2011 Ford Explorer Iowa

View Our New Ford Explorer Inventory in Des Moines

The 2011 Ford Explorer is the most anticipated iteration of this model in recent memory. Why? Because the Ford Explorer has been completely redesigned. It is a redesign that goes further than a new cabin, or some exterior upgrades..this is an all new vehicle. While the previous-generation Explorer was a body-on-frame truck-based vehicle, the all-new 2011 Explorer uses a unit-body structure. The Explorer may still look rough and rugged on the outside, but beneath the skin, this three-row SUV has more in common with Ford's Taurus sedan than a truck. The interior of the upcoming Explorer is more car-like, with door trim that wraps into the dash, soft-touch materials, and details like metal speaker grilles. Instrumentation combines analog gauges with graphics displays similar to the Fusion Hybrid's, and all manner of electronic accompaniments.Front-wheel drive and three rows of seats are standard; all-wheel drive with Ford's new Terrain Management System is optional. Ford's MyFord Touch system, with touch-sensitive controls similar to those in the restyled Edge crossover, is also optional. Suspension of the 2011 Explorer is all-independent and steering electrically assisted. The new Explorer also gets the first inflatable seatbelts in the second row seats; these provide five times the contact area to lessen a body's strain when the belts are called upon in a collision.

Design of the 2011 Explorer

The look of the 2011 Explorer is all new. With a lower and significantly wider form than the outgoing Explorer, this new fifth-generation model appears more masculine than most crossovers as Ford continues to market this as an SUV.Seventeen-inch steel wheels and black plastic side moldings are standard on base models. The XLT adds body-colored door handles, painted black mirrors and 18-inch alloy wheels. The Limited has body-colored mirrors and 20-inch alloys.Ford's now trademark grille form has been given an update with a pair of slim chrome bands between the three bars, along with wraparound wing-shaped headlamps that give the Explorer a technical, modern appearance. An aggressively raked C-pillar and blacked-out B- and D-pillars imbue the profile with a sense of forward motion and cut visual weight. In the rear, the Explorer offers a more traditional look, with a one-piece liftgate and full-width chrome garnish bookended by taillights that echo the headlamps' wing form.

2011 Ford Explorer Cabin

With a second-row bench seat and a third row, seating capacity is seven. Second-row captain's chairs, optional on the Limited, reduce capacity to six. The third row folds down in a 50/50 split, with available power folding seats on the Limited. Other available features include leather upholstery, heated and cooled front seats, and a dual-panel moonroof.

The base model comes with cloth upholstery, a single CD player and power windows/locks, while the top model includes driver memory system, 12-speaker Sony audio system, rear camera with zoom and MyFordTouch connectivity. Options, which often include an upper-level trim, include navigation, power-folding third-row seats, heated/cooled front seats, blind-spot and cross-traffic warning, adaptive cruise control with collision-mitigation braking, and a dual-panel moonroof.

New Explorer Power and Handling

The 2011 Ford Explorer gets a total revision in the powertrain department. It is powered by a 290-hp 3.5-liter V6 and six-speed automatic, with maximum towing of 5000 pounds. All-wheel drive with Terrain Management is optional on V6 models. A turbocharged four-cylinder 2-liter EcoBoost engine is optional on front-wheel-drive models that rates about 235 hp and 250 lb-ft of torque. While it makes as much torque as the 3.5 V6 (and outgoing 4.0 V6) the primary aim of the EcoBoost four-cylinder engine is fuel economy. Fuel economy improves, thanks to a smaller V-6 and an available turbocharged four-cylinder. Without last year's optional V-8, however, towing capacity drops to a crossover-competitive 5,000 pounds. Though the new all-wheel drive lacks a low range, Ford has developed a Terrain Management System that uses a rotary knob with four selectable positions (Normal, Mud and Ruts, Sand and Snow) that control the vehicle's engine calibration, throttle response and transmission shifts, as well as the traction- and stability-control systems. And there's hill-descent control, in case you find yourself traversing a steep, snowy driveway and don't want to rely on your own brake-modulating skills. All Explorers come with Advance Trac stability control and Curve Control, a less intrusive stability system that helps guide the driver through a turn if the entry speed is too high. And, depending on the option package, you can order adaptive cruise control and a blind- spot warning system.

Conclusions

While the Ford Explorer was the leader of the SUV segment for years, the model was in need of a serious upgrade. And for 2011, that is just what this Ford model got. As a new and improved model, the Explorer continues to offers the generous interior space, comfort features and safety technologies necessary for day-to-day tasks that it always has. But it also sports a fresh modern look, improved fuel economy and standard third-row seating. For more information, trim level details, and pricing, visit the official Ford Explorer site.