When one speaks of sporty and fun-to-drive utility vehicles, few would put the Ford Explorer in the same category as the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8, BMW X5 or Porsche Cayenne. Yet, with just a few reservations, I'd toss the new-for-2013 Ford Explorer Sport close to that arena for consideration. As a recap, the sportiest of Explorers is fitted with Ford's twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter Ecoboost V6, making 365 horsepower and 350 pound feet of torque. Acceleration is brisk (figure about 7 seconds to 60 miles per hour), as power goes to all four wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission. ... Read More

Vital Stats

Engine:: Twin-turbo 3.5L V6
Power:: 365 HP / 350 LB-FT
Transmission:: 6-Speed Auto

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First Drive: 2012 Ford Explorer EcoBoost 1314633420

Another Step On The More-With-Less Path Ford is no stranger to convincing buyers to embrace smaller displacement, forced-induction engines over their larger, naturally-aspirated counterparts. A little less than a year ago, skeptics wondered whether typically change-averse full-size truck consumers would be willing to swap their tried-and-true V8 for the ...
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First Drive: 2011 Ford Explorer 1292259360

Don't Call It A Comeback... At least a few eyebrows were raised when Ford first let on that it was bringing the Explorer back in a radically different form for 2011 – but not all of the quizzical looks were for the same reasons. For one thing, the Explorer franchise had been seriously damaged because of the very public Firestone tire rollover ...
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First Ride: Autoblog gets hot in Dubai with 2011 Ford Explorer 1281974280

With California's Death Valley conveniently located on the same continent as Dearborn, Michigan, why on earth would Ford ship engineers and the all-new 2011 Explorer all the way to the United Arab Emirates to conduct hot-weather and off-road testing? Especially on a crossover, a vehicle few people will ever drive off-road? The value of this 14,000-mile ...