Ford and the 2020 Explorer

En!vy

Legacy Member
This was a really eye opening review of the new 2020 Explorer, and more importantly discusses the corner that Ford as a whole is backing itself into with it's current strategy.

I remember the initial excitement when the Explorer ST was announced for this new life cycle, and how people thought it was going to challenge the German SUVs. Unfortunately it looks like Ford has completely lost the plot. From making decisions to co-brand their electric vehicles with the Mustang name, to dropping cars altogether in North America, it looks like Ford still has some dark days ahead.





TLDR: The newest iteration of the Explorer is a rear wheel biased AWD vehicle that drives more like an F150 than a Taurus. Thats the good. Apparently the cabin acoustics (both audio and cabin noise) are terrible, the infotainment screen OS and implementation are a disaster, and the 10 speed automatic transmission with it's current mapping is borderline dangerous. Its apparent that Ford executives drew up this SUV on a whiteboard in a boardroom and then tasked the engineers who just inherited a completely rebuilt production facility in Chicago to go and make it a reality. With so much pressure on Ford to straighten the corporate ship, this Explorer feels rushed and half baked.
 
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j'ai toujours aimer Ford.

Ils se sont toujours sorti de la misere assez facilement avec des décisions souvent risqué et ce sans toujours etre en quete d'aide de partout ailleurs.

Mais ec départir totalemen des auto....ca je ne la comprend pas.......sauf quand tu te doute très bien/sait que les SUV sont presque 2 fois plus payant (profit) que les auto :|
 
j'ai toujours aimer Ford.

Ils se sont toujours sorti de la misere assez facilement avec des décisions souvent risqué et ce sans toujours etre en quete d'aide de partout ailleurs.

Mais ec départir totalemen des auto....ca je ne la comprend pas.......sauf quand tu te doute très bien/sait que les SUV sont presque 2 fois plus payant (profit) que les auto :|

L'abandon est surtout pour le marché NA.... :(
 
This was a really eye opening review of the new 2020 Explorer, and more importantly discusses the corner that Ford as a whole is backing itself into with it's current strategy.

I remember the initial excitement when the Explorer ST was announced for this new life cycle, and how people thought it was going to challenge the German SUVs. Unfortunately it looks like Ford has completely lost the plot. From making decisions to co-brand their electric vehicles with the Mustang name, to dropping cars altogether in North America, it looks like Ford still has some dark days ahead.

Thanks for posting. It's not often you see a really blunt review like that. I have yet to test the new Explorer but I'll make sure to try it this summer.

It's concerning what he's talking about with the new plant and rushing out the the product. It almost makes me want to bring up Boeing and the 737 Max as a comparison. The goal was to beat Airbus to market and not make the best possible product and we see the result. Hopefully Ford can fix these issues.
 
Yeah, I watched that video the other day and found it refreshing for someone to be so blunt about their concerns. I like SG's reviews.

Most automotive journalist just keep repeating the marketing department's talking points because they don't want to miss out on the free trips, fancy meals and access to the cars. No one wants to "step out of line" or be overly critical. We drove this car on the manufacturer's own purpose built off-road course and it's great! You should buy one!

The Explorer's botched launch has been one of Ford's latest missteps and their stock has paid the price.

Are people really going to miss the Fiesta and Focuses? They've had such shitty powershift transmissions that IMO to keep producing these would have been harmful to the brand on the short/long term.

I think it was smart to pivot away from these products. The market has moved on from compact and sub-compact cars and Ford's union workforce can't build cars as cheaply as the japanese and koreans can. The low profit margins and decreasing volume make it a race to the bottom that they just can't win.

I don't know about the 10 speed in the explorer, but it's been good to me in the F150. It has never been "dangerous". I look forward to driving the new ones.
 
Yeah, I watched that video the other day and found it refreshing for someone to be so blunt about their concerns. I like SG's reviews.

Most automotive journalist just keep repeating the marketing department's talking points because they don't want to miss out on the free trips, fancy meals and access to the cars. No one wants to "step out of line" or be overly critical. We drove this car on the manufacturer's own purpose built off-road course and it's great! You should buy one!

The Explorer's botched launch has been one of Ford's latest missteps and their stock has paid the price.

