{"id":23916,"date":"2019-06-27T16:28:40","date_gmt":"2019-06-27T20:28:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=23916"},"modified":"2019-06-27T16:28:40","modified_gmt":"2019-06-27T20:28:40","slug":"payne-new-ford-explorer-reaches-further-at-a-price","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2019\/06\/payne-new-ford-explorer-reaches-further-at-a-price","title":{"rendered":"Payne: New Ford Explorer reaches further \u2014 at a price"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/06\/25\/PDTN\/df73c183-bea8-490e-9f49-8f92ef4b4142-explorer_st-rr.JPG?crop=3789,2164,x0,y21&amp;width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The 2020 Ford Explorer ST is distinguished by its quad tailpipes in the rear.\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><div id=\"module-position-R5bZ8Vqwcok\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\">The 2020 Ford Explorer ST is distinguished by its quad tailpipes in the rear.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-1 p-text\">Ford Explorer, you had me at ST.<\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-2 p-text\">I\u2019m a big believer in &#8220;halo&#8221; cars, those goosebump-inducing, chart-topping performance variants that speak volumes about a car model\u2019s aspirations and engineering, and bring people into showrooms. Think\u00a0Dodge Hellcat, Jeep Rubicon, BMW M3,\u00a0GMC Denali, Volkswagen\u00a0GTI.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">For the first time ever, the familiar ol\u2019 Explorer three-row SUV has adopted Ford\u2019s hellion ST badge \u2014 and it\u2019s like tossing Roger Federer an oversize graphite racket. It gives Explorer a better all-around game. It&#8217;s got 400 horsepower, more black makeup than Alice Cooper, and will land dad in jail if he takes it to a back road.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-R5bZ8VrWheA\" class=\"story-asset video-asset\">\n<div class=\"ui-video-wrapper \">\n<div class=\"ui-video-controls story-video inline-story-video\">\n<p class=\"video-desc\">Henry Payne goes Zero-60 in the 2020 Ford Explorer, a vehicle that can park itself.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">The Detroit News<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">And that\u2019s a good thing in the ferociously competitive three-row SUV rugby scrum, where you either stand out\u00a0or get ground into the turf.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The Explorer, of course, is \u2014 along with the Jeep Grand Cherokee \u2014 one of the pioneers of the midsize SUV segment. They dominated the class for years, selling zillions and printing more money than Daddy Warbucks thanks to building on an existing pickup chassis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Then Ford woke up a decade ago and realized that every other automaker had jumped into the segment.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-R5bZ8Vq1wAY\" class=\"story-asset gallery-asset\">\n<p class=\"p-text\">There were unibody-based Toyota Highlanders and stonkin\u2019 Dodge Durango R\/Ts and spacious Chevy Traverses. Heck, even Jeep had sprouted a Trackhawk variant with something like 15,000 horsepower and a V-8 mating call that made every grown male howl at the moon.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">So Dearborn got busy and the all-new 2020 Explorer is the result. It advances on Ford\u2019s first\u00a02011 unibody SUV in every conceivable way. It would take five\u00a0columns to cover the highlights of this car, but let me sum the Explorer up this way: It\u2019s a handsome, rear- and all-wheel drive, nice-handling 4,700-pound school bus. It&#8217;s off-road capable, roomy, high-tech, detail-rich and ergonomically smart.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><em>(Pause to catch breath)<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">It&#8217;s a powerful, quiet, connected crossover with a one-touch autonomous self-parking feature that will have your neighbor who just bought an Audi for $20,000 more\u00a0running over for a demo.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-R5bZ8VtwYck\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/06\/25\/PDTN\/7b16e4f3-5c72-4416-b841-003157a74792-explorer_int-vert.JPG?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The Platinum and ST trims of the 2020 Ford Explorer offer a vertical, Tesla-like infotainment screen. But the standard 8-inch job will do fine.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/06\/25\/PDTN\/7b16e4f3-5c72-4416-b841-003157a74792-explorer_int-vert.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/06\/25\/PDTN\/7b16e4f3-5c72-4416-b841-003157a74792-explorer_int-vert.JPG?width=500&amp;height=281\" \/>The Platinum and ST trims of the 2020 Ford Explorer offer a vertical, Tesla-like infotainment screen. But the standard 8-inch job will do fine.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Even with all that, sales champ Explorer was\u00a0going to be under pressure to hold off value plays like the Kia Telluride and Toyota Highlander.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">So, like Federer watching tape between matches, Explorer went out and augmented its core design and technology strengths by adopting the competition\u2019s best features.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">For years Explorer has been the fashion plate of SUVs. Like the lovely Fusion sedan copying Aston\u2019s face, Ford knows a beaut when it sees it one. Explorer cribbed SUV heartthrob Range Rover\u2019s wardrobe,\u00a0right down to the Brit\u2019s stylish bonnet lettering, E-X-P-L-O-R-E-R.