Ford of Canada will launch three trim levels of a new and much improved (quieter, cleaner, more capable, safer, more comfortable and so on) Explorer SUV this fall, starting at $41,045 for a V-6 XLT model and climaxing with a V-8 Limited at $52,345.
For the most part, the Oakville arm of the Dearborn-based car company is holding the line on prices for this 4X4, though it may not appear that way since the XLS trim and its entry-level price has been ditched for 2006.
So, the lineup for 2006 is as follows:
Explorer XLT with the 4-litre SOHC V-6 and a five-speed automatic will carry an MSRP of $41,045. With the newly available 4.6-litre, 24-valve V-8 and a six-speed automatic, the MSRP will be $42,545.
In Eddie Bauer trim (which accounts for about 40 percent of Explorer business in Canada), the suggested retail prices are $47,045 with the V-6 and $48,545 for the V-8.
Limited only comes with the V-8, for $52,345.
As the best-selling mid-sized SUV on the planet, Explorer has been extraordinarily successful for Ford since it debuted in 1990. Since then, it has sold nearly 5.5 million units (about 274,000 of them in Canada), which is incredible when you think it was rarely the best model in the category and went through a particularly bad patch a few years back when it was rolling over and killing its occupants in distressing numbers.
All that's behind Explorer now, apparently, and a look at the photographs shows that it's a better vehicle than ever. Like many other vehicles to come out of Ford in the last couple of years (but particularly the F-Series pickup), Explorer benefits greatly from an expanded budget for interior design and creation.
The changes to the exterior aren't as obvious, but a lot of people will likely find the 2006 Explorer to have a more substantial appearance than any of its predecessors.
All of the changes for 2006 were done in direct response to what Ford's group vice-president of product creation, Phil Martens, describes as the "input of more than five million owners."
Martens says "the result refines what has made the Explorer such a success, while improving everything from the towing capacity to the choice of interior trim."
For 2006, Explorer has evolved to meet a changing market, which has seen sales of traditional SUVs (such as Explorer) decline, while sales of so-called crossover vehicles continue to increase.
"The SUV market is rapidly changing into two increasingly distinct types of vehicles," says Steve Lyons, Ford's group vice-president for North American marketing, "and Ford will deliver the best vehicles for each type of customer."
What Ford will offer the crossover customer beyond the Freestyle remains to be seen, but Lyons believes Explorer will suit the needs of the traditional buyer quite well. "Explorer steps up the game in delivering more of what those customers want," he promises.
For the most part, the Oakville arm of the Dearborn-based car company is holding the line on prices for this 4X4, though it may not appear that way since the XLS trim and its entry-level price has been ditched for 2006.
So, the lineup for 2006 is as follows:
Explorer XLT with the 4-litre SOHC V-6 and a five-speed automatic will carry an MSRP of $41,045. With the newly available 4.6-litre, 24-valve V-8 and a six-speed automatic, the MSRP will be $42,545.
In Eddie Bauer trim (which accounts for about 40 percent of Explorer business in Canada), the suggested retail prices are $47,045 with the V-6 and $48,545 for the V-8.
Limited only comes with the V-8, for $52,345.
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| 2006 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer (photo: Ford Motor Company) |
All that's behind Explorer now, apparently, and a look at the photographs shows that it's a better vehicle than ever. Like many other vehicles to come out of Ford in the last couple of years (but particularly the F-Series pickup), Explorer benefits greatly from an expanded budget for interior design and creation.
The changes to the exterior aren't as obvious, but a lot of people will likely find the 2006 Explorer to have a more substantial appearance than any of its predecessors.
All of the changes for 2006 were done in direct response to what Ford's group vice-president of product creation, Phil Martens, describes as the "input of more than five million owners."
Martens says "the result refines what has made the Explorer such a success, while improving everything from the towing capacity to the choice of interior trim."
 |
| 2006 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer (photo: Ford Motor Company) |
"The SUV market is rapidly changing into two increasingly distinct types of vehicles," says Steve Lyons, Ford's group vice-president for North American marketing, "and Ford will deliver the best vehicles for each type of customer."
What Ford will offer the crossover customer beyond the Freestyle remains to be seen, but Lyons believes Explorer will suit the needs of the traditional buyer quite well. "Explorer steps up the game in delivering more of what those customers want," he promises.