The rear seats are also comfortable, and the back seat isn t bad. One of the reasons the best reason for making the Explorer larger is to house that third row seat. And it folds flat to leave you all the stowage you need. The engine is Ford s tried and true 4.0 V6, which was upgraded several years ago to include a beefed-up lower end, and overhead camshafts atop each bank of cylinders. That allows for higher revving, and mates perfectly with the five-speed automatic transmission, which will hold itself in a gear while you run it up to near the redline.
Performance is quick and strong, all the way up through the revs.
An optional engine now available for the first time in the Explorer is an even stronger 4.6 V8, also with overhead cams. Everything is in place to make the new Explorer a worthy next step up the technology ladder to sales success, and the price goes up commensurately. But if I were to buy one, the first thing I d have to do is lower it some more, put on lower-profile tires, and alter the suspension with stiffer, firmer shock absorbers. A vehicle this good should be able to handle you should pardon the expression all the responsibilities of being a new-age SUV for the future. To say nothing of the present.