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Lately I have tested the new Ford Explorer 2006 RSC Advanced Trail. And I was impressed. I leave you to find a total list of specs of this the most selling SUV in North America somewhere else on countless web sites, in auto mags, and present below impression and opinion of my own.

Ford Explorer 2006 is the real evidence that straggling company is on a right track to gain back trust of Americans significantly corroded in a last 15-20 years, though Explorer, as it discussed before, remains the bestseller thru these years of Japanese auto growth to the Yankee market.

The new Explorer is one of those automobiles that present well balanced combination of SUV and vehicle capabilities. Its road ride on a 100/120 km per hour is smooth and absolute cars’ like. Essentially I regret while on a front passenger seat that this SUV is missing a handle above the window which is standard on each well supplied auto model. Other than that it is provide car’s comfort in every dimension with glorious noise protection. Robust engine almost silent, suspension soft enough, dashboard is well designed with all buttons of a right size and in correct place except maybe gear shifter that looks like an on/off turn on a youngsters electronic toy.

I am a vehicle guy, so to resume SUV/car comparison I have also worked out the front passenger of new Explorer is slightly discriminated (as at most lorries and vehicles ) compare to the driver in its ability to go in/out of the truck. While driver enjoys “seat moving back” feature when key is out from ignition, passenger is climbing in its seat with far less comfort capability. Nonetheless both driver and passenger seats are snug even for a long ride. Praising designers for the Explorer’s dashboard I will withdraw some compliments back while talking about within door handles. As for me they are located too low to be good to snatch to open/close the door for a typical size man.

Every vehicle today is a receptacle of cap holders and Explorer is no exception. But not every one has convenient and sufficiently large glove box, so our tester is surely not a winner here.

I like adjustable pedals, it’s a great option. But is it safe to allow the driver to adjust pedal while driving?

There is lots of room on a second raw seats and spacious enough although less comfortable on a third. At least you’ve got an option: carry 6 passengers and no baggage or 4 with descent cubic footage on a back of your Explorer.

For some reason all four doors of new Explorer in their lowest part are sharply curved towards the body of the vehicle and it’s cool and doubtless gives some extra rigidity. But if you are inclined to note with regret each new scratch on your beast/beauty body ( pick the one!); you will see them (scratches) for sure shortly after taking Explorer off road for a first time. Scratches simply appear on a lower part of rear doors which sandwiches between the car’s frames and sidestep with so little clearance between, that sand and muds sticking to the doors are working as abrasives for all surfaces.
Few years ago I have tested then new Explorer 2001 along with others SUVs in a same class like Nissan Pathfinder, Jeep Cherokee and so on. That Ford Explorer wasn’t much different or worse than other contestants in terms of off road capacities. But it was squeaking and crackling on each major pothole or bump. There’s nothing like this on Explorer 2006.

Year after year consumer demands more and more from the vehicle and auto requests to keep pace. Ford made it with the new Explorer. It is truly great truck.

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