Times, they are a-changin’ and the era of the body-on-frame Explorer is coming to an end. The 2011 Ford Explorer is going car-like, with a unibody frame and front-wheel bias. How do we know? A chatty Chicago assembly worker.
The 2011 Ford Explorer is going car-based, it was the worst kept secret in Detroit, especially after Ford started trotting out mule vehicles wearing stretched out Freestyle bodies, but now an anonymous line-worker talked to KickingTires giving more easy-to-believe details.
The new Explorer rides on the updated Freestyle/500 chassis underpinning the current Ford Taurus, Ford Flex and Lincoln MKS and MKT. It’ll be sized and shaped like an over-sized, three-row Edge (isn’t that where the Flex lives?) with the spoiler across the back and everything. Of course, it won’t be wearing the garish nose from the concept car above, expect a more Edge-meets-Fusion-meets-F150 grill up front.
The motivation is probably the most interesting aspect of the new Explorer. Rumor has it the once-truck-based-expedition-ready Explorer will start with an EcoBoost inline-four driving the front wheels and getting around 30 MPG. The mid-range engine is said to be the recently upgraded 300 HP 3.7-liter V6 recently unveiled in the freshened Lincoln MKX and the top-range crossover will get the stonkin’ twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6 out of the SHO. We’re assuming all levels will be available with the all-wheel-drive system found on the platform already, with the system coming standard on the top-level EcoBoost V6. All engines will come with a six-speed automatic transmission. There will be no V8 option. We’ll write that again: There will be no V8 option. It’s a brave new world.
What does all this mean? Well, for one thing you can toss any pretense of taking the thing into the woods for any exploring, there weren’t many before, but those days are probably long gone. Second, the towing capacity will be much reduced, with the range estimated at 3,500-5,000 lbs. No more trips with the family camper, or it’ll at least be downsized to a pop-top or teardrop style. All this boils down to a vehicle that’s more a people mover than an SUV (or, really, the SUV that defined the segment for the better part of a decade). As such the interior will be wildly improved over the current generation in much the same way Taurus and Co. are improved. It’ll probably have MyFord Touch as an option and no-doubt DVD players all over the place.
We’ll be getting our first look at the tradition-abandoning and now questionably necessary (how many vehicles can Ford cram into nearly the same segment in their own showroom?) vehicle sometime in the near future.
@RocketScientist needs a new tagline: Well, the Freestyle was appropriately named, as it was completely free of style. Not a bad family truckster by any means, but it was a contrived appliance Hell-bent on beating Maytag (oops, I mean Toyota) at its own game.
The Flex’s styling isn’t for everyone, but as I said in a response to someone else in this thread, I would take one any day over Toyota’s appliances, Honda’s fugly Pilot, or the bloated GM crossovers.
Ford’s biggest mistake with the Flex was putting all of that utility in a relatively compact and fun-to-drive package. Most Americans couldn’t care less about smart packaging or driving pleasure- they just need a vehicle that convinces them how rugged they are every time they take their fat asses to Walmart to load their vehicles with cheap Chinese crap.
So shame on you, Ford Motor Company, for attempting a paradigm shift in the second-most boring segment of automobiles, and for completely abandoning the most boring segment of all- the minivan.
Understand that I have nothing against SUVs per se- I would rather drive one any day than to be forced into the automotive black hole known as the minivan. I’m just waiting for Americans to get over their aversion to wagons, and apparently, I will have to wait awhile longer, or at least for much-higher gas prices, which I dread.
So my shopping list is small for my next car- certified pre-owned Volvo XC70s, Saab 9-3 SportCombis, and Audi A4 Avants, or a new VW Passat estate. Or, if my wife wants that third row of seats, she can get over the Flex’s styling and we’ll get that instead.
Big Stig
@Rabbi Dave: And for all of the talk about the Flex’s polarizing looks, I’d take one any day over the fugly Pilot, the Toyota Kenmore, and the bloated, fat-arsed General Motors crossovers.
Did I mention that I’m also a fan of Saab and that Oldsmobile was my favorite General Motors division? I tend to love most things shunned by the American mainstream, now I just have to convince my wife that we need a Flex Limited with the EcoBoost engine while I can still get one.
Big Stig
and good GOD that front end looks terrible. hopefully thats just some artists rendition…
deathbyPSI
its not so much about going off road as they are commonly used to to boats and other toys on trailers. SOMEBODY is going to have to make body on frame SUVs that can tow. that or people will need to resort to buying crew cab trucks.
deathbyPSI
@87CapriceEstate: Yes, and they still do, which is why the most practical form factor is the least common one.
MushyHeirloom
Yawn.
Scoutch wants differential treatment
The question is, how many cases of diapers does Ford give you when you trade in your 4WD for this new “improved” Exploder?
my favorite car is a motorcycle
???????
No V8?
No body-on-frame?
What the hell is this this thing supposed to be the Explorer of anyway?
The parking lot of a Denny’s?
Oh no! It’s wojo!- stryvin’ fer ecksellense sinse 2009!
@Jeb_Hoge: Yeah, It reminds me of how they tacked Taurus badges onto the Five Hundreds to keep the nameplate alive.
Oh no! It’s wojo!- stryvin’ fer ecksellense sinse 2009!
@dwegmull comments for the purpose of obscurity: You mean like the Mountaineer and Aviator?
Oh no! It’s wojo!- stryvin’ fer ecksellense sinse 2009!
So it’s a Ford Traverse?
