mmarshall

I was eating lunch at the Olive Garden today, after my morning treadmill walk, and the Ford dealership right next door had several new Explorers outside; none inside the showroom where it was warm (it was a bitter cold day in D.C. today, with temps well-below-freezing). I'm not going to do any full-reviews (including the new Explorer) for another couple of weeks yet, until after the D.C. Auto Show is over.....I'm still recovering from surgery, but am far better now than I was just a couple of weeks ago. But, with new Explorers right next door staring me in the face, I thought I'd at least take a quick look at a couple of them, as I had not seen one for myself yet; only in pictures. I've gotten several requests for a new Explorer full-review, and I'll do one first thing after the auto show is done.....some of you may have already seen and driven the new Explorer yourselves.

First of all, I was stunned by the sticker-price on the white Explorer Limited model just outside the showroom...almost 49K. That 49K was the factory price, not a dealer mark-up (and new Explorers, while they are hot, are not likely to be discounted much). For that kind of cash, of course, you can go down the street to the Lincoln shop and look at some of their SUVs (since Mercury went out of buisness, some Ford dealerships are now combined with Lincoln; this shop wasn't). Granted, the new Explorer is a lot of vehicle (and this was the top-of-the-line model), but, any way you look at it, it is still a lot of money for a Ford-nameplate mid-size SUV. And, opening the hood, what do you find holding the hood up for this kind of money?....a cheap, hand-swung prop-rod. Even the salesman was embarassed. The general underhood layout, though, except for the big plastic engine-cover, was quite good.

The exterior fit/finish/paint job, like other newer Fords, was quite well-done, and Ford, unlike with past models, on the new Explorer, has finally got around to a durable, solid-feeling hardware and swing/lock mechanism for the outside mirrors. A nice black lower-body moulding protected the entire lower-exterior of the vehicle, all-around, from road debris and stones. The sheet metal and doors all felt solid.

Inside, the general trim pattern was attractive, but I didn't think quite as attractive as the new dash/interior trim of its rival Jeep Grand Cherokee (opinions, of course, may differ on that). Some of the switches/***** felt durable and quite solid; others a little flimsy. I liked the simple fore-aft transmission shifter on the Explorer...the Grand Cherokee persists with Chrysler's zig-zag pattern. The interior seemed well-designed and quite versatile, though the individual twin second-row seats looked a little undersized and flat-bolstered for big Americans.

The cargo area was roomy (due to the conservative, high roofline), and had individual-fold 3rd-row seats. The cargo-area trim was not that impressive, though, for a 48-49k vehicle. All of the roof-pillars (A,B,C, and D-pillars) were wide and thick and, along with the small rear-quarter windows, tended to block some outward vision...but I suspect that may be due to the strength required of the pillars for the new Federal roof-crush rollover standards.

One nice thing about the new Explorer design is that it seems to be just about the right height for many people (myself included) to easily swing in and out of the drivers' seat without the need for running boards...and the multi-adjustable power seat feature, of course, helps.

The biggest change on the new Explorer, of course, is the major switch from a truck-based ladder-frame (derived from the Ford Ranger pickup) to a unibody, car-based platform. That decreases the tow-rating and off-road capability a little...but most people, today, don't go off-road with their SUVs anyway. The 4-door Explorer Sport-Trac, with the short truck-bed in the rear, is discontinued due to poor sales.

That's about it for now. With the deep-freeze temperatures outside, I didn't have a lot of time in the cold to really look at some things thoroughly (my hands were getting numb after just a few minutes), and I figured that, for the test-drive, I'd wait for the full-review in a few weeks. I'm still recovering from surgery, of course, and didn't want to spend too much time out in the cold. The sales manager, inside, gave me a couple of free D.C. auto-show passes so I could check out the floor models at the show in a nice, warm, toasty environment....I plan to use them next week.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Welcome back!! Nice mini-review. I also went to my local dealer to check out the 2011, and I'm very pleased with the new explorer. It's got a lot of good tech and safety features. Decent power with the 3.5 (nothing crazy of course, but it'll scoot for it's size) and fuel economy is towards the top compared to other rivals in this segment. For the most part, the explorer still retains good utility when it comes to seating and cargo capacity (not so much with the 3rd row up). I also found the leather comfortable and the wood trim in (limited model also) elegant. There were some plastic(y) switches, but in all the interior is much improved. One of my few requests for this model in the future would be to add the 3.5L Ecoboost powertrain for those wanting better towing capacity instead of opting for an Expedition.

P.S. I heard a rumor just recently that since Ford doesn't plan to bring the Ranger back, another Explorer sport trac is in the making. Guess we'll see in a few years if that ever comes to fruition.

mmarshall

Thanks.

Thanks. I'll keep your comments in mind, here, when I do my full-review in a few more weeks.

