Ford has a long, rich history of providing a number of different models to law enforcement over the years, and that service extends beyond the borders of the U.S. as well. In Europe, the Dutch Police recently chose to go with the Ford Kuga over the BMW X1 when it came time to pick new Basic Police Vehicles (BPV) for its fleet, in fact, a decision that came after multiple rounds of testing. Now, that same police force has once again opted to stick with the Ford Kuga as its patrol vehicle of choice.
The Dutch Police has chosen to order another 500 units of the Ford Kuga crossover for BPV duty after the crossover once again delivered impressive performances in the categories of ergonomics, user experience, handling, and powertrain performance, in fact. The law enforcement agency set up a special steering committee to perform these tests, and it considered three brands and four different models – each put to the test by dozens of officers from various units, the policy academy, and operational guidance and testing before settling on the Kuga. That testing was completed on a circuit in Lelystad along with public roads, with a focus on braking behavior and driving over speed bumps.
“Tendering for new basic police vehicles is an intensive process,” said Michel de Roos, Head of Operations Central Netherlands and chairman of the steering committee. “We have to take many components into account, because there are different requirements for a police vehicle than for a normal car. The most important thing is that our colleagues can do their work well and safely.”
The Ford Kuga PHEV was the best-selling plug-in hybrid vehicle in The Netherlands last year, one of few bright spots for The Blue Oval as it continues to struggle in Europe. Facing weak demand for its passenger vehicles and EVs in that region, Ford recently announced that it will cut 4,000 jobs across Europe by 2027 as a result, and plans to focus more on its hyper-successful Ford Pro commercial business.
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