PHIL
@Big Stig: The Taurus wagon was the Freefall… err, Freestyle. No sales. Flexes are interesting looking, but don’t move as much product as something nice and conservatively “trucky” as the Pilot.
Given the sales from the Mazda 6 wagon, don’t bet on that changing for the Mondeo.
RocketScientist needs a new tagline
@evilvocho: Because you may get up to speed, but itty bitty disks aren’t going to be so safe for slowing all that load down. Sounds fun!
DLBlast
Will the 2011 come with exploding transmissions like the old one? (Cross-over transmissions, of course.)
friedduck
@Jim-Bob needs more two stroke and less hybrid!: The only thing you can buy new even close to a 6+ passenger wagon is a Flex, and it only seats 7.
Bo Darville
@doctorq: That’s pretty close to how my wife and I ended up in a Mountaineer, only our three abreast were twins and a 2 y.o. Minivans just don’t work well in that situation. We added one more and moved up to a Sequoia. I wouldn’t count on going back to a smaller vehicle – let people say what they want about full size SUVs, but I haven’t seen an Odyssey that can crash through a 4 foot snow drift or haul a refrigerator AND 500 lbs of sand at the same time. Sure, you don’t need to do that, but once you know you can it’s hard to give it up.
Bo Darville
What on the Lords green earth will highschoolers drive 10 years from now w/o old body-on-frame explorers lying around for cheap?????
WHY GOD!
DLBlast
@FightingChance: I’m not sure how I feel about the Panamera yet… at least it’s a car and not a truck, and there is precedence for sports car manufactures to make 4 door GTs. And we can dream that they’ll shorten it and make a successor to the 928.
patman
@Septhinox: Really, the Boxster and the 996, but mostly the Boxster, saved Porsche from the mess they’d gotten themselves in by the early 90′s. The Cayenne was a convenient way to cash in on the SUV craze but was way too late to have saved the company.
patman
Interesting to-and-fro on the “SUVs are bullshit” argument. Here goes: I, with help from my wife, went from one kid to 4 kids overnight. Yeah baby! Get married and reproduce! Whatdya say doc?! Triplets? Holy shit! Anyhow, after struggling with a minivan for the first 6 months, the only vehicle I could find capable of fitting 3 good quality car seats abreast (a breast. ha!) with LATCH anchors for all, along with room for a 4th seat in the 3rd row — and the requisite cargo space was an Expedition. (My wife did say “absolutely not” to a full-size van although I was partial to the Sprinter.) I won’t even attempt to tell you I load up the fam, lock ‘er in 4 lo and head to the sippy hole. Quite the opposite, I can’t wait till they’re out of these monster seats and we can get a smaller vehicle. (Although in Michigan technically they’ll be about 21 before that’s legal.) Anyhow, can anyone make me a bumper sticker that reads, “Don’t like my big SUV? Let’s put all 6 of us in your Prius.”
doctorq
I just realized both Ford and Toyota offer absurdly large amounts of SUV’s why ? nobody knows…
Everything I love is 2nd best
@bacon117: Electrolytes? Since when the f**k did doughnuts have electrolytes? I thought that’s what cops crave (doughnuts). You, my friend, need Brawndo! The thirst mutilator!
RadioFlyer
how freakin stupid are they gona get this time. Do they look at a down syndrome smiling photo of a noob and come up with this stuff?
bdon
@patman: The SUV situation didn’t put Porsche in the dire financial situation it was in when it needed the Cayenne. That would have happened if an SUV never existed.
Septhinox
@Ray Wert: Whoa, I’ll go get my Gawker Editor of the Year trophy.
Unfortunately the shop ran out, can I call you Dad?
Nurburgring
Why not take an Eagle approach? Stick a car on a truck-like body, instead of the other way around! That would be a crossover worth considering.
underwear-ninja
@Nurburgring: Actually, I posted this weekend too.
Ray Wert
@Brian Madigan: The real victim of OJ Simpson. Death by bad publicity!
underwear-ninja
@badco/LoJ: OK, yes, with 3+ kids I can see a legit need for a family hauler. But that’s usually not the case, is it?
There are a zillion of these things. They’re all over my neighborhood, all over the road whenever I drive, and all over every parking lot I seem to go into. I don’t see *that* many kids. Anywhere. I almost always see only 1 occupant, and although they appear to be in the driver’s seat, they usually ain’t actually driving.
Besides, my brother has 2 kids, and he and his wife drive an Audi A6 Avant and a Jetta -and they do fine.
I don’t think it is mostly based on need, I think it’s because somebody bought a bus, the person driving behind them couldn’t see as well, so they bought a bus too, and so on.
This conclusion was arrived at in a study done by the University of My Eyeballs.
BartMack
@Jim-Bob needs more two stroke and less hybrid!: Well hurry up and get the Towncar or Grand Marquis in the next 14 Months before the sun sets on B.O.F., rear drive V8 sedans.
Once I trade my 2009 GranMa in about 5 more years, I will only need seating for 5 passengers and a large trunk so I will either pick an extended cab SuperDuty F250 diesel or a SuperCrew with a V8. There is no way in hell I am ever going to purchase some lame ass Taurus built with high ground clearance and a fake four wheel drive system.
cgarison
@Maxichamp: Would you believe me if I told you they still make the Ranger?
