How come we cant get this one???

[jeffdoerr]

I found this page for Ford Phillipines. They offer a TURBO diesel 4 door 4x4 over there, but not here. We just get the over priced sport-trac.

http://www.ford.com.ph/ranger/rangmodel-frm.htm

 

[2001ExpSport]

99% of Explorer buyers don't want a deisel. How many deisel cars do you see these days? VW's and Mercedes. Then there are the work trucks. Deisel used to be real cheap in the 70's and 80's. Now it is just as much as regular gas. They just aren't in as much of a demand as they used to be.

 

[ok89]

The torque on diesel is great. Not to mention the fact that the gas miliage is awesome.

Wow look on the specs they even give a River Fording Depth. Why can't American Ford tell us this stuff

 

[Jason_25]

what is 280 NM converted to ft./lbs.?

 

[mrboyle]

Originally posted by ok89
Wow look on the specs they even give a River Fording Depth. Why can't American Ford tell us this stuff

You can thank Ralph Nader and your favorite EPA empolyee for that. The main reason we can't get vehicles similarly equipped is because they don't have the saftey and emission standards in other countries as they do here in America, and thoes vehicles are not built to meet our standards.

 

[Blue Steel]

and people wonder why serious sports car enthusiasts get their stuff from europe, like bmw and mercedes cars. mrecedes even has a pretty nice turbo diesel that keeps up with most regular fuel cars that are only produced for the european market. also those darn governers are not there. you can thank the german autoban for that

 

[leenjen]

i think an intercooled turbo diesle would be cool on my explorer. too bad they weren't offered. the only think i dont like about diesel is the exhaust. i see a lot of white diesel cars with black all over the back from the exhaust.

 

[Mike 92 XLT]

The problem is, people in the US have a very negative viewpoint of diesel engines. I mean, my first experience of diesels was my parent's VW Rabbit waaaaaay back in the day. That's enough to turn anyone off to diesels. There's just not the demand right now (or possibly for a long time) to warrant mass-producing diesel engines in most passenger cars and light trucks. Seriously, I'd take a gasoline engine over a diesel any day. At least, at current prices.

peace

Mike

 

[Goober]

1 Foot-Pounds = 1.357 Meter-Newtons
or 1 Meter-Newtons = 0.73692 Foot-Pounds

280 Meter-Newtons = 206.337509 Foot-Pounds
(from www.onlineconversion.com/torque.htm )

 

[Jason_25]

Thanks Goober. Darn, that torque figure is unimpressive.

 

[01EB5.0]

I don;'t think 99% of explorer owners would not buy diesel. i mean look at all the turbo diesel excursions. they get MUCH better gas milage. I would easially pay extra for a diesel for reliability, long life, and brute power. i have heard rumors that the diesel explorer may be in the US by 2006 or 2007.

 

[jimbo74]

but it costs 20 to fill the explorer up to go 200 miles while it takes 40 to get the excursion the same distance.....

 

[01EB5.0]

If a diesel engine can make the excursion get 18-24 MPG just think what my truck that already gets 18-20 MPG would get if it were diesel....I think it would get somewhere in the 26-28 range.....I think it's worth it, but thats just me

 

[diablo5969]

One of my friends has a diesel Mercedes from the 80s. To my knowledge, the diesel's fine for him, nothing extraordinary. I don't think I would get a diesel Explorer, I'm perfectly happy with mine as it is.

 

[Yomie]

Me personally i love diesels, me and my sister have the only 3 vehicles in the family that aren't diesel, which are my 97 X, and 2000 Infinity and she has a nissan pickup, but the Diesels are the F-250 and 2 Mercedes e-class turbo diesels. if they offered it here i would snatch one up in a heart beat! my dad's F-250 with the Turbo diesel gets like 24 MPG on 35's. If it were me, i would get one

 

[rustytr]

Heck yeah I'd get one, I love diesels.

 

[CoryL]

The largest reason is the American people's total lack of knowledge of diesel motors.

