A crossover made for winter’s test
It’s that time of the year again, when Canadians start getting nervous about winter driving. We can prepare ourselves for dealing with snowy and icy road conditions, but one way to help manage your winterdriving duties is to pilot a winter- ready vehicle, such as our new 60-day test-drive subject, the 2016 Ford Explorer Sport.
As Ford’s most recognizable nameplate next to the Mustang and F- Series, you probably know the Explorer — or perhaps owned one at some point. It started life in 1991 as a midsize SUV built on the Ford Ranger pickup chassis and quickly became one of the bestselling vehicles of the 1990s.
As part of a growing trend of families abandoning traditional sedans and wagons for SUVs, the Explorer is one of Ford’s bestselling vehicles of all time. It remained a traditional SUV for three more generations, but recognizing the changes in the marketplace, Ford changed the Explorer’s underpinnings for 2011 to a car platform.
The Ford SUV’s makeover to a crossover saw improvements in fuel economy, handling and space efficiency. Now, for 2016, the existing Explorer gets its first big refresh. Changes include more Range Rover- like exterior styling, interior updates, new safety features, retuned suspension components, more engine options and a new top-of-the-line Platinum model.
One reason the Explorer remains popular is it offers a wide choice in price, powertrains and features. Rivals, including the Chevrolet Traverse, Honda Pilot and Nissan Pathfinder, offer only a lone six- cylinder engine. However, the Explorer’s engine menu includes a 3.5- litre V6 good for 290 horsepower and 255 pound- feet of torque, a new 2.3- L turbo- four rated at 280 hp and 310 lb.-ft., and a range- topping 3.5- L V6 with 365 hp and 350 lb.-ft. of torque.
For the cost-conscious winter driver, a base front-wheeldrive Explorer with the 3.5- L V6 ( plus a proper set of snow tires) would make for a practical family hauler at $33,499. Even in starter form, the Explorer comes with a flexible 60/40-split folding second-row bench and 50/ 50- split thirdrow seating setup, to accommodate seven people. And if you needed traction at all four wheels — to get to your skiing chalet or if the city snow plow forgets to do your street — AWD is a $3,000 add-on.
In that price range, the Ford competes well with the aforementioned mainstream rivals, but our $50,399 Explorer Sport came loaded with AWD, the top-of-the-line twin-turbo V6, leather seating, 20- inch aluminum wheels, sporttuned suspension and a host of other convenience, luxury and safety features. The Sport sits just under the all-inclusive $ 59,099 Platinum and starts to compete with premium three- row crossovers that include the Acura MD X, Buick Enclave and Infiniti QX60.
As in a lot of Canada, a proper winter has not arrived in my hometown of Ottawa yet. For the first two weeks in our time in the Explorer, the snow dumped by the Zamboni in the parking lot at the local ice rink has been the only sighting of the white stuff. But we have still had enough time to form some initial impressions of the mid-size Ford crossover.
It hasn’t snowed yet, but that doesn’t mean our bulky winter wear has been left in the closet, and the Explorer’s super-wide cabin offers plenty of puffy- jacket elbow room. We’ve received zero complaints from second- row occupants, but while the two chairs in the Ford’s third row offer relatively good headroom, legroom is tight, to say the least. The cargo space, however, is like an airplane hangar when the power fold- down third- row seating is lowered. It easily swallowed our family’s Christmas tree for the trip home.
Despite the stiffer suspension and low- profile tires, we have no plans to take the Explorer to our local track for some hot laps. Yet for such a big vehicle, its ride and handling characteristics are relatively sophisticated. Suspension changes for 2016 have made it feel more composed and tighter, making the crossover handle like a smaller vehicle than it actually is.
The 2016 Explorer Sport also delivers a very comfortable and quiet ride over some of Ottawa’s worst potholed roads. Even with the tauter Sport model’s suspension and the 50- section Toyo Observe GS-i5 winter rubber Ford supplied, the Explorer acts like some of the pricier luxury crossovers on the market.
Keen drivers should like the Explorer Sport’s mill. The twin-turbo V6, mated to a sixspeed automatic transmission, behaves like a V8. It delivers smooth and easy acceleration, but we’re also seeing V8like fuel economy, at 17.1 litres per 100 kilometres in mainly urban driving.
With its standard all-wheel drive, good ground clearance, state-of-the-art safety gear and seating for up to seven, we are counting on the 2016 Ford Explorer Sport to be the perfect companion for our remaining six weeks of holiday shopping, road trips, family ski days and day-to-day chauffeuring duties. Maybe — just maybe — we’ll get some real Canadian winter driving conditions as well.