Explorer Betters its Bests

When the first snowfall of the winter hit, I was in the woods up north, safe and warm inside an upscale Eddie Bauer version of the redesigned 2006 Ford Explorer. It didn’t snow hard enough to engage four-wheel drive, but it still reinforced my theory that foul-weather driving security is the biggest asset of an SUV.

The new Explorer retains and improves on features that have made it the top-selling SUV for 15 years, and if larger SUVs go away in the face of stiff fuel costs, the midsized Explorer can fill the gap. The sturdy, truck-like feel of its body-on-frame construction gets a boost from increased horsepower (now 292), with better economy, towing capacity, and drivability. The Mustang GT version of the 4.6-liter overhead-cam V8 is hooked up to a new six-speed automatic transmission.

Exterior changes are subtle, including a chrome grille similar to the one on Ford’s F150 pickup. Inside, materials and layout create a luxury-SUV feel, with creature-comfort features everywhere and a ride more insulated against noise. Fold-flat backrests on the third-row seats are operated by rocker switches on the rear wall panel—one of the options that pushed the price of the test-drive vehicle past $40,000. The second-row buckets also fold flat, making a huge interior hauling area.

Airbags are everywhere, and safety is augmented by the Roll Stability Control system, which was first used on subsidiary Volvo’s XC90. The system anticipates a skid and instantly combines traction control and antilock brakes to straighten the vehicle before it reaches roll-over potential.

The new Explorer has a re-fined version of Ford’s exclusive “porthole” chassis design, which was introduced on the last revision of the Explorer. The side frame rails run straight and sturdy, without having to bend up and over the rear axle. Instead, the rear axle shafts run to the wheels through sleeved openings in the rails, a brilliant innovation. Straight rails can be made stronger, and the floor height can be lower for a more stable stance. Straight rails also eliminate the usual intrusion into a vehicle’s interior space, giving better second- and third-row seat room.

Explorer’s upgrades went too far when it came to front-door ergonomics. The search for a door handle will eventually lead drivers to look more closely at the chrome trim on the front edge of the inclined armrest and realize that it unlatches the door, but it isn’t readily apparent.