Ford Rolls out the Rear Wheel Drive 2020 Explorer Ahead of the Detroit Auto Show

Well this really doesn't makes my decision any easier as I was just getting ready to buy a new fully loaded Explorer Sport. I would much rather have the ST Explorer but I'm not sure if I can hold off that long. With two small kids we have already outgrown both cars.

Plus the 2019 models will start to have huge rebates on them the closer 2020 models are to arrive then add on my A-plan discount and the savings can really add up off the $54.000 sticker price.

Decisions Decisions :confused:
 
This needs to stop
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Rinsky
Well this really doesn't makes my decision any easier as I was just getting ready to buy a new fully loaded Explorer Sport. I would much rather have the ST Explorer but I'm not sure if I can hold off that long. With two small kids we have already outgrown both cars.

Plus the 2019 models will start to have huge rebates on them the closer 2020 models are to arrive then add on my A-plan discount and the savings can really add up off the $54.000 sticker price.

Decisions Decisions :confused:
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If I were you, I'd take the current one for a test drive and just see how much you like it on its own. Sure, the Volvo-based platform under it is pretty old, but it is Volvo, and safety's important. I'm guessing the weather doesn't quite devolve into blizzard levels in your area compared to up here, so the front-based 4WD system is also probably less of an issue.

On a personal note, I like the tidy, classic styling of the current one more too. And the interior is missing that oops-we-pasted-an-iPad-to-the-dash look. :lol:
 
RocZX
This needs to stop
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Every time I something like that I start wondering how many days it will be before someone breaks into the car and tries to pry the touchscreen loose. But then again I can remember when even leaving an empty cellphone holder on the dash was a giant "Break Into Me" sign, so yeah.

Also not entirely sold on LCD panels replacing mechanical gauges, but at least that's unobtrusive.
 
SlipZtrEm
If I were you, I'd take the current one for a test drive and just see how much you like it on its own. Sure, the Volvo-based platform under it is pretty old, but it is Volvo, and safety's important. I'm guessing the weather doesn't quite devolve into blizzard levels in your area compared to up here, so the front-based 4WD system is also probably less of an issue.

On a personal note, I like the tidy, classic styling of the current one more too. And the interior is missing that oops-we-pasted-an-iPad-to-the-dash look. :lol:
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We took the current 2019 Explorer Sport for a test drive about 2 months ago and we were very impressed with the drive.
The Explorer has a much smoother ride than the Ford Edge and I wasn't expecting that out of a big SUV. My wife was so against the idea of getting a big SUV because she was convinced they were like the ones she had driven in the past and that all of them would have a rough ride like a truck. She was completely shocked when she found that the Explorer had a nice and smooth ride and didn't feel like a truck.

There are definitely things about both the 2019 & 2020 Explorers I like. I've really wanted a new Explorer ST model even before it was officially announced because I had already seen the Edge ST in person and knew the Explorer ST wouldn't be far behind.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with the current 2019 Explorer Sport and we really liked everything about it for our family but in the end the vehicles price will definitely play the deciding factor in our decision.

Yes I want the newest toy like any other kid but Ford almost always throws out big discounts on the outgoing models when an all new redesigned model is coming in. The savings will be substantially higher compared to the 2020 model. I can't see us passing up on those kinda savings for the current Explorer because it's so nice already. I have about a month to decide because if I do decide on the 2020 Explorer ST I need to place my order to have it built.
 
RocZX
This needs to stop
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What do you propose instead? I see a lot of people bitching but I also see those same people using the screens, and none of them are proposing a different idea.

If a person doesn't like this then how can they possibly say they like the Model 3? A lot of people seem to like how the Model 3 does it.
 
Keef
What do you propose instead? I see a lot of people bitching but I also see those same people using the screens, and none of them are proposing a different idea.

If a person doesn't like this then how can they possibly say they like the Model 3? A lot of people seem to like how the Model 3 does it.
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I'll propose an idea.... make the connection just a plain type C usb and slap it in a bracket that can go landscape or portrait.

Give us an app on the tablet that can sync with the car.

When newer tablets come out, change it.
 