SerialThriller
I’m sorry, but I just don’t see the point of a crossover or an SUV that is neither used off road nor for towing. Because, if you want a vehicle that can carry 6-9 passengers and has fold down seats for cargo, there is already a segment that does this better than a crossover. It’s name? The station wagon. Yes, the wagon. It is shorter so it has a lower coefficient of drag, and lower center of gravity. This means it can handle better and use less gas than a comparable SUV/CUV. So, if I ever need a large 8 or 9 passenger vehicle with a big trunk that will never tow or go off road, make mine a Buick Roadmaster. Otherwise, I will be happy with a nice hatchback.
Jim-Bob needs more two stroke and less hybrid!
Trust me, you wouldn’t want to take the current version of the Explorer with its “strong as balsa” suspension off-road either. Sounds like Ford is producing a nice car based ute with this rig. I’m sure it’ll be all over mall parking lots near you.
grzydj
@Elhigh: Very tasty indeed!
Peter F. Masterton
No more Fuel Flexibility? Why?
They should make the ecoboost engine fuel flexible. Then it’s a real ecoboost engine!
A high octane biofuel with direct injection and turbocharger……. the thought makes my mouth water!
Peter F. Masterton
@Pinkerton Proletariat: Yeah, I remember when I was going on a ski trip with the Boy Scouts, and the cabin we had to get to was up a pretty good sized hill. There was a couple of inches of snow, which meant the minivan-drivers and the kids they drove had to schlep up the hill, while my friend’s dad, my friend and I drove up that hill like it was nothing in the Explorer. It’s a very capable truck, no doubt.
Shadowguitar
@Big Stig: Except ya can’t get it with a bench. To equal a Country Squire, it really needs a bench.
tankman
@Unregular: oh man LMAO! (good one)
GTRider60
@abgwin:
oh yeah, Flex is Fugly
GTRider60
@Bueller: @87CapriceEstate: Oh, yeah.What you said, Indy.
Skink
So this is the fifth car based crossover/SUV from Ford. Totally necessary.
digginit
I can only assume/hope this foreshadows the death of the Flex. Bad name, ungainly proportions (to my eye), bad name, flaccid marketing – did I mention how much the name sucked?
abgwin
@usa1:
Used to, a 1966 Rambler 660 wagon.
Surprisingly capacious, decent to drive for a vehicle with four-wheel drum brakes, and for the purpose of what 99.5% of people who purchase an Explorer or vehicles like it, a car-based wagon would do just fine.
I’ve owned a first-gen Grand Cherokee, and tore up some trails, it was good at it. Same with a 4×4 Grand Vitara, first-gen. Hell, my wife’s RX300 AWD is shockingly good with one wheel in the air.
If the correct one presents itself, I’m holding out for a late-60′s Town & Country, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy it and drive it.
Baby beater Benz
What to expect:
Ugly, unsellable, poorly built piles of junk.
Oh good. I’m glad they’re retaining all the original characteristics of the Explorer.
BMRFILE
Sounds like things aren’t all roses and polished golden turds at Ford. As Ford is slowly getting their car division right, they’re f’ing up their truck division. There is a need for compact TRUCKS. Stop telling us we don’t need Rangers and BOF Explorers. Some people need to haul stuff and tow trailers, yet don’t need a behemoth F-150 or Expedition. Way to not differentiate yourself like you did with the original Explorer.
SecretAZNMan
Ah yes, boldly exploring the world, right up to the curb. Beyond this lie Jeeps.
Any good news on the Escape? I’d love to see an Ecoboosted Escape hybrid – big power, big mileage. Mmm, tasty.
Elhigh
I probably take my Talon offroading more than the typical Explorer customer. The change makes sense for people who think they need the image of a truck but want good mileage.
Turboner
@ForzAsh Motorsports: I like the Flex and the idea of it being a modern Country Squire…but that’s not what the market wants. They want 3 row crossovers that look like suvs. There’s a reason the new Pilot looks insanely butch.
I think the Explorer should’ve continued as a traditional suv, albeit as lightweight as possible, with the same range of engines they’ll be putting in it (including the four banger). Basically, closer to the original Explorer and 90′s Pathfinder. Need a third row or towing capacity? Buy an Expedition.
Domestic Gulag
What’s the point? They should have gone the FourRunner rout, and trucked it up, and let Edge and Flex carry the load.
uu_ugene
@RLJ676-LS3 Commuter Car – for the environment: As will I. Though I’d much prefer a Ranger-based Bronco II.
ShantJ
The Explorer has always been demure, living out a quiet suburban life. You never know how much it likes rough-riding until you ask it to do so.
Pinkerton Proletariat
@Tanshanomi: Seeing as you can’t get an Explorer with out full time 4WD I would think they’re pretty safe with that assumption.
PowerTryp Reply Master
Oh, its a Kia. Thats clever.
I never liked any of the vehicles in this class. Now the Bronco, that was a nice SUV.
Brian Madigan
@Baby beater Benz: not enough for me.
I hope they don’t stop until we have a crossover version of the family truckster.
Optixtruf
@bacon117: I would be the worst whore ever…seriously that might be the only thing I’d ever not call myself…plus I’m a guy.
Nurburgring
@GTX141: Half the time even I don’t know what I’m talking about…but it makes sense to me…you have to look at it as more of a rant than a “comment”. Basically I dislike most American cars, Tiger Woods is a manwhore, and people can’t understand that picture isn’t the actual car.
Often I’ll confuse myself…sometimes understanding me is kind of like trying to pass one of those vision tests while high. Eventually your eyes are gonna go in different directions, and the cops are gonna arrest you.