All they see of them are big rigs and dump trucks sprewing black exhaust everywhere. So they think that a diesel pollutes more than a gas motor. What they don't realize is that most gas motors (it's changing now) pollute a LOT more than diesels. The only difference is that you cannot see or smell the pollution coming from one.

For their size, diesel motors can be made for insane amounts of power. 206 ft/lbs of TQ is INSANE for a 4-banger (granted it is turboed). The TQ output of a newer 2.3L is 130 ft lbs.

Plus with regular maintainance (my manual says my Powerstroke goes for 15,000 miles before an oil change) they will last well into the 200k, 300k even 400k mile range.

The Explorer with a diesel is going to be built here, but sent to the European market. The date is unconfirmed though.

They say they are also discontinuing the use of the 7.3L Powerstroke motor in 2002. So 2003 should be the Superduty with a more powerful 6.0L turbo diesel with 70 more hp and 30 more TQ (over the 230 hp and 520 TQ stock of the 7.3).

They are also supposedly offering a "Baby" Powerstroke for use in F150s which will be a 4.5L.

So it's hopefully getting there. If the diesels come out in the F150s and more people realize that diesel moters are not produced by Satan and are infact, cleaner, more efficient, an more reliable, we should see the diesel motor spread to other areas.

 

[Robert]

Originally posted by jimabena74
but it costs 20 to fill the explorer up to go 200 miles while it takes 40 to get the excursion the same distance.....

If a recent 4-Wheel & Offroad article was correct, their 4x4 Excursion they tested got 18 MPG city and 27 MPG highway during testing. My 4x4 Explorer Sport gets 17 MPG city and 20 MPG highway with the cruise set at 68 MPH.

In my area diesel goes for $1.29 & regular goes for $.99. At that rate it would take a diesel Excursion $9.56 to go 200 miles on the highway whereas it costs me $9.90 in my Explorer to go the same 200 miles.

 

[Yomie]

Originally posted by Robert


If a recent 4-Wheel & Offroad article was correct, their 4x4 Excursion they tested got 18 MPG city and 27 MPG highway during testing. My 4x4 Explorer Sport gets 17 MPG city and 20 MPG highway with the cruise set at 68 MPH.

In my area diesel goes for $1.29 & regular goes for $.99. At that rate it would take a diesel Excursion $9.56 to go 200 miles on the highway whereas it costs me $9.90 in my Explorer to go the same 200 miles.

Good call Robert. And again, Diesel Prices are more stable, they don't increase or decrease a whole lot during holidays and such wheras gasoline does. The avg. price of Diesel here is like 1.29 and almost the same for gasoline. back in sept when gas went through the roof, diesel didn't change as drastically as gasoline did

 

[Maniak]

Another reason is fuel price.. When gas was close to $2 U.S. per gallon, diesel and propane were great alternatives. Now, at least around here... Gas prices for the cheap stuff is between $1.03 to $1.20 (that is between Tucson, Arizona and Las Vegas, Nv).

The average Diesel Price I saw was at least $1.49/gallon. Propane, at least around here, is between $1.29 and $2.00/gallon depending on where you get it.. (it is $1.50/gallon delivered to the house).

Also, on most diesel motors it does cost more for an oil change.. more oil, and last time I looked, the filters cost more (at least for that old non turbo Ford Diesel that was in my parents 1980's f-250).

But, you can get more power out of some diesel motors than you can from the same size Gas motor so then the mileage is better and it would be cost effective.. (look at Rick Horowitz's Truck when pulling his X.. almost the same mileage as the X gets by itself)..

So it all comes down to the actual operating cost of the vehicle, plus it usually costs more for a Diesel Motor.. If you pay $2k more for a Diesel Motor, how much money are you really going to save from fuel savings over the life of the vehicle after you pay for the extra cost of maintaing a Diesel motor?

To me, it doesn't seem worth it yet... unless gas prices climb, and stay there.

~Mark