Today was the Seattle 2020 PIU Ride and Drive Event put on by the Ford Police Program Team. The event was booked solid and so is the next one is in the San Fransico area, then it moves to LA on May 20th
I preface my comments here with a notice to all the Ford Forum Experts and
know it all's, these comments are simply my opinion after actually driving the new 2020 product in comparison to my daily driver 17 Sport and 18 PIU. So for those that want to pick this thread apart do us all a favor and STFU.
The Police Program Team hired Jackson/Dawson to put on the event and the course is set up by legendary race car driver Terry Yearwood. They first have you drive the Hybrid PIU through the course and then you drive the EcoBoost 3.0L PIU.
All I can say is OMG!.....for those who have driven a Tesla in “Ludicrous
Mode” that's what it was like to me. Yes, Ford experts I know it's not the exact same times, I'm simply stating what it felt like compared to a daily driver Sport with a Livernois tune.
So now the real deal, the 2020 EcoBoost 3.0L PIU, words can barely describe the "
out of the hole" acceleration, even in the rain this thing dug in and snapped my head back. In all honesty, I actually think it's a little too much for a JR officer without some serious advanced driver training.
The new 10-speed transmission programming is smooth without any "hunting" for gears under hard stop/start driving. The braking under hard cornering is amazing in combination with the new AWD system. Power comes on effortlessly and fast, but very controlled. A much more refined power application than before.
BUT.........IMHO the performance brake pads that the PIU's have are (according to the Ford people there) the same one's retail ST product will get in the Track Pack and they are too
"grabby" for me. When driving hard on the course Terry will say to you as the driver.....
" ok hit the apex but with just a touch of brakes now"
I tried to barely touch the brakes but got nothing so a little more pressure and "bang" they grabbed to almost a stop. Even the pro drivers said it took many laps to get used to it and they actually gave feedback to the Engineers on them so hopefully, the FINAL production Track Pack will be a little more forgiving.
Everything there today is pre-production prototype and will be crushed after the ride and drive tour is finished and final build testing is complete. Again, not my opinion but info from the Police Team.
The rotors are so big they completely fill in the police wheel cutouts when you look through the wheel. I picked up a new caliper and they seem way bigger than the current Sport/Police calipers.
Goodyear has produced a new tire called "Enforcer", it's very high performance and grip was amazing in the rain.
You will see in one of the photos I tried to see more brake equipment under the hood and I actually found some braided lines but no idea if they are police only or part of the Track/Street Packs. I couldn't lie down in the rain-soaked track area to get a shot underneath front suspension.
Fit and finish looks much better especially the rubber trim around the exterior windows that doesn't fit properly on my 2017.
Also much quieter inside, road noise is almost nonexistent.
Take a look at the Hybrid battery, seems pretty small to me compared to a Tesla.