Nurburgring
@Baby beater Benz: Do you own a station wagon? Thought not.
usa1
@smokyburnout: I am continually amazed at the general resistance to wagons and preference to ‘crossovers’, which are wagons with a couple throw away details lifted from SUV’s.
The funniest to me is the Accord Crosstour, which inherits most of it’s awkward looks and stance from trying to disguise that it’s a wagon.
No shame in a wagon. Saw an Audi A4 wagon today – very hot.
FightingChance
Ford had a chance to try and get sheeple off of bloated, confused, and gas swilling vehicles, but I see they made a very profit making business type of decision. These people need a Ford Flex Station Wagon or a Ford Freestar. Oh yea, only one domestic car company makes miniature vans anymore. Ford and GM need to, for a change, make minivans that actually bring in customers who aren’t rabid domestic fans or fleet operators. Oh yea, I forgot people don’t want to loose their balls (which actually does not happen) and drive a minivan. People also have beef with the image a minivan projects. I have a family member who drove an RX-7 and now hates driving a Buick Century so I kind of understand the image & sportiness factor.
I wonder if people in the 70s & back tried to avoid station wagons like people are avoiding minivans?
87CapriceEstate
@Tanshanomi: soo, if I bet against you, and I lose, does that mean I get donuts? I like donuts. It’s got what I crave.
bacon117
@GTX141: All I heard was, “Blah blah blah, I’m a dirty whore.”
bacon117
@patman: As SUV envy deflates, the Panerama is the new Cayenne.
FightingChance
I already cried many months ago, now you all get to cry as well.
bacon117
You’re gonna need a windshield wiper for the grille.
stevezilla
Can I get mine in eunuch white?
Maxx Cracker
Well, isn’t this a healthy dose of platform prostitution. At least it beats badgineering and targets the real buyers of Explorers – soccer moms who have no intention of offroading or pulling a trailer…. ever.
Time for a new Bronco, possibly sharing parts with an all new ranger. Preferably without IFS, but as much of a dream as a new Bronco is, to think that they would give me a new small Bronco with a Dana 44 up front is like asking the tooth fairy for a wish wrapped in a miracle.
FordTuffMcgruff
@Nurburgring: Am I the only one who has NO clue what this guy is talkign about?
GTX141
The problem with stow and go is that the seats are always there adding weight, a place for crap to fall into, and takes away some of the ground clearance. I wonder if the fuel tank is smaller as well? I will admit that the benches in my Voyager are “heavy” and I am glad to have a dolly to move them around and space to store them. I usually do not take my van off road, but some roads around here turn into mud soup and I like ground clearance when I am up to the center of my wheels in mud. A locking differential would also be nice.
87CapriceEstate
One other thing… once this comes out, the next thing Ford needs is an updated Ranger Truck. And off of that, they should build a new Bronco which would serve the off-road/towing role that the Explorer used to do.
petersterncan
@Ben Wojdyla: how would YOU have made that clear as day? Don’t you mean Kicking Tires made that clear as day? just curious
jedwards001
Well if it can tow 5000, that’s still plenty of trailer.
3500 pounds? Not so much.
I certainly hope that it’ll be able to tow 5000 pounds. If it can’t, what’s the point?
And once they do this, hopefully they’ll give the Flex sliding rear doors to make it a proper midi-van and direct Honda/Toyota van competitor.
petersterncan
@Ray Wert: If the shoe fits…
Pick a bitch and stick with it? I’m gonna avoid any yo momma jokes for now, but only because I wanna hear your explanation for this lack of work ethic
First Matt and the no CotD that one week. Then, and this I don’t get, Murilee is the only weekend poster. Hell, I’ll post stories on the weekend if they’re not just 80% LeMons and 20% Project Car Hell. 
Not that I don’t love his LeMons coverage, but there’s a reason I don’t love NASCAR. And that’s 500 laps of the same thing.
Nurburgring
@Nurburgring: So first you’re arguing about us wasting words, then when we explain, no, actually, we recycled them — you go after us for work ethic. Pick a bitch and stick with it, k?
Ray Wert
@ForzAsh Motorsports: I find it funny you referenced Jurassic Park. The explorers were connected via electric driveline to a track, while the Jeeps did the real off-roading.
CAJensen01
@Rabbi Dave: I wasn’t expecting ‘em to kill the Expedition – it’s their Suburb-hoe fighter, and their last trucky SUV. The Flex, I like it, but now it’ll be about as redundant as a car-thing can get.
MushyHeirloom
@leavethegun-takethecannoli: enough to still produce those types of vehicles. they don’t have to do it in huge numbers, but there is a need for them without having to buy a luxo barge or a truck.
skyln95
@Neener: Seconded. They’re so wonderfully eighties that you can’t help but love them.
Thrashy, perpetual Minardi
@smokyburnout: RuPaul says there are never enough.
Nick
@BartMack: People with two kids or more need three rows of seats. It’s not do or die, but it’s extremely convenient.
A minivan is an ideal appliance for families with at least two kids, but I think we all feel the same way about vehicular appliances here. A crossover-SUV thing has most of the functionality of a minivan with little of the stigma (plus, they’re more fun to drive).
I do think the new Explorer is to the Flex what the Flex was to the Freestyle.
EDIT: Also, the front end is ugly as hell.
badco/LoJ
What, lower off-road capability and towing capacity? Will any but a dozen Explorer customers notice?
Bueller
@Zadkiel: drivers talking on the phone and one or more underinflated tires?