Are people really going to miss the Fiesta and Focuses? They've had such shitty powershift transmissions that IMO to keep producing these would have been harmful to the brand on the short/long term.

I think it was smart to pivot away from these products. The market has moved on from compact and sub-compact cars and Ford's union workforce can't build cars as cheaply as the japanese and koreans can. The low profit margins and decreasing volume make it a race to the bottom that they just can't win.

I don't know about the 10 speed in the explorer, but it's been good to me in the F150. It has never been "dangerous". I look forward to driving the new ones.


I wasn't able to remember if he said his test car was a production model or not. Worse case, if the mapping used for the production model Explorer is as poor as he claims it is on his test mule, they will likely have to issue a software update at some point to address the shift logic. I know they use this 10 speed in other road vehicles but it appears that the Explorer map might have early adopter issues.

I get that Ford was in between a rock and a hard place with the timing of this launch, but the idea that a once great car manufacturer in North America who just recently turned truck/SUV focused is putting out half baked models of the products they cherry picked to continue to offer to the public won't do them any favours. I think the shift back to a more robust truck oriented SUV is the right path, but the foundation of that path seems to rival our Quebec roads.
 
A320Neo was always going to beat the 737Max to market. The big deal for Boeing was maintaining the 737 as best seller for marketshare The huge advantage the A320 had was that besides from being a much newer airframe was it was never really majorly updated in its life, yes it was shrunk A318/19 and stretched 321 the general mechanics stayed pretty the same. 737 was already an oldass frame that had been updated heavily over the years. So now you have a program with an aircraft that's already stretched thin, corporate wants you to compete so yea corners were cut. It was a case of that scene in Apollo 13 where they had to make round filters fit square filters, here is a box of stuff but in this case it was a new engine, new gear, new flight control software and more.

I believe the MCAS system is brilliant in theory just poorly executed at all levels from lousy pilot training (which airlines wanted quick and cheap training) to not having enough back up sensors..


There is an awesome book called Boeing vs Airbus. The companies have totally different visions and strategies.

Oh yea the Edge ST... Ford's biggest issue with it was trying to say it's a Macan S competitor
 
but the foundation of that path seems to rival our Quebec roads.
That's gold lol.

I could see how the press cars would have some wonky logic after being driven in wildly different manners. (balls to the walls / efficiency run / WOT, etc) I wonder if they reset the adaptive learning or not? Either way, a modern transmission should be unobtrusive and it doesn't appear to have been that way for him. On the bright side, I think it's got a good mechanical foundation. They definitely improved the 10 speed since it's initial release in the F150. The '19 drives better than the previous 18 I drove.

The giant screen does look like it was an afterthought. The more mainstream models will probably do better with the regular 8" screen.

I read that people are paying above MSRP for the palisade and telluride in certain markets... What a time to be alive lol.

The Explorer ST makes the Edge's interior feel quite dated by comparison. They're priced fairly close to one another. The 3.0T and RWD bias makes the Explorer a no brainer IMO.
 
SG is the best car reviewer out there. ONLY one that lifts a car up on the lift to look underneath. He's got less subs than everyone else probably because he's too blunt.

As for the Explorer, those panel gaps and interior issues are quite flagrant. The 10 speed auto, I haven't driven but the 6 speed they have in the Fusion is also a mixed bag. It really shifts weird, sometimes it just dumps gears on you as if you had solid engine mounts and other times its buttery smooth. So not sure how a firmware would change the inconsistency. If they kept the same TCU and just added 4 more speeds, then I sort of see how it could be dangerous, especially on a RWD biased platform, when you don't expect it to by violent but it just drops the gear and the back end comes out, like in their video.

The V6TT, is somewhere like 400hp & 400tq so it definitely can go sideways quite quickly.
 
That's gold lol.

I could see how the press cars would have some wonky logic after being driven in wildly different manners. (balls to the walls / efficiency run / WOT, etc) I wonder if they reset the adaptive learning or not? Either way, a modern transmission should be unobtrusive and it doesn't appear to have been that way for him. On the bright side, I think it's got a good mechanical foundation. They definitely improved the 10 speed since it's initial release in the F150. The '19 drives better than the previous 18 I drove.

The giant screen does look like it was an afterthought. The more mainstream models will probably do better with the regular 8" screen.

