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Test-Drive: 2011 Ford Explorer Limited 4×4
 2011 Ford Explorer Limited. Click image to enlarge |
Related links More Ford Explorer reviews on Autos.ca Manufacturer’s web site Ford Motor Company of Canada |
Review and photos by Jil McIntosh
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2011 Ford Explorer
2011 Ford Explorer
Redesigning a vehicle is always a leap of faith, but it’s even more difficult when it’s an iconic model with many fans. That was the case with the Ford Explorer. It was losing ground with buyers due to its thirsty engine and truck-based construction, but it had to tread lightly. The result is a new model that’s nothing like the one it replaces, and one that, for the most part, hits the mark as intended.
The previous body-on-frame is gone in favour of unibody construction. The old 4.0-litre V6 and available 4.6-litre V8 have also rumbled off into the sunset, replaced with a 3.5-litre V6 that will be joined next year by a turbocharged EcoBoost four-cylinder engine. Two-wheel models power the front ones rather than the rear ones as before, and on four-wheelers, the old 4Hi/4Lo transfer case controller is replaced by a Land Rover-ish Terrain Management dial that automatically determines the best settings for the road type selected.
It comes in three trim levels, starting with the base front-wheel drive Explorer at $29,999 and moving up through the XLT and Limited. Unusually, all three can be ordered in front- or four-wheel drive, which is a refreshing change; all too often, if you want the top trim level, you have to take the all-wheels-driving option. That’s what my Limited tester had, which gave it a starting price of $44,199 before a $7,600 boost courtesy of the options list. All models come standard with three-row seating.
 2011 Ford Explorer Limited. Click image to enlarge |
The new Explorer is certainly a looker, with a bold wide grille, sculpted sides and modestly-chromed rear end. It’s longer and wider than the old Explorer it replaces, which helps give it its substantial interior roominess, but it weighs approximately 45 kilograms less than the outgoing one. It’s equally handsome inside, especially with my tester’s Luxury Seating Package. It’s pricey at $900, but it adds perforated leather seats that are heated and cooled and have ten-way power adjustment for driver and passenger, plus power-folding third-row seats.
The 3.5-litre V6 makes 290 horsepower and 255 lb-ft of torque, and it’s a considerable improvement over both of the engines it replaces. Compared to the previous V6, it makes 80 additional horses, and it’s only two less than the outgoing V8. The biggest difference is that while the old V6 drank 15.9 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres in city driving, the new one with AWD is rated at 12.9 L/100 km, along with a highway rating of 8.8 L/100 km. In combined driving, I averaged 12.7 L/100 km.
It’s a strong engine and is mated to a smooth-shifting six-speed automatic that includes a manual shift mode when the optional trailer tow package is ordered. That package, added to my tester for an additional $500, gives the Explorer a rating of 2,268 kg (5,000 lbs) and includes trailer sway control borrowed from the F-150.
The Terrain Management system is dead easy to use. The Normal setting keeps the Explorer primarily in front-wheel, sending torque to the rear wheels when needed, while Mud and Ruts pushes through the tough stuff, and the Sand setting allows for the wheel spin necessary to get through loose surfaces. The Snow setting increases the traction control and cuts back the throttle response. There’s also a hill descent control borrowed from the F-150 Raptor off-road racer, letting you crawl down steep inclines without using the brakes. The front and rear axles can’t be locked together and so all of the programs can be used on any road surface at any speed. On the old Explorer, the axle lock was available for off-road surfaces, and driving it that way on dry roads could have potentially damaged the four-wheel system.
All Explorers come with such features as auxiliary rear air conditioning controls, LED taillights, privacy glass, MyKey owner control, colour LCD instrument cluster display and tire pressure monitoring system. The XLT, intended as the volume seller, includes alloy wheels, heated cloth seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, MyFord Touch (more on that later), automatic headlamps (which come on when the wipers are activated), rain-sensing wipers, backup alarm, premium sound system with satellite radio, and the keyless entry touchpad that I thought would have gone the way of the dinosaurs years ago, but which Ford says it just as popular as when it was introduced some thirty years ago. The top-line Limited comes with 20-inch wheels, pushbutton start with remote starter system, leather seats, extra stereo speakers, power-adjustable pedals, garage door opener, xenon headlamps, power liftgate and a rearview camera that’s very handy when one is trying to hook up a trailer.
R 22, 2011
     2011 Ford Explorer Limited. Click image to enlarge |
As mentioned, the Explorer is very roomy inside, and even the third row is relatively comfortable, offering impressive headroom, leg room and ease of entry and exit. With all seats up, the cargo area is a mere 45 cm long, but folding the third row gives you 122 cm of length, and taking both the second and third rows down gives you a flat cargo floor that’s 200 cm long.
Most of the controls are dead-simple to figure out, including the seat memory and the adaptive cruise control. That system isn’t jerky as other adaptive cruise controls were in the past, but operates very smoothly when coming up behind another vehicle.
While I’ve tried to give it the benefit of the doubt on several Ford and Lincoln vehicles, I still despise MyFord Touch with a passion. Anchored by a screen in the centre console, it controls the climate, audio, navigation and phone functions, either through buttons on the console (which become touch-sensitive spots when outfitted with a Sony stereo head as my vehicle was), buttons on the steering wheel, the touch screen, or voice controls. My question is, why does something as simple as adjusting the temperature or changing the stereo need so many redundant controls and be so complicated? The touch spots are too small and too sensitive, so even the slightest bump in the road sends your finger off to the wrong place. Touch the screen and it takes several seconds for anything to happen, especially if the vehicle is cold. Use the voice controls and you have to remember the commands or sit through the disembodied voice explaining it all to you. Use the steering wheel buttons and you must page through the various screens that flash up in the instrument cluster.
When I wanted to change the temperature of my seat, for example, there wasn’t a simple button on the console as most other automakers use. Instead, I had to first get the MyFord Touch screen to the climate control, and then tap it to move the temperature up and down. That’s just too much to do when my attention is supposed to be on the road. I used to praise Ford for the simplicity of its controls; now I only hope the company wakes up and sends this infernal system to the scrap heap where it belongs.
Adding to my tester’s option list was a $2,400 Technology Package, which adds rain-sensing wipers (which, like all I’ve ever experienced, failed to work properly in drizzle), a collision warning system, blind spot warning, cross-traffic alert, the aforementioned active cruise control, and active park assist. Yes, the Explorer really does park itself, although it’s the parallel variety only. When activated, the system determines whether a spot is long enough and then, when you’re ready, it turns the steering wheel and puts itself against the curb, while you work the throttle, brake and shift lever. It’s a stunning piece of technology, although again, some time spent learning how to do it yourself would probably be a better idea.
All in all, it’s a redesign that brings the Explorer in line with what most buyers want today: a roomy interior, stylish appearance, improved fuel economy and all the latest gadgets, and it’s a viable competitor to most of the other SUVs in its category. Whether it will reach the impressive sales numbers that its predecessor once commanded has yet to be determined, but Ford seems to have its finger on the pulse of what sells in this rapidly-changing automotive world.
Pricing: 2011 Ford Explorer Limited 4×4 |