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Taking Rover\u2019s lesson one step further, the 2020 Explorer adopts a luxury-class longitudinal engine architecture that pushes the wheels out to the front corners. That creates\u00a0a dramatic silhouette with long snout, scalloped shoulders and big haunches.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Nice, but then the designers took the rest of the day off.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-R5bZ8Vt9mMc\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/06\/25\/PDTN\/5a7664a9-08cc-4732-aa7e-ac175f7dc9fb-explorer_compare-fr.JPG?crop=3111,1709,x323,y205&amp;width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The 2020 Ford Explorer (right) loses 200 pounds over the last gen ute (left) but looks jowlier in the front with a less lean design. Overall, though, the new Ford benefits from its rear-wheel-drive-based drivetrain.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/06\/25\/PDTN\/5a7664a9-08cc-4732-aa7e-ac175f7dc9fb-explorer_compare-fr.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/06\/25\/PDTN\/5a7664a9-08cc-4732-aa7e-ac175f7dc9fb-explorer_compare-fr.JPG?width=500&amp;height=281\" \/>The 2020 Ford Explorer (right) loses 200 pounds over the last gen ute (left) but looks jowlier in the front with a less lean design. Overall, though, the new Ford benefits from its rear-wheel-drive-based drivetrain.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Where Range Rover&#8217;s design (check out the Velar, and bring a drool bucket)\u00a0is lean and Apple-spare, the Ford is over-designed in the front, giving its face a jowly, heavy appearance compared to the\u00a0last generation. Liposuction, please.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Explorer takes a back seat to the crisp Kia Telluride as class prom queen.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Kia then adds insult to injury by making its front wheel drive-based beauty a cheap date. Endowed with a long list of standard features like adaptive cruise-control and blind-spot assist, a $41,845 all-wheel drive\u00a0Telluride EX with 20-inch wheels and moonroof\u00a0undercuts Explorer\u2019s similarly equipped, $47,405 Explorer XLT by a whopping $5,500.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Happily, Ford has put that rear-wheel drive based platform to other good uses.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Like Detroit rival Dodge Durango \u2014 another SUV in class with a rear wheel drive-based bod \u2014\u00a0the Explorer is engineered to be an athlete from the ground up.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Despite those jowls, the 2020 model is 200 pounds lighter than the 2019. Mated to Ford\u2019s base\u00a02.3-liter workhorse turbo-4 (also found in the speedy Mustang and European Focus RS), the volume XLT Explorer can cut some rug on the dance floor and does a pretty good imitation of a Jeep off-road.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ad-position-73\" class=\"partner-placement partner-spike partner-placement-visible\" data-ad-placement=\"native-article_link\" data-ad-sizes=\"[&quot;fluid&quot;,[3,3], [2,6]]\" data-monetization-id=\"native-article_link\" data-monetization-sizes=\"fluid,3,3,2,6\">\n<div id=\"ad-slot-7103-mi-detroit-C1561-native-article_link-news-opinion-8\" class=\"ad-slot\" data-google-query-id=\"CJbm4pq_iuMCFRQoaQod92UB3Q\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_7103\/mi-detroit-C1561\/native-article_link\/news\/opinion_1__container__\">\n<div class=\"tlod\">\n<div class=\"tl-unit-mid-article\">\n<div class=\"plr-rr__content\">\n<div class=\"plr-rr__above_title\">Bolt in the 400-horse\u00a0twin-turbo V-6, and the Explorer transforms into a rhino in ballet slippers. I like the Mazda CX-9\u2019s nimble bod, but there\u2019s no\u00a0high-horse performance variant. Only the\u00a0R\/T and SRT versions of the\u00a0Durango play in this league.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Stomp the pedal and the Explorer thinks it\u2019s a Focus ST in an SUV body. The secretary of state should require a racing license to operate this Frankenstein\u2019s monster. Taut\u00a0and responsive with the Explorer\u2019s standard\u00a010-speed tranny throwing off quick upshifts, the three-row ST gulped pavement at an alarming rate in the hills of Portland\u2019s Columbia River valley.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><em>What are you doing, Payne, this is a three-row ute!<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">And it\u2019s a usable three rows. Yes, Grand Cherokee\u2019s Hellcat-fueled, 707-horse Trackhawk has no peer. But you can only make three other adults sick in its two-row configuration. Thanks to that RWD-based architecture, Explorer has gained a healthy 4\u00a0inches of legroom behind the front seat, meaning you can put two 6-footers in the third row.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The Explorer isn\u2019t all looks and muscle. It\u2019s taken Ergonomics 101 from the Honda Pilot.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The three-row Pilot is homely compared to its glamorous classmates, but it geeks out on interior detail with its space-saving trigger shifter, console storage and one-button third-row access. Veteran Explorer chief engineer Bill Gubing and his team watched and learned.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-R5bZ8VsSfPQ\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/06\/25\/PDTN\/f8aecdd7-f2fd-4b31-a417-14624acf78e6-explorer_st-fr3-4.JPG?crop=2941,2171,x709,y97&amp;width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The 2020 Ford Explorer adds an ST version for the first time, replacing the Sport model. The ST makes 400 horsepower from its twin-turbo V-6 and is a blast to drive fast.