Test drive Ford Explorer 2001 - 2005 SUV

Snow opera

America taught us to drink a stake from the neck and chew hamburgers without getting out of the steering wheel. It is especially nice to do this in Chevrolet Trailblazer or Ford Explorer.
 
Broadway musicals have long been filmed according to the scenario developed once. Actors take appropriate poses, gesture and even make up as taught. In short, the audience does not encourage the Broadway.
In this, the American automotive industry is somewhat similar to Broadway directors. You can demonstrate to the pulse to be lost at the automobile exhibitions of the concept punishment, from which the roof goes, but under the real roof of his car, the American wants to see a musical in miniature-so that everything is familiar from an barefoot childhood in Arizona.
 
 
 
 
Hey, on the barge! In both cars, Chevrolet Trailblazer and Ford Explorer, one concept is laid - a large family ship that is not terrible for everyday storms and off -road around the great lakes. Moreover, the latter is not observed there. The average American, preoccupied with his wife and a couple of children, should equally comfortably engage in national sports-traveling to Mool for purchases on Saturdays, and on the last day week-end-with sons for fishing. But free weekend, when you can get out and hunt, do not fall often, and therefore Trailblazer and Explorer remain for three quarters of city cars.
Moving on them along the city streets is amazingly convenient. The feeling is that they do not go, but float along the asphalt, and you feel not a driver, but steering. Moreover, the steering wheel on Trailblazer and Explorer is amazingly soft. By the way, this is the property of all American cars. In a leisurely city stream, when you have to maneuver often, this is a plus. On the highway, when you go at speed, this is a minus. Because even minor irregularities provoke a noticeable backlash of the steering wheel, however, on Explorer it manifests itself a little weaker.
All American cars are characterized by amazing smoothness - our SUVs are no exception. Pits, potholes, even low borders, both SUVs swallow with ease, responding to obstacles with a light roll. Indeed, like a ship. Not all sedans can boast of such smoothness. As the power of the motor cannot show, which allows you to easily lead the race to the next traffic light.
And what is surprising, despite the powerful motors of both Trailblazer and Explorer in the city cycle have a moderate appetite - up to 15 liters of fuel per hundred. Moreover, in food they are not picky and quite calmly digest the 92nd gasoline.
   
 
Two of the casket ... We’ll make a reservation right away: Trailblazer-not variations on the theme of the old Brazilian-Yelabuzh Blayser. This is a new car, an intermediate link between Blazer and Tahoe. For comfort and configuration - almost the last, that is, the upper one. But what is surprising: transplanting from the Trailblazer salon to Explorer, you feel Deji-vu, they are so similar. Despite the fact that Explorer is a long -liver in the market of American tracks.
Both SUVs, of course, with an automatic box. But in the Trailblazer salon, the Good-Bye America melody is already sounding-the gearbox lever and the handbrake are located on the console between the driver and the passenger, to please the European buyer. On both SUVs, the distribution of the handout is carried out with a light movement of the hand, or rather - a toothbler on the front panel. This is already a standard for American all -wheel drive tracks. Like a cruise control not very in demand in our conditions.
Naturally, a full electric package is provided, and silent electric motorists move back and forth everything that can move. Alas, just not the steering column, which is regulated only in height. Also an American version. The audio system and climate control units are located in both cars in the same place - in the beard, and their work algorithms are so similar that a logical question arises: are Ford and Chevrolet from one supplier?
Nevertheless, according to the presence of comfortable stray, Trailblazer beats Explorer as a lying. It was not without reason that he tore off the applause on the presentation called the Detroit car dealership of 2002, and won the Truck of the Year title. In the buttons that control the functions of the on -board computer and located on each of the four steering spokes, we figured out only on the second day. Through this computer (I hope, programmers from Microsoft did not have a hand) can be controlled by numerous service functions - to monitor the fuel consumption, configure the alarm and the lighting algorithm (you can set a delay in turning off the headlights for a couple of minutes so that in the dark to get from Parking home), control the timer. Just does not cook coffee and does not bring up children ...
We were completely finished off by the presence of a digital tape recorder on the ceiling for 4 minutes - so that a business person could leave a small Voice Memo without looking up from the road. Or listen to instructions from the wife - what to buy on the way home: a bottle of Brut and half a pound of a white caviar (options are possible).
 
