Explorer was beginning of the end for SUV's

[bmacsys]

After the Explorer was introduced both half ton pick ups and SUV's started to get bloated. They got bigger and heavier. Started being crammed with creature comforts. The Bronco II to me was ideal. A nice spartan SUV. Small, decent gas mileage. Maneuverable. Great for going off road. Still comfortable for a family of four. I wouldn't try taking a modern day SUV off road. Are there any modern SUV's that are worth buying if you hunt or fish today? Will anybody ever build this type of vehicle again? maybe with gas the way it is there is hope. Until then I have to drive my wife's 99 Wrangler.

 

[MAKG]

Wranglers and Cherokees were fine for years after the Exploder was introduced. It's a 17 year old model.

Same deal for 4Runners, etc.

Yes, they did get ridiculous later on, but there were ridiculous SUVs much earlier as well (ever seen a 1970 Supertanker^H^H^H^H^H^H Suburban?). But you can STILL buy a Liberty, which isn't THAT big.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

The new Wrangler is bigger than the old ones, but still has solid axles. I got to play with one at a car show, it was nice, had the rubber floor, manual transmission, manual tranfercase, soft top... if I ever get a new truck...

It is kind of tight for me in the back of my parents '94 Explorer 4dr, I hate to think how I would get out of the back of a BII after riding in it all day. Their 2002 Explorer is nice, rides like a friggen car, gets decent milage (low 20's) and has a lot of room... for a family vehicle it is hard to beat. They wouldn't be great for wheeling, but I wonder what the percentage of vehicles built that are made for it actually being wheeled is? And who would off-road the family car on a regular basis anyway?

The Explorer debuted in 1991, the fullsize trucks didn't get redesigned until 1997, and even then they were roughly the same size as the trucks they replaced.

 

[exbass94]

Most people now don't buy SUVs to go offroading. They use them as people movers and driving to the mall, basically replacing minivans. Auto manufacturers are catering to those people. They cannot mass-produce a niche vehicle and make a profit. They are bascially just giving us what most people want. They don't care about the other 5%.

 

[MAKG]

Yup, they cater to the public, irrational as it is.

As an example, though they may look cool, what was the point of a Jeepster? Convertibles SUCK in wet, muddy, or snowy conditions, and low clearance means rocks and sand are problematic.... What's left for a 4WD?

 

[bmacsys]

The Explorer debuted in 1991, the fullsize trucks didn't get redesigned until 1997, and even then they were roughly the same size as the trucks they replaced.

I think the success of the Explorer started the trend towards todays vehicles. The 1991 thru 1994 models I actually liked.

 

[bmacsys]

Most people now don't buy SUVs to go offroading. They use them as people movers and driving to the mall, basically replacing minivans. Auto manufacturers are catering to those people. They cannot mass-produce a niche vehicle and make a profit. They are bascially just giving us what most people want. They don't care about the other 5%.

Wow, small world. I live in Branford. Unfortunately your post hits the nail the head about the economics involved. Though trends may change with the price of gas.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Wow, small world. I live in Branford. Unfortunately your post hits the nail the head about the economics involved. Though trends may change with the price of gas.

Trends are drastically changing.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24773925/

I wouldn't count on a Bronco III coming back though, unless it is a rebadged Taurus X because that is the "in thing" now. Trucky SUV's are gone, and I don't see them coming back.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Taurus_X

And while this is an interesting topic I don't think we need to have two threads...

 

[PaleBlue90]

who would off-road the family car on a regular basis anyway?

i would lol. i agree that newer suv's are getting retarded, all the eletronic crap,on the fly bs,plastic bs and yet there better? idk how one could figure that. lets take the H2 for example. is got just as much room as a jeep wrangler (maybe just a little more) and they get about the same mileage as my old 73 K5, and with gas at a all time high why would you want a 56K SUV with a 550$ car payment? then i hear car componeys say that IFS parts are cheaper then a actual axle. idk how they figure that. i think after soild axle turcks started going away everything else went down the crapper.

now also look at the after market for big ass SUV's. TV's,Sound Systems,Video Games,"DUB's",Lift Kits,Big Ass Heavy Bumpers,Big Tires. If it wasnt for a brand to make certion over sized station wagons,morons wouldnt buy that crap, in turn makeing those aftermarket guys profits.

