Here’s one that Ford got right, right from the beginning
Ford introduced the Explorer for 1991 as a replacement to the ungainly-looking Bronco II. Since then, enthusiastic buyers have been gobbling them up and other automakers have been trying to replicate the success.
The current-gen Explorer, introduced for 2011, was a crucial turning point for the brand as it pulled away from its rough and tumble— and thirsty— truckbased roots. The new model drove great, was quiet and looked fantastic. So fantastic that Land Rover’s 2015 Discovery Sport bears an uncanny resemblance. That style helps the Explorer maintain a top-spot position ahead of its other classmates. The group includes the alter ego Ford Flex that with its boxy shape is a more radical and spacious interpretation of a three-rows-of-seats, multi-passenger wagon.
Not that the vehicle needed a refresh, but for 2016 Ford has remixed the Explorer’s popular recipe to add more flavor and variety.
The styling remains familiar, however the grille, fog lights, taillights and headlight pods have been changed. Indeed the latter’s low beams are now the brighter LED types. Active shutters behind the grille block incoming air at highway speeds— to reduce the parachute effect — for improved aerodynamics and fuel economy.
Interior updates focused on improving comfort and safety. The front seatbacks have been scooped out for more secondrow legroom while extra width has been created in the foot wells for front-seat riders. A third-row seat remains standard. Two USB ports located in the fore and aft sections of the vehicle will charge your smart phone or tablet twice as fast as before. Hey, it’s the little things, right?
A new turbocharged 2.3-liter fourcylinder (a version is used in the Ford Mustang) makes an estimated 270 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque and takes over from the previous 2.0-liter turbo that produced 240 horses and 270 pound-feet of torque. The turbo 2.3 is the meat in a powerplant sandwich. The bread on either side includes a base non-turbo 3.5-liter V6 with 290 horsepower and 255 pound-feet of torque, and a turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 that’s standard in top-end Explorer Sport and new-for-2016 Platinum trims. It delivers 365-horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque. These ratings remained unchanged from 2015.
Power is directed to the front wheels or optionally to all four wheels via a sixspeed automatic transmission.
Ford’s four-wheel-drive “TerrainManagement System” is available in base 3.5-liter and turbo 2.3-liter Explorers and is standard in models with the turbo 3.5 engine. The control knob adjusts the front-to-rear torque bias via Normal, Sand, Snow/Grass/Gravel andMud/Ruts traction positions.
For 2016, Explorer buyers are offered a few new and quite clever features. Chief among them is a unique set of standard wide-angle front and rear cameras that
have built-in washers. Then there’s an available park-assist feature that helps the helpless reverse between two vehicles and also assists drivers to maneuver out of a parallel parking spot and back onto the road.
These aids are in addition to the list of extra-cost safety and collision-avoidance content, such as blind-spot and crosstraffic alerts, the latter of which is almost a necessity when backing up. There’s also the aptly named Lane-Keeping assist that helps to keep inattentive drivers between the lines. And automatic high beams cut back to low-beam settings when oncoming traffic gets within range.
The 2016 Explorer is expected to arrive later this summer with an estimated starting price of about $32,000 (with destination fees) for the base frontwheel-drive version. There’s nothing too exotic to report with it or the next-up XLT, but the Limited comes with perforated leather seats (heated and cooled in front), 500-watt 12-speaker Sony sound package and hands-free liftgate that opens with a mid-air swipe of the foot beneath the rear bumper.
The Sport is equipped with sporty seats, trim and suspension, while the Platinum feasts on the aforementioned array of advanced safety gizmos and provides 20-inch wheels (18s are standard).