Once the vehicle is broken in, I would expect it to deliver better than 15 mpg in the city and 19 on the highway that I got. However, I was the first person to drive it. Our test vehicle’s fuel mileage came in below EPA estimates. If the speed dropped too low for a certain gear, the Explorer would lug and strain. That is somewhat unusual in most vehicles, you shift into second gear at about 20 mph or so.īut I had to pay attention to the speed of the vehicle and the gear it was in. Because of the somewhat high gear ratio, you don’t have to shift into second gear until you reach 35 mph or so. The engine runs so quietly and is so free of vibration that when it’s idling you would swear it wasn’t running at all.Īcceleration can be fairly brisk when you rev the engine high and start out in first gear. In fact, our bright blue Explorer offered a level of refined smoothness that one would associate with a luxury car such as Lexus or Infiniti. The ease of shifting helped to make the Explorer very civilized in heavy, stop-and-go traffic. It took very little effort to press the clutch pedal, and the shifter slid smoothly into each gear. The clutch and shifter are the best I can remember sampling recently in a sport-utility vehicle. Our test vehicle came with a five-speed manual transmission. But for now, the only engine available in all six Explorer models is a 4.0-liter 160-horsepower V-6.Īlthough 160-horsepower is well short of the power available in the six-cylinder engines in the Blazer/Jimmy and Grand Cherokee, the Explorer’s performance is pleasing. In the 1996 model year, Ford will offer the Explorer with a 5.0-liter, 220-horsepower V-8. It’s proof that you can still get a well-equipped sport-utility vehicle for about $20,000. This week’s test vehicle, a Sport model outfitted with a long list of features, is a tremendous buy.
1 in sales.įord engineers did more than just address the Explorer’s shortcomings: They made the 1995Explorer a world-class sport-utility in just about every area – handling, performance, safety, quality, value and styling. So the pressure was on Ford not only to answer the competition but to give buyers a reason to continue making the Explorer No. With the Grand Cherokee and the Discovery, Chrysler and Land Rover took aim at the Explorer and sliced nicely into its sales with vehicles that offered V-8 engines and dual air bags, things that the Explorer didn’t have.Īnd last year General Motors weighed in with redesigned versions of the Chevy Blazer and GMC Jimmy. Since its introduction in 1990, the Explorer has been the best-selling sport-utility vehicle on the planet.īut when you are No. This year Ford’s Explorer gets the award for Most Improved Player.
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