The Ford Crown Victoria is the current model nameplate for the
rear-wheel drive full-size car produced by the Ford Motor Company in the
mid-1950s, and then again since the early 1990s. The current Crown Victoria can
be seen as the latest evolution of the standard (full) sized Ford, starting with
the Model T. While the Crown Victoria only has mediocre sales to the general
public, the Crown Victoria is very popular among fleets and police departments,
with its twin, the Mercury Grand Marquis being the exact opposite. The Grand
Marquis is almost never used by fleets other than rental car companies, while it
is very popular among the general public. While it shares components with the
Lincoln Town Car, it shares almost no exterior sheet metal or interior parts. The
1992-onward model has had a number of upgrades, and is the most common vehicle
used by law enforcement in North America, followed by the Chevrolet Impala.
Description
The Ford Crown Victoria is a full-size sedan manufactured by the Ford
Motor Company. The Crown Victoria, or "Crown Vic" as it is often referred,
represents the top-of-the-line sedan in the Ford lineup. Much like its
predecessor, the Ford LTD, the Ford Crown Victoria is also commonly used as a
taxi cab, fleet vehicle and police car, a segment in which Crown Victorias make
up the vast majority of vehicles used.
The Crown Victoria is manufactured in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada, rides on
the 1979-vintage Ford Panther platform and utilizes the universal 4.6 L SOHC
SEFI V8. As of 2005, prices range from US$25,000 for the base model to $32,000
for the high-end LX Sport trim.
1955
The first "Crown Victoria" appeared in 1955; it was a 2-door 6-seater
hardtop coupe, part of the Ford Fairlane range, that differed from the regular
Victoria model (named after a type of carriage) by having a stainless steel band
that 'crowned' the roofline, passing right over the car, as an extension of the
B-pillar line. The model was produced in 1955 and 1956.
One version called Ford Crown Victoria Skyliner had the front part of the
roof, in front of the steel band, in plexiglass. This made the car difcult to
sell, especially in the southern states in USA. Thus few Skyliners was made.
Most of them ended up in Sweden, possibly because the climate was more suitable
for a plexiglass roof.
1979–1980
In 1979, Ford redesigned its full size car and named the deluxe version of
the LTD full-size car line on the Ford Panther platform as the Ford LTD Landau,
as in previous years. In 1980 the LTD Landau was renamed LTD Crown Victoria It
replaced the previous year's LTD Landau model, and used a stainless steel band
over the roof at the B-pillar to evoke the 1950s model.
|
Ford Crown Victoria |
| Manufacturer: |
Ford Motor Company |
| Production: |
1955–1956
1992–Present |
| Class: |
Full-size |
| Body style: |
4-door sedan |
| Platform: |
FR Panther |
| Engine: |
4.6L SOHC V8 (Modular) |
| Transmission: |
4 speed 4R75W automatic |
| Related: |
Mercury Grand Marquis
Mercury Marauder (2003–2004)
Lincoln Town Car |
| Similar: |
Buick Lucerne
Toyota Avalon
Dodge Charger |
1983
When the LTD was based on a rebodied Ford Fairmont, all full-size LTDs were
badged as LTD Crown Victorias, and the mid-sized version became the LTD. The
midsize LTD seems to be a lesser-known model, as the name is easily confused
with its fullsize Crown Victoria brother, but shares the same basic "fox"
chassis with the 1979-1993 Mustang, so certain components are easily
interchangable with the more popular pony car. Perhaps the highlight of midsize
LTD production begain in 1984 when the Bondurant racing school, which favored
Ford Mustang GTs, transplanted the Mustang's 5.0L V8 into a midsize LTD for use
at the school. One result of this was Ford's introduction in 1985 of an option
package called the LTD LX. Known by some as essentially a four-door Mustang,
this car had the 5.0L CFI engine paired with Ford's AOD four-speed automatic
transmission, and included details such as blacked-out exterior trim, a floor
shifter, and a 140-mph speedometer. Police models received the 5.0/AOD
drivetrain, certified 140-mph speedometer, and dog-dish hubcaps along with
standard exterior trim. Interiors generally featured vinyl seating and rubber
floormat, and many examples were equipped with special push bumpers on the
front. The midsize "fox-body" LTD was discontinued after the 1986 model year to
make room for the new-for-1987 front-wheel-drive Taurus.
1992–1997
In 1992, along with dropping the LTD designation, the sedan body (production
of the station wagon having ceased in 1991) was completely redesigned to the
round, six-window shape (which shared many design ques with its contemporary,
the newly refreshed 1992 Taurus), and there was a new 4.6 L modular engine.
Critics weren't fond of the 1992's Taurus-like front-end, therefore it was given
a front grille for the 1993 model year. Also added this year was a reflector
strip between the rear tail lights. Another minor front & rear-end redesign
followed suit in 1995, with a new different styled grille and new tail lights.
To accommodate the design of the 1995's new tail lights, the rear license plate
was moved from the bumper to the trunk lid, fitted between the tail lights.
