I went to the No Boundaries experience in Irvine, CA yesterday and among the goodies, including several concept SUVs, was the 2002 Explorer. I spent quite a while looking at and sitting in it and I have to give the styling a big fat thumbs down.
In my opinion, the SUV looks more luxury like than it does SUV. It reminded me of the Cadillac - very boxy. I don't care for the location of the numeric keypad which is located on the door post unlike the present location on the door.
The interior is very squarish and it doesn't have the flowing lines. It seems to be very similar to the boxy look that you'd find in an Accord or Acura. If that's the look they wanted, they certainly got it.
What can I say about the third row seat. What would you put back there? Prisoners? It seemed to be almost Durango like in that there really isn't a useful purpose other than giving you something to lay down before you can use the trunk. The trunk is small and really won't hold more than groceries without putting the seat down.
The lower door openings are different. It brought back memories of climbing into to a Windstar that I rented a couple of years ago. Overall, the new Explorer is trying to be all things to all people but because it excels at nothing, I think it fails at most everything.
There are some things that I liked. The engine and tranny are better than the current offerings. The increased torque is also welcomed. The rear hatch is mostly glass which is good for someone who has a problem lifting things over the existing high opening. The in-dash 6 CD changer is much nicer than the current cartridge model which I can't stand. I don't know what happens if the in-dash changer malfunctions.
Final verdict - I don't think I'd buy one.
In my opinion, the SUV looks more luxury like than it does SUV. It reminded me of the Cadillac - very boxy. I don't care for the location of the numeric keypad which is located on the door post unlike the present location on the door.
The interior is very squarish and it doesn't have the flowing lines. It seems to be very similar to the boxy look that you'd find in an Accord or Acura. If that's the look they wanted, they certainly got it.
What can I say about the third row seat. What would you put back there? Prisoners? It seemed to be almost Durango like in that there really isn't a useful purpose other than giving you something to lay down before you can use the trunk. The trunk is small and really won't hold more than groceries without putting the seat down.
The lower door openings are different. It brought back memories of climbing into to a Windstar that I rented a couple of years ago. Overall, the new Explorer is trying to be all things to all people but because it excels at nothing, I think it fails at most everything.
There are some things that I liked. The engine and tranny are better than the current offerings. The increased torque is also welcomed. The rear hatch is mostly glass which is good for someone who has a problem lifting things over the existing high opening. The in-dash 6 CD changer is much nicer than the current cartridge model which I can't stand. I don't know what happens if the in-dash changer malfunctions.
Final verdict - I don't think I'd buy one.
