2012 Ford Explorer Limited EcoBoost FWD Review

If you’re sceptical about how a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine performs in a big, heavy crossover such as the 2012 Ford Explorer, you probably aren’t alone. Engine downsizing isn’t a bad idea, as long as it doesn’t require a major sacrifice in performance and succeeds in reducing fuel consumption.

Driving the EcoBoost Explorer gives us mixed emotions. We like the notion of a fuel-efficient midsize SUV/crossover and we love turbo engines, but in this case, the experience is a little underwhelming.

Our Explorer Limited EcoBoost costs $42,199 before taxes, freight and delivery charges; check all the option boxes, and you’ll bust the $50k threshold. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour/Auto123.com)

Lots of torque gets the Explorer moving
The 2.0L EcoBoost produces 240 hp as well as 270 lb-ft at 3,000 rpm – very respectable numbers for such a small-displacement engine. It gives up 50 horses to the standard-issue 3.5L V6 but compensates with more low-rpm torque. It’s bolted to a 6-speed automatic, but unlike the V6, you don’t get a manual mode.

The Explorer EcoBoost isn’t the slouch one would expect. The muscular 4-pot engine gets the truck moving swiftly, and it’s only slightly noisier than the V6 at wide-open throttle.

Here’s the catch: you can’t get an all-wheel-drive Explorer with the 2.0L EcoBoost engine. And with so much low-end grunt channelled through the front wheels, you’ll feel the wrath of torque steer when you floor it from a standstill.

As for fuel economy, the EcoBoost Explorer is rated at 10.4/7.0 L/100km city/highway, while the FWD Explorer V6 is rated at 11.7/7.8. On a round trip from Montreal to Toronto, we averaged 11.5 L/100km; we were expecting a result under the 10-litre mark.

The EcoBoost engine also reduces the Explorer’s towing capacity from 5,000 lbs with the V6 to just 2,000.

Convinced? We’re not.

The turbo 2.0L four develops 240 hp and 270 lb-ft of torque. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour/Auto123.com)