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"  When does a soccer mom need 4WD low? Does a guy commuting in Chicago need 9 inches of ground clearance? When was the last time anybody you know had to ford a stream? Honest answers to these questions explain the end of SUV boom and current popularity of crossovers.  In terms of market share, crossover utility vehicles overtook traditional SUVs in 2006. Currently, crossovers are America&amp;#039;s most popular class of vehicle, accounting for nearly one in four new vehicles sold. According to George Pipas, Ford&amp;#039;s senior sales analyst, crossovers represented just 3.1 percent of the market in 2000, while SUVs captured several times that. In 2009, Pipas claims, 21.5 percent of the market was crossovers, and just 6.6 percent SUVs. The gap will be even wider for 2010, and looking further ahead, body-on-frame SUVs may settle into a low single-digit share position. &amp;quot;Crossovers dominate going forward,&amp;quot; Pipas says, &amp;quot;leaving traditional SUVs to become more of a niche product.&amp;quot; Faced with this reality, it&amp;#039;s no wonder Ford radically altered the all-new, fifth-generation Explorer. The market has spoken, making it easy to understand why Ford ditched body-on-frame construction and pickup truck mechanicals. Top-selling features for the 2011 Explorer include sedan-like fuel economy and enhanced safety features delivered in a seven-passenger body that doesn&amp;#039;t look like a minivan.  The Specs The 2011 Explorer, which begins arriving in Ford dealerships this winter, rides on a unique version of Ford&amp;#039;s versatile D-platform. While the new unibody Explorer shares pieces with the Taurus, Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT, it&amp;#039;s not just a car with an SUV body draped over it. As one company representative said: &amp;quot;It had to meet all the requirements of our truck durability testing, so when people look underneath, they&amp;#039;ll find more things unique to Explorer than not.&amp;quot; The Explorer&amp;#039;s own version of the D-platform suspension utilizes a short/long arm design up front (with 32-mm stabilizer bar) and an independent rear setup with coil-over dampers. Ford&amp;#039;s electrically assisted steering is standard. All-wheel drive is optional. Compared to the outgoing Explorer, the new model is nearly 4 inches wider, 4 inches longer and 2 inches lower. Curb weights have not yet been finalized, but comparably equipped Generation IV Explorers were said to be 100 pounds heavier, so the latest edition should weigh approximately 4500 pounds. Styling If you recall the Explorer America concept shown in 2008, you can forget about it now. The larger 2011 Explorer doesn&amp;#039;t look much like the Bronco-esque concept, which is not necessarily a bad thing. From different angles, elements of the big crossover remind one of various Range Rovers, including the handsome Evoque. Especially in lighter colors, only the body-color C-pillars seem to support the otherwise floating roof. Tinted windows and the blacked-out A-, B- and D-pillars make the effect possible.  The blunted nose includes headlamps that share a family look with the Ford Edge. Looking better than it does on the Taurus, a three-bar arrangement fills the grille opening. The shape of the tail lamps mimics the headlamps, tying the design together. Overall, the Explorer wears its larger size well. The gaps between door panels and are commendably tight, measuring just a few millimeters. Inside, the design is clean. Gone are the tough truck cues of the old Explorer. Oversize truck-like elements were replaced with a design that would look at home in a full-size sedan. In front, soft-touch materials and real metals provide the d\u00E9cor. The top-level Explorer Limited includes the full MyFord Touch system with reconfigurable IP LCDs and an 8-inch center-stack touch-screen liquid-crystal display.  Interior room is generous (151.7 cubic feet total), with space for adults in all three rows.  