Comments on: New Ford Explorer, Not A Hybrid, Boosts Fuel Economy By 30 Percent

By: DominicArundel

DominicArundel — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 15:54:41 +0000

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By: tapra2

tapra2 — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 06:48:11 +0000

Ford has gone through the entire vehicle and put it on a weight-reduction program, using lightweight steel,CWDev

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 08:47:20 +0000

actually, we had to settle for a smaller vehicle(even though we really need something larger that fits 6 or 7) because the price is outrageous for larger vehicles.

By: Hybrid'sSUCK

Hybrid'sSUCK — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 01:14:57 +0000

Yeah, because listening to OBAMA is a GREAT idea.

By: Max Reid

Max Reid — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 00:31:32 +0000

Wonderful, if the lighter weight using composites combined with ecoboost, car chassis could boost Explorer to #1 among Truck based SUVs.

Even some business could end up buying this instead of the pickups with their V8s.

By: kengrubb

kengrubb — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 17:42:04 +0000

Since so few SUVs ever venture offroad or tow, the Explorer remains for the most part a people hauler.

My 2005 Saturn Relay, with a 3.5L V6 regularly delivers 28 MPG highway.

I'll be much more excited by a PHEV EcoBoosted Ford C-Max.

By: veek

veek — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 21:28:47 +0000

Anonymous: Does the RAV4 have a compound low? If not, it is definitely not the same as a vehicle like the Explorer or a Cherokee. I have an Escape hybrid, which actually betters the mileage of the RAV4, but without a locking center diff or a granny low, there is no way I would take it on a difficult access road or 4WD trail. The Explorer also carries more people and gear, and selecting an off-road vehicle is as much a matter of compromise as anything else (a goat is a far better method for carrying heavy weight over hiking trails, but this convenience comes at a cost in what else they cannot do).
What a vehicle can or cannot do off-road makes a big difference if your two feet have to carry about 50 pounds several miles, especially if the weather is bad. The type of construction is one of many factors in the expected durability of a vehicle. Jeep uses both methods and has done well with both.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:56:37 +0000

" Before you start thinking the Explorer’s off-road capabilities might be compromised by the move to unibody construction, note that the Jeep Grand Cherokee—which has impeccable off-road credentials..."

What Jeep grand Cherokee can or cannot do off-road may not be that relevant to a Ford Explorer.
Usain Bolt has two feet. Many of us, I believe, also have two feet. Usain Bolt can ran 100m in less than 10sec. Not many of us can.

I think the unibody construction may have a larger impact to the longivity of the body (without deform) if one use it daily as an off-roader or tows a trailer frequently.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:38:34 +0000

20mpg COMBINED is not impressive. With my Toyota RAV4 I get >way more than 20mpg city and way more than 30mpg on the Highway (actual mpg, not what the Manufacture claims). I have the V6 with three rows. Ok the third row is mostly good for kids, not adults, but still this is a good, fast car with good milage. 20mpg COMBINED does not impress me.

By: veek

veek — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:46:44 +0000

- Perhaps you are referring to the Jeep Cherokee, rather than the Grand Cherokee. The Cherokee vehicle, no longer produced, was an eminently capable and respected off-roader, although its unibody was nearly as heavy and rigid as a comparably sized framed vehicle. Subaru also has a pretty good off-road capability with a unibody, although it is not properly geared for true off-roading (some people will, of course, probably say that their Subaru "has beaten a Jeep/Humvee/ATV/etc.").
-The current Explorer was a bit large and softly sprung to be at the top of its class for off-roading, but it is considerably more capable than a sedan or minivan (especially if you fit a locker), if only because it had a viscous clutch, a locking center, and a granny low.
-Interesting that as small cars have been gaining weight over the last few years (compare the weight of today's Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla with that of their predecessors), the opposite now seems to be happening with larger cars.