Topic: First Drive: 2011 Ford Explorer

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Up until recently they had less power. Also until the Expedition Max the Suburban had the big market to itself when Ford axed the Excursion. Also many Suburban owners are on their 3rd, 4th etc. Simply trade one in and get another. Many repeat Suburban buyers.

All true. The should have skipped the Excursion and stuck with developing the LWB Expedition in the first place.

[Whatever]

Minsou, again you have made a point....and if your objective was to make a point based on no facts, you have done a good job. Yes, Toyota's can't put the brakes on their cars or their pricing.  That's my point, the Ford price is OK.  If you look at other trucks that compete against the Ford you will find the same thing...the Ford is priced in line with other vehicles:

ie: The Ford Ltd is priced at $44,199 + 1,400  This truck has all the options you would want or ever need.

A top of the line Honda Pilot goes for $48,420 + $1,590, the Pathfinder goes for $47,748 +$1,580, The Dodge Durango Citadel goes for $49,995 + $1,400, a regular Durango goes for $45,995 + $1,400, the Volvo XC70 $49,995 + $1,095, the Yukon SLT $57,515 + $1,450 (for goodness sakes the base Chevy Suburban 1500 4x2 LS goes for $52,015 + $1,450), the Subaru Tribeca Ltd goes for $46,495 + $1,525 (the premier goes for $49,195+ $1,525) etc....

So what exactly is your point...or do you just like to hear yourself talk?

Base V6 FWD: $29,000
Base V6 4WD: $32,999
XLT V6 FWD: $35,899
XLT V6 4WD: $38,999
Limited V6 FWD: $41,199
Limited V6 4WD: $44,199
Freight: $1,400

4WD is 4K more on the base trim and the step to an XLT is pretty steep at 6-7K.  Looks like Ford is getting overly confident in its pricing strategy like GM.


Looks like they haven't exorcised their demons with the fuel economy either.

And I don't know if it's me but I really still don't dig Ford's interiors and dashboards and I think that the retirees and grey hair set buying this vehicle will be put off more than anything with all the multimedia and embarked tech galore they don't use.

That's a point Menou...it would have been a good point if you actually knew what you were talking about.  For example the 4 Runner Limited with Navigation Automatic 5 Speed goes for $49,665 plus $1,560 for auto.  Assuming that the brakes actual work on the 4Runner; that's over $5K more than the Ford.  Give me a Ford any day!

Toyota's top trim of everything they sell has been known to be way overpriced for ages.

[jbeam]

I don't have a torque curve graph offer....  However I think you have to consider the gearing in the transmission.   Most, if not all, Ford 6 speed tranny's have deep first gears which can give the impression of torque.  So irregardless of the actual graph the torque is actually there through mechanical advantage.  For example the 3.5 hooked to an old 2 speed powerglide would feel pretty slow and torqeuless.  Add in fairly aggressive gearing and this sensation goes away.   It's been pretty obvious the past few years that manufacturers have realized this and offer 6 speeds in almost everything.  More recently we are seeing more 7 and 8 speed trannys showing up (BMW, Infinity, Mercedez). They can do with less motor but retain the feel of larger, torquier motors while improving fuel economy at the same time.

I think the 2.0 ecoboost will be great in this vehicle, excellent low end torque combined with the 6 speed tranny. 

I hope to see a very small ecoboost in the Fusion soon.  Maybe a 1.4L?  150-170hp and 190-200 lb of torque.  Combo it with a 6 speed or better yet an 8 speed tranny.  I am sure we would see some fuel economy numbers "close" to the Jetta TDI.

[Ice]

I hope to see a very small ecoboost in the Fusion soon.  Maybe a 1.4L?  150-170hp and 190-200 lb of torque.  Combo it with a 6 speed or better yet an 8 speed tranny.  I am sure we would see some fuel economy numbers "close" to the Jetta TDI.

The 2.0L EcoBoost is going into the 2011 Ford Mondeo in Europe with two different power ratings. For the next gen Fusion/Mondeo I'm not sure what we'll be seeing but I'm willing to bet you're right and we'll see a 1.6 or 2.0 EcoBoost in there along with maybe the 2.5L I4 and one of the V6 engines too. At least until the EcoBoost engines are well proven and the V6 can be ditched. Who knows... maybe they will ditch it right off the bat seeing as Hyundai has done it and Chevy is about to.

[MKII]

New 1.6-litre Ford EcoBoost engine power comes to Mondeo, S-MAX and Galaxy
COLOGNE, November 19, 2010 – Ford is expanding the powertrain offering for its latest portfolio of large cars, the new Mondeo, the S-MAX and the Galaxy models. From this month, the efficient new 1.6-litre 160 PS Ford EcoBoost engine will offer customers the chance to downsize capacity without sacrificing power output.
With a peak power of 160 PS (118 kW) and a maximum torque of 240 Nm within a rev band from 1,600 to 4,000 rpm, the new Mondeo equipped with this engine and a 6-speed manual transmission has a combined fuel economy of just 6.8 l/100 km (41.5 mpg) Ford S-MAX 7.0 1/100km (40.3mpg) Ford Galaxy 7.2 1/100km (39.2mpg)
http://fordeuropenet.wordpress.com/2010/11/19/new-1-6-litre-ford-ecoboost-engine-power-comes-to-mondeo-s-max-and-galaxy/