RSS
We still don’t know when or where the new Ford Explorer will debut, but today we finally have the first teaser of the new crossover, along with the assurances of the its chief engineer that this will not be some watered-down, pavement-only family hauler but a capable off-roader up to the task of carrying the flag for the truck-based SUV it replaces.
Of most interest initially is the picture itself, a portrait of Holland leaning on the front fender of the new Explorer. We can’t see much, but there’s enough here to start to get an idea what the Explorer will look like. First, we can see a very flat hood with a slight bulge over the engine, altogether reminiscent of the original Explorer and the current Land Rover Range Rover, which Holland was also chief engineer on.
Below the hood, though, things get more interesting. The puffed-out grille is instantly recognizable as a current Ford trademark piece and conjures up images of its two closest crossover siblings, the Flex and Edge. That’s an important point since some dealers who were shown the vehicle at a product meeting reported that it resembled an upsized Edge, and we can already see where they got that impression. To the side, we note the all-new headlight assemblies that appear to feature parking lights large enough to double as runway markers with the headlights themselves moved down below.
“When you see it, you know it’s a Ford, you will know it is an SUV, and you will know it’s a very modern interpretation of our Explorer,” Holland told the Detroit Free Press.
Though detractors have decried the switch from the old-school truck-based body-on-frame design to a newfangled unibody platform lifted from the new Ford Taurus, Holland isn’t worried. After all, he guided the Range Rover through the exact same transition and most would agree it turned out pretty well.
“We got a lot of the same questions that I am getting today,” Holland said.
“We were able to clearly demonstrate that Range Rover … was as capable, if not more capable than, the outgoing model.”
Defending the Explorer’s capability will be its new Terrain Management system, which was co-developed with Land Rover and appeared on the British brand’s vehicles first. But what of the power plants? With the Taurus platform, the new Explorer will be FWD-based and will definitely get Ford’s new 2.0-liter turbocharged EcoBoost four-cylinder engine. Other engine options are unclear, but a V-6 is a sure bet and could be the company’s new 306-horsepower 3.7-liter mill, or possible the older 262-horsepower 3.5-liter unit. Enthusiasts are also hoping for a 355-horsepower twin-turbo 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 but it hasn’t been confirmed. A V-8 is highly unlikely and towing capacity isn’t expected to match the current model’s 7100 pounds.
So despite the changes, the new Ford Explorer should be a pretty decent performer. But who’s going to buy it? Another key criticism against the frame change is that Ford already has enough crossovers. If indeed the Explorer does look like a big Edge, will its third row seating option and off-road abilities be enough to woo buyers? And what of the Flex, which also offers third-row seating? Will the Explorer be a lifted Flex? The two are already enough alike that Explorer mules have been caught wearing Flex body parts, they both ride on the same Taurus-based platform and the Flex already offers the 3.5-liter V-6 and the twin-turbo EcoBoost V-6. What’s more, the Flex hasn’t come close meeting its enthusiastic sales targets and so far this year has been outsold by the old Explorer.
To these criticisms, Ford maintains that a market for the Explorer already exists and that it won’t need to cannibalize other Ford crossovers and SUVs. The company contends that the Explorer and Flex appeal to different sets of customers and notes that 70 percent of all Explorers sold currently are three-row models. Despite it being a crossover, Ford plans to market the new Explorer as an SUV. That is, whenever the company finally releases it. Though production is slated for the end of this year, Ford still hasn’t decided whether it will be sold as a 2011 or 2012 model.
Will the new Explorer have what it takes to save the storied nameplate, or is Ford’s crossover and SUV lineup just too crowded? More importantly, will it have what it takes to go head-to-head with GM’s large crossovers and Jeep’s forthcoming Grand Cherokee, which also just underwent a body-on-frame to unibody swap, but remains rear-wheel drive? Cast your vote in the comments below.
Source: The Detroit Free Press
The Ford Explorer as a 4 cylinder front-wheel drive crossover… seriously?Between the CAFE standards imposed by the climate alarmist eco-freaks and the rest of the general anti-American stance of much of the leaders at the helm of America, they’ve finally succeeded in emasculating yet another all-American icon, the V8 SUV.I simply refuse to buy whatever the communists infiltrated in America’s governmental institutions want me to buy.