Soccer-mom mobile reinvented: The 2011 Ford Explorer

[Philly]

Autoblog link

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Apparently Ford thinks they are reinventing the SUV for the 21st century. They've done this by restyling a Ford Taurus and slapping a truck badge on it. Gone are the V8 engines, replaced by a 3.5L NA V6 and the 237 hp Ecoboost four. I think it's safe to assume that the 3.5 TT will make an appearance in this thing. So compared to the last Explorer, this one is down on power, down on towing, down on weight, up on road manners and up on fuel efficiency. So by reinventing the SUV, it looks like they've basically tried to please the biggest market for these things (soccer moms) and ignored the people who actually need a truck. Something that was done long ago with the Grand Cherokee and Lambda crossovers.

It has some cool tech though. Look through the article for more details on these things.

• MyFord and My Ford Touch will be available.
• It has connectivity with your phone and can send directions to your phone from Google without the nav package.
• Also instead of low, high and auto mode for the 4wd, there's a knob for selecting the terrain and then the AWD computer will do the work for you.
• They've also developed something to assist with steering the car around a corner if entry is too fast. I guess to prevent rollovers.

I'm sure they'll sell like hotcakes, but it just isn't the same Explorer anymore.

 

[Tornado]

They've renamed their models for less drastic changes. They should have done so with this. It also seems rather unnecessary to have done such a huge redesign when the new engines that replaced the Cologne and 4.6 get considerably better mileage simply on their own. Quite frankly, this was an unneeded change.

 

[opladener]

In German, we call these "Hausfrauenpanzer" - housewife tanks.
I guess its because they feel safe in those big SUVs, while yapping on their cell phones, putting on make up and ignoring anyone else around them.

 

[Philly]

There was some statistic that popped up on Jalopnik that SUVs are something like 27 times more likely to kill the occupants of the other vehicle in a crash. Also, they are three times more likely than other cars to be involved in crashes.

I honestly find the whole safety argument to SUVs insulting. As a small car driver, I am scared that Americans think that they need a big car that will injure me more when they run into me in order to save them from any harm.

 

[Omnis]

In German, we call these "Hausfrauenpanzer" - housewife tanks.
I guess its because they feel safe in those big SUVs, while yapping on their cell phones, putting on make up and ignoring anyone else around them.

That's good. I'll be using that from now on.

 

[exigeracer]

Anyone else find that Ford NA's design department has seemed incredibly uncreative for the past, oh, 10 years?

 

[CodeRedR51]

There was some statistic that popped up on Jalopnik that SUVs are something like 27 times more likely to kill the occupants of the other vehicle in a crash. Also, they are three times more likely than other cars to be involved in crashes.

I honestly find the whole safety argument to SUVs insulting. As a small car driver, I am scared that Americans think that they need a big car that will injure me more when they run into me in order to save them from any harm.

Were you the guy commenting on Autoblog about the safety stuff?

Anyone else find that Ford NA's design department has seemed incredibly uncreative for the past, oh, 10 years?

I quite like it actually.

And come on guys, how many people you know own one of these and actually use it like a truck? (hauling/pulling trailers) 95% of the people that own these things never take them off road, and as stated in the first post a good majority of the owners are indeed soccer moms.

 

[Omnis]

Anyone else find that Ford NA's design department has seemed incredibly uncreative for the past, oh, 10 years?

Yeah the only good looking thing they've turned out is the Expedition, and they even killed that for the new gen too.

You should see the interiors on some of those cars though. Ugh!

 

[JCE]

I rather like this new Explorer. Ford is actually thinking about making money and giving the segment what it wants. A comfortable cruising vehicle that can be stuffed full of junk. They'll make their money on it that's for sure. Seriously, the towing and payload isn't that big of an issue. No one ever really used the Explorer to tow the big stuff, that's what the Expedition and F150 are for.

I see these selling well if the MPG figures are as advertised and the price isn't too high.

 

[CodeRedR51]

I see these selling well if the MPG figures are as advertised and the price isn't too high.

Pricing starts at $28,190....and tops out at $48,075.

