For those of you waiting to see the new 2020 Explorer (assuming you have not seen one earlier at auto shows or other pre-production displays), Ford has apparently started to ship them. In my area (D.C. suburbs), some dealerships have them marked "In Transit"......which means that they have been ordered, built, and, in time, will be on the way to the dealership. Ford had originally scheduled the new Explorer release for June, and it looks like they are more or less still on track. Per request, I plan to do a full-review myself, as I did when the last-generation Explorer debuted in 2011.

https://www.ford.com/suvs/explorer/?...r-all-vehicles

 

suppose to be a major improvement over the last gen, which used a unoptimized chassis not designed to be a crossover from the get go. Had one for a rental while back and was not impressed at all

 

The outgoing 5th-generation Explorer, and its Ford Flex and Lincoln MKT cousins, used the D4 platform, which is closely related to the D3 platform used on the FWD Taurus.

 

also this platform going to RWD is a big plus, the towing ability is much better

 

yes after owning a gen before the last gen (rwd) for 8 years (loved it), i was also very unimpressed by the last gen which felt like a ludicrously space-inefficient barge with fwd handling and steering. um, no.

this new one seems like a massive improvement.

 

I also had one as a rental and was surprised by how little leg space I had in the driver's seat

 

Beautiful proportions and short front overhang. Great engine line-up. Base engine is 300hp. 365hp middle option, and 400hp ST option. Also the Explorer shed 200lbs iirc

 

The plastic cladding makes it look crappy IMO.

 

It's an SUV. Most of them have lower-body cladding.

 

That has been a trend for many many many years. Almost every SUV maker has done it or still does it. Oh well

 

I don't think it looks "crappy" at all, but looks are obviously subjective.

 

When you get to the higher price points, they tend not to do it. The Aviator is body colored. This is a bit higher priced that the smaller cross overs.

 

That's mostly true, but not a science. The NX and RX both use plastic trim. The RX can be priced to near $65K in Hybrid AWD and Luxury Pkg.

 

its functional, rocks will tear up the fenders if you go off road without it

 

Plastic comes in body coloured plastic.