1998–2002
In 1998, the Crown Victoria's exterior styling, rear suspension, and ignition
system were updated. The 1998-2002 "Crown Vics" have a revised 4-link rear
suspension with a Watts linkage. The general road handling manners have
improved, but towing capacity has been reduced. The Crown Victoria also uses a
coil-on-plug ignition design rather than traditional spark plug wires. This
design, already being used on the 1996-1999 Ford Taurus SHO 3.4L V8 engine, was
later implemented on other users of the Modular V8, including the 1999-up
Mustang GT, and many F/E-series trucks. The Crown Victoria also features a
114.7" wheelbase and its body now uses the more formal Mercury Grand Marquis
roofline and side window styling.
Police Interceptor
Starting with the 1999 model year, the police version of the Crown Victoria,
previously named Crown Victoria P71, was changed to Police Interceptor
and new rear badging was assigned instead of the civilian Crown Victoria badge.
Though, to date, the Crown Victoria badge is still affixed to Police
Interceptors equipped with the Street Appearance package for undercover
vehicles.
Change of Canadian availability
In Canada, 1999 was the last year the Crown Victoria was individually
available to civilians from Ford dealerships. Since 2000, the Crown Victoria has
only been available in Canada as a Police Interceptor for law
enforcement, or as a taxi or Special Service Vehicle for commercial
fleets. The civilian Crown Victoria is only available when ordered as a fleet
directly from Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited and is not available through
Ford dealerships.[citation needed]
Civilians can, however, purchase used 2000 & up civilian Crown Victorias that
are available at dealerships every so often, or used Police Interceptors or
Special Service Vehicles from various auctions. The Mercury Grand Marquis and
Lincoln Town Car, which also use the Ford Panther platform, however, are still
available at Ford & Lincoln dealerships in Canada.
According to the article of the Mercury Grand Marquis in the French book
Le guide de l'auto 2006 (The 2006 Auto-Guide), Ford is rumoured to be
considering bringing back the Crown Victoria to the Canadian civilian market,
replacing the Grand Marquis. Although Ford hasn't made any official statement to
this effect, many consider this to make sense since the Mercury brand was
officially phased out in Canada in 1999 and despite the Grand Marquis' Mercury badging, it's officially sold as a Ford in all Canadian sales
literature.
Long-wheelbase commercial version
In 2002, Ford introduced a long-wheelbase version of the Crown Victoria,
available only to commercial fleets (mostly used by Taxi companies). This
version gives 6 extra inches of wheelbase length, made possible by a new frame
and extended body. This version is not available to the general public, nor is
there a stretched version of the Police Interceptor, due to its targeted use
mostly in the taxi and livery market. In the Middle East, a long-wheelbase
version of the Mercury Grand Marquis is available to the general public.
2003–Present
For the 2003 model year, the chassis was again redone with hydroformed steel.
The front and rear suspension was also completely overhauled. New inverted
monotube shocks are now used (replacing the old twin-tube shocks that had been
around since the 1960s). In the front, new aluminum control arms, and rack and
pinion steering (replacing the recirculating ball units) have been implemented.
The rear suspension was redone for durability in police-duty applications and
the rear shocks were moved outboard of the frame rails for better handling and
ease of maintenance. As a result, the road-handling manners of the Panther
platform cars have improved significantly. The engine output increased due to
the addition of a knock sensor for more aggressive timing.
The Crown Victoria retained the same exterior styling, but 2005 models
received a rear whip radio antenna rather than an integrated rear defroster
antenna. 2005 models also received a new steering wheel. The rear whip antenna
has been removed from the 2006 models in favor of the integrated rear defroster
antenna.
Even with the latest 2006 Crown Victoria, the overall design remains
relatively unchanged from the 1979 design. It still uses a front independent
suspension with a rear live axle on a body on frame design, using a traditional
rear wheel drive drivetrain. The design has been popular with police departments
and cab companies to the same extent as the Chevrolet Caprice in the 1980s and
early 1990s, especially in New York City where they make up the majority of the
taxi and New York City Police Department fleets, as well among the general
populace.
The Crown Victoria has often been characterized as an "older person's car",
but this is a misconception considering nearly all vehicles in this class tend
to have an older client base (because most older drivers were accustomed to
driving larger cars). It is considerably more durable than modern front wheel
drive cars that rely on constant velocity joints for transmission of power to
the steering wheels. It also offers more interior space and slightly better fuel
economy than many SUVs of similar weight.
Engines
220hp @ 4750 rpm/265lb.ft. @ 4000 rpm/9.4:1 compression 4.6L V-8 (Fleet
only.)
224hp @ 4750 rpm/265lb.ft. @ 4000 rpm/9.4:1 compression 4.6L V-8 (Base
civilian package.)
