Ford Explorer - Road Test - Update - American SUV

Since its 1990 introduction, the Ford Explorer has established itself as the embodiment of clean-cut, all-American automotive family values: able off road, yet cushy and competent in the cut-and-thrust traffic of suburban sprawl.

Earlier this year, when Ford's familiar 5.0-liter OHV V-8 finally appeared as an alternative to the 4.0-liter OHV V-6, the Explorer got better in every way but one: The V-8 wasn't available with four-wheel drive. Well, now it is. And unlike the two-wheel-drive V-8 option, which is restricted to midlevel XLT trim, the all-wheel-drive/V-8 combination can be ordered on any four-door Explorer, including the Eddie Bauer and Limited.

The big advantage of the V-8 over the V-6 isn't its 210 horsepower; it's the meaty 280 pound-feet of torque available at 3500 rpm. Combined with the full-time all-wheel-drive system (the only four-wheel-drive system offered with the V-8), that torque makes the Explorer easier to slug out of sticky bogs. Despite an intake manifold cribbed from the '94 Mustang Cobra, this is very much a big-truck motor backed by a big-truck four-speed automatic transmission; the engine doesn't wind high, and the space between gears is vast. The overall effect is that the truck is more confident and athletic than it is with the V-6.

Operation of the all-wheel drive system is transparent, with 65 percent of the engine's output delivered to the rear wheels and 35 percent to the fronts during normal operation. In extreme situations, the transfer case's viscous coupling redistributes available torque to either the front or rear axle, depending on which has more traction. Unless the trucks are boony whompin', it's almost impossible to detect any behavioral difference between the all-wheel-drive V-8 Explorer and the two-wheel-drive version.

It may be a "compact" sport/utility vehicle, but the Explorer is 188.5 inches long and weighs in at about 4500 pounds; that's less than five inches longer than a Ford Contour, but as much tonnage as a Cadillac Fleetwood. All that weight saps subtlety from the suspension, which can seem mushy on road and less than perfect off. The V-8-powered (and smaller) Jeep Grand Cherokee has slightly better manners on the street and significantly more ability on the trail.

Few Explorers will ever see a trail anyhow, and no comparable sport/utility can match the Ford's ability to comfortably swallow passengers and cargo. From the easy-to-use oversize buttons comprising the radio controls to the power door-lock switch thoughtfully located on the left side of the rear cargo area, the Explorer is supremely convenient. This SUV doesn't define its owner's lifestyle; it accommodates and expands whatever lifestyle the owner already has. Because that's been enough to keep the Explorer the hottest seller in the hottest segment of the new-vehicle market, the all-wheel-drive V-8 model can only strengthen Ford's dominant sales position.