You’ve seen police cars, but what about a police truck? They’re not very well suited to high-speed chases, but pickup trucks can still be useful to law enforcement agencies. They can carry plenty of gear, and go where traditional sedans can’t.
The 2016 Ford F-150 Special Service Vehicle aims to fill that niche. Ford already offers police cars based on the Taurus, Explorer, and Expedition, and apparently decided it needed yet another police vehicle in its stable. Like the other vehicles, the F-150 is mostly stock, with some modifications for police duty.
Of course, there’s a light bar on the roof, and it’s backed by a high-out, 240-amp alternator that helps deal with the extra electrical demand of different accessories, and can stand up better to long idle times. Befitting a no-frills fleet vehicle, you won’t find any chrome or flashy alloy wheels on this truck.
The interior is also completely reconfigured for police work. The front seating area includes a blank space in the middle to create space for different types of gear. A more basic dashboard with no center console and a column-mounted shifter are shared with other fleet-oriented versions of the F-150. The floor and the entire rear bench seat are covered in vinyl for easy cleanup of dirt, grime, and (probably) bodily fluids.
The Special Service Vehicle is based on the F-150 XL, the lowest of myriad F-150 trim levels. It’s available with either a SuperCab extended cab or a SuperCrew cab with four full-size doors. Engine choices include Ford’s 3.5-liter turbocharged EcoBoost V6, and 5.0-liter naturally-aspirated V8. These make 365 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque, and 385 hp and 387 lb-ft., respectively, in civilian versions of the F-150.
Guilty drivers have gotten used to picking out Ford Crown Victoria or Taurus sedans from traffic, just in case they might be Johnny Law. Now they’ll have to keep an eye out for the numerous F-150s on the road as well.
BYD has launched the third-generation Qin Plus DM-i in China, and the first thing that caught my eye is its price. According to CarNewsChina, the plug-in hybrid sedan starts at 79,900 yuan, which is about $11,980. That’s an incredibly low price for a brand-new car, especially by US standards.
What’s even more impressive is the range. The Qin Plus DM-i can drive up to 137 miles on electricity alone, which should cover most people’s daily commutes without using a drop of gas. Once the battery runs out, the 1.5-liter engine takes over. Thanks to its 17-gallon tank and roughly 91 mpg with a drained battery, the combined range reaches up to 1,423 miles.
Apple won the PC market’s worst quarter, but that’s not the entire story. It won the race by stumbling less than everyone else.
PC makers shipped just 57 million computers worldwide in Q3, which might look good, but it’s a 21% year-over-year plunge (via Counterpoint Research). And despite Apple’s Mac shipments falling by 11%, to 5.6 million, its market share rose from 8.7% to 9.8%. How did that happen?
Update (October 22 23:54 PT): In response to our query, GM clarified that offline recording support is already available on eligible vehicles. Like Tesla's Sentry Mode, it requires owners to connect a USB drive to save incident recordings, which can be viewed on the vehicle's infotainment screen. The upcoming Connected Cameras feature will build on this by giving owners remote access to these recordings via the revamped OnStar app, allowing them to check footage without walking out to their car.
General Motors has announced plans to add a new Connected Cameras feature to its OnStar service starting next year, giving drivers a way to monitor parked vehicles remotely and capture footage of certain incidents.