Sat in a 2006 Explorer

[Josh Langel]

So, I was at my local dealer when I stumbled upon about a dozen 06 Explorers.



One was open (it was like an XLT).



___keep in mind the 07 ST will share a lot of the interior design/ material___



1. The interior looks nice, but:

>The grab handles and latch for doors are in EXTREMELY weird places.

>the shifter seems cheap, as does the rest of the interior

>Did I mention everything felt cheap and plastic-y?



2. The exterior:

>The hood is now fiberglass

>door handles are exactly the same

>front looks way funky in person



Anyway, I felt a little disappointed...

 

[Tom Schindler]

I drove one a week or two ago. I do not like the door release handle. It does not flow with the interior.



The V8 was powerful, but does not feel like it was. The 4.0L just roars to life. The 4.6L was a disappointment.



The front end is ugly. Stupid Jetta wannabe.





Tom

 

[Gavin Allan]

Wow-- add the uni-body construction with the wimpy little axles going through the holes in the frame, and it sounds like it ain't a truck no longer.



What did they do--get the Escape and Escort designers to design the next Explorer?

 

[Deleted deleted]

The new Explorer isn't uni-body... it still is Body on Frame like it always was.

 

[Tom Schindler]

Darin is right. It still has a frame, but the axles going through the frame is stupid. Even more so when it will be used in the Trac.





Tom

 

[Mike Wilson]

Never buy a first-year production run of ANYTHING, unless you just have

extra money lying around, and you are going to keep it sealed up in your

garage for an investment. From my experience (21 + years in the automotive

industry), the buying public are guinea pigs for the first year of anything

automotive (remember our job-1 2001 tracs!?!).



Here WE go again!!!



We should get a consultation fee from Ford Motor Co. for all of the problems

we have tried to work them through on our (can we now call them "Generation

One"?) Tracs!!!:huh:

 

[Tom Schindler]

tracnblack,



Good points.



On a side note, was the 2001 Trac a "first year production" since the majority of the 2001 Trac was designed years earlier? The engine, tranny, door glass, interior, front and rear differential, heating system, cooling system, brakes (Different rotors, but same calipers, just minor tweaking to accomidate the larger rotors), frame, etc. came directly from the Explorer/Ranger platform. Was it really a "first year production"?



How is the new Explorer much different? It isn't a full redesign. They are using the same frame on the Explorer, and if it is different, it was only tweaked. The Engine is a different story and maybe the tranny. Those are biggies there. Overall, the vehicle is the same. The new Trac is going to be based off of the new Explorer. Again, same engines, tranny's, drivetrain of the 2006 Explorer, but the Trac will be a 2007. Is that a first year production model or is it a second year production model?



How does one differentiate the differences?



How about the 1991 Escorts. They were a new design and could be classified as a first year production model, YET, if you were to compare the underbody to the Mazda 3 series cars, you would find that they are almost identical. The Engine used in the 1991 Escort GT's was used a year earlier in the 1990 Protege and the Escort base engine has been used since 1986. While it was a new model, it was far from being a "first year production" model.



The Mercury Mariner Hybrid is a clone to the Escape Hybrid. Would that be classified as a first year production model? It is a Mercury Mariner, not a Ford Escape.





Tom

 

[2]

Personally I had great luck with my first run 2001 ST, my 03 ST was a piece of crap.

 

[John Sullivan]

I also had great luck with my 2001 ST. I had it 2 years, 70K miles. Besides fluids only did brakes and tires once. My only complaint was gas milage and tow capacity. The ride was a little harsh compared to the competition.