Unregular
Ford is Detroit’s best hope.
CJinSD
Good to see it losing the jack-of-all-trades pretense considering how mediocre it was at everything.
Every time we see one coming on the trail everyone hi-tails it in the other direction.
And when do you ever see any of these things towing anything more than a little 500lb trailer full of crap from someone’s apartment?
Drew and not U
Ford,
Save the money on marketing, tooling, and production costs…keep the POS Exploder you have, and let it die over the next two years.
Please…don’t we have enough pseudo-trucks which are station wagons?
Baby beater Benz
Benny the Bull will bust your nose for saying those things about Dora.
GotaGurt
Couldn’t happen to a more deserving vehicle.
TechnoDestructo
@Septhinox: If history had taken an alternate path in which America didn’t go completely bonkers for SUVs then perhaps the Cayenne wouldn’t have been necessary.
patman
@Ray Wert: Wow you’re not lazy at all Ray…honestly you better give hire me as a consultant so I can boost Jalopnik’s reputation for work ethic…
Nurburgring
And maybe if I start driving a Focus like a GT40, they’ll relocate a larger engine to feed the rear wheels?
Fuck the customer.
TRAMS_AM
@Nurburgring: Actually, we copied and pasted most of it from Kicking Tires.
Ray Wert
@MushyHeirloom: I was thinking the same thing, why not have a Fusion wagon? Oh yeah…wagons are for freedom-haters.
79pinto
@patman: Your Porsche brand would not exist with the Cayenne….
Septhinox
@79pinto: agreed.
Ray Wert
@Shamoononon: I shave my legs.: We’re still chasing storms, btw, you come back and Leena too and we’re up to 3 girls… woah.
pj134
Or, you could just get an equally off-roadable Fusion.
79pinto
@Ben Wojdyla: I don’t know why but everytime I see a terc wagon I want to buy one.
Neener
Guess that will be a more adapted rival for the VW Touareg.
Motor_Yakuza
The 2011 Ford Explorer going car based is Detroit’s worst kept secret? How about, “We can’t make cars well” or, “Obama helped us even though we’re killing off our only good brands”. How about those “secrets”?
Instead of the Ford Explorer we should make this the Ford Electrifyer. Not to make it an EV, but that I’m not “Shocked” in the slightest that Ford’s made another SUV, and that it’s gonna be worse than the vows Tiger made during his marriage. “Till death do us part”, ha. More like, “Till I get bored with a superhot swedish supermodel and have to bang other chicks just to get away from my billionaire lifestyle”.
Also, “why is that front end so ugly?”
Nurburgring
@Ben Wojdyla: But you still wasted all those words and time on a FORD SUV. The only Ford I’ll ever be interested in is a Ford GT that miraculously gets over 2 mpg. Where’s that story? Lemme know when you get it Ben…
Nurburgring
@pj134: Nope, somebody is having a real good laugh at my expense. Those bastards.
Shamoononon: I shave my legs.
@HiramJahoovafat:
Why does Ford want to compete with the three other crossover/Suvs? It just doesn’t make sense at all from a business perspective. When I think of the Ford Explorer, I think of the Canyonaro in a way. Not a watered down block.
taylor_hedgie
@Shamoononon: I shave my legs.: Still can’t change your name huh?
pj134
@Pessimippopotamus: I would think that Ford will advertise that this will do all the things that the previous Explorer did.
If a Flex can tow 4500 pounds, then I’d guess that the estimate here is a bit low.
Now, we know it can’t do everything that the old Explorer could (or tried) to do, but honestly, it will do better what most people will use it for, whether we like that or not.
Lost in the age of Aerostar
@Ben Wojdyla: And, equally ironically, a real, non-crossover wagon would be a great improvement over the RAV4.
Tanshanomi
I saw a Porsche Cayenne yesterday. It made me sad. We live in a universe where Porsche makes SUVs. For leading us to that reality, fuck you, Ford Explorer. I’m pleased to see your SUVness castrated, and I look forward to your slow, but certain demise. I fear the cost of my revenge will be that SUVs are replaced by something even more stupider.
patman
“We’re assuming all levels will be available with the all-wheel-drive system…”
I’m not sure that’s a safe assumption. I’ll bet dollars to donuts the I-4 Ecoboost is only available as FWD.
Tanshanomi
@pj134: Freud is staring at you.
Shamoononon: I shave my legs.
@connorlovesrozzo: Uh, we don’t know what it looks like, see here:
“Of course, it won’t be wearing the garish nose from the concept car above, expect a more Edge-meets-Fusion-meets-F150 grill up front.”
Ben Wojdyla
@jeepfreak:
Thats the exact reason why I was comparing the upcoming Explorer to the Compas. It’ll have as much towing capacity and off road capability as a SHO (give or take), so it’s about as pointless as the other times companies have tried this.
cobrajoe
@JRider24: That’s kind of what I was thinking…. Aren’t they all going to be basically the same thing now?
Shamoononon: I shave my legs.
@Maymar: Ironically, that would be a return to form.
Ben Wojdyla
@DoctorNine: Agreed. What is necessary is a family hauler with towing capacity. AWD would be nice. Lift kit not necessary.
If it does come out as a lifted Flex I hope they kept the strappy-things from the back seats.
RacinG73
Wow, today has given me mixed reactions about ford…I was digging them this morning with the photos of Block’s Fiesta for RA, but after seeing this I’m back to being skeptical…
docrice
Mercury and Lincoln versions coming in 3, 2, 1…
dwegmull comments for the purpose of obscurity
@MushyHeirloom: no there will be new Edge, Escape/Kuga, Explorer for years to come.
