Ford’s 2011 Explorer may be in its third decade of production but it is actually an all-new vehicle aside from the nameplate. Reflecting the recent trend toward lighter, smaller, and more car-like SUV’s, the latest Explorer has shed most of its rugged, off-road persona and become a lot more civilized in its’ newest incarnation.
Explorers of old were based on a truck frame and pretty much handled like most rear-wheel-drive trucks as a result. No matter how much fancy trim and electronic amenities were added to top-of-the-line models, they were still truck-based vehicles. They were big, boxy, powerful (with the optional V-8), and could tow loads over 7,000 lbs. They had ample ground clearance and in four-wheel-drive mode were very capable off-road machines.
In contrast, the new front-wheel-drive Explorer is so car-like it is based on the same platform as the current Taurus sedan and will be built alongside the Taurus and the Lincoln MKS on the same assembly line in Chicago. The steel ladder frame of old has been replaced with the same style of unit-body construction that almost all front-wheel-drive sedans utilize today.
In fact, the new Explorer is so much like a car that one might consider it a sort of Taurus station wagon with a body that is 3.7 inches longer, 5.2 inches wider, and nearly two inches shorter than Explorers in the past. The wheelbase is an inch shorter and the track width is about 6 inches broader. Inside, the new Explorer boast 5 more cubic feet of passenger space, but has 3 cubic feet less overall cargo volume when the seats are folded down.
The standard drive train in the new Explorer will be a DOHC 3.5-liter aluminum V-6 delivering 290 horsepower and 255 pound-feet of torque to the front wheels. The optional upgraded engine package is actually smaller than the standard V-6, which is surprising but understandable when you consider the smaller engine is a turbocharged and intercooled 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder. The four-cylinder engine produces 237 horsepower and 250 pound-feet on premium gas (recommended). You can use regular gas if you want, but performance will suffer.
Both engines drive six-speed automatic transmissions that power the front wheels, with an optional all-wheel-drive system available. The new engines and transmissions weigh about 100 pounds less than the old drive trains. Fuel consumption in the 3.5L Explorer has been reduced by 20 percent compared to the old 4.0L V-6 rear-wheel-drive model. Official Ford fuel-economy numbers are not available yet, but Ford is hinting at 28 miles per gallon as highway fuel economy for the optional EcoBoosted engine. The old Explorer’s ample towing capacity range of 5115 lbs. to 7115 lbs. cannot be matched with the new setup however; the new towing range drops to 2000 to 5000 lbs. depending on the drive train configuration selected.
Ford threw all the technology they had at the new drive train and they claim this Explorer is now more off-road capable than one might suspect thanks to its Terrain Management System that yields a variety of different modes including Hill-Descent Control, a Snow setting, a Sand mode, and a Mud and Ruts mode. In the real world the changes add up to a more polite, urban-oriented SUV with smooth-shifting taller gears, moderate ground clearance and sedan-style all-season tires.
Ford added even more technology to the package with its AdvanceTrak Roll Stability Control system, Trailer Sway Mitigation, Curve Control, Blind-Spot Information System, MyKey parental-controls, optional inflatable rear seatbelts and multiple standard airbags. Inside the Explorer, life is enhanced with an optional Sony sound system and MyFord Touch. MyFord Touch is a user-interface control that allows phone, navigation, entertainment, and climate systems to be set by a choice of voice, steering-wheel buttons, or touch-screen. The Touch system even features a Do Not Disturb setting that blocks incoming phone calls if desired.
The old Explorer was introduced in a time of (relatively) cheap gas that encouraged big engines with terrain-shredding horsepower. Now that the economy is a bit different and the high price of fuel has spawned a whole new generation of smaller, lighter, more fuel-efficient vehicles, Ford’s new and more mild-mannered Explorer seems to make perfect sense. If you want to see one for yourself, the 2011 Explorer will arrive at Ford dealer’s showrooms in December this year.
2011 Ford Explorer Specifications
- Base price $28,995-$39,995
- Layout Front-engine, FWD/AWD, 4-door, SUV
- Engines Base – 3.5L/290-hp/255-lb-ft DOHC 24-valve V-6, Option – 2.0L/237-hp/250-lb-ft
- turbocharged DOHC 16-valve I-4
- Transmission 6-speed automatic
- Curb weight 4350-4600 lbs.
- Wheelbase 112.6 inches
- Length 197.1 inches
- Width 78.9 inches
- Height 70.4-71.0 inches
- 0-60 mph 7.0-8.5 sec (estimated)
- MPG 17-20 / 23-28 mpg (estimated)
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