More power never goes amiss with buyers of any segment, and Ford has done that for 2006 with an upgraded version of the 4.6-litre V-8 that previously powered Explorer.
With an extra valve in each cylinder and variable-cam timing, that V-8 now delivers 292 hp at 5,750 rpm and 300 lb-ft of torque at 3,950. That's a slight (up from 282) improvement in torque, but a significant (from 239) jump in horsepower.
Because it's a more sophisticated engine attached to a six-speed automatic, the optional V-8 also gets about 10 percent better fuel economy than the previous model.
Overall, Ford thinks this new powertrain gives the Explorer a significant edge in a highly competitive segment. Not only does it offer more power, more refinement and improved fuel economy, but it also offers increased utility. The additional power output helps Explorer handle an increased payload, which will warm excite the small but demanding segment of SUV owners who actually haul and two stuff in their vehicles.
Explorer's 4.0-liter V-6 also received improvements for the 2006 model year. Idle quality was improved 50 percent, for example, and new engine calibrations and improved emissions controls cut smog-forming emissions 74 percent compared with the previous model.
The power numbers for the V-6 are 210 hp at 5,100 rpm and 254 lb-ft of torque at 3,700 rpm.
Ford also makes a lot of noise about Explorer leading the segment with 10 standard safety technologies, though some of them (like adaptive airbag venting) will seem esoteric to the average driver. Still, they're there, leading Ford's safety vice-president, Sue Cischke, to say that the 2006 Explorer's "suite of available safety features is unmatched in its class."
Cischke says Explorer has "active safety technology -- including confidence-inspiring handling and braking, combined with AdvanceTrac with class-exclusive Roll Stability Control -- to help prevent accidents from occurring. In the case of an accident, the 2006 Explorer offers enhanced
side-impact rollover protection and four new adaptive safety technologies that help tailor frontal-impact protection based on crash severity, occupant size and safety-belt usage."
For non-accelerating, non-crash situations, the improvement that Explorer occupants will most appreciate in the 2006 model is less "unwanted noise" in the cabin. Lyons says the Explorer team "focused on every aspect of the vehicle -- the exterior, interior, chassis and powertrain -- to quell noise, vibration and harshness."
Lyons says it's significant that the Explorer is not only quieter in the first row, but the third row is quieter than the second row of most competitors at highway speeds. "In fact, the Explorer's third row is just as quiet as some competitors' front row."
This is a key to passing Ford's internal speech intelligibility tests, Lyons says, which enable occupants in the first row to effortlessly hold a conversation with passengers in the second and third rows at highway speeds.
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| 2006 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer (photo: Ford Motor Company) |
Because it's a more sophisticated engine attached to a six-speed automatic, the optional V-8 also gets about 10 percent better fuel economy than the previous model.
Overall, Ford thinks this new powertrain gives the Explorer a significant edge in a highly competitive segment. Not only does it offer more power, more refinement and improved fuel economy, but it also offers increased utility. The additional power output helps Explorer handle an increased payload, which will warm excite the small but demanding segment of SUV owners who actually haul and two stuff in their vehicles.
Explorer's 4.0-liter V-6 also received improvements for the 2006 model year. Idle quality was improved 50 percent, for example, and new engine calibrations and improved emissions controls cut smog-forming emissions 74 percent compared with the previous model.
The power numbers for the V-6 are 210 hp at 5,100 rpm and 254 lb-ft of torque at 3,700 rpm.
Ford also makes a lot of noise about Explorer leading the segment with 10 standard safety technologies, though some of them (like adaptive airbag venting) will seem esoteric to the average driver. Still, they're there, leading Ford's safety vice-president, Sue Cischke, to say that the 2006 Explorer's "suite of available safety features is unmatched in its class."
Cischke says Explorer has "active safety technology -- including confidence-inspiring handling and braking, combined with AdvanceTrac with class-exclusive Roll Stability Control -- to help prevent accidents from occurring. In the case of an accident, the 2006 Explorer offers enhanced
 |
| 2006 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer (photo: Ford Motor Company) |
For non-accelerating, non-crash situations, the improvement that Explorer occupants will most appreciate in the 2006 model is less "unwanted noise" in the cabin. Lyons says the Explorer team "focused on every aspect of the vehicle -- the exterior, interior, chassis and powertrain -- to quell noise, vibration and harshness."
Lyons says it's significant that the Explorer is not only quieter in the first row, but the third row is quieter than the second row of most competitors at highway speeds. "In fact, the Explorer's third row is just as quiet as some competitors' front row."
This is a key to passing Ford's internal speech intelligibility tests, Lyons says, which enable occupants in the first row to effortlessly hold a conversation with passengers in the second and third rows at highway speeds.