First Look: 2011 Ford Explorer

An upscale, feature-packed interior
Ford has been aiming for Audi-like levels of fit and finish on its interiors for a while now, but the Explorer is the first product where such a claim has actual credence. Soft-touch materials on the dash provide for tight fits with adjacent panels while details like real metal speaker grilles add a premium finish. The Explorer will be the third Ford product (following the Edge and the Lincoln MKX) to offer the company's new touch-screen infotainment system. Called MyFord Touch, it integrates navigation, audio, climate, and phone functions into an eight-inch touch screen while reducing the number of physical controls. The instrument cluster (when equipped with MyFord Touch) features two small LCD screens flanking an analog speedometer. The left screen shows vehicle information while the right display accesses limited information from the center screen. Seating for seven is standard with an option for center bucket seats that reduce capacity to six passengers. Options include adaptive cruise control, blind-spot warning, parallel parking assist, and a power folding third-row seat. A new active safety feature called curve control is standard. It decelerates the vehicle when understeer is about to send you off the cloverleaf exit ramp. With the Explorer, Ford is also the first manufacturer to offer inflatable rear seatbelts. Like airbags, the optional seatbelts (for the outboard seats of the second row) reduce trauma be spreading impact forces over a larger area. In this case, Ford says the inflatable belts create a surface area that's five times larger than the typical seat belt. The bags are in the shoulder belt while the inflator is in the buckle. The Explorer lives another day
The demise of SUVs like the Dodge Durango and Chevy Trailblazer is proof enough that the Explorer's reinvention is critical to survival. However, Ford's own lineup provides enough competition to call the Blue Oval's product strategy into question. Along with the Flex, the company now has two large crossovers that seat seven and are priced around $30,000. We'll see how buyers perceive the Explorer's role once it arrives in dealerships toward the end of 2010.