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2011 Ford Explorer - America's SUV Gets Redesigned

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The 2011 Ford Explorer will mark the nameplate's biggest changes since the first Explorer, the vehicle that launched the sport-utility migration from hunters to housewives.  For 2011, the Ford Explorer fuel economy improves, thanks to a smaller V-6 and an available turbocharged four-cylinder. The biggest changes for the Explorer have to do with its basic structure. While the previous-generation Explorer was a body-on-frame truck-based vehicle, the all-new 2011 Explorer uses a unit-body structure.  Front-wheel drive and three rows of seats are standard; all-wheel drive with Ford's new Terrain Management System is optional. Ford's MyFord Touch system, with touch-sensitive controls similar to those in the restyled Edge crossover, is also optional. Standard with the Explorer's all-wheel drive is Ford's new Terrain Management System. Similar to systems employed by Land Rover albeit without Land Rover's automated suspension adjustments Terrain Management System adapts drivetrain settings to suit one of four environments: pavement, snow, sand or mud. Drivers simply pick the icon on a console knob that matches the conditions outside. Seven seats are standard with 60/40 split middle row and a 50/50 split third row.

2011 Ford Explorer Design

The 2011 Ford Explorer, moved to a car-based platform, has become a crossover, based on the same type of structure as many large Ford and Lincoln cars. The 2011 Explorer looks like a cross between traditional Explorer and contemporary Edge. The upcoming Explorer has a smaller window area than the previous version to imply strength through sheetmetal, and its enduring black rear pillar make the roof appear cantilevered. Ford's familiar styling touches abound, and LED tail lamps add flair.  Although it has a high stance and large wheel openings to imply off-road ability, and modern electronics to simplify the attempts, the new Explorer does not offer the trail versatility of its predecessors. Styled similarly to the new Edge, the Explorer measures a few inches longer but much wider ? up more than 5 inches ? than its predecessor. The effect makes for a squatter, more carlike stance. The headlights and taillights arch inward at the top, and the grille uses Ford's familiar three-bar design. It's gray on base models, silver on the XLT and body-colored on the Limited. Seventeen-inch steel wheels and black plastic side moldings are standard on base models. The XLT adds body-colored door handles, painted black mirrors and 18-inch alloy wheels. The Limited has body-colored mirrors and 20-inch alloys.

Powering the All New Explorer

Trim levels include the base, XLT and Limited. All three come with the V-6; the turbo four-cylinder will be optional on front-wheel-drive models. The Explorer's standard 3.5-liter V-6 makes 290 horsepower and 255 pounds-feet of torque; it works with front- or all-wheel drive. On front-wheel-drive models, the optional turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder makes 237 hp and 250 pounds-feet of torque. Ford says gas mileage with the V-6 has improved significantly over last year's 4.0-liter V-6, while the turbo four-cylinder posts comparable mileage to a V-6 family sedan. Without last year's optional V-8, however, towing capacity drops to a crossover-competitive 5,000 pounds. Suspension is all-independent and steering electrically assisted, the latter partially responsible for the latest electronic stability control. The new Explorer also gets the first inflatable seatbelts in the second row seats; these provide five times the contact area to lessen a body's strain when the belts are called upon in a collision.

'11 Ford Explorer Cabin

Cabin width is generally greater and there's more cargo room behind the third row. But there's less cargo room available than was in the previous five-passenger models. The interior of the upcoming Explorer is more car-like, with door trim that wraps into the dash, soft-touch materials, and details like metal speaker grilles. Instrumentation combines analog gauges with graphics displays similar to the Fusion Hybrid's, and all manner of electronic accompaniments. Lacking the cast iron engines of the 2010, the 2011 is claimed to be slightly lighter. With a second-row bench seat, seating capacity is seven. Second-row captain's chairs, optional on the Limited, reduce capacity to six. The third row folds down in a 50/50 split, with available power folding seats on the Limited. Other available features include leather upholstery, heated and cooled front seats, and a dual-panel moonroof. The Explorer's dashboard can come outfitted with touch-sensitive controls and LCD gauge screens. It's part of a MyFord Touch package that's optional on the XLT and standard on the Limited. MyFord Touch puts, among other things, an LCD screen on each side of the speedometer. Drivers can configure what information from a virtual tachometer to music and navigation information goes on those screens.

The base model comes with cloth upholstery, a single CD player and power windows/locks, while the top model includes driver memory system, 12-speaker Sony audio system (with HD radio and iTunes tagging, 2 USB, SD card and RCA video inputs), rear camera with zoom and MyFordTouch connectivity. Options, which often include an upper-level trim, include navigation (with fastest, shortest, and most economical routing), power-folding third-row seats, heated/cooled front seats, blind-spot and cross-traffic warning, adaptive cruise control with collision-mitigation braking, and a dual-panel moonroof. Rear-seat entertainment is listed as a dealer accessory.

Conclusions

The redesigned Ford Explorer moves squarely into the crossover realm, pitting it against competitors like the Toyota Highlander, Honda Pilot and Chevrolet Traverse. A few inches longer and more than five inches wider than before, the 2011 Explorer is larger outside than all previous Explorers. However, it is not larger inside by all dimensions. Antilock brakes, side curtain airbags and an electronic stability system with Ford's Roll Stability Control are standard. The stability system employs Ford's new Curve Control, which aims to cut speed should a driver head too fast into a corner. Options include adaptive cruise control with forward collision warning and inflatable rear seat belts. An industry first, the seat belts aim to spread crash forces across the body by deploying an airbag-like inflation device during a forward collision. They are located in the second-row outboard seats ? a location Ford deemed best due to the likelihood of young children or elderly passengers, who stand to gain the most from the inflatable belts, sitting there. For more information, visit the official 2011 Ford Explorer site!