Ford has been supplying law enforcement and government agencies with service vehicles for decades. The Crown Victoria has been a mainstay at police stations for so long and is so recognizable as the law that a civilian can’t drive a used Crown Vic down the road without traffic nervously slowing to a crawl. But following the retirement of the Crown Vic, Ford has been phasing in the next generation of police cruisers and government vehicles over the past couple of years, and the latest addition is the Ford F-150 Special Service Vehicle.
In addition to serving law enforcement, the purpose-built F-150 will also be used for roadside assistance, construction, fire service and forest rangers. As such, the F-150 SSV isn’t filled to the brim with creature comforts like their range-topping pickups. It’s essentially a blank slate ready to be customized for whatever the job entails, but which comes from the factory already extremely capable — think of it as an empty tool belt.
The XL trim level’s rear seats and carpet are replaced with a vinyl bench and flooring to make cleaning the cab less of a chore and the front-row middle seat has been deleted to accommodate specialized computers and radios. To make sure all those computers, radios and high-powered lights keep working even during long periods of idling, Ford fitted the F-150 SSV with a 240-amp alternator. The F-150 SSV is available in either SuperCrew or SuperCab setups and 4×4 or 4×2 drivetrains, with power coming from a 5.0-liter V8 or 3.5-liter EcoBoost.
Keep an eye out for it on the roads and fire service trails near you — chances are you won’t want a ride in one.