Flex likely for its lifecycle
Expedition…yes they still make that too and likely won’t kill it either.
Rabbi Dave
@cobrajoe: It wasn’t, because it was a rugged off road brand that they were trying to turn into a pavement pounder with no off road prowess. That and it was a rebadged Caliber/Neon only uglier.
jeepfreak
@Lost in the age of Aerostar: I think what you two meant to say was that the Flex is pretty much a station wagon.
You know, like the, Griswold Family Truckster.
Which I wholheartedly approve of. I am all for wagons and vans, screw SUV’s
ømg grip
@cobrajoe: I’m not disagreeing with you. But I’m just saying that if Ford wants this car to succeed then it shouldn’t flaunt its sudden car-ness.
Pessimippopotamus
@Jeremy Gunter: The Taurus X went out of production 11 months ago.
Though, there still the Escape, Edge and Flex… How many “crossovers” do we really need?
smokyburnout
@maximum-sienna: well…If was make enough noise hopefully Ford will bring back the original Bronco. It’s all about market demand.
AclockWorkApple, now with %25 more FREE!
I never saw many explorers out offroading or hauling anything bigger then a bike.. certainly would never pull a boat with one. This makes the edge, flex and escape a bit redundant doesn’t it?
JRider24
2011 Ford Explorer: What To Expect
Rollovers and house fires?
Zadkiel
In other news, the 2011 Explorer is expected to replace the Toyota Venza as the official staff car of the Redundancy Department of Redundancy.
Toyota, however, is expected to take action to claim back that prestigous spot. Rumours suggest a Corolla-based AWD wagon to slot in below the ever-growing RAV4.
Maymar
@skyln95: Valid point, but how many do you think that really is?
leavethegun-takethecannoli
@RacinG73:
There’s a word for that.
“Unnecessary”
DoctorNine
2011 Ford Explorer: What To Expect — just another vehicle I won’t have any interest in purchasing.
RamblinReck89
@Ben Wojdyla: you did. Personally I’d prefer this to the copy-cat chrome of the other models. Why can’t one automaker have unique front ends within its own lineup?
Rabbi Dave
@buttons: This monstrosity has been in the works for long before they became flavor of the month.
Made little sense then, makes little now.
RLJ676-LS3 Commuter Car – for the environment
Why did you waste so many words on a car that is disgustingly, overwhelmingly UGLY?
connorlovesrozzo
@buttons:
This is the call of the crackpipe, Ford.
Just say no.
DoctorNine
@Ben Wojdyla: You did, even though I thought it was a pretty radical look and was saddened when I read it wasn’t the 2011′s grille.
AndrosZ
Looks like the TaurusX will be the odd CUV out for the explorer to fit in.
Jeremy Gunter
@Hopman: Gremlins and Pacers look better than most new cars.
braddoerr
@Rabbi Dave: This is why I got a vasectomy after two kids. No way in hell I’ll ever have more than 4 occupants in my car.
The Cheat
Word is the next gen Expedition is based on the Fiesta, electric power, but still got the Eddie Bauer Package with even more chrome then before!
Deadzone
@Bad Juju: Well played.
DoctorNine
@t5brick: I will sign your petition!
RLJ676-LS3 Commuter Car – for the environment
@taylor_hedgie: Meh… what about them?
HiramJahoovafat
@Hopman: That’s not the front end, thought I’d made that clear as day.
Ben Wojdyla
With a Chassis to match the Land Rover Discovery/LR3/4, its going to be as capable as the outgoing unit. Not that I ever saw one of those off road….
cejb001
@ForzAsh Motorsports: Yes, the Explorer was limited to the automated electric track, was prone to t-rex attacks, was not stable offroads or in paleozoic era trees and from what I’ve heard does not fair well in roll over accidents when the tires explode.
Neener
@BartMack: likely they’re able to or already have gotten someone else pregnant. Maybe more than once. It happens, I can tell you from experience. Though I still own wagons.
Rabbi Dave
@Nieros: Ford Expectation? I’m not familiar with that model.
Bad Juju
Another Explorer platform and still no diesel.
*sigh*
Turbineguy – now with reheat!!
@Big Stig: the Flex does not compete well against the Lambdas. Traverse outsells Flex 3-1. Pilot and Highlander close to that too.
Rabbi Dave
@Pessimippopotamus: I agree with ya, but I know a large number of people who would buy one (Flex), but want the sliding doors that a minivan offers. Say what you want about the Chrysler vans, but the combination of Stow-n-Go and sliding doors keeps many of my friends who have kids buyin em year after year.
I did think they look similar, that’s what gave me the opportunity to post an Aerostar concept pic!
(BTW, that Aerostar concept is from 1987.)
Lost in the age of Aerostar
@leavethegun-takethecannoli: i beg to differ. go take a look in rural america, and see how much they’re used by people who live on rural dirt roads whose driveways tend to get washed out.
skyln95
@Big Stig: I could see that. It needs more woodgrain. At least the Flex isn’t pretending to be a real truck, for the most part.
@SagarikaLumos: A friend of mine in college had an 85 Town Car (a very sweet ride, naturally), that was rated to tow something like 5000lbs. It had the low-output version of the 5.0L mill found in the Mustang, but supposedly made more torque.
