Photo: Ford
If the Expedition is too large for your liking, the Explorer might be the Ford utility vehicle you were looking for. The thing with the full-size crossover is, the Blue Oval introduced the fifth gen in 2010 for MY 2011.
That’s a lot of time in car years, and the Ford Motor Company knows it all too well that a change has to be made to keep the Explorer relevant in the segment. With production of the all-new model scheduled to start in the spring of 2019 for the 2020 model year, the sixth generation has a lot to live up to. And it will, thanks to the transition from D4 to CD6 platform.
As The Truth About Cars reports, the CD6 is a modular vehicle architecture that accommodates “front-, rear-, and all-wheel-drive products.” It is believed the development of the CD6 platform took a “significant chunk of the $5 billion Ford allocated to Lincoln’s revival.” Speaking of Lincoln, the half-brother of the Explorer is the MKT. But the premium automaker is bringing sexy back with names that actually make sense, which is why the MKT might be called something else for the 2020 MY.
Believed to make use of significant steel for its body panels, the all-new Explorer will be manufactured at the Chicago Assembly Plant with rear- and all-wheel-drive. In total, the Truth About Cars highlights, sources expect no less than four engine options and the 10-speed automatic transmission found in the F-150 and Mustang.
The 3.5-liter V6 will be replaced by the 3.3-liter V6, which will be joined by the 2.3-liter EcoBoost. Higher up, the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 makes way for the 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 found in the Continental and MKZ. The force-fed six-cylinder will be the party piece of the “Explorer ST,” which falls in line with Ford’s performance-oriented product strategy.
Last, but certainly not least, “the Explorer will also sport a hybrid option” and the Lincoln derivative will reportedly go plug-in hybrid. Even though a V8 option would be magnificent, Ford can’t make a case for anything more than a twin-turbo V6 in these two applications.
As The Truth About Cars reports, the CD6 is a modular vehicle architecture that accommodates “front-, rear-, and all-wheel-drive products.” It is believed the development of the CD6 platform took a “significant chunk of the $5 billion Ford allocated to Lincoln’s revival.” Speaking of Lincoln, the half-brother of the Explorer is the MKT. But the premium automaker is bringing sexy back with names that actually make sense, which is why the MKT might be called something else for the 2020 MY.
Believed to make use of significant steel for its body panels, the all-new Explorer will be manufactured at the Chicago Assembly Plant with rear- and all-wheel-drive. In total, the Truth About Cars highlights, sources expect no less than four engine options and the 10-speed automatic transmission found in the F-150 and Mustang.
The 3.5-liter V6 will be replaced by the 3.3-liter V6, which will be joined by the 2.3-liter EcoBoost. Higher up, the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 makes way for the 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 found in the Continental and MKZ. The force-fed six-cylinder will be the party piece of the “Explorer ST,” which falls in line with Ford’s performance-oriented product strategy.
Last, but certainly not least, “the Explorer will also sport a hybrid option” and the Lincoln derivative will reportedly go plug-in hybrid. Even though a V8 option would be magnificent, Ford can’t make a case for anything more than a twin-turbo V6 in these two applications.
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