A few more months till...

[zukirider21]

Ford kills the Explorer.

http://www.caranddriver.com/news/car/09q2/2011_ford_explorer-car_news

Isn't it a shame? (By the way, I'm sure something like this has already been posted, but I just came across it and I'm quite pissed...)

Your thoughts on the subject?

 

[adsm08]

Well to be fair every 20 years or so everything gets really fugly. Then it goes back to normal for a while. Look at the 72 Mustang, any Mustang II, and the first few year of the fox body.

Also look at the early 90s F-series, the entire run of the aero-star, early and mid 90s crown vic, etc. All ugly as sin. Things will get better again.

As for uni-body, I'm not sure I see the advantage, it just makes it easier to total the car.

 

[superds]

It doesn't entirely upset me that they are going to a unibody design with smaller, higher tech engines.

What I do dislike is the transversly mounted engines and lack of transfer cases.

I also dislike that there is becoming a overabundance of crossover vehicles from Ford, Escape, Edge, Explorer, Flex. To me the first three are far too similar. Ford won't give us more Ranger options because they fear it will take away F150 sales, but what about Escape sales taking away from Explorer sales?

 

[superds]

As for uni-body, I'm not sure I see the advantage, it just makes it easier to total the car.

I agree the unibody makes for a much weaker structure, and easier to total. But what it does do is make the vehicle lighter weight and less weight equals less fuel consumption. Additionally, Ford argues that the majority of people weren't using the full capacity of the vehicle that would require a heavy duty (relative to the unibody) body on frame structure.

Maybe moving the Explorer to a unibody opens the doors for a 65-77 style Bronco revitalization.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

It doesn't take hardly anything to total a body on frame car once they get some age either. Mom got sideswiped last winter in her '02, caught both doors and, front fender and the rear wheel.

They had the option of totalling it, if it would have tweaked the B pillar a little more it would have been a done deal.

My '85 was totalled in '01 for 12 hail dings in the hood, the body was really solid otherwise. I took the $$ (more than I paid for it a year before) and ran.

There are a lot of people that don't want the bulk of the Explorer and opt for an Escape. If they need more room without the heft they go with an Edge. I think the Escape had a lot to do with the Explorer Sport dying out though.

 

[LearjetMinako]

I pray Ford doesn't get the same idea for the Ranger. A unibody Ranger, just like the Honda Ridgeline.

 

[zukirider21]

Well to be fair every 20 years or so everything gets really fugly. Then it goes back to normal for a while. Look at the 72 Mustang, any Mustang II, and the first few year of the fox body.

Also look at the early 90s F-series, the entire run of the aero-star, early and mid 90s crown vic, etc. All ugly as sin. Things will get better again.

As for uni-body, I'm not sure I see the advantage, it just makes it easier to total the car.

hahaha you make a very good point!

i just wonder if theres gonna be any aftermarket for these things... will they at least be able to turn 31's? can you even crank tbars? probably not with all the electronic crap these days.

one thing i will admit that i like is the landrover style 4wd control. they say they did it because 4wd high and 4wd low was too confusing for users (wow, what an embarrassment, seriously.), but it does sound pretty cool in that it totally changes the behavior of the braking system, engine maps, etc.

maybe, just maybe, if we get lucky, this new explorer could turn in to a landrover type deal in that it looks totally useless off road, but for some reason goes nearly EVERYWHERE (im sure you know what i mean).

 

[Original_Ranger84]

haha I drove by a range rover dealer the other day... or land rover...? whatever its called with the 4x4 test course thing... some guy got the vehicle highcentered... it was funny.

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

Look at the 72 Mustang

HEY!! easy there!

 

[country0001]

I'm waiting on a pickup, based on the Flex. That might look sweet. Even better, a 4wd version.