BEDFORD — The police department is set to roll out three 2013 Ford Interceptors, a six-speed, V-6, all-wheel drive departure from the ubiquitous Ford Crown Victorias used by the town for more than 20 years.

“These are pretty cool cars,” said Chief John Bryfonski during a road test on an overcast Monday afternoon. “This is a kind of a sporty car even though it's a police car. It handles really well, it's got a lot of power, it's very comfortable. As you can see, it's extraordinarily quiet for a police car. It accelerates much, much quicker than the old police cars do.”

The vehicle has a 3.5 liter engine that puts out 280 horsepower—30 more than the V-8 Crown Victorias, which ceased production last year.

“I've got a Corvette and I've also got a 2011 Mustang GT, which is a really good handling car,” Bryfonski said. “And I'll tell you, this car will stay with my five-liter Mustang any day.”

But a 20 percent increase in fuel economy, aided by the smaller engine, is one of the car's most attractive features.

“What does that mean for a fleet the size of Bedford's?” Bryfonski said. “On average our cars put 200 miles on the odometer every day. At 15 mpg with the old police interceptors, that's about 2,000 gallons of fuel a year over roughly 30,000 miles.”

At $3.50 a gallon, Bryfonski said the old cars consume some $7,000 a year in fuel. With 18 mpg, the new cars are expected to bring $1,165 fuel savings.

srios@unionleader.com