2012 FORD EXPLORER: Good looks are not everything

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This article was published 24/02/2012 (4954 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

At first glance, there’s much to admire about Ford’s Explorer, completely reinvented and repackaged last year as more of a crossover than the body-on-frame SUV it once was.

It’s good-looking and sporty, with the utilitarian nature of the two-box wagon body style (without going macho overboard). And, especially with the top Limited trim level, there’s a full load of tech and convenience features to rival those in pricier luxury rigs.

But the big deal for the 2012 model year is in the powertrain department — the addition of a new turbocharged EcoBoost four-cylinder, a more fuel-efficient alternative to the existing 3.5-litre V-6. This makes the Explorer the first Ford model in North America to come with the EcoBoost four-banger.

Some manufacturers are going the hybrid route to achieve maximum fuel efficiency in their sport-utes. Others are offering diesel engines as an alternative. Ford has hitched its wagon to boosted, smaller-displacement gas engines to ease consumer pain at the pumps.

In the Explorer’s situation, this means a robust, 2.0-litre, injected, turbocharged and intercooled engine to ostensibly offer the power of a V-6 while delivering four-cylinder fuel economy. This engine pushes out 240 horsepower at 5,500 r.p.m., develops 270 pound-feet of torque at 1,750 r.p.m. and is paired with a six-speed automatic transmission.

I don’t know how it would fare with seven aboard and towing a trailer, but with my wife and me and a week’s worth of groceries aboard, the stout, 2,047-kilogram SUV proved reasonably peppy, at least in traffic conditions. On a foot-to-the-floor blast to 100 kilometres an hour, an acceleration time of just under 10 seconds is OK, but hardly the stuff of legend.

And consider this: 1. The EcoBoost engine is a $1,000 option. 2. Premium unleaded gas is “recommended”, especially if you want to make use of all 240 horses. 3. The turbo four is available with front-wheel drive only. If you want all-wheel drive, it’s the V-6 for you. 4. Fuel economy, although better than with the V-6, is not a huge improvement. A front-drive V-6-powered Explorer is rated at 11.7 L/100 km in the city and 7.8L/100 km on the highway. The EcoBoost Explorer is rated at 10.4 city and 7.0 highway.

On that last point, my own experience with the four-cylinder generated an average of 12L/100 km during a week of suburban commuting which, compared with other gasoline-powered mid-size SUVs I’ve driven in the past couple of years (albeit AWD versions), is more than acceptable.

Less than acceptable is the Explorer’s handling. The sport-ute drives more like a minivan, with numb, heavy (electric power-assist) steering and little connection with the road. When making turns, it feels more like I’m aiming the vehicle into the corner rather than guiding it through. It’s not as though I was expecting BMW-like reflexes, but the Explorer just feels ponderous.

However, it does soak up bumps and potholes with aplomb, isolating all occupants from nasty road irregularities. And the cabin is quiet; Ford engineers obviously expended considerable effort in quelling noise, vibration and harshness.

I do have a beef with the rest of the interior, though — at least with how it’s configured. The problem is that despite its overall size, the Explorer is cramped with the seven-passenger setup (as are almost all less-than-full-size SUVs trying to cram in three rows). Yes, the cabin is wide (at least it feels that way from the front seats) and there’s plenty of headroom and legroom for those up front, but there’s insufficient legroom for adult-size comfort in the second or third row of seats.

And with the back row up, cargo space is severely compromised — I had to fold the seats to make enough floor room for the groceries. If you truly need all seven seats, Ford’s funky Flex is a better bet.

Driving the topline Limited is no hardship from a comfort and convenience standpoint — the rig is loaded. Not just that, the quality of the cabin materials and the fit and finish are certainly in keeping with the tester’s near-$50,000 price tag.

This brings me to the MyFord Touch system, the super-duper interface for operating the radio, climate control and navigation system as well as connecting with cellphones and portable music players. The system does away with most knobs and buttons — and Ford has been raked over the coals for its complexity.

As a faithful adherent to keeping it simple, I find the graphics for the touchscreen and dashboard displays bright, bold — and distracting. Also, tapping the screen while wearing gloves is an exercise in futility. Still, after removing the gloves and with a bit of practice, I could navigate through the sub-menus to find what I needed.

The upshot? Yes, it could be a hell of a lot more user-friendly, but I wouldn’t scratch the Explorer off my list based on MyFord Touch alone.

However, I can’t help but be disappointed with the Explorer as a whole. The SUV’s unwieldy handling is my biggest beef, followed by the tight cabin configuration and lack of AWD. As for the EcoBoost four-cylinder, it seems a complicated way to deal with fuel economy where a more prudent solution — especially for overweight SUVs — would be to follow the German automakers’ lead and offer a diesel option.

Ultimately, good looks only go so far.

— Postmedia News

THE SPECS

Type of vehicle: Front-wheel-drive mid-size SUV

Engine: Turbocharged 2.0L DOHC four-cylinder

Power: 240 hp @ 5,500 r.p.m.; 270 lb.-ft. of torque @ 1,750 r.p.m.

Transmission: Six-speed automatic

Brakes: Four-wheel disc with ABS

Tires: P255/50R20 (optional)

Price: base/as tested: $41,199/$48,279

Destination charge: $1,500

Transport Canada fuel economy (L/100 km): 10.4 city, 7.0 hwy.