It is always a bit dicey to gauge ride comfort and compliance when you’re not comparing vehicles back-to-back over familiar roads, but the Explorer seemed to have a decently comfortable ride. On rough roads you could feel and hear the chassis absorbing the inputs, but the vehicle always remained composed, and there was little vibration coming through the steering wheel.
Towing the Line
Its composure and (optional) 5,000-lb towing capacity was made possible by a new rear suspension, which the Explorer does not share with its platform cousins (Ford Flex and Lincoln MKT), and chassis sections that were reinforced with super high-strength boron steel.
Many crossovers have towing capacity in the 3,000-lb range. Nick Lacasse, Ford of Canada Marketing Plans Manager for Explorer, noted that 5,000 was number that made a lot of sense to potential SUV buyers. He noted that towing is high on their priority lists when shopping, but seldom do they actually tow, and when they do, it's not a house.
According to Ford research, 85 percent of SUV/crossover buyers don’t tow at all. The remaining 15 percent break out this way: 12 percent tow under 5,000 lbs., 2.6 percent tow over 5,000 but with another vehicle; 0.4 percent tow over 5,000 lbs.
“We really engineered this Explorer to meet the majority of SUV customers,” said Lacasse.
Explorer’s towing prowess is furthered by technology; with trailer sway control (standard) and Hill Descent Control (standard with the 4WD package).
All Terrain Technology
While we didn’t get to try out the trailer sway control, we did get to try out Explorer’s other SUV-enabling technology — Intelligent 4WD with Terrain Management System. And on sheer ice no less, at a course set up for us at the Charlevoix Airport.
Many of you are familiar with Terrain Management and its four modes (Normal, Sand, Snow & Gravel and Grass, Mud & Rut), as it originally debuted on Land Rover vehicles, during the days when Ford owned Land Rover. In Normal mode, the vehicle is essentially front-drive with “slip and grip” all-wheel drive. In Sand, most of the torque is sent to the rear. In Snow, the vehicle kind of pussy foots it way, by not allowing abrupt power inputs or sudden transmission shifts. In Mud & Rut most power goes to the rear, but more spinning is allowed.
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| It is always a bit dicey to gauge ride comfort and compliance when you’re not comparing vehicles back-to-back over familiar roads, but the Explorer seemed to have a decently comfortable ride. (Photo: Mike Goetz/Auto123.com) |
Towing the Line
Its composure and (optional) 5,000-lb towing capacity was made possible by a new rear suspension, which the Explorer does not share with its platform cousins (Ford Flex and Lincoln MKT), and chassis sections that were reinforced with super high-strength boron steel.
Many crossovers have towing capacity in the 3,000-lb range. Nick Lacasse, Ford of Canada Marketing Plans Manager for Explorer, noted that 5,000 was number that made a lot of sense to potential SUV buyers. He noted that towing is high on their priority lists when shopping, but seldom do they actually tow, and when they do, it's not a house.
According to Ford research, 85 percent of SUV/crossover buyers don’t tow at all. The remaining 15 percent break out this way: 12 percent tow under 5,000 lbs., 2.6 percent tow over 5,000 but with another vehicle; 0.4 percent tow over 5,000 lbs.
“We really engineered this Explorer to meet the majority of SUV customers,” said Lacasse.
Explorer’s towing prowess is furthered by technology; with trailer sway control (standard) and Hill Descent Control (standard with the 4WD package).
All Terrain Technology
While we didn’t get to try out the trailer sway control, we did get to try out Explorer’s other SUV-enabling technology — Intelligent 4WD with Terrain Management System. And on sheer ice no less, at a course set up for us at the Charlevoix Airport.
Many of you are familiar with Terrain Management and its four modes (Normal, Sand, Snow & Gravel and Grass, Mud & Rut), as it originally debuted on Land Rover vehicles, during the days when Ford owned Land Rover. In Normal mode, the vehicle is essentially front-drive with “slip and grip” all-wheel drive. In Sand, most of the torque is sent to the rear. In Snow, the vehicle kind of pussy foots it way, by not allowing abrupt power inputs or sudden transmission shifts. In Mud & Rut most power goes to the rear, but more spinning is allowed.
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| Explorer’s towing prowess is furthered by technology; with trailer sway control (standard) and Hill Descent Control (standard with the 4WD package). (Photo: Ford) |