2011 Explorer versus 2010?

1965Stanger

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Jul 23, 2010
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My father was thinking about purchasing a 2009 or 2010 Explorer for an larger vehicle. I suggested he might want to wait for the 2011 model.

Anyone know when it is supposed to hit the dealers? any new options?

Cheers!
 
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They're nice....but the fact that they don't have a V8 option anymore turns me off. SUV's are heavy and require torque. The 3.5L V5 makes decent power, but lacks the all important grunt down low to get these big behemouths moving. That is assuming they didn't put it on a diet between this years model and next years.

The '06-'10 Models are really cats ass as far as a mid size SUV goes. :nice:
 
From what I understand, the '11 is now of a uni-body construction and a few hundred lbs. lighter than the '10's.

GT

According to the video above.....100lbs lighter in total to be exact. An improvement, but still a lot of weight for a V6 to be pushing around. I'm not saying it won't be peppy for your everyday Joe to make trips back and forth to the grocery store with, but it’s going to severely limit towing capability for those guys the like to haul their boats, camper trailers snowmobiles and ATV’s around in the seasonal months. Stout towing capability in a small package was, what the last 3-generations of V8 powered Explores were famous for...especially the most recent 3V powered models.

*EDIT*

Just compared the specs....the 2011 loses 2,300lbs in towing capacity (5,000lbs vs 7,300lbs for the '06-'10 models).

Like the new look and features, but don't like the fact that Ford has just narrowed their target audience to soccer moms and yuppies.
 
While i agree with Gearbanger on most points, I don't think the towing capacity is going to be that big of an issue. 90% of explorers are driven by soccer moms as it is, and i don't see many towing anywhere near 7300 lbs. This new one is roughly 10-30 hp less then the outgoing model, but has a better trans. All in all its a decent package. The price is what sucks lol
 
While i agree with Gearbanger on most points, I don't think the towing capacity is going to be that big of an issue. 90% of explorers are driven by soccer moms as it is, and i don't see many towing anywhere near 7300 lbs. This new one is roughly 10-30 hp less then the outgoing model, but has a better trans. All in all its a decent package. The price is what sucks lol

While I agree that most won't be coming anywhere near the towing capability max in most cases, I think the horsepower/torque deficiency is still going to make itself apparent. You're correct that the horsepower difference isn't a lot, but the 45lbs/ft of torque (most of which is going to be made apparent in the lower ranges where a heavy SUV is going to need it) difference between the two (255lbs/ft vs. 300lbs/ft) is fairly substantial. It'll mean the difference between holding overdrive gear going up those moderate grades and constantly downshifting to make them. Especially when you load them up with gear and multiple occupants.

I'm having that problem with my F150 right now (an issue that will be corrected if I ever pony up the cash for an SCT tune) and it's more of an annoyance than anything. Not to mention the negative affects it has on fuel economy and transmission longevity in the big picture? :shrug:
 
According to the video above.....100lbs lighter in total to be exact. An improvement, but still a lot of weight for a V6 to be pushing around. I'm not saying it won't be peppy for your everyday Joe to make trips back and forth to the grocery store with, but it’s going to severely limit towing capability for those guys the like to haul their boats, camper trailers snowmobiles and ATV’s around in the seasonal months. Stout towing capability in a small package was, what the last 3-generations of V8 powered Explores were famous for...especially the most recent 3V powered models.

*EDIT*

Just compared the specs....the 2011 loses 2,300lbs in towing capacity (5,000lbs vs 7,300lbs for the '06-'10 models).

Like the new look and features, but don't like the fact that Ford has just narrowed their target audience to soccer moms and yuppies.

Honestly Brian I have to disagree for the lighter side of things. I have towed over 1,000 lbs with my 3.0 x5 and not only did my passengers forget anything was being towed, the folks behind me towing their atv's with a v8 SUV noted mine did much better. Its hard to argue with the torque the inline six offers, and I can assume this engine would do just fine too :nice: