Autoblog

click above for 50 high-res images of the Ford Explorer America Concept

For more than a decade the Ford Explorer was the top-selling SUV in the US with annual sales topping 400,000 units for many years. The best days of the body-on-frame SUV are clearly behind it, though, as the market has shifted toward crossovers like the smaller Escape and Honda CR-V, as well as larger vehicles like the Ford Edge. Ford has seen the light and the next generation Explorer is finally abandoning the traditional setup in favor of a new unit body design.

The new Explorer America concept that Ford is debuting at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show is the first public hint of where the Explorer is going in the coming years. When the Explorer is replaced around the end of this decade, the new model is expected to look much like this concept. The basic proportions and size are very close to the current Explorer, but the styling is a more modern look for this Ford stalwart. The combination of rising fuel costs and new fuel economy rules is pushing Ford to increase the efficiency of all their vehicles including the next generation Explorer.

[Source: Ford]

Ford is using the 2008 Detroit Auto Show to kick off the transition of a significant portion of their engine lineup to what they are calling EcoBoost technology. EcoBoost consists of smaller displacement engines with direct fuel injection and turbocharging (GDTI) to provide a fuel economy boost without any loss of performance. Ford first showed the idea in the 2007 Lincoln MKR concept when it was called Twin-Force. The Twin-Force name has been set aside in favor of one that emphasizes the efficiency aspects of the technology. Thanks to the combination of small low-inertia turbos, the direct injection and variable valve timing, the new engines should have no lag and a much fatter, flatter torque curve.

The first EcoBoost engine out of the gate is the 340hp 3.5L V-6, This will be the optional engine in the Lincoln MKS starting in 2009 in place of a V-8. Besides having higher specific efficiency than a larger normally aspirated engine, the smaller EcoBoost units also save weight and size. The 3.5L saves over 150 lbs. compared to the 4.6L V-8 also helping contribute to fuel efficiency savings of up to 20%. Following the MKS with EcoBoost will be the Ford Flex and the new Explorer based on the Explorer America concept. The new SUV is expected to use GDTI engines exclusively, with a 275hp 2.0L four as the base engine and the 3.5L six as the option. Ford is by no means the first to do this, with Volkswagen pushing the tech for several years already on their TSI and TFSI engines. aMazda and GM also use the same principle. Ford really wants to make it mainstream, however, with over half a million EcoBoost engines annually within five years. Read more about EcoBoost over at AutoblogGreen.

[Source: Ford, AutoblogGreen]