TonyJZX
When newer tablets come out, change it.
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Flawless. Let's let people use their own tablets, assuming they have tablets and are interested in using them in a car. Better yet, where are they supposed to put their tablets when they park their cars? Leave them in there prone to robbery? The infotainment in current cars are part of the CAN network and are very sturdily mounted so they can't be stolen. Where the hell am I supposed to put my ipad when I go to the grocery?
 
Keef
What do you propose instead? I see a lot of people bitching but I also see those same people using the screens, and none of them are proposing a different idea.
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Not having something looks like an after thought when designing the dash. Try making it look more integrated into the dash give it a more cleaner look. If they want to have "I mounted a tablet to dash look" maybe something like THIS it looks way better.
If a person doesn't like this then how can they possibly say they like the Model 3? A lot of people seem to like how the Model 3 does it.
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The Model 3 doesn't count cause it a Tesla. It's the "cool thing" to have a Tesla. It's doesn't matter how it looks, it's affordable more people can buy it. It's like the iPhone it doesn't matter how ugly and stupid Apple makes people still want it.
 
Tornado
An infotainment setup integrated into the dashboard.
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So you're asking for a giant dashboard is what you're saying.

Look at the size of the screen in the new Exploder and tell me exactly how you're going to integrate that into the dashboard while also keeping the buttons and knobs that we all demand. Ram did it but of course that's a full size truck with an enormously wide and tall dashboard. The Explorer's dashboard is clearly much lower, with a more spacious feel and better visibility. Pretty much every instance of large screens being "integrated" into the dashboard simply results in a very tall, bulky dashboard that feels like you're sitting behind a wall. The Model 3 and Model S actually show the differences very well and they're from the same company. While the Model 3 has a very spacious, airy feeling with excellent forward visibility, and the Model S has a giant flat wall of a dashboard which neither feels spacious nor looks luxurious. The '19 Mercedes E-class has a similar obnoxiously tall dashboard. The new Audi A6 doesn't...but it digitized all the controls which we hate. The new Palisade has done what Mercedes did, presenting you with a giant black wall.

None of these solutions seem to make anybody happy. This Explorer's solution seems unique, and while it is a bit weird, I think it will be practical and also allow for a low dashboard with a more spacious feeling. I'm sure I'll find out as I'll probably rent one at some point at work.
 
Keef
Look at the size of the screen in the new Exploder and tell me exactly how you're going to integrate that into the dashboard while also keeping the buttons and knobs that we all demand.
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It seems like they could make it landscape instead of portrait and it'd fit better.

Or just do the Tesla thing and move the buttons to the screen, although that's a bit irritating.
 
Or maybe just get rid of the giant glowing distraction altogether and design a sensible center console control scheme, since vehicles seemed to get along just fine without them for a good century or so.

Touchscreens in cars have always felt like a case of "because we can charge more for it" to me, and even in newer vehicles that I've tried them in, I've not really felt like they have any advantage over a mechanical knob or switch that can be adjusted without looking away from the road.
 
I've never minded the tacked-on tablet thing, because it allows for a much better, visually lighter, and more elegant dashboard as @Keef mentioned.

However, this particular attempt is woeful. By that I mean it is full of woe. My Nokia Lumia from 2012 had smaller (proportionally) bezels than that thing. While some OEM's are looking to work with different layers of the dash to "fold" the tablet into the design (like the new Mazda3), this looks like there was a dashboard designed first, and then somebody put a tablet on it. Not great.

Lexus seems to be having (IMO) the best success in actually integrating the screen into the dash with their split level schemes and Audi's scheme is pretty cool. I feel like it will look dated real soon though. The Mercedes solution is quite bad, maybe the worst option.

I would really like to see somebody use a curved screen, bend it from the vertical to horizontal surface of the dash. Could be awesome, IMO.
 
Couple sources are claiming 400hp instead of 365hp as originally predicted.
 
A review of the new Explorer (language warning):


And yep the screen functionality is not the best, and seems to be tacked on as an afterthought. The transmission design/programming makes the shifts harsher than they should be.
 
I like the rear and interior but I have no idea what they've done with the front. I don't think science has a name for the shape of that grille.

@05XR8 there's literally a Chinese license plate on the car, Chinese people in the seats, Chinese on the dash, and Chinese on the rear hatch. It might be a Ssangyong or Haval.
 

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