Next Ford Explorer to be a CUV

[tktrain]

I'm going to drive the wheels off my '98 before I get something different. They kinda lost me when the gen 3's came out anyway. I may go out and find a '66 bronco and drop in a fuely 351 or a 4 valve 5.4.

 

[Bwana Bob]

Is this real or an internet rumor? Sounds more like they are dropping the Explorer and replacing it with a new CUV named "Explorer".

Jeep Cherokee and Grand Cherokee do OK with unibody construction. The major factor (IMHO) for off-road is what's the ground clearance and does it have a real transfer case? If the new Ex will be a CUV with only a single speed transfer case then how will it be any different from the Freestyle and the Edge, or the Honda Pilot?


Bob

 

[dtl 2k2 sport]

It's sounding like it's a real deal. I heard on a car talk show in the Washington dc area. There was a Ford rep, and she said that the next Explorer would be very much in line w/ the CUV, Basically a tall wagon is what the dealerships call them. At my toyota dealership they are loving the fact and hoping more people look at the FJ Crusier, blahhhh

 

[Bwana Bob]

Well, we can't fault Ford for reading the writing on the wall. Don't forget, we now have a Democrat majority in Congress. They will surely pass higher CAFE fuel economy standards and push for more trail closures to satisfy their constituent base.

To improve fuel economy, they will have to make the Explorer lighter, which means eliminating the heavy frame, transfer case and skid plates. I think the skid plates are already gone from the 3rd gen Ex.

What they will end up with is the Edge platform with an Explorer body.

Sad, but its the end of an era.

Bob

 

[Ranger379]

sad, but its probably true i dont think any SUV's will have solid axles anymore either, the expeditions now have IRS o well i guess i will just stick to keeping mine around for ever lol

 

[SuRrEaLNJ]

they unibody the explorer and im tradin everyting in for a toyota

 

[tktrain]

they unibody the explorer and im tradin everyting in for a toyota

Never! I'll drive my Fords until there is nothing left of them. I'll only look at Toyota when they move the corporate HQ to the states and keep all the profits here.

 

[Jefe]

The D3 platform (Volvo XC90, Ford Five-hundred, etc) is a FWD/AWD platform.

 

[Nate1]

El Jefe has spoken!

It would be fine in my book if Ford did this with the explorer, but only if they brought back the bronco in a badass way.

 

[Jefe]

. . .but only if they brought back the bronco in a badass way.

Bring the Bronco back, perhaps. Bring it back in a badass way? Hell will freeze over first.

 

[Nate1]

I'm sure Ford would love to compete with the pretty decently selling Jeep wrangler somehow... and if they could do something really impressive like make it decent and eco-friendly in the not so far off alternative energy future, you know they would love to.

 

[92explorer]

Never! I'll drive my Fords until there is nothing left of them. I'll only look at Toyota when they move the corporate HQ to the states and keep all the profits here.

I agree whole-heartedly. Couldn't have said it better myself, and I work at a Toyota dealership!

 

[Nate1]

No you won't, thats bullsh!t. If the only reasonably priced cars are foreign and domestic cars fall apart, suck, are prohibitively expensive, etc.. you won't buy them. You'll want a car to get places, and when it comes to the point of 'I can have a foreign car, or I can have nothing at all' you'll buy the foreign. Most Americans will.

Fun reading:
http://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=130520

 

[old mechanic]

Great! Just what we need! Another STATION WAGON!

 

[uh60james]

No you won't, thats bullsh!t. If the only reasonably priced cars are foreign and domestic cars fall apart, suck, are prohibitively expensive, etc.. you won't buy them. You'll want a car to get places, and when it comes to the point of 'I can have a foreign car, or I can have nothing at all' you'll buy the foreign. Most Americans will.

Fun reading:
http://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=130520

Tell you this much, I will never buy a Japanese car.

 

[92explorer]

Tell you this much, I will never buy a Japanese car.

Me neither james

 

[NC_Xplorer]

Tell you this much, I will never buy a Japanese car.

Same here, I had already planned on keeping my X for a long while. The problem with the SUV's now is that most of the people driving them are woman who think going off road is when they go down a dirt road by mistake while talking on their damn cell phones.

 

[DeRocha]

...Jeep Cherokee and Grand Cherokee do OK with unibody construction. The major factor (IMHO) for off-road is what's the ground clearance and does it have a real transfer case?Bob

Bob: For mild wheeling a unibody will be ok, but for anything more aggressive a uni-body is going to bend... it just doesn't have the strength of a rigid frame to endure the punishment of moderate+ wheeling...

 

[DeRocha]

It is plain as day to see both sides of this..


On one hand the handful of us die hard Ford enthusiast want a very capable vehicle in which we can use as a DD and take it to the trail and be wowed right off the show room floor.. On the other is a company that realizes the Explorer as currently designed is way more vehicle than the majority of its owners will every need. To fill the gap Ford has to step up to the plate and design, build, and sell a serious off-road vehicle in which we can be proud of driving.. Until they do so they are losing the 4x4 battle one step at a time...

John now steps off is small soap box..

 

[SoBeLover]

The problem with the SUV's now is that most of the people driving them are woman who think going off road is when they go down a dirt road by mistake while talking on their damn cell phones.

Unfortunately it's the sad truth. women who off road Explorers are a rare breed