Test drive Ford Explorer 2001 - 2005 SUV

Free Wanderer

Ford Explorer, already well -replicated, in the third generation retained the best that the predecessors had, but at the same time changed noticeably.

There are among the SUVs and proletarians, and midwives (hard workers, but with comfortable conditions), and frank Belarusians. The new Explorer is difficult to attribute to a particular group or variety, if you like. His direct ancestor, who appeared in 1990, seemed to belong to Caste Midlov, that is, ran well on relatively impassability, was available (especially behind the ocean) of the middle class and provided the owner exactly as much comfort as a simple American needs.

The new Explorer is the maximum of amenities on the minimum of space. The car interior leaves no doubt that when moving along roads of varying severity, the driver and passengers will be in fairly convenient conditions. Not supercomfort, of course, but at least there is neither a danger of breaking his head against protruding corners and pens, nor the likelihood of an exacerbation of any marine disease.

The car contains decent both by weight and volume the amount of cargo and, most importantly, copes well with large trailers. Despite the relatively small weight of the machine, a trailer can be safely attached to the towbar, both residential and boat, snowmobile, quad or hydraulic cycle. The total weight of the trailer equipped with a braking mechanism is up to 1600 kg. In principle, the 200-horsepower Explorer Limited, having a equipped mass of about 1900 kg, will easily pull more, but, according to the Americans, the ride will cease to be comfortable and safe.

This opinion is quite strange: in the USA, when limiting the speed on public roads, 60 miles/h, with such a weight, the average, by American standards, sedan or station wagon will cope without problems. The reason, most likely, lies not in power and mass, but in the fact that, according to the criteria for Explorer’s security, it is conditionally related to the category of rolled cars, which, by the way, is a special warning on a special memory plate in the cabin.

Indeed, the SUV accelerates without any problems, even in a very active movement mode, but really does not like sharp turns. It does not reach crime, but at a decent speed you can survive many unpleasant moments, especially if the turn is steep. You won’t even understand what to do when you start to feel how the car does not climb into the turn in the automatic connection mode of the front bridge. It feels like it should. But does not want to. The impression is that in this movement, Explorer is not enough. The wheel is still far from the demolition, but the roll out of the turn is so great that it is scary to argue with the steering wheel, and, throwing the gas, putting pressure on the brake, the legs do not turn risky. In a word, one must get used to, as, however, to other jeeps.

Validity is partly the back of comfort in the cabin. Explorer suspension is soft enough for a car of this class and long -term. This is necessary to overcome off -road, where the car behaves almost exemplary if you go slowly and thoughtfully. An independent suspension of all wheels allows us to relatively easily overcome obstacles that the first and second versions were difficult to interfere with bridges. Now, the risk of planting on the bridges has significantly decreased, which is especially relevant on soft and loose soils. It became easier to live on uneven paths.

The passage of the version with the drive only to the rear axle (the most popular in some areas of North America) has improved significantly. As a rule, this modification is bought for the role of a tractor.

Full -wheel drive is mostly interested in those who, in duty, spends a lot of time outside civilization or, at the command of the soul, climbing into the jungle. It will not hurt those who, by their own way, lower the boat and water motorcycles from the trailer.

The all -wheel drive modification has three transmission modes: the first automatic connection of the front -wheel drive, the second permanent all -wheel drive, the third permanent all -wheel drive with lowering gears. The first two can be switched right on the go, without fear of the state of the transmission elements. The latter is only at a complete stop.

The gearbox, of course, is automatic, with a classic location of the lever of switching modes on the steering column. Some jeepers of domestic outliness, of course, say that a decent all -terrain vehicle can only be with a stick, but they will not be quite right. If you get used to the algorithm for the work of the automatic transmission of the new Explorer (this is not difficult), you can completely fearlessly go as an off -road, an automatic machine in this case will be more convenient than mechanics.

Without turning on the creeping mode, the 4-liter engine will allow smoothly and gently squeeze out almost all of its Newtonometers, without breaking the wheels even on a relatively slippery coating. The traction of the engine, despite the modest (again by American standards), the working volume, excellent. Checked in liquid mud, on soft sand and sea coast. The main thing is not to put the car on the belly and turn on the correct operation of the transmission in time.

With a sufficiently large internal volume and the ability to decompose an additional series of seats, designed for two persons, slightly puzzles the luggage compartment. Having removed additional seats, you will find that the plane on which the luggage is placed is strongly tilted towards the cargo door. Because of this, small things that have not found a place in their pockets and glove compartment of the salon slowly but confidently slide to the rear opening and accumulate there. And when opening the door, they fall out.

If, from the privileges that have been found out during the drive, it turns out that the Ford Explorer in the Limited version is worthy of the money that they ask for it. In the States, the price of the new version is $ 34290.

The car is a very comfortable means of transportation on asphalt, country and solid soil for its class.

For Russia, the price of the researcher at the time of our acquaintance with him was not accurately determined, but, according to preliminary data, the vacation value of the 2002 Ford Explorer will be about forty -five thousand dollars or a little less.

Technical characteristics Ford Explorer Limited

Body station wagon
Number of places, people. 5
Equipped mass, kg 1850
Dimensions (length/width/height), mm 4813/1831/1837
Base, mm 2888
Maximum speed, km/h 180
Fuel control (mixed cycle), l/100 km 13.8
Engine:
type V6
- working volume, cm3 3996
- Power, L.S. at MIN-1 210/5100
- torque, NM at min-1 290/3700
- power supply system for multiple injection
Transmission automatic., 5-speed
TRAC Control III 4x4 drive
Tire size 235/70r16
Wheel suspension:
- The front is independent
- The rear is multi -link
Brakes:
- front disk
- rear disc
Steering gear-rake type, with an amplifier
Price, $ ~ 45000.

Text: Igor Vladimirov

Source: Magazine 5 wheel [09/2002]