2025 Ford Expedition Is Now a Police Car Writ Large
Ford Explorer Police Interceptor Utility not big enough? Ford's largest SUV can now be had in Special Service Vehicle form.
The 2025 Ford Expedition is a large, three-row SUV that has impressed us, save for its fuel consumption and how expensive it can be. Now your local police will have the same opportunity that consumers have, with the news that Ford will release the 2025 Expedition as a Special Service Vehicle (SSV)—in other words, a police version. Unlike the familiar Ford Police Interceptor Utility (the Explorer SSV, essentially), the Expedition retains quite a few of its civilian features to make this a rather unique police conversion vehicle.
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First, the 2025 Expedition SSV will come in two different seating configurations: the standard two-row and the Expedition Max SSV that features a third-row seat with 60/40 power-folding split and power recline. The recline feature, according to Ford, is to “help accommodate personnel and equipment as required.” On Expedition SSVs, the Split Gate is standard and offers officers quick access to gear by just opening the hatch or holding up to 500 pounds on the tailgate when it’s folded down. Considering that police gear can be rather heavy, this is a useful feature for officers who need organize what to bring to perform their duties.
Outside, the Expedition SSV sports the standard assortment of lighting a police vehicle needs, including a standard light bar, a pair of pivoting spotlights on the A-pillars, a push bar mounted to the front bumper, and running steps with red-and-blue lighting between them and the Expedition body. An 18x8.5 aluminum wheel with a set of P265/70R18E 10-ply All-Terrain tires mounted to them is standard, and the Expedition SSV comes with a full-size spare.
Power comes from Ford’s 3.5-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V-6 providing 400 hp and 480 lb-ft of torque, routed to the 10-speed automatic. This then goes through the standard two-speed transfer case with Touch-on-Demand and Auto 4WD. With this configuration, the Expedition SSV can tow up to 9,600-pounds with a load-leveling bar. Ford is also including Pro Trailer Hitch Assist, Pro Trailer Backup Assist, and BLIS with Trailer Coverage to make it easier for your local police to bring marine and mounted units along with other municipal use trailers. This trailer capability drops by 600 pounds for the longer and heavier Expedition Max SSV.
Inside, is also where the Expedition SSV and Police Interceptor Utility (PIU) diverge. The PIUs interior is much different from the civilian Explorer version, but the 2025 Expedition SSV retains much of its civvy roots. That starts with the standard 24-inch panoramic display for instrumentation and that also retains the Ford Digital Experience with Google Assistant and Alexa Built-In. Another separation is how you shift the Explorer SSV versus the Expedition SSV. The PIU loses the dial shifter of the Explorer and replaced it with an old-school column shifter. The Expedition SSV retains its dial shifter as there is more room to place radios, computers, and other important police features in the center console. The Expedition SSV will include new driver assist features for police vehicles like Pre-Collision Assist with Emergency Braking and Intersection Assist.
That’s mostly where the two police conversions diverge. The Expedition SSV adopts features like Dark Car, that shuts off the interior lighting, and Police Accessory Independent Timed-Release Output (PAITRO) for strict cargo access to only those who need it, just like the smaller PIU. The seating is also covered in cloth material while the floors are covered in vinyl for easier clean ups. Officers will also find power points for their devices in all seating areas, including the third-row seats on the Expedition Max SSV. Ford never releases the prices on their SSVs, but the 2025 Expedition SSV will be assembled at the Kentucky Truck Plant and should become available to your local police force by the time you read this.
Having experience in many forms of the automotive industry, Justin Banner has done more than just write about cars. For more than 15 years, he's had experience working as an automotive service technician—including a stint as a Virginia State Inspector—service advisor, parts sales, and aftermarket parts technical advisor (a fancy way of saying he helped you on the phone when you had trouble fitting your brakes over your aftermarket wheels and the like). Prior to his tenure as a full-time editor, Justin worked as a freelance writer and photographer for various publications and as an automotive content creator on YouTube. He’s also covered multiple forms of motorsports ranging from Formula Drift, drag racing, and time attack, to NASCAR, short course off-roading, and open desert racing. He's best known for breaking down complex technical concepts so a layperson can more easily understand why technologies, repairs, and parts should matter to them. At MotorTrend, Justin is part of the news team covering breaking news and topics while also working as a judge for MotorTrend Of the Year events and other major comparison tests.
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