Comments on: TTAC Photochop: Ford Explorer

By: northwesterner

northwesterner — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:47:55 +0000

I see little reason why anyone living in a city needs to be driving locally in an SUV, including an Explorer. However, I just bought (!!) at deep discount a limited edition Explorer. I love it. I live off a gravel road and there is no such thing ss a freeway anywhere near me. Yesterday, I was able to go up back roads to the north fork of a creek that I like to fish. The Explorer took to it perfectly. I loved the storage room for all of my equipment and supplies. The Explorer does well what it was designed to do — off-road, back-road, gravel and rural driving. And with gas prices at rock bottom on the local Indian reservations, all is good. I cannot imagine driving a sedan in this area or one of those flimsy, compacts.

By: SupaMan

SupaMan — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 00:28:49 +0000

One very good question was posted above: Exactly where will this new Explorer fit in Ford’s lineup? Yes, yes, the Taurus X (a fantastic vehicle in its own right) is slowly being displaced by the Flex and the Edge takes up the rung between the Flex and the Escape. Above that, there’s the Expedition (which might or might not gain a diesel). Sooooo……

By: Redbarchetta

Redbarchetta — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 21:51:11 +0000

Looks like a Flex derivative only better, except for that ugly grill in the front. For some reason I keep seeing a giant teddy bears nose when I look at it.

Everyone else is right, Ford as too many of these in the same price range and market. Especially when the market is shrinking for these SUV looking things. They just don’t want to accept that profits are going to be smaller because people wont be buying the profit monsters like they used to.

By: Johnster

Johnster — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 21:49:44 +0000

argentla : Er, aren’t the Flex and the Taurus X and all their other crossovers already such hairsplits of the same concept that even dealers have trouble distinguishing them? Do they NEED a fourth/fifth/whatever?

This will obviously replace both the current Explorer and the Taurus X.

By: dolo54

dolo54 — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 19:34:09 +0000

Funny, I usually dislike the photochops.. and I pretty much never like any SUV’s looks, but this looks damn good.

By: Landcrusher

Landcrusher — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 18:13:57 +0000

Andrei, no one at Ford has your talent. Add a couple terrible decisions, and you may have it.

By: HarveyBirdman

HarveyBirdman — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 18:00:00 +0000

Huh. I thought it looked much more like a Pilot than a Nitro. Regardless, I agree that cannibalization is going to be a big issue.

By: argentla

argentla — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:54:46 +0000

Er, aren’t the Flex and the Taurus X and all their other crossovers already such hairsplits of the same concept that even dealers have trouble distinguishing them? Do they NEED a fourth/fifth/whatever?

By: tomaxhawk

tomaxhawk — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:20:36 +0000

I like it. I agree that it has a Nitro vibe going on. Looks like the unholy offspring of an Escape and Nitro with a smidge of Flex thrown in. Gawd I hope it has fender vents; big honkin’, gill-like ones that make it look like it could breath underwater if need be. More ~~Cowbell~~ Fender Vents!!!

By: Samuel L. Bronkowitz

Samuel L. Bronkowitz — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:02:08 +0000

My gawd, it almost looks like the offspring of a Nitro

At this point I think the whole idea of a sport-ute is so toxic to some buyers that even a really good vehicle would have a very hard time selling

By: willbodine

willbodine — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:54:09 +0000

I’ll be upfront and say that a Ford Explorer, any Ford Explorer is at the very top of my “Cars I will never, ever think of buying” list. That said, this new one looks, (did I just say this?), fantastic!

By: windswords

windswords — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 15:56:36 +0000

Don’t worry. If it’s really that ugly it won’t cannibalize anything, including the competition.

By: Matthew Danda

Matthew Danda — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 15:48:49 +0000

Can you say, “Cannibalize”? Its biggest competitors will be the Ford Edge and Ford Escape. Sheesh.

By: John Horner

John Horner — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 15:48:28 +0000

Will there even be a next-gen Explorer? If I were Ford I wouldn’t bother tooling it up. Keep making however few of the existing design the market wants, but there isn’t going to be any growth in that segment for a long time.