Power The 60-degree 4.0-liter V6 engine that&amp;#039;s standard in the 2010 Explorer can trace its lineage back to 1968. In terms of power, efficiency and NVH, the Cologne V6 was never all that good, making an easy target for positive comparisons against the 2011 Explorer. In other words, just about any modern engine would better the 2010 model&amp;#039;s standard V6. Configured transversely, the 2011 Explorer&amp;#039;s base engine is Ford&amp;#039;s corporate 3.5-liter V6 with independent variable camshaft timing for intake and exhaust. The engine produces a healthy 290 hp at 6500 rpm and 255 lb-ft of torque at 4000 rpm. That bests the old 4.0-liter by 80 hp, while delivering 20 percent better fuel economy. The new 3.5-liter V6 even compares favorably to the 2010 Explorer&amp;#039;s optional 4.6-liter V8, nearly matching its 292 hp. A six-speed automatic is standard for 2011. While official numbers are not yet available, expect V6 numbers in the neighborhood of the Ford Flex, at 17 mpg city, 24 mpg highway. The new V6 provides the power to tow up to 5000 pounds. Trailer sway control and a tow-haul mode will be available to help with especially heavy loads.  In a seismic shift for Americans, a smaller, less powerful engine is optional. Checking the box for the extra-cost 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder improves fuel economy beyond that of the V6. Ford claims the EcoBoosted seven-passenger Explorer will achieve EPA numbers similar to a six-cylinder Toyota Camry, which means 20/29 mpg city/highway. With boost topping out at 16 psi, the EcoBoost motor generates 237 hp at 5500 rpm and 250 lb-ft of torque from 1400 to 4000 rpm. To maximize its efficiency, this engine is not available with all-wheel drive. Given the negligible difference in torque output between the V6 (255 lb-ft) and the Ecoboost (250 lb-ft), it will be interesting to compare the two engines when we drive it later this year.  Lest Ford be accused of going soft with the Explorer, it made Terrain Management part of the optional AWD system. There&amp;#039;s a button that activates hill-descent control to automatically control the vehicle&amp;#039;s downhill speed. Going a step further, Terrain Management features a control wheel that allows a driver to select different settings for snow, sand, mud and normal street driving, which employ different throttle mappings, transmission-shift settings, initial torque splits, and traction-control strategies to improve the 2011 Explorer off-road capabilities. Still, don&amp;#039;t expect to see this Explorer tackling the Rubicon anytime soon. Safety While the Explorer&amp;#039;s exploding Firestone tire fiasco (circa 2000) is now but a distant memory to most of us, Ford certainly hasn&amp;#039;t forgotten to focus on safety. Standard airbags include front, side and a third-row canopy that reacts during side impacts and rollover events. In addition to the usual safety features, the company has decided to make a few advanced safety features\u2014such as collision warning\u2014optional. When the forward-facing radar used for the automatic cruise control detects an impending obstacle and signals a warning, the precharged brake system actually begins to apply braking force as the driver releases pressure on the accelerator, which can greatly reduce braking distances in an emergency. Curve Control is another new active safety feature. In situations where a driver enters a turn too quickly, some drivers fail to notice the obvious and never hit the brakes. The resulting off-road excursion might have been avoided if the driver had slowed, even after entering the corner. Curve Control works with the Explorer&amp;#039;s AdvanceTrac stability control to apply active braking force when needed to keep a vehicle on its intended path as determined by sensors measuring vehicle speed, steering wheel angle, roll, pitch and yaw. According to Ford, Curve Control can bleed off up to 10 mph in just 1 second, which is enough of a reduction to keep the vehicle on the road. While these active systems might be effective, they also might be too complex for the average buyer to comprehend. However, new safety features parents will likely opt for are the inflatable safety belts for the second-row outboard seats. These belts incorporate airbags that, when inflated, spread the deceleration load on the occupant over a larger surface area, reducing the chance of serious injury. The Bottom Line Given the trend toward crossovers, Ford is adapting the Explorer\u2014once among the bestselling vehicles in America with back-to-back years of more than 400,000 sales\u2014to suit the market. And with the Explorer moving out of the SUV category, there&amp;#039;s suddenly room for Ford to reintroduce the Bronco. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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