Paul Y. can’t get in the club; gotta parking lot pimp
Looks nice. I think its the one suv that I actually dont mind. I dunno about the newer ones but my friends explorer sport and his old 92 with a 2 tone paint job was a pretty nice truck, until the wheel fell off on the highway, but thats beside the point
elchimpo
@Jeb_Hoge:
You mean other than planning on killing off the Crown Vic?
cobrajoe
@Pessimippopotamus:
And some people actually used their Explorers for towing and hauling the family around.
How many? Probably more than the number who off-roaded the compas.
cobrajoe
I feel like this is more of a concession to expectation than an innovative product.
C’mon ford I thought you were doing better than this.
Nieros
@Big Stig: If I had to guess, I’d agree the Flex’s days are numbered. In the battle between the two in roughly the same segment, the more recongized nameplate is going to win out (Explorer).
ForzAsh Motorsports
@ForzAsh Motorsports: yeah, “Newman” drove a Wrangler!
And for the record, your point #3 is very valid.
Lost in the age of Aerostar
@Maxichamp: It certainly jumped the shark years ago.
Jagvar
I still don’t understand why *everyone* wants to drive a friggin bus. 3 rows of seats-? I really don’t want to even be in a car with that many other people.
The Flex is so big you have to use a cell phone to converse with people in the back seat. It has a refrigerator. Next they will form the seats into cushioned porta-potties so people won’t even have to haul their fat ass out of the car to take a crap. It’s ridicurous.
BartMack
That front end is U-G-L-Y!!!!!
Gremlins & Pacers looked better.
Hopman
@Maxichamp: me too.
skyln95
Yeah but, we’ll still have the Expedition. Won’t we?
GV_Goat
@evilvocho:
Europeans drive slower?
If you ever got a trailer swaying behind a small car, it’ll throw you all over the road. Plus, the larger engine helps you accelerate and the better brakes help you decelerate.
Besides, Campers around here are bigger, or RV’s are used, or people just pack a tent.
cobrajoe
@GasGuzzler: …and leftover, cast-off M-B chassis bits -
HiramJahoovafat
@ForzAsh Motorsports: Well done. I don’t get it either, and I have become quite the FoMoCo fanboy lately.
The Explorer should continue carving out its own niche as a comfortable family hauler with moderate towing capacity and off-road capability. The Flex competes well against the less-interesting GM Lambda crossovers.
This strategy to me seems to overlap the Flex too much. I’m not sure why Ford needs another unibody crossover. Why not extend the Edge with a third-row seat if the need for another six- or seven-passenger crossover is so dire in Ford’s lineup?
And yes, it is an excuse not to bring a wagon. Since the Taurus lies on Volvo architecture, a Taurus wagon would’ve made sense. I am pleasantly surprised to see some first-gen Taurus wagons (from the Quality is Job #1 era) still around town, and in decent shape to boot. When the Fusion bows out to the Mondeo, I’d love to see the Mondeo estate/wagon come to our shores as well.
Like I said before, I think Ford Motor Company has cranked out one home run after another lately, so I guess I will wait and see the final product before I judge it any further. Initially, though, I fail to see the point of its existence in an already crowded and competent Ford crossover lineup.
Big Stig
@Lost in the age of Aerostar: The Flex is pretty much a family van without the van-ish looks. Sadly, I don’t think vans will make a comeback in this country anytime soon. Squint a bit and you might see a similar silhouette in the Airstream concept.
Pessimippopotamus
@token_liberal: Totally agree. This is the most nonsensical thing Ford has done in a long time.
Jeb_Hoge
@ShantJ: Bring back the Bronco!
t5brick
@cobrajoe: It’s tricky. You don’t want to waste on hardware that no one’s going to use, but if you go out of your way to tell people that it can’t do the things that it used to be able to, then people might be dissuaded as well. There’s a very fine line.
Since people actually do use Jeep for offroading or hauling families, Compass was obviously deemed not good for anything.
Pessimippopotamus
I thought they stopped making Explorers years ago.
Maxichamp
@Lost in the age of Aerostar: Sorry for the lack of clarity–I was pointing to the branding, not the capability. That was the “big launch” and could easily mark the beginning of the SUV boom. Whether good or bad, it was still a huge trend that lasted almost 2 decades.
(IIRC, they used Wranglers off road in that movie…)
ForzAsh Motorsports
As much as I like the Flex, it’s styling isn’t precisely mainstream. The Explorer is going to appeal to a much wider cross-section of people, I bet, even if functionally the Flex is very similar. My guess is that the Explorer will also be shorter, 3 rows or no, which may make it easier to maneuver.
The Kuga/Escape is and will continue to be a much smaller vehicle.
FormerlyPreferredCustomer
@Paul Y. can’t get in the club; gotta parking lot pimp: I’ve seen a lot of them towing something that would’ve been behind a Cadillac Brougham 20 years ago. Other than that, I agree. I’ve never seen one very muddy.
It’s also worth mentioning that the Cadillac Brougham was a fantastic tow vehicle.
SagarikaLumos
I can already see the “Ford Explorer – explore your urban jungle” ad campaign.
At least The Grand Cherokee is staying true, the last bastion of family hauler/off-roader/gear hauler midsive SUV goodness. And the new model looks like a fistful of awesome.
GasGuzzler
@Ben Wojdyla: Mmm good point. But still, seems odd that (according to the article) VW won’t publish towing ratings for instance.
evilvocho
Ford’s had too many crossovers for ages anyway. I assume they’re redesigning the Edge/Escape and killing the Flex, otherwise this is just silly.