239hp @ 4750 rpm/276lb.ft. @ 4000 rpm/9.4:1 compression 4.6L V-8 (Perf. &
Handling Pkg.-equipped only; includes Sport)
250hp @ 4900 rpm/287lb.ft. @ 4100 rpm/9.6:1 compression 4.6L V-8 (Police
Interceptor package only)
Fuel tank safety concerns
While the car has been highly rated for safety, there was some controversy
and lawsuits in the 1990s over Ford Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis, and
Lincoln Town Car gas tank leaks after certain types of high energy impacts,
specifically when being hit at a certain angle offset in the rear at speeds
greater than 85 mph (137 km/h). These impacts did cause fuel tank failures in
the Crown Victoria. However, the impacts also caused similar failures (and at
higher rates) in other popular law enforcement models such as the Chevrolet
Impala. For comparison, the survival rate for these type of collisions was
higher for the Crown Victoria than any other current mid-sized sedan, which
perform worse due to their much lighter construction, lower weight, and shorter
distance for a crumple zone.
The reports that the cars were more prone to fires during a rear collision
was a simple combination of three things. First, most law enforcement agencies
rely heavily on the Vic as their primary vehicle, meaning that any
police-related auto accident is very likely to involve a Crown Victoria. Second,
the accidents occurred as the result of the officers intentionally parking their
vehicles close to active traffic to "shield" a stopped motorist - something most
civilians would never do. Third, the impacting vehicle was often traveling at,
or above, the posted legal limit (70-75 mph in most jurisdictions).
The condition was exacerbated by police equipment installers drilling over
the package tray in the luggage compartment. Due to the gas tank's orientation,
drilling through the package tray may result in drilling into the gas tank.
Installers also used screws set directly into the bulkhead and facing the fuel
tank. In the event of a high-energy collision, these screws could be forced into
the tank, both rupturing the tank and possibly acting as a spark source. Long
bolts for mounting heavier equipment were also directly suspect. Further, many
investigations, both performed by federal/state agencies, and the police
department themselves, have found that removeable items in the trunk were
improperly stowed. These items became tank-piercing projectiles during the
rear-collision scenarios. Ford's solution came in the form of a recall kit
including patterns to mark unsafe areas (to drill) in the luggage compartment.
Also included were rubberized kevlar and hard ballistic nylon shields for the
differential cover lower shock bolts. They also included a kevlar-based trunk
liner. Ford used similar kits on early-1980s model passenger vehicles. For 2005
and newer models, Ford offers the first-ever on-board fire-suppression system
for the Crown Victoria Police Interceptor units, which effectively choke any
fire on-board when detected.
The problem, for all intents and purposes, ceases to exist when the vehicles
are struck at ordinary speeds and in conditions most motorists face. In fact,
police fatalities were no higher in the Crown Victoria than the Chevrolet
Caprice.
Despite numerous court cases charging Ford with partial liability for fires
caused in accidents, the company has been exonerated and the "average Joe" safe
nature of the Crown Victora reconfirmed. An attempted class-action suit in
Belvidere, Illinois in 2004 failed as well.
Body on frame
The Ford Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis, and the Lincoln Town Car are
the only mass-produced passenger cars with body-on-frame construction in the
United States. This construction style is opposed to the now more commonly used
unibody construction style where the body panels are load-bearing members. In
2002, Mercury introduced a performance version of the Grand Marquis called the
Marauder as a 2003 model but sales were slow. The Marauder was not a
market success and the model was retired after just two years of production,
making 2004 its last model year.
Future
Ford was rumoured to be considering replacing the aging Panther platform with
the front or all-wheel drive platform based on the D3 architecture, something
Ford has denied.
Another rumour going around at Ford is that the Crown Victoria will eventually
be replaced by one of two vehicles:
Ford Australia would modify the Ford Falcon to left-hand drive and US safety
standards and export it to the US, which would see a revival in the Falcon name
in the US market. Despite consumer demand, Ford has no plans to do this.
The Panther platform would be retired altogether, replaced by a completely
new vehicle based on the Ford D2C platform used for the Ford Mustang. To go with
Ford's naming scheme of naming cars that start with the letter "F", the Crown
Victoria name would be replaced by "Falcon" or "Fairlane". In addition, to go
outside that naming scope, reviving the
| On April 19, 2006,
Ford Motor Company announced that the Crown Victoria
Police Interceptor will remain in production "well into
the future". After
2008, the Crown Victoria will not be sold to consumers,
only fleets, in the United States. |
Galaxie nameplate has also been
mentioned.
As part of Ford's The Way Forward restructuring plan, it is possible
for Ford to discontinue the Crown Victoria in 2009 and grow the Ford Five
Hundred for 2010. Most fullsize sedans are beginning to shrink in size, and some
flagship sedans (e.g. Toyota Avalon, Dodge Charger) are shorter and smaller than
the Ford Five Hundred.
Despite this, Ford has announced that the Crown Victoria's better selling
twin, the Mercury Grand Marquis will stay in production until at least 2009,
with the "Grand" dropped off the nameplate, so it will fit Mercury's new naming
scheme of making all their cars start with the letter M. It is unclear if the
front bench seating (6-passenger) feature will be retained by a redesign of the
car or a renamed replacement.
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