FORD Explorer to be discontinued?

[VintagePorscheG]

Is Ford really planning on stopping production on the Explorer?

 

[Redrig]

cant imagine why... but i dont know i doubt it though. where dis u hear this?

 

[Robb]

You may have heard the stoppage of the X Sport. I don't think the 4 Doors are going anywhere.

 

[SteveVB]

Cant imagine, last I heard they we going to power it with a hybrid power plant in 05 or 06.

You have a source for this "info"?

 

[FreakZilla]

I heard the Hybrid may come out in 04.

 

[sapogmxr]

considering its the most sold and most popullar suv on the market i dont think its going anywere.

 

[rfuree11]

you must be thinking about the sport or the excursion

 

[etc]

Isn't the Escape the one that is getting the hybrid engine?

 

[Tat2dExploder]

i'll be so sad if they get rid of sports....

 

[el ranger loco]

Theyre killin the excursion?! :thumbdwn:

 

[dudewhtsup]

The excursion is getting axed and the explorer sport. Ford figures the escape fills the spot of the sport. + the escape will get a hybrid added to the line up.

 

[F14CRAZY]

But..they can't stop the Excursion! I know it was rumored before, but since it got the new Power Stroke and tranny...

 

[sk1er17]

Yea they're stopping the SPORTS. however the last sport i would buy is probably a 99. And 2003+ they have too much in the way of indepent suspension and features that deter us from lifting them and making them more off-road worthy. (and make it really really expensive)

If you want a newer model and want to offroad- get the sport track... they still have solid axels in the rear.

 

[Robb]

skier, out of curiousity, why would the latest Sport you would get be a '99?

Also, I don't think any of the Sports got the IRS upgrade, even the '03+. I know they didn't change them in '02, did they do it in '03?

 

[sk1er17]

1999 is my personal opinion due to looks alone. After 99 the rear looks too much like a minivan. And other details take away from the aggressive look. It's like they turned the sport into too much of a soccer mom vehicle also. (thats just my opinion, i dont hold anyone against having a newer X, and there are a few lifted ones i like. so please to attack me on this).

As with the suspension, i dont know the facts but i remember during last ski season seeing a sport with indepent rear and thought to myself "that sucks", so i drove around the parking lot till i found a sport trac to make sure it wasnt like that too!

If they dont have it... good! But also remember we're talking about sports... which are soon to not exist! so anyone buying a 4 door is going to have to deal with if IRS

 

[DaHeinah]

I thought the sport rear hatches remained the same from 98+, as I recall they didn't receive the style change that the 4 door did. I believe the only style change that was made was the grill and the sides, with those curves near the wheel wells...I might be wrong on this one though.

 

[wpurple]

The Sports are discontinued. With a 4K rebate I can buy a 03 for less that I paid for my 97 in 97 and I paid less than invoice then! Too bad I am too broke.
I didn't think there are any differences after 99....it is the same body as all the rest more or less.

 

[Runnin'OnEmpty]

Alas, the last Sport has already been manufactured. I don't understand it, because Ford was selling upwards to 60K of them a year. Why would they drop a model that sold that well?

Maybe they're skipping a model year so they can redesign it and bring it back? Chevy did this once with the Corvette, and then there's the T-bird.... Maybe I'm dreaming, but what if the Sport were to be brought back with a V8 and handling suspension; sort of like a modernized Bronco?

Yeah, maybe I'm dreaming. Must be the drinking.......never should have quit.

 

[sk1er17]

that would be awesome if they redesigned it like that... but then id be screwed.

new X sport or

2005 shelby mustang????????????