I read that people are paying above MSRP for the palisade and telluride in certain markets... What a time to be alive lol.

The Explorer ST makes the Edge's interior feel quite dated by comparison. They're priced fairly close to one another. The 3.0T and RWD bias makes the Explorer a no brainer IMO.
Nothing is reset. It's swapped out to another journalist on Monday am. Maybe you get a wash and windscreen fluid. That's about it. There is a place locally that handles the pressfleets With the exception of some brands that require pickup at select dealers.
 
Cette de mode là de sacrer un iPad en plein milieu de la console ou sur le dash, c'est tellement affreux ça pas de sens.
 
I will also say the media embellishes stories. One or two people will report something on a car and they rest will jump on with the same. A perfect example of this was the electric steering in the 991.. a few people said it was crap then everyone started saying the same. In reality there was nothing really wrong with it from the test drivers and engineers point of view. It was just something that got stuck in one person's head "electric PS sucks " and it spread. I actually spoke to a test driver/engineer about it and the day after the launch they went crazy trying to figure out the problem. There was none!

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SG is the best car reviewer out there. ONLY one that lifts a car up on the lift to look underneath. He's got less subs than everyone else probably because he's too blunt.

As for the Explorer, those panel gaps and interior issues are quite flagrant. The 10 speed auto, I haven't driven but the 6 speed they have in the Fusion is also a mixed bag. It really shifts weird, sometimes it just dumps gears on you as if you had solid engine mounts and other times its buttery smooth. So not sure how a firmware would change the inconsistency. If they kept the same TCU and just added 4 more speeds, then I sort of see how it could be dangerous, especially on a RWD biased platform, when you don't expect it to by violent but it just drops the gear and the back end comes out, like in their video.

The V6TT, is somewhere like 400hp & 400tq so it definitely can go sideways quite quickly.

I also think that because he is essentially a one man production, his lengthy videos take considerable time to put together and edit and in this world of what have you done for me lately some people forget about him because there can be significant delay between videos.

Another interesting take away from the video was his feedback about the loud and uncomfortable sensation going over certain bump and potholes. Given the suspension outlined, and the more "truck" nature of the setup I don't know what would prompt that kind of driver feedback. They mentioned that the suspension may have been tuned for a full cabin and that this could be a result of a light load, but that seems like a very far fetched explanation to me. I can't believe that in 2020 SUVs are being designed with that kind of oversight. In Canada the Platinum trim 2020 Explorer starts at $63.5K. If I'm a dealer I don't know that I want any Platinum trim Explorers on my lot......
 
In Canada the Platinum trim 2020 Explorer starts at $63.5K. If I'm a dealer I don't know that I want any Platinum trim Explorers on my lot......

The production mix is likely skewed towards the premium, high margins vehicles. More so when introducing a new model.

The fleet Tahoes were just about impossible to get a few years back. The plant was running at capacity and pumping out as many fully loaded premiers and denalis as they could.

Shoppers looking for the best bang for their buck would likely settle for discounts on the outgoing model whereas whoever wants the new model also likely wants the bells and whistles and to make a statement. They’re also more likely to want to pay for it.

Enter the platinum: all the toys and big rims. What do you mean the lack of sidewall affects the ride? Let’s call it a “sporty” feel.

All the new ones I’ve seen were platinums or STs. I haven’t “noticed any XLTs yet.
 
The production mix is likely skewed towards the premium, high margins vehicles. More so when introducing a new model.

The fleet Tahoes were just about impossible to get a few years back. The plant was running at capacity and pumping out as many fully loaded premiers and denalis as they could.

Shoppers looking for the best bang for their buck would likely settle for discounts on the outgoing model whereas whoever wants the new model also likely wants the bells and whistles and to make a statement. They’re also more likely to want to pay for it.

Enter the platinum: all the toys and big rims. What do you mean the lack of sidewall affects the ride? Let’s call it a “sporty” feel.

All the new ones I’ve seen were platinums or STs. I haven’t “noticed any XLTs yet.
Americans logic: No suspension= Sporty

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Ça me fait quand même chier, c'était un candidat ultra sérieux pour remplacer mon Highlander Hybrid dans 1 an. Y'existe pas grand chose de comparable dans le 7 passagers hybride, ni en 2019 ni en 2020.
 
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