Ford and Dodge upgrade police patrol vehicles for Michigan State Police test day

Ford touted the addition of its 3.7-liter V6 engine to its Police Interceptor sedan, and Dodge boasted about the new Charger Pursuit with all-wheel drive on Thursday. That can only mean that the Michigan State Police force is doing its yearly vehicle testing, and two of the Detroit Three are trying to get noticed.

General Motors has its new rear-wheel-drive Caprice to bank on, which we believe is the best of the group.

Ford's 305-hp V6, which normally sees duty in the Mustang, will be the next mill to go into the Taurus-based Interceptor. In addition to 279 lb-ft of torque, it also offers a highway-mileage figure of 25 mpg, with 18 mpg attainable in the city. The new engine, along with the EcoBoost V6 and the standard 3.5-liter V6, gives the Ford Interceptor three options for powertrains in police patrol vehicles.

Not looking to be left out of the news, Dodge announced on Thursday that it will offer its all-wheel-drive system on Hemi-equipped Charger Pursuit vehicles. The key piece of news here is that it will feature an active transfer case and front-axle-disconnect system to help with both performance and fuel economy. Fleets will be able to order the all-wheel-drive Charger for the 2014 model year.

Unfortunately, neither of these sedans are available for public consumption, but we'd bet that in a few years we'll be seeing decommissioned versions all over the roads.

Dodge offers police all-wheel drive on its Hemi-equipped Charger.

By Jake Lingeman