I'm pretty impressed with it. The exterior design is fantastic and so is the interior design and quality. The powertrain is plenty powerful for me and gives good gas mileage. And the technology is fantastic and really, really well integrated!

This is the first Ford product I've craved after and it's an SUV!

http://www.ford.com/technology/sync/myfordtouch/

Check out the watch features video on the right. Love it!

 

no images.......

 

We've had a few threads on it, it seems to get a positive response

 

You've probably seen the pictures before....check out the video at the link!

 

I saw it on a pedestal at SF car show Thankgiving weekend, looked great inside and out. The crowd around it was appreciative too. The Range Rover influence is a good thing.

 

It's first on my review list, after I get back from the hospital and recuperate some.

 

Hospital??

They unveiled the Explorer here in Chicago and im a big fan of it and where Ford is going.

 

All I see are a bunch of silver Corvettes?

 

a fully loaded Explorer comes in around $50k...for that money, I'll settle myself in a RX350

 

$50K Explorer pricing will quickly lead to significant discounting. For me it's less of a concern, giving the pricing available to me as insider via immediate family.

 

Yep. Due for a heart by-pass Monday morning. I'll be out for several days......hope to be back home by around New Years' Day.

 

That's a lot of cash for an Explorer. It had better be a good vehicle to justify that kind of money. You could shell out that much for a F-150 King Ranch/Lariat Limited/Platinum, or Harley-Davidson, the most expensive light-duty trucks sold under the Ford nameplate.

 

You or someone in your family interested in one?

Discounting, of course, will (probably) go by supply and demand. Demand for Explorers, though of course not at the huge 1990's levels due to more competition today, is still significant. But, in the past, Ford has generally built enough (and dealers kept enough in stock) to meet demand. I don't see how that will change much with the new model, though, of course, it may be in a little short supply at first.

Discounting or not, though (and regardless of what the dealers charge customers), Ford itself will still probably get some handsome profits off of each Explorer.....Ford/GM trucks and SUVs have traditionally had some of the highest profit-margins in the industry. At one time not long ago, Ford was reportedly making some $8000 profit (yes, that's right, eight thousand) off of each Expedition sold. If the top-line Explorers go for 50K like baddis es suggests, you can be sure that Ford will make a killing....regardless of what dealerships charge customers, they generally all pay the same price to the factory when they order vehicles, and a new Explorer, especially with the new lower-wage UAW contracts, certainly doesn't cost $50K to build.

 

It was well know that Ford made 8000 on the taurus, if you roughly took into account all overhead like parts and labor, so at the height of the SUV craze they did considerable better with Explorers, Expeditions and the Navigator, back in the day I had a teacher who was a Ford/Volvo Executive, hopefully more money is put towards quality this time.

With that said, mmarshall I wish you a Happy and Healthy recovery, and look forward to your reviews, they always make me feel like I just walked away from a test drive

 

Hard to believe that they made that much on the Taurus at the factory-level, but, if you have good info on it that I don't, I'll take your word for it.


Thanks. You guys will get a new 2011 Explorer full-review as soon as I recover.....probably in several weeks. In the meantime, IS-SV said he also plans to test-drive one....we'll hear his report.