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/07/26/2011-ford-explorer-configurator-already-up-and-running-pricing/

 

[NissanSkylineN1]

What happened to Sync?

 

[a6m5]

I also think it looks great. Edge four-door.

Explorer's expensive though, even the current model. I honestly don't understand why people buy it.

 

[niky]

Because it's not as ridiculously big as an Expedition?

I actually liked the previous Explorer... especially in Eddie Bauer trim... but honestly, you're not buying one to tow (you're buying an F-truck or an Expedition for that). And a ladder frame is a waste on a vehicle that won't (and can't) go very far off-road.

Still... a 2000 pound tow-rating is miserable for any vehicle that's meant to replace a truck... it's probable a 4WD Ecoboost could do 7000 pounds in the future... but that's likely not on the cards for now.

I'll be interested in seeing if this passes muster with the SUV crowd... but seriously... again... most of these trucks aren't great off-roaders anymore (don't have the tires for it, don't have the suspension travel for it, don't have the clearance for it), so the loss of ability really isn't going to matter so much.

 

[Eric.]

I also think it looks great. Edge four-door.

Explorer's expensive though, even the current model. I honestly don't understand why people buy it.

Uh, the Edge is a four-door.



Is it just me or does Ford have more buttons everywhere than every other car manufacturer? Looks like at least a dozen controls on the steering wheel itself.

 

[Philly]

Were you the guy commenting on Autoblog about the safety stuff?

Naw, but I read those comments first.

And come on guys, how many people you know own one of these and actually use it like a truck? (hauling/pulling trailers) 95% of the people that own these things never take them off road, and as stated in the first post a good majority of the owners are indeed soccer moms.

There really isn't that much wrong with a new crossover. But taking a truck name, putting it on a car and still calling it a truck just isn't the same. Also, calling it a new and reinvented concept doesn't really make sense when the end result of this reinvention is something that people have been making for years.

 

[a6m5]

Uh, the Edge is a four-door.

I meant Bronco II, honestly.

 

[niky]

There really isn't that much wrong with a new crossover. But taking a truck name, putting it on a car and still calling it a truck just isn't the same. Also, calling it a new and reinvented concept doesn't really make sense when the end result of this reinvention is something that people have been making for years.

If it's the same size, has the same off-road capacity (read: not much), has the same footprint and is lighter, more fuel efficient and faster... who (amongst the people who actually buy Explorers) really cares?

A lot of trucks are now Unibody. Kia first moved the Sportage... then the Sorento... Land Rover now makes unibodies... even the evergreen Nissan Patrol (one of the last real off-roaders) not only went unibody in this new generation... they ditched the dual live axles, too.

C'est la vie. Makes them less rugged as off-roaders that people might buy to thrash ten years down the line, but doesn't affect the primary customers whose cash adds to the company's bottom line.

 

[Paulie]

A new batch of Exploders on the road, have mercy!

 

[homeforsummer]

That's good. I'll be using that from now on.

Was just thinking exactly the same thing. I now have the perfect word for them.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

That actually looks really good. Much better than the old box looking Explorers.

 

[Stotty]

In German, we call these "Hausfrauenpanzer" - housewife tanks.
I guess its because they feel safe in those big SUVs, while yapping on their cell phones, putting on make up and ignoring anyone else around them.

In England they are sometimes known as Chelsea tractors

For non-English people, Chelsea is a very upmarket part of London... with absolutely no off road options other than the pavements.

 

[Adamgp]

Looks good, but I think they should have kept it truck based. They already have 2 car based crossovers (unless they still make the Taurus X, then they have 3).

 

[Jondot]

I'm not convinced this has reinvented the SUV. I'm not even convinced it's reinvented the Ford Explorer to be honest, but whatever. Okay admittedly it'll be about 800 times better than the old one, but that's not a particularly high achievement.

And in white it looks like a yacht.

 

[Rotary Junkie]

It looks awful and completely defeats the purpose of the Exploder. Which is to haul a few people and a lot of stuff but still be small enough to be usable off road.

Which the 2002+ models also did to a lesser extent... But oh well.