All that diversity, all those options, no goddamn Fusion wagon.
MushyHeirloom
@Lost in the age of Aerostar:
Lost in the age of Aerostar
@Pessimippopotamus: on that note, bring back a minivan, but make it look like this one!!!!
Lost in the age of Aerostar
I’m glad to see that Ford isn’t going in the same direction as GM did; overlapping product lines. Oh. Wait. Hmm. Do i want my station wagon with a truck fascia, car fascia or a minivan fascia? So many choices, thanks Ford!
Papercutninja (tweets as: Frequentlywong)
@Pessimippopotamus: Now THAT should be the next Econoline!
Big Stig
@ForzAsh Motorsports: Ash, I rarely disagree with you, but feel compelled to point out, that while the Explorers were “in the woods” in Jurassic Park, they rode on rails… hardly the territory that requires a true SUV, body on frame, 4×4, etc.
Lost in the age of Aerostar
I hate all this new fangled electric crap, I want to do stuff manually. Heck, they’re even moving away from Gillette to Norelco.
maximum-sienna
@Paul Y. can’t get in the club; gotta parking lot pimp: Which is why I like the Flex, or as I prefer to call it, the 21st Century Country Squire.
Big Stig
@evilvocho: Because we have actual highway speeds and if you haven’t got the grunt to merge, you’re going to get run over eventually.
Ben Wojdyla
Sounds like an all around improvement.
Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet
@ForzAsh Motorsports: yeah because the average automotive consumer has really proven they give a shit about automotive history.
Rabbi Dave
@Pessimippopotamus:
Ok, I like that.
It could possibly the first D3 (or D4 or whatever) chassis vehicle I’d drive.
cobrajoe
Top candidate, Cash for Clunkers 2019.
Alfisted
Since no gas V8 will ever get 35 mpg unless it’s in a tin can, this makes sense. If you want a trailer hauling family truckster, better get an F-150 crew cab. Or a Yukon Denali!
brandegee
I find this kind of lame.
1. They’re pissing on the model name of THE SUV. Remember Jurassic Park (the movie, not the book with Land Rovers)? Ford Explorer. This vehicle is as much about SUV history as the original Jeep.
2. The Flex, Escape, and Edge already occupy the unibody crossover space for Ford. Why add another?
3. One more excuse not to bring us a wagon.
Does the Explorer even need to exist anymore? Probably not. But to castrate its towing capacity and truck cred–whether most people use it or not–is like taking the Accord name and sticking it on a freakishly bloated crossover abortion. Oh, that’s been done, then? Carry on.
ForzAsh Motorsports
A car-based Explorer, huh. Well. They’ve been leading the American auto industry out of the jungle so far, so I’m inclined to cut ‘em some slack.
I ain’t buying one, mind you – but I’m sure somebody will.
buttons
@Pessimippopotamus:
Exactly how popular was the Jeep Compas?
cobrajoe
It looks like a vagina… and for that, I… I don’t know how to feel. Only good unibody truck or SUV was a Cherokee and Commanche.
pj134
Thank god! There was such a dearth of 4200+lbs crossovers on the market. I shall sleep well tonight, knowing Ford has cleverly plugged the gaping hole that lay between Flex and Edge.
Number_Six
@Pessimippopotamus: brown chicken, brown cow.
GV_Goat
I believe it was TTAC that run something on towing capacity discrepancies between europe and the US… There, towing car of the year was a Golf Diesel. Top Gear used a Kia Diesel for hawling around a camper.
Why is ist they can do with a Golf, but americans can’t?
Here’s the link [www.thetruthaboutcars.com]
My dad towed a two horse cab (or whatever is it called) with a gas powerd, manual, FWD Toyota Rav4…
evilvocho
@leavethegun-takethecannoli: Telling people that it can’t isn’t.
Pessimippopotamus
So it’s an AWD Flex with a lift kit?
RacinG73
I’m sure Ben will update the post but as per the KickingTires story the Explorer will not debut in Chicago or NY auto shows this year. It’ll be at a separate event.
Rabbi Dave
Forget the Explorer. I’d rather have this totally irresponsible throwback sex trailer on wheels.
Pessimippopotamus
Ka, please. That is all.
Cheeseslap
Most of these were never taken off-road and were much more than people needed to begin with.
This is definitely a smart move.
leavethegun-takethecannoli
Bah. The truck-based Exploder may have been the harbinger of the eventual SUV bloat… But at least you could go into the woods with it. The car-based SUVs need to die. All of the size, none of the utility. I guess I’m sticking with my Samurai for a little while longer.
Luke Courtois
They should have just killed it if they were going to do this to it. It’s trying to live in the space between the Escape and the Flex and I don’t think it can be done without killing one of them.
token_liberal
Other than the odd first-gen beater, I’ve never seen an Explorer muddy, nor towing anything, so this is just as well.
It also shows that Ford notices who 95% of SUV drivers are: people who are too stupid to admit they just want a full size station wagon.
Paul Y. can’t get in the club; gotta parking lot pimp
I got no qualms. Just don’t expect to see me in one.
Heavern2
First thing I thought when looking at that pic; paint it pink!
Scandinavian Flick
/facepalm What the hell is the Flex there for??? Besides, they no longer make 2-door manny-tranny Exploreres, so….
ShantJ
This makes sense.
/sarcasm
What about the Escape/Kuga?
taylor_hedgie