http://www.fordvehicles.com/suvs/explorer/2011/

I love it. looks even better than the Acadia. 290HP 3.5L V6 and 237hp/250tq turbo I4. Towing is 5000lbs. Inflatable seat belts are very cool.

 

Looks sharp. Strange to think of a FWD "Explorer", but as a competitor to the likes of the Acadia and Traverse, it looks good.

Based on the GCWR of 10k lbs and a 5k lbs max trailer weight, it looks like it isn't going to be a slender reed. I wonder where the curb weights will fall relative to the Lambdas and other big crossovers.

Will there be a turbo 4 coming for the Lambdas?

 

Not a big fan of the styling, I think the Acadia is much better looking. I do like the interior though. My only complaint with the Acadia interior is the hard plastic otherwise it was comfortable and well laid out. Either way, this is a huge improvement compared to the current explorer. But I wish they would keep RWD/4WD, never have been a fan of FWD/AWD.

 

It looks very nice, particularly in black.

 

5K lbs is a decent towing rating, enough to pull a 20' boat. I'm becoming a real fan of ford styling. Today's designs are so swoopy and asian. I really like the lines that ford is using.

 

That's a nice looking car. I like the Golden Bronze color.

 

According to this article, the V6 Explorer should be around 4600 pounds, which would make it just a touch lighter than Acadia.

http://www.insideline.com/ford/explo...irst-look.html

Personally, I don't know that I'd want a 4 in a vehicle this size, turbo or not. I'd have to have a real big fuel economy payoff to consider one. It's also interesting that the article says while the Explorer will approach the GM Lambdas in terms of physical size, its interior will be noticeably smaller.

 

any reason that awd is not offered with the 4 cylinder ecoboost?

 

4600 lbs sounds about right.

That is interesting about the interior size. I was thinking that Ford has the Flex to go after those more interested in the "people space" aspect. Still, the Flex's unusual styling might be a turnoff for those wanting the space.

Sounds like the Explorer is more like the Honda Pilot in size, give or take.

 

the back of the truck on the main photo is VERY acadiasish...

 

Torque is about the same the V6, as long as I didn't need the vehicle for towing I think I'd be happy with the turbo I4.

I'm not sure, my guess is because they want to show off a real high fuel economy number with this engine and FWD is the way to do that. They are trying for 30mpg hwy. Like I said in the above post, torque is about the same as the V6. AWD isn't offered on the I4 Fusion either

The engine doesn't come out until early 2011, it is also going to be used in the 2011 Edge. Maybe the engine is in short supply so they are sticking it in the applications that give the best MPG first.

 

Looks sharp. Great combination of styling that looks expensive and pricing that is very competitive.

We'll see a lot of these on the road I predict.

 

According to this autoblog article the v6 weight is 4500 lbs about a 100 less then the old Explorer:

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/07/26/2...gine-above-v6/

I do love the new styling, inside and out. I wonder will ford ever go the 3.5 ecoboost route in the future, or how easy would it be to coax more power out of the eco 4, you know just discussion sake?

 

The turbo V6 will be an option. I'm actually surprised it wasn't from day 1. Maybe they are saving it for 2012.

 

That doesn't come close to telling the whole story. In a vehicle this size it's low end grunt that I'm concerned with. Why do I feel like a turbo 2.0 will be a relatively high-strung motor with its usuable powerband much higher in the range? I don't want to have to rev the bejeesus out of the thing to get it out of its own way. The fuel economy advantage is wiped clean too. Like I said, give me the V6 and I can keep my foot out of it much easier.

Fun motor for a Focus. 7 passenger SUV, not so much. But it will be interesting to read the reviews.