It’s been so long in coming that it is hard to believe that it is almost hard to believe that production of the Crown Victoria really does end this year. Some police departments and taxi cab companies have even taken to stockpiling these ancient sedans for future use. So the Ford Taurus Police Interceptor really does have its work cut out for it, and filling in for the Crown Victoria will be no small task.

It won’t be impossible though, especially with all the updates Ford has made to the 2013 Taurus model. USA Today revealed that the Taurus Police Interceptor will hit the streets with all of the 2013 model’s improvements. That means more horsepower, and maybe even more engine choices.

The 2013 Ford Taurus, which Ford unveiled last week at the New York Auto Show, has been blessed with a number of tweaks and improvements from the sheet metal to the power train. Previous Police Interceptor concepts have been based around the current generation Taurus, which most say is a good-but-underpowered large sedan.

Ford aims to fix that, with the base 3.5 liter V6 engine getting a 27 horsepower boost to 290 ponies, and Ford revealed that a new engine, the 2.0 liter four-cylinder EcoBoost, will be also be available as a 2013 option. Whether or not that means the Police Interceptor model will be available with the turbo four-pot, we don’t know, but with at least a 31 mpg highway rating, it could be a very effective patrol car for counties with long stretches of rarely-driven roadways. But with Chevy getting back into the police car game with the Caprice PPV, and Dodge’s Charger Pursuit is making an impression on departments across the country, will there be room for the Taurus?