4 XLT Super Cabs fitted with the 3.2-litre five-cylinder turbo-diesel engine developing 147kW of power and 470Nm of torque, however some divisions will also be receiving XLT Dual Cabs fitted with the gruntier bi-turbo 2.0-litre four-banger (157kW/500Nm) and a modified prisoner compartment.

The compartments themselves are pre-existing modules featuring air-condition, a live video feed and room for two occupants with Ford being no stranger to working with emergency services and other fleet bodies – the brand already has its own Special Vehicle Engineering (SVE) team for exactly this sort of project.

“Our relationship with Victoria Police stretches all the way back to the 1959 Ford Mainline divisional van, and Ford Australia is honoured to have been selected by Victoria Police to supply its new fleet of divisional vans,” SVE Ranger and Everest program management supervisor Simone Crankshaw said.

“Design and development of the Ford Ranger is led in Australia, and this Ford Ranger-based divisional van offers Victoria Police high levels of active and passive safety and the peace of mind that it can handle whatever is thrown at it.”

Modifications have been made to the Ranger’s electrical systems too in order to better cater for the police vehicles’ high number of accessories including lights, radio and computer database, the hardware of which is mounted where the Super Cab’s rear seats would ordinarily be.

According to Ford, it was the Ranger’s 237mm of ground clearance (greater visibility and versatility) and array of active safety systems – autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane keeping aid, and six airbags among others – that helped get it a across the line for Victoria Police, not to mention its prisoner transport-friendly layout (ute body).

A fleet of more capable Ranger 4x4s is also reportedly under development specifically for off-road applications as well as other “Ford Ranger-based vehicles for specific operational duties”.

Ford Australia has sold 13,786 Rangers so far this year ending April, accounting for 22.2 per cent of the 4x4 pick-up segment – a tally that will be sure to get a booster shot in the arm by the time the year is out with this new supply contract.