That would be fine, if Ford engineers will allow towing with the Ecoboost. In some previous high-performance trucks/SUVs with turbo V6 engines, like the Chevy Cyclone, GMC Typhoon, and even the non-turbo SRT-8 Hemi Jeep Grand Cherokee, no towing was allowed, which, to me, with the added power of these engines, made little sense. ........perhaps the necessary hardware for towing was not included in these former packages. That may or may not be the case with an Ecoboost Explorer.

Also, Ford has to look at the issue of engine availability. The Ecoboost 3.5 is already being used in a number of other Ford and Lincoln vehicles, and the engine plants, of course, only have so much capacity. There may or may not be enough Ecoboost engines left over for the new Explorer production run, even it it is a option and not standard.


The decision to drop the Ranger from the American market was dropped mainly to declining sales and the fact that it was becoming a dated design (although many of those who bought Rangers like them in spite of that old design). The Ranger, in rebadged form, also served as the platform for the also-discontinued Mazda B-series trucks. The Sport Trac (which was, essentially, a short-bed Ranger with four doors) was also discontinued from declining sales. For a new one to come back in a couple of years, of course, the Ford marketers will have to determine if there are enough potential sales for a successor. The Sport Trac also has a couple of competitors now in the 4-door Nissan Frontier and Suzuki Equator trucks (the Equator is a rebadged Frontier), but neither one of those two, particularly the Equator, has sold well. The 4-door Chevy Colorado/GMC Canyon pickups, technically, also compete, but, IMO, they are poorly-designed, cheaply-built vehicles that aren't in the same league as even the old, dated Ranger.

Another interesting question will be if Mazda decides to (or if their Ford owners allow them to) bring back the Explorer-based Navajo SUV. In the 1990's, Mazda did a rebadged version of the 2-door Explorer Sport and called it the Navajo (Ford wouldn't allow them to use the hot-selling 4-door Explorer, as, at the time, it was selling like hotcakes under the Ford name). A new Navajo, particularly with 4 doors, would, IMO, make more sense than the CX-9, which I myself never particularly liked.

IS-SV

I've looked over a few new Explorers and had similar observations. It's very big and generating a lot of interest.

Fizzboy7

I have to give credit to Ford. The 1990's Explorer was legendary and in just about every family driveway. To put forth this new model with it's vast improvements is a great step. Of course anything would be a great step considering the last model was not really updated for 20 years.

GiantsFan

iTrader: (9)

wow thats expensive ... I'd take a RX for that price!

GS350Lexus

iTrader: (5)

mmarshall get better sooner, but yea 49k is a bit too much IMO.

mmarshall

The 1990's Explorer models, however, did not have the intense competition that they face today. Back then, the Explorer and Jeep Grand Cherokee pretty much ruled the domestic, mid-size SUV market. Not so today, when there are literally dozens of competitors.

Actually, the older Explorers DID get a major update......a new front suspension after the Ford/Firestone rollover fiasco. Ford finally decided to toss the old Twin-I-Beam front suspension out, which dated back to 1964.....which, of course they should have done in 1990 when the Explorer was first introduced.

mmarshall

Thanks.

I agree that, for this price, I would take an RX instead (and maybe some change back), but remember that the 49K is only for the top-of-the-line Limited model. Lower-line Explorers are somewhat less-expensive. And the RX doesn't seat 7....which could be a concern for larger families.

Big Andy

The front end from the B pillar forward is completely ripped off Land Rover.

J.P.

Welcome to the world of SUV's with a 3rd row $$$$$

The RX is awesome but no 3rd row seat and tows about 1500lbs less.

Still would have a hard time dropping 50k on an explorer or hell 40k on an Edge but over all used and new cars prices are off the charts.

Och

iTrader: (3)

What the hell, 50k for an explorer? No thanks.

You can get MDX and X5 for that kind of money.

Explorer needs to be in low 30ies for me to even remotely ever consider it.

J.P.

x5 loaded for 50k? where?

with same features the x5, tech and 3rd row is around 61k+ vs 49k

you would be lucky to get all the same options in an x3 for 50k

J.P.

also thinking when we were looking around, you can get a pretty nice one for 40-45k, with 45k def having nav to boot

you pretty much have to add everything under the sun to get 49k, call it 48k without destination

LexFather

Funny the Shelby GT 500 is 49k to start

It starts at 28k so that is 20 grand from the base price. That is nuts for an Explorer unless you get free maintenance and free happy endings and they pay for the car every other month.

XLT starts at 31k
Limited starts at 37k so it was 12k in options from that
Limited AWD is 39k so 10k in options

Rapid Spec 302A is the top package you get
Nav
Paking assist
luxury seat package
power liftgate
active cruise
collision alert
White tri coat paint is $500. WTF
DVD in headrests is 2k
inflateable rear seatbelt airbags $200
Dual panel roof $1500
Polished 20" $550

I got it to 50k Thats a pretty loaded truck

Surely you won't pay MSRP....