Ford Crown Victoria

The Ford Crown Victoria nameplate has been around since the 1950's. Previous to 1992 it was called the LTD Crown Victoria.

The Crown Victoria is a full-size four door passenger car with a V8 engine and rear wheel drive (RWD). It uses body-on-frame construction and is assembled at the St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada plant. It's twin is the Mercury Grand Marquis. It's platform is also shared with the Lincoln Town Car.

As of late-2007, the future of the Crown Victoria is unknown. The 2008 Ford Taurus (a.k.a. Ford Five Hundred) is roomier, more fuel efficient, and is available with all-wheel-drive (AWD).

In 2007, over 91% of Crown Victoria (Crown Vic) sales were to fleet or government agencies. The Crown Vic is a popular choice among police departments, rental agencies, and taxi companies due to it's power, dependability and reliability.

First Generation (1992-1997)

There are a number of generations of the Crown Vic. The first generation was from 1992-1997. Here's a photo of a 1992 Crown Vic (see right). Changes from year-to-year are as follows:

• 1992 - New Crown Vic introduced with the new design & 4.6L modular V8 engine
• 1993 - Grille replaced (was not on '92 models), added reflector strips between the taillamps, cupholders were integrated into the dash
• 1994 - Dual airbags are standard
• 1995 - New grille, bumpers, restyled dashboard, revised trunk, rear license plate holder moved from bumper to trunklid.
• 1996, 1997 - No noteable changes

Second Generation (1998-2002)

Second generation cars use a revised 4-link rear suspension and Watts linkage. Here's a breakdown of changes year-by-year of the second generation over the previous one:

• 1998 - Car dramatically restyled. Now uses the roofline of the Grand Marquis. Powertrain, ignition & rear suspension revised.
• 1999 - Police package P71 is now called Police Interceptor and car is badged as such. This is the last year a civilian can buy a Crown Vic in Canada. It's fleet-only after '99. Canadian customers will have to buy the Mercury Grand Marquis instead.
• 2000 - Glow-in-the-dark inside trunk handle added, engine produces slightly more torque (likely a result of PCM calibration)
• 2001 - Adjustable pedals are now available. Engines' torque increased 10 lb-ft.
• 2002 - A longer wheelbase Crown Vic was announced. It has a six inch wheelbase stretch with a new frame and extended body. It's intended for the taxi and livery market and not offered for sale to the general public.

Third Generation (2003-Present)

The 2003-newer Crown Vics saw the following changes & improvements over the previous models:

• 2003 - All-new chassis (hydroformed steel), new rack-and-pinion steering, four-channel ABS standard, available side airbags, new knock sensor in the engine allowes more aggressive timing and more power.
• 2004 - CV's now have a rear whip radio antenna rather than an integrated rear defroster antenna, new steering wheel. Also, there is a revised torque converter, updated overhead console, and available laminated side glass.
• 2005 - No noteable changes
• 2006 - The rear whip antenna is gone, replaced by the integrated rear defroster antenna
• 2007 - No noteable changes
• 2008 - The Crown Vic is no longer available to civilian customers in the US. A tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) is now standard on Police Interceptor cars

Ford Crown Victoria 4.6L V8 Engine Specifications

Other Ford Crown Vic Resources

• Wikipedia Crown Vic Page
• CrownVic.net