Traditionally the Explorer was a truck base SUV with a burley body on a rugged frame. According to Ford’s market studies, consumers have been deterred from traditional SUV purchases primarily because of fuel costs. Traditional SUV’s have bad gas mileage and most of the public surveyed expect the price of fuel to rise again so looking forward, the appetite for gas guzzling vehicles is down.
Still, many families need/want a vehicle with abundant interior space which creates the paradox. Ford’s solution is the totally new Explorer.
The new Explorer is powered by either the standard 3.5 V6 or the upcoming optional EcoBoost turbocharged 2.0 liter 4 cylinder engine. The power rating of the 2.0 is impressive because it delivers full torque from a low 1,750 rpm’s all the way up to 4,000 rpm’s. But the standard 3.5 V6 actually offers more horsepower and torque and more towing capacity. The marketing gamble that Ford is taking is the assumption that the public will pay extra for the smaller, less powerful and less capable Turbo 4 merely because it gets better fuel economy. The V6 has an EPA 25 mpg highway rating and the Turbo 4 is somewhat higher than that.
The new Explorer is similar in size to a Honda Pilot or the Chevy Traverse. That means it’s a unibody 4 wheel independently suspended vehicle in the 4,500 pound range that has 3 rows of seats and can haul up to 7 people.
The interior is spacious and flexible. The styling is very nice and great attention has been paid to fit, finish and detail. Soft-touch materials abound and details like doors shutting with a solid authoritative “thud” are there. Interior niceties include navigation and the newest version of Ford’s SYNC driver interface. The accoutrement and materials project a decidedly up-scale tone to this Ford’s interior. The vehicle has the same 8.4 inch road clearance as its predecessor yet entry and exit is comfortable. This vehicle makes no claim to be a rock climbing off-roader but it is confident off-pavement. The 4wd version has 4 traction settings. The normal mode is a fulltime on-demand 4 wheel drive system. Even in normal mode, power is shifted front to back and side to side with a torque bias towards the front wheels. The other drive modes are for mud, snow or sand.
The new Explorer is very nicely styled and is a comfortable vehicle. Initial Quality Ratings from Ford have been improving steadily in recent years. The Explorer is a very nice vehicle for those needing/wanting a modern SUV in this class.
By Kelly Foss - MyCarData
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