 
 
... the same from the face? I am not a fan of black caviar, and I have a few comments on the trail of the year. They are subjective, but quite justified, especially in comparison with the good old Explorer. It is more convenient to sit in Ford and proudly survey the surroundings. The edge of the driver's glass is much lower, the front and back racks do not interfere. Maybe it's my growth and landing, but in Explorer - more comfortable. Yes, and the light cream upholstery of the Ford salon looks much richer and festive than dark gray in Chevrolet. Thanks to the classic poker in Explorer, there is more space between the front riders. Not a dance floor, of course, but you can place a lot of additional bells and whistles. For example, a refrigerator for drinks.
But in Trailblazer, they took care of the rear passengers-a separate business package was mounted on the central console for them. It includes radio (you can listen to FM-stereo through headphones), as well as a separate climate control unit and a 12V outlet.
I DO NOT BELIEVE! There is another significant difference that is clearly visible in photographs in profile. This is the clearance Trailblazer and Explorer. In the first, it is much lower, although we got a car subjected to light tuning - thresholds were installed on it. The view of these thresholds suggested that there was no need to climb on this car in the snow virgin land. And then until spring we will say: we are well sitting! And the point is not in all -season tires - a similar one was installed on Explorer. It’s just to the Ford filming place on a deep rut more confidently than Trailblazer. The latter was constantly sausage from side to side, despite the fact that the handout was already switched to reduced mode for a long time.
Of course, deep loose snow is a very critical situation, and a normal driver in a sober mind in a snow field at a temperature of plus 2 hardly climbs. But the situation is very revealing - a powerful Trailblazer engine requires more attentive driving on the roads. In short, gas should be pressed on the gas as if between the leg and the pedal - an egg. As soon as the crankshaft revolutions jump over the mark of 2 thousand, so Chevrolet begins to burst into the ground with all four leading ones.
Different scenario. With a almost equal price and a similar image between these two cars there is one big difference. Trailblazer is a more powerful road cruiser for the city, highways and non -thorough trips to nature. At the same time, he has all the advantages of a representative limousine in terms of his configuration.
Explorer is more democratic - if desired, you can start it in a rather risky adventure on a rather serious off -road. And in the city, such a car will not shame its owner - it is stuffed with all modern electromechanical options above the roof. And everything else is from the evil one.
Text Nikolay Kachurin, photo Alexey Ilyin
Cars are provided for the CIS General Motors, (095) 777-6886, and Major Auto (Ford Explorer), (095) 737-8257.
       
Model/Modification Chevrolet Trailblazer Ltz Ford Explorer Ltd.
Producer-manufacturer/Country Chevrolet Motor Division/USA Ford Motor Co./sha
BODY
Type station wagon
Number of doors/places 5/5 5/5
ENGINE
Basin type with electronic injection
Front location, longitudinally in front, longitudinally
Working volume (cubic meter) 4157 3996
Number/location of cylinders 6/rowing 6/V-shaped
Power, kW (L.S.) at about./Min. 201 (273) at 6000 157 (213) at 5250
Moment (Nm at about./Min.) 373 at 3600 339 at 4000
TRANSMISSION
Rear drive, connected full
Automatic gearbox, 4-speed automatic, 5-speed
SUSPENSION
Front spring, on double triangular levers, a reptile stabilizer
The back of the hard rear bridge, Panar's thrust, the reptile stabilizer is spring, on double triangular levers, the reptile stabilizer
STEERING
Type gear rack with a hydraulic booster
Min. The diameter of the turn (m) 11.3 12.5
Brakes
Front/rear circular ventilated/disk ventilated ventilated/disk disk
Dimensions/volumes/weight
Length/width/height (mm) 4870/1895/1830 4810/1830/1830
Wheel base (mm) 2870 2890
Mass (kg) 2100 1965
Tires/Disks 245/70 R16/7J 235/70 R16/7J
Dynamic characteristics
Maximum speed (km/h) ›190 180
Acceleration to 100 km/h (sec.) 9.0 10.0
Economy
Fuel consumption (l/100 km, city/highway) 14.2/11.2 15.7/11.8
The price in Moscow from $ 46 thousand $ 44.5 thousand.
 

Source: "Autopilot"