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/06\/25\/PDTN\/f8aecdd7-f2fd-4b31-a417-14624acf78e6-explorer_st-fr3-4.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/06\/25\/PDTN\/f8aecdd7-f2fd-4b31-a417-14624acf78e6-explorer_st-fr3-4.JPG?width=500&amp;height=281\" \/><span class=\"mycapture-btn-wrap\"><span class=\"mycapture-non-priority-horizontal-image mycapture-btn-with-text js-mycapture-btn js-mycapture-photo-asset\">Buy Photo<\/span><\/span>The 2020 Ford Explorer adds an ST version for the first time, replacing the Sport model. The ST makes 400 horsepower from its twin-turbo V-6 and is a blast to drive fast.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The Explorer will win over the family with its attention to detail: Rotary shifter. Horizontal-or-vertical touchscreens. Single-button access to third row seats. Sub-cargo storage for muddy cleats. Rocker-panel foot-steps for Christmas tree-tying roof access &#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><em>(Pause to catch breath)<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">&#8230; standard automatic rear-hatch. Sports-car-like, 2X hood release to save you from fishing for the release under the bonnet.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Only with its first hybrid does Explorer shy from the competition. Despite years of hybrid\u00a0development, Ford prices it way out of reach \u2014\u00a0at a nose-bleed $53,000\u00a0\u2014\u00a0from the excellent,$38,000\u00a0Highlander Hybrid.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Seems Ford would rather show off its pioneering electronics.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Like a luxury car, you\u2019ll be showing it off to your friends. There\u2019s the FordPass app that can remotely start your car, look in on tire pressures and vacuum Cheerios from under the seats (just kidding about that last part). And then there\u2019s self-park assist, part of Ford\u2019s must-have Co-Pilot360 driver-assist package. I spent an evening effortlessly parallel parking a giant, three-row SUV all over town by touching nothing but a button.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Which was relaxing after a day of wringing the Explorer ST\u2019s neck all over Oregon.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-R5bZ8Vt-usg\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/06\/25\/PDTN\/c5662c6f-f798-4d34-bf0a-88d8c1d1d702-explorer_side.JPG?crop=3594,1983,x236,y90&amp;width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The 2020 Ford Explorer's most striking angle is the side. With its front wheels pushed to the corners - and a dramatic, scalloped line along the shoulders, it resembles a Range Rover.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/06\/25\/PDTN\/c5662c6f-f798-4d34-bf0a-88d8c1d1d702-explorer_side.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/06\/25\/PDTN\/c5662c6f-f798-4d34-bf0a-88d8c1d1d702-explorer_side.JPG?width=500&amp;height=281\" \/><span class=\"mycapture-btn-wrap\"><span class=\"mycapture-non-priority-horizontal-image mycapture-btn-with-text js-mycapture-btn js-mycapture-photo-asset\">Buy Photo<\/span><\/span>The 2020 Ford Explorer&#8217;s most striking angle is the side. With its front wheels pushed to the corners &#8211; and a dramatic, scalloped line along the shoulders, it resembles a Range Rover.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3 class=\"presto-h3\"><strong>2020 Ford Explorer<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear- and all-wheel drive, seven- or eight-passenger, three-row SUV<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Price: Base price $37,770 for XLT including $1,095 destination charge ($46,130 AWD XLT and $54,740 AWD ST as tested)<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Powerplant: 2.3-liter, turbocharged 4-cylinder; hybrid 3.3-liter V-6 mated to AC electric motor (hybrid only);\u00a03.0-liter, twin-turbo V-6 (ST and Platinum only)<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Power: 300 horsepower, 310\u00a0pound-feet of torque;\u00a0318\u00a0horsepower, 322 torque combined\u00a0(hybrid); 400 horsepower, 415\u00a0torque (ST);\u00a0365\u00a0horsepower, 380 torque (Platinum)<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Transmission: 10-speed automatic<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Performance: 0-60 mph, 5.5 sec. (ST, mfr.); maximum towing, 5,600 pounds<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Weight: 4,345 pounds base RWD (4,701 AWD ST)<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Fuel economy (all numbers with AWD): EPA: 20 city\/27\u00a0highway\/23 combined (2.3-L turbo-4); 18 city\/24 highway\/20 combined (3.0-L turbo-V6): N\/A for hybrid model<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>Report card<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Highs: ST hottie; one-button self-parking<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Lows: Jowly face; gets pricey<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Overall: 3 stars<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 2020 Ford Explorer ST is distinguished by its quad tailpipes in the rear.\u00a0(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News) Ford Explorer, you had me at ST. I\u2019m a big believer in &#8220;halo&#8221; cars, those goosebump-inducing, chart-topping performance variants that speak volumes about a car model\u2019s aspirations and engineering, and bring people into showrooms. Think\u00a0Dodge Hellcat, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23916"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23916"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23916\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}