Base price: XLS, $26,595; XLT, $29,370; Eddie Bauer, $33,295; Limited, $34,320
Vehicle type: front-engine, rear-, rear/4-, or 4-wheel-drive; 5-door 5–7-passenger wagon
Interior volume, F/M/R (cu ft) 58/48/40
Cargo volume, seats up/maximum (cu ft) 14/82–88
Wheelbase 113.8 in
Length/width/height 189.5/72.1/71.9 in
Turning circle 36.8 ft
Curb weight 4300–4450 lb
EPA city/highway mpg 14–17/19–21
Fuel-tank capacity/range 22.5 gal/315–383 mi
Passive restraints driver and passenger front and side (opt) airbags
POWERTRAIN
4.0-liter SOHC 12-valve V-6, 210 hp; 4.6-liter SOHC 16-valve V-8, 239 hp; 5-sp man, 5-sp auto
SUSPENSION
F ind, unequal-length control arms, coil springs, anti-roll bar
R ind, unequal-length control arms, coil springs, anti-roll bar
BRAKES
F/R vented disc/disc
ABS standard
|
FORD EXPLORER
This is the second generation of Ford’s bestselling Explorer. It debuted as a 2002 model in January 2001 and is unchanged for 2003 except for the usual tinkering with options and trim packages. It shares nothing of substance with its predecessor and uses a spanking-new, body-on-frame chassis and a compact, independent, unequal-length control-arm rear suspension—which allows space for an optional third-row seat—and coil-over shocks in the front. All the available engines are SOHC units, including a standard 4.0-liter V-6 that makes 210 hp and an optional 239-hp, 4.6-liter V-8. A five-speed manual is standard on V-6 models, and an automatic is optional. The previous Explorer’s luster, despite its status as the country’s most popular SUV, was dimmed by the Firestone tire fiasco, but none of those safety questions, many still unresolved, apply to this new model.
|
