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

0

2011 Ford Explorer teasers continue with headlight peek 1279042140

Ford released a new teaser image of the 2011 Explorer today, adding to the earlier set of almost-visible shots that the automaker debuted on Facebook. This new image of the front headlamp is exactly what we've seen before in barely camouflaged spy shots, and at this point, Ford might as well just take the wraps off of the whole thing – we've pretty ...
0

2011 Ford Explorer teasing continues - My, what big pillars you have 1276880460

The slow burn of Ford Explorer Facebook teasers continues today as the Blue Oval has seen fit to update its online photo gallery with three new images showing off various bits of its new 2011 unibody-based sport ute. This time, we're teased with a view of an open rear cargo hatch (above), a gearshift lever conspicuously absent of PRNDL markings and a ...
0

Spy Shots: 2012 Ford Explorer caught completely disrobed 1269548820

It's never good to be caught by the paparazzi in the buff. Unless, of course, that was your plan all along in order to get your C-list self some much-needed coverage in the various gossip rags. But we digress. Our intrepid spy photographers managed to snap off a giant series of photos of the hotly anticipated 2012 Ford Explorer completely uncovered, and ...
0

Reader Spy: Next Ford Explorer with Lincoln-esque grille caught in LA? 1268832600

Granted, these aren't the clearest set of spy photos you're going to see this week. Regardless, they are interesting as they show what appears to be a next-gen 2011 Ford Explorer with the familiar face of the current Lincoln lineup grafted in place. Sure, it's not terribly surprising to see a luxurious Lincoln created from a more pedestrian Ford product ...
0

Spy Shots: Unibody 2011 Ford Explorer cometh 1255460280

A 2011 Ford Explorer prototype has begun making runs around Michigan, and although the camo is thick, we're getting out first glimpse of what Ford has in store for its unibody 'ute. Built on the same platform that underpins the Ford Taurus, Lincoln MKS and – more importantly – Flex, the all-new seven-seater Explorer will trade a bit of ...

0

Spy Shots: Are you the future unibody Ford Explorer? 1253797080

Ford seems to really like crossover vehicles. The Blue Oval lineup already sports the Escape, Edge and Flex, and within a year or so a unibody version of the Explorer will join the car-based utility party. And now we have more spy photos of what appears to be a next-generation Explorer mule disguised as a Taurus X Flex science experiment – most ...
0

Spy Shots: Next-gen unibody Ford Explorer mules caught 1224780060

Our spy photographers have noticed a test mule running around Detroit, and we agree with their guess that it's the upcoming reinvention of the Ford Explorer on a unibody platform. Since its inception, the Explorer has been a true SUV built on a sturdy truck frame, but the market has turned its back on traditional SUVs, so Ford came up with the Explorer ...