 

[Tornado]

If it's the same size, has the same off-road capacity (read: not much), has the same footprint and is lighter, more fuel efficient and faster... who (amongst the people who actually buy Explorers) really cares?

My point of contention is mainly the highlighted bit. It is more fuel efficient, but the engines used are replacing engines and transmissions that have been hopelessly outdated for half a decade now. Who is to say the old Explorer with the new engines and transmissions wouldn't get pretty close in on paper numbers?

I'm somewhat annoyed by this recent trend (and GM has been far worse at displaying it) that the best way to raise fuel economy is to compromise its abilities and/or install gutless engines and then pretend that you have reinvented the wheel. I'd still say the best example of this is the Theta, where GM installed a bunch of engines incredibly ill-suited for mid-size crossovers so they could have their imaginary EPA numbers that are impossible to actually achieve because of how ill-suited they are.

 

[CTznOfTime]

Is it just me? or am i the only one to see that the new Explorer is looking rather similar to the GMC Acadia??

the GC in comparison:

Well, to be fair, every cars now sort of look like each other... they have been "cross" breading enough that they all have family traits... The Acadia actually looks like the X5, from which the new GranCherokee also look likes...

By the way, Ford should have renamed the Explorer to the Fexplorer or the 1stFounder... in order to follow their family name beginning with Fs...

Same thing for the Taurus's name... and speaking of which:
The design of the "FirstFounder" is quite a nice spin-off from that of the Taurus, which is really Not a bad looking sedan to start with... IF only Ford could have shrunk either or both, the size and price of their "big" sedan. That thing looks like a Tank or a Boat that cost too much for what it really is...

Inflation, whether it's money or car size or car prices that we are talking about, is not a really good thing.

 

[niky]

My point of contention is mainly the highlighted bit. It is more fuel efficient, but the engines used are replacing engines and transmissions that have been hopelessly outdated for half a decade now. Who is to say the old Explorer with the new engines and transmissions wouldn't get pretty close in on paper numbers?

I'm somewhat annoyed by this recent trend (and GM has been far worse at displaying it) that the best way to raise fuel economy is to compromise its abilities and/or install gutless engines and then pretend that you have reinvented the wheel. I'd still say the best example of this is the Theta, where GM installed a bunch of engines incredibly ill-suited for mid-size crossovers so they could have their imaginary EPA numbers that are impossible to actually achieve because of how ill-suited they are.

Possibly true... but it's likely the real driver in the change was the cost involved in designing a new ladder frame to bring the Explorer square into the 21st century, with the attendant expense to meet the weight and safety targets the product would require.

Whereas here they have a perfectly suitable unibody chassis which is already used in vehicles of the same size, whose development costs have been amortized slightly via the Flex and Taurus. They did the same thing with the Mustang (Lincoln LS chassis)... thus this isn't anything new for them.

They have, however, done what you've asked with the Escape... updating it with better engines and transmissions to increase economy. But that car was unibody already.

 

[buickgnx88]

Personally I hate the idea of a crossover, since all it is is a tall station wagon. I guess I prefer the idea of a truck based SUV, but then again I actually would take mine off-road.

I guess I wish they would bring out the Bronco name again, and put it on a vehicle worthy of competition to the Wrangler.

 

[Omnis]

Is it just me? or am i the only one to see that the new Explorer is looking rather similar to the GMC Acadia??

Yes, they are both ugly. Quite similar in that regard.

I can't believe I'm going to say this but I think of the three the new Jeep is the best looking SUV inside and out.

 

[CTznOfTime]

Omnis, Dont make yourself look like a stranger here...

i agree with you that neither cars here are real breakthroughs in terms of designs... and i do agree that the Jeep GC is the better looking of the three.

I was simply (trying) being a little more positive toward the american's effort to deliver what they think as good product, and good compromise for the money...


For sure, those (cars) will be popular no matter what we both think, because there are a lot of people out there looking to support the american car industry, and that Ford is finally delivering a decent product. Not the best looking SUV, not the bestest or greatest... but that's because you and me, we have higher expectation than the average Joe and Jane.