While police officers may drive puny little econo-boxes in other countries, American law enforcement utilizes veritable beasts, capable of intercepting even the fastest cars on the road. But with the grand old Crown Vics and Caprices of old long since consigned to the dustbins of history, which of today's modern squad cars is the fastest? That's what the Michigan State Police seeks to determine with its annual Police Vehicle Evaluation, held every year at Grattan Raceway.

Ford and Dodge each released updated versions of their respective police vehicles in preparation for the MSP test, both packing more powerful yet more economic engines and available all-wheel drive. But while the Charger (with its available Hemi V8) dominated last year's test, this year it was the Ford that took top honors. The Taurus-based Police Interceptor sedan with the new EcoBoost V6 driving all four wheels not only topped the 0-60, 0-80 and 0-100 mph acceleration runs, it also posted the best lap times - both as single hot laps and average lap times.

The Police Interceptor Utility, based on the new Explorer, also topped its class, running quicker acceleration and lap times than any other law-enforcement SUV. The real news here is that, with its EcoBoost V6, Ford managed to outperform more powerful V8 models, all the while helping police commissioners across the country and around the world trim fuel costs from their budgets.