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ONE-TICKET BOOK REVIEW Ford F-150 Special Service Vehicle turbo) V6. With either engine, the F-150 comes with the 6-speed automatic over- drive transmission. It comes in both the 2WD and 4x4 versions. It is available as a SuperCab or SuperCrew cab. In the 145- inch wheelbase F-150, the SuperCab has a 6.5-foot bed while the SuperCrew has a 5.5-foot bed. On the interior, Ford Fleet simply fol- lowed what its dealers were already doing. Tey started with the 40/20/40 split bench cloth seat…and deleted the center "20" section. However, it is not quite as simple as that! Under that center seat section is the Restraint Control Module, RCM. Te RCM measures and monitors body roll and yaw. Tis is a critical part of their electronic stability control system, and their airbag deployment system. So, the SSV package includes a special cover to protect the RCM. Te SSV package includes cloth front seats. Tese are relieved at the sides enough for a handgun on one side of the duty belt and a TASER or radio on the other side. For F-150 SSV PROJECTS AT PHILPOTT FORD www.philpottmotors.com www.roushperformance.com F ord dealers across the U.S. have been providing partially or fully up- fitted F-150 pickups to law enforce- ment for decades. However, one of these dealers stands out as aggressively pro- moting the F-150 for police use – Philpott Ford near Houston, Texas. Philpott Ford began by dis- playing a fully upfitted, fully marked F-150 at the second Police Fleet Expo – Grand Rapids. It drew a lot of attention and it generated a lot of head nods. It was also instrumental in the Ford Fleet development of the for- mal Special Service Vehicle package for the current F-150, introduced at the Police Fleet Expo – Charlotte. Philpott's Bobby Swan and Mike Gam- put back into the truck when it was taken out of service…or used as a tree stand for deer hunting! Special wiring harnesses were devel- oped for these police-use trucks. When they were done with the upfit, the interior of the F-150 looked like the interior of any patrol-oriented Ford CVPI. Most of these perfor- mance trucks were based on the 4x4, SuperCrew, XL-trim truck. These were used as unmarked, inconspicuous, drug interdiction duty. Highway perfor- mance and high-speed handling were the top priority. S The Special Service Vehicle package is new for the 2013 F-150. This is basically an XL-trim work truck with a bigger alternator, skid plates, and a variety of seat covering options. a base level truck, these seats are excellent. Tey are both supportive and comfortable. Te second row seats are a vinyl 40/20/40 split bench. A vinyl-rubber floor covering is standard, while carpet is optional. Speaking of options, ANY option that is available with the XL-trim is also available with the SSV package. Te F-150 SSV uses the XL-trim column-mounted gear selector. 16 Police Fleet Manager Jul-Aug 2012 Sales of the F-150 to police and sheriff's departments are a big deal to Philpott... about 15 percent of their police fleet sales. Some are upfitted with push bumpers and partitions. Some get power winches, front and rear! Some get full brush guards. In fact, some sheriff's departments in Texas are 100 percent F-150 – go off-road as far as you can in the 4x4 truck, then unload the 4-wheeler or 6-wheeler from the bed. Aside from the early Roush F-150s, the current workhorse of the police pickup fleet is the stock F-150 in XL (work truck) trim. In some cases, Philpott added bed-mounted headache racks, tool boxes and A-pillar spotlights. The vast majority (99 percent) of these patrol trucks are 4x4 and based on the ½-ton F-150, as opposed to the 3/4-ton Super Duty. All are XL trim. (Sure, some sheriffs order the Raptor.) What has Philpott's experience with blin have been working on a police version of the F-150 for as long as they can re- member. Their first response to the police request was to team up with Roush Per- formance. The goal was faster acceleration and better handling from the basic F-150. The solution was time-honored. They lowered the suspension about 2 inches, added a K&N; conical air filter and a low-re- striction exhaust system. This was an easy and effective, bolt-on solution. In the inside, they removed the "20" center portion of the 40-20-40 split bench seat, then added a center console. The "20" seat was either the 5.0L V8 in F-150 been in police use? The 5.0L V8 is the engine in virtually every F-150 sold for police use. No one yet has said the truck is under-powered. That is not surprising…the F-150 SSV with the 360 hp 5.0L V8 accelerates faster than the Ford CVPI. Philpot's ultimate goal is for a pursuit- rated F-150 from the factory, since most police pickups are already driven that way. All that brings us up to the June 2012 an- nouncement of Ford's F-150 Special Ser- vice Vehicle package. The factory SSV package is one step closer to that goal.