Another thing i dont get is why haveing such a big,expeinsive,fuel sucking POS makes you a better person. 95% of it is conforming to "Whats Hip", Fawk bing "Hip" ill get good gas mileage,no car payment,cheap parts,and cheap inshurence. i am not gonna conform to the "BLING makes u great ppl"

 

[Totalled]

I would blame the expedition more than the explorer... My 1st gen 4 door looks "compact" next to most of the new suv's... And it's a school bus compared to a BII.

 

[KELLY88]

You're right about SUVs getting bigger. My mom bought an '03 4Runner new and at the time I thought it was a behemoth. Then a couple years later the redesigned Pathfinder, the new Nissan Armada and Infinit's QX56 came out and all the sudden the 4Runner wasn't so big. It's getting kind of scary how large these vehicles are getting. Pretty soon they'll be big enough to easily carry a subcompact in case the SUV breaks down. Just push a button and it comes out like a spare tire. Okay so that may be exaggerating a little. Still you're right, the day of the smaller and more capable SUVs are going by the wayside.

 

[almostclueless]

If they made a 2009 BII, built just like they were, with a SOHC and M5OD in it I'd buy it in a minute!!!

 

[exbass94]

If they made a 2009 BII, built just like they were, with a SOHC and M5OD in it I'd buy it in a minute!!!

Ford, nor any other auto manufacturer will ever build another 2 door SUV again. Well they might, if a 4 door was an option. Again, it's all about what the majority wants.

 

[Speedwagon]

lets take the H2 for example. is got just as much room as a jeep wrangler (maybe just a little more) and they get about the same mileage as my old 73 K5, and with gas at a all time high why would you want a 56K SUV with a 550$ car payment? then i hear car componeys say that IFS parts are cheaper then a actual axle. idk how they figure that. i think after soild axle turcks started going away everything else went down the crapper.

now also look at the after market for big ass SUV's. TV's,Sound Systems,Video Games,"DUB's",Lift Kits,Big Ass Heavy Bumpers,Big Tires. If it wasnt for a brand to make certion over sized station wagons,morons wouldnt buy that crap, in turn makeing those aftermarket guys profits.

Another thing i dont get is why haveing such a big,expeinsive,fuel sucking POS makes you a better person. 95% of it is conforming to "Whats Hip", Fawk bing "Hip" ill get good gas mileage,no car payment,cheap parts,and cheap inshurence. i am not gonna conform to the "BLING makes u great ppl"

I'm not sure why you say it has the same room as a Wrangler. The H2 is built off the Suburban chassis. I haven't been in that many... but it's nowhere near Wrangler sized. And it may get the same fuel economy as a '73 K5, but it pollutes WAY WAY less.

And I'm certainly not going to fault the company for building what the free market is demanding. That's the only way you make money, and stay in business. It's the general public that needs a redirect on what they should be buying... but as we have seen with some foreclosures, people aren't that smart.

I do fault a company for not looking ahead, and figuring out that SUV sales are likely to go down when gas goes up. So it's their own damn fault if they wait til the last minute to cut production, and take a loss because of it.

 

[bmacsys]

Trends are drastically changing.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24773925/

I wouldn't count on a Bronco III coming back though, unless it is a rebadged Taurus X because that is the "in thing" now. Trucky SUV's are gone, and I don't see them coming back.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Taurus_X

And while this is an interesting topic I don't think we need to have two threads...

That Taurus X is nothing but a glorified station wagon. I also think those SportTrack type vehicles SxxCK.