Interceptor

The Vapid Police Cruiser, commonly referred to by the community as the Interceptor, is a law enforcement sedan appearing in Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online.

Description
It is one of the 3 types of police cruisers used by the LSPD (though easily the most frequently used) and as a result, it can be found at police stations as well as being seen pursuing the player or NPCs. It also can be found patrolling some areas in Los Santos.

Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online
The car's design is clearly inspired by American styling featured on the, although the LED light strips featured on the bumper more accurately resemble those found on the 2013-2015 Kia Optima in angle and length, while the rear tail lights resemble those of the Australian market's Ford FG Falcon (which is also used as a police cruiser). The "Interceptor" also appears alongside Stanier and Buffalo-based police cars.

The front end of the car is dominated by the presence of a large push bar, with four lights in the top horizontal beam of the unit. The base of the front bumper is trimmed with a polymer. The lower central area of the bumper features a trapezium-shaped air duct and at either side, level with the top of the duct, there are LED strip lights. The main grille is located in the central area at the top of the front fascia. Near to the grille there are headlamp units made up of two circular lamps and an amber turn indicator area on the outside. There are hideaway strobe lights mounted in the headlight assembly. The post mount spotlight comes on when you switch to its high beams.

The sides of the car feature the distinctive "panda body" black-and-white color scheme, with the white areas featuring "POLICE" and the car's number in large stencil lettering. The sides of the car are fairly simple with the body only featuring flared wheel arches. The doors feature black wing mirrors at the base of the A-pillar, with a spot lamp, mounted above the left one. The roof-mounted light bar is split into eight sections, with the outer three on each side having either red or blue colored lamps. The central two are clear colored. The C pillar of the car is fairly smooth and at the top corners of the rear windscreen, there are small colored alternate flashing lights. The roof also features unit numbers. The car uses black wheels with chrome center caps, wrapped in high profile tires. On the inside of the car, there is a protective mesh separating the front occupants from the rear.

Near the top of the car's rear face in the central third of the car's width there is an impressed area where the license plate is mounted. Various badges are mounted near almost all of the of the area (excluding the lower left). Similar in height, at the edges of the car body are the rear light units with inner edges parallel to the outer edges of the license plate area. The rear lights are split into four regions, the central strips are where the turn indicator and reverse lamps are found. The rear lights also have the ability to flash alternately in a wig-wag pattern. At the base of the rear bumper, covering three-quarters of the car's width is a trapezium-shaped polymer insert. Near the top of the insert, on either side, there are red horizontal reflectors. In the lower corners of the rear insert, there are twin-circle exhaust tips.

The rear of the car, especially the rear light units, appears to resemble the Australian Ford FG Falcon.

This car appears to be the HD Universe successor to GTA IV's Merit-based Police Patrol, as the GTA IV Stanier Mk1 cruiser is replaced by its Mk2 counterpart.

The word "Police" emblazoned on the sides of the car resembles the livery used on Ford Taurus Police Interceptor concept vehicles. The color scheme is the same as used on the Los Angeles Police Department Interceptors with the decals and font being the same as the Beverly Hills police vehicles.

Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online
The rear-wheel-drive high powered Interceptor employs wishbone suspension for its front axle. The car also features 4-wheel disc brakes. It has good acceleration compared to most sedans, far better than the older platform that it replaced in the LSPD. It also has good braking and above-average handling, and it takes a lot of effort to make it lose grip thanks to its stiff suspension.

If it has any flaw, it is its durability. The introduction of crumple points on this car seems to be overused, especially around the front wheels, causing wheel cambering after only several crashes. Compared to the Stanier, it takes less effort to bend the axle to the point that the wheel locks and the new turbocharged engine is less durable than the old engine found in the standard Police Cruiser. Some have even found it difficult to control the car while midair, as its rear-biased weight distribution will cause its front end to dip up when it makes jumps. Despite its downsides, the car is powerful and controllable. If the car is not abused, it can be an excellent choice for any officer.

The Police Cruiser is powered by an Inline-4 engine coupled with a 5-speed gearbox in a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout. The engine sound is rather smooth but is still aggressive for a car of this type.

Grand Theft Auto V

 * At all police stations across Los Santos.
 * Randomly patrolling the streets around Mission Row.
 * Frequently appears at any wanted level and or chasing criminals.
 * At least one can always be found at the Mission Row Police Station.
 * At least one can be found patrolling around the interiors of Bolingbroke Penitentiary.
 * May spawn patrolling the streets only during certain missions.
 * Can be obtained by calling 911, then selecting "Police", one will arrive shortly after calling.

Grand Theft Auto Online

 * Spawns when the player earns a one star wanted level, onward.
 * Can be obtained by calling 911, and selecting "Police".
 * Spawns at police stations when the player (or another nearby player) has a wanted level.
 * Spawns at and around the exterior of the Los Santos International Airport.

Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online

 * The Police Interceptor gives the player a Pump Shotgun upon entry.

Cultural References

 * The inclusion of this car is a direct reference to the Ford Taurus Interceptors that went into LAPD service in 2012.
 * Like every Emergency Vehicle in the game, when pressing the horn button, there are three siren effects that can be used while the siren is activated.
 * The main wail being used is a modified version of the LAPD Fed Sig SS2000, the yelp is slightly transposed and sped up, and finally, the warble effect is significantly sped-up and slightly down-pitched version of the main siren.
 * Oddly, there is a fourth unused siren effect called the Hi-Lo that can be heard in the background ambiance in Los Santos. this siren is also pitched and not a part of any Siren Series, hinting that this is also an artificial siren.
 * Though it is also unclear why it was never utilized as the fourth effect, this siren effect is also heard when fireTruck and ambulance sirens(which also feature different sirens) are heard in the ambiance as well.

Grand Theft Auto V

 * When flipped over, the car appears to have no driveshaft. However, if one looks closely, the engine is longitudinal and there is a differential at the rear.
 * It is one of the two police vehicles in the game that does not have a civilian variant (the Police Buffalo, Police Cruiser and FIB Granger all have civilian versions, though the Police Cruiser's civilian model is of a previous generation). The other police vehicle is the Police Roadcruiser.
 * In the original version of the game, the on-board computer that is visible inside the Interceptor features the LCPD database screen.
 * The single spotlight on the driver's side of the vehicle is very unusual for marked police vehicles on the West Coast in reality. Also, this is the only vehicle that activates its spotlight when hi-beams are activated. However, sufficient damage can detach the spotlight.
 * All flashing lights are actually controlled separately over the main lights, as these will continue flashing even when the main lights are broken.
 * The car's bullbars are actually mounted on the grille and not on the bumper like in real life. This can be seen when the Interceptor loses its bumper, the bullbars won't come off.
 * There are vehicle mods left unused, including spoilers, front intake vents, and upgrades for the bullbars. The only way to add these is to edit the game save or by modding the game. It would suggest those police vehicles can be modified at some point during development.
 * With these upgrades, it has some resemblance to the Police Stinger.
 * Strangely, killing the driver of the Cruiser will cause a normal car horn to blare, instead of the usual police horn. This appears to be the case with all police vehicles.

Grand Theft Auto Online

 * Prior to the Heist Update, the player could change the "livery" of the Police Cruiser in the Creator. The only visible changes were the roof numbers. After the update, this feature was removed. The default number is always 32.
 * After the Heists Update, sirens on this car, and all other emergency vehicles will automatically turn off when exiting the vehicle.
 * If a player is driving the Police Interceptor with a distorted siren, other players will hear the ambiance of a non-distorted siren until the player gets within range of another player.