The Crank: Will former Explorer SUV owners buy into new metrosexual model?

By John LeBlanc Like the lampshade-wearing Christmas get-together guest who doesn’t know when to call it a night, the old, truck-based Ford Explorer hung out at the SUV party way too long. At its peak in the late 1990s, the Explorer was one of the most popular vehicles on the planet, with almost half a million sold annually. But while Ford tepidly dipped its toe into the rising car-based crossover market with new nameplates like 2005's Freestyle or 2008 Taurus X, the automaker kept one of its most well known models (third behind Mustang and F-150) relegated to a type of vehicle that less and less people were interested in. To the point where only about 50,000 Explorers will be sold in 2010 south of the border. So, for 2011, someone at Ford put two and two together, took the Freestyle/Taurus X Volvo-based three-row crossover platform, ruggedized it to meet almost all of the towing and off-road capabilities of the last model, and slapped an Explorer badge to its rump. Welcome to the 21st century. I had the chance to spend a day with the 2011 Explorer recently. From a hardware standpoint or the way it drives, there’s nothing all that revolutionary about Ford’s third kick at this segment. But is Ford too late to the three-row crossover party? Will buyers already on their second or third Pilot/Highlander even consider the new Explorer? Or will previous Explorer buyers, accustomed to the 100% capabilities of the older, more capable models, not be interested in the 2011 metrosexual version?

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