OFFICIALLY REVEALED: 2011/2012 Ford Explorer

Ford has been working for a very, very long time on the new Ford Explorer, which they say is going to reinvent the SUV for the 21st century. The traditional body-on-frame SUV market has died, and Ford is going where the new money is: the crossover market, and they are taking one of their biggest historical moneymakers there with them, too. And now, after a very long, slow, unveiling process by Ford with the new Ford Explorer, which comes out for the first time in crossover form, Ford has finally unveiled the new Explorer to the masses for the first time this morning.





The big news with Ford's bigger crossover, as we all know by now, is the improved fuel efficiency - to the tune of 20 to 30 percent improvements in MPG, depending on what engine option you choose. The options are Ford's popular 3.5 liter V6 that already sees use in the Flex, and the long-awaited Turbo Direct Injected EcoBoost 2.0. These two options not only outpower the ancient Mustang-based 4.0 V6 and 4.6 V8 from the previous Explorers, but they also vastly outdo the old model in terms of fuel efficiency. Ford has marked up the 237-horsepower EcoBoost 2.0 in hopes that buyers will pay extra for more fuel-economy, and judging by the expected efficiency around 18 MPG city and 26-27 MPG highway, they will quickly recoup that loss.

Not that the V6 is any slouch either. The 290-horsepower high-tech engine is projected to get 20% better MPG than the old v6 and 30% better than the old V8.

The towing capacity suffers hugely on the 2.0 EcoBoost model, so if you tow anything at all with your SUV (or you plan to tow anything at all), avoid this model, as its tow rating is a scant 2,000 pounds. The V6 fares far better, with a 5,000 pound tow rating, slightly lower than the Explorer's now-nearest competitor, the Chevrolet Traverse.

Like its nearest competitors, the Lambda SUVs (including the GMC Acadia), the new Explorer is designed as a seven-seater, with three seats in the second row and two in the spaceous-looking third row. In addition, Ford is the first company ever to offer inflatable seat belts.

In addition, you'll get all the usual electronic fancies (MyTouch, digital gauges, etc) and quality interior materials that Ford is becoming known for nowadays.

Ford has designed this new Explorer to be, despite its car-based crossover roots, a legitimate, capable off-road SUV. While the idea of a unibody off-road machine is definitely not a new one (Jeep's Grand Cherokee has been doing it for the better part of 2 1/2 decades), most people don't seem to realize this fact, and thus Ford is doubted. Will it be the kind of off-roader that Ford thinks it will be?

And despite the added size and goodies, the new Explorer saves over 100 pounds compared to the weight of the old model. While this might not seem like much, and the 4500-pound Explorer is still a heavier vehicle, the new model's projected fuel economy, which equals that the V6 Camry and Malibu (at least in EcoBoost form), is what turns heads.

What's your verdict? Are you interested? Will you buy a new Ford Explorer?

I would consider it, but right now I don't make too much money. With a baby girl on the way, however, this is quite a good-looking babymobile.

Vote on the poll below: WILL YOU consider the new Explorer?