2011 Ford Explorer Overview Change Vehicle

This 2011 Ford Explorer overview explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2011 Explorer, and includes Ford Explorer safety, reliability, and fuel economy information.

Ford has completely redesigned the Explorer for 2011, switching it from a rugged SUV to a more fuel-efficient, three-row crossover vehicle in the process. Safety and technology upgrades were also a focus with this reinvention of the SUV that started a trend more than two decades ago.

Ford sells the 2011 Explorer in three levels of trim. The base model gets no trim designation and is simply known as the Explorer. In addition to a standard third-row seat, it includes power windows, power door locks, cruise control, air conditioning, a CD player, and a tilt-and-telescopic steering column. Dark tinted rear glass, 17-inch alloy wheels, LED taillights, and Ford’s Easy Fuel capless fuel filling system are also standard. The Explorer also comes with basic MyFord driver connect technology, MyKey programmable vehicle features, and a Media Hub with an auxiliary audio input jack.

We predict most people will want the Explorer XLT. In addition to nicer exterior trim, fog lights, and larger 18-inch alloy wheels, the XLT adds satellite radio, a reverse sensing system, power heated side mirrors with LED turn signal indicators and puddle lamps, and automatic headlights. Inside, upgraded cloth seats and a leather-wrapped steering wheel are includes, as well as a SelectShift automatic transmission with manual shift control. Additional XLT features include a SecuriCode keyless entry keypad and a perimeter alarm system.

Looking for luxury? The Explorer Limited is your best choice, equipped with leather, heated front seats, a 10-way power driver’s seat, Sony premium audio with HD Radio, and dual-zone automatic climate control. The Limited also has ambient interior lighting, PowerFold side mirrors, adjustable pedals with memory, a rearview camera, remote engine starting, Homelink universal garage door opener, and Intelligent Access keyless entry and ignition. MyFord Touch technology and Sync hands-free communication and entertainment systems are standard on the Explorer Limited, along with a Media Hub that contains audio/video input jacks, USB ports, an SD card reader, and a 110-volt electrical system. The Limited model is set apart from the Explorer and Explorer XLT with a body-color grille and side mirrors, and it rides on 20-inch alloy wheels.

Options that should prove popular include the Towing Package, available on all models, which includes trailer sway control technology, a trailer brake controller, and a tow/haul mode for the transmission. On the XLT and Limited, the available reversing camera includes a zoom function to help with hooking up a trailer.

If you’d rather not buy the Limited model to get leather, MyFord Touch and Sync, these items are offered at extra cost on the Explorer XLT. A navigation system is exclusive to the Limited model, as is Active Park Assist. Active Park Assist works with the Explorer’s new electronic steering and other driver aids to scan for an appropriately sized parallel parking space, and then automatically steers the Explorer into it while the driver operates the brake, accelerator, and gearshift.

Initially, the 2011 Ford Explorer will be equipped with just one engine, a 3.5-liter V6 that Ford says gets 20 percent better fuel economy than the old 4.0-liter V6 it replaces. The new V6 makes 290 horsepower and 255 lb-ft. of torque, is paired with a six-speed automatic transmission, and is rated to tow up to 5,000 pounds. The EPA estimates that the Explorer will get 17 mpg city/25 mpg highway with front-wheel drive, or 17 city/23 highway with all-wheel drive.

Later in the 2011 model year, a 2.0-liter, turbocharged, direct-injected four-cylinder engine will be optional in the Explorer. With 237 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 250 lb-ft. of torque from 1,700 to 4,000 rpm, Ford says this EcoBoost engine option will provide the power of a V6 combined with the fuel economy of a four-cylinder. As this review is written, the EPA has not rated fuel economy for this engine.

Every 2011 Explorer is equipped with a six-speed automatic transmission, driving the front or all four wheels. A SelectShift feature is standard on the XLT and Limited models, allowing the driver manual control over shift points. The Explorer’s Intelligent 4WD system includes new terrain management technology, offering system settings for snow, sand, mud, hill descent, and normal driving conditions.

Ford equips the new Explorer with lots of safety features. In addition to dual front airbags, side-impact airbags for the front seat, and side curtain airbags for all three rows of seats, the Explorer is equipped with AdvanceTrac traction and stability control with Roll Stability Control and Curve Control technologies. The Explorer’s new Curve Control system senses when a driver has entered a turn too fast and automatically brakes whichever wheel or wheels are necessary to stabilize the SUV.

The standard SOS Post Crash Alert system automatically unlocks the Explorer’s doors and activates the flashers, while options like a Blind Spot Information System with Cross Traffic Alert and Adaptive Cruise Control with Collision Warning help the Explorer Limited’s driver avoid an accident in the first place. The 2011 Explorer is also offered with a world-first inflatable rear seatbelt system, optional on the XLT and Limited. Ford says that its inflatable rear seat belts are more comfortable to wear, and that they spread impact energy across more than five times the area of a normal seatbelt.

Ford also employs what it calls a Trinity front impact structure on the Explorer, which, when combined with the Explorer’s stronger frame and substantial side-impact beams, creates “a safety cage of strength” for occupants. Apparently, the design works, and the Explorer is called a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Because the Explorer is completely redesigned, quality and reliability data is limited. Consumer Reports does not offer a rating for this vehicle, but J.D. Power and Associates estimates that the new Explorer will provide reliability that is slightly better than average.

The biggest problem with the way the new 2011 Ford Explorer drives is the touch-sensitive control panel that comes standard on the Limited model and is available on the XLT. If you opt for the Sony premium sound system on the XLT, you’re going to get a piano-black, touch-sensitive center control panel installed just under the touch-sensitive MyFord Touch display screen. Add navigation, and things get even more complicated. This setup requires too much concentration and precision to use while driving, and after 1,200 miles behind the wheel, the situation did not improve. If you decide to get MyFord Touch with all the trimmings, we strongly recommend learning how to use the voice commands so you don’t need to touch your Ford at all.

That said, the rest of the Explorer is impressive. Having traded its truck-tough underpinnings for what is essentially a car platform modified for light off-road use, the new Explorer is fantastic to drive. The 290-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6 is strong, but thirsty. We took a fairly lengthy road trip in our test vehicle, and though we traveled mountainous terrain, our Explorer Limited 4WD averaged 18.9 mpg. We expected a couple of mpg better than that. The ride and handling are competent, too, with just a hint of extra impact harshness delivered by the optional 20-inch wheels. Steering is electric, but you wouldn’t know it most of the time, and the Explorer’s turning circle is tight. The SUV is easy to park, too, and reversing is a breeze if you have the optional Cross Traffic Alert system to supplement the reversing camera.

Comfort is not a problem, though the front seats might be a bit small for overweight Americans. The driver and front passenger sit snug against the center console, and the door panels are so far away that they’re useless for resting an arm. The second-row seat cushions are flat, lacking thigh support for taller adults, but knee and foot space are adequate if not generous. The Explorer’s third-row seat is tighter than a typical minivan, but someone six-feet-tall can ride back there without complaint for a cross-town jaunt. While there are some packaging compromises here in terms of outright comfort, the Explorer is, nevertheless, a true seven-passenger vehicle, and if you’re toting kids most of the time, they’re going to be happy in the back.

Cargo utility is also a strong point. Behind the third-row seat is a shallow well, similar to what you might find in a minivan. That means that if you stack things there, they won’t fall out when you open the tailgate. Fold the third-row seat into the well, and you’ve got a generous space to work with. As expected, the second-row seats also fold down to maximize cargo capacity, but unlike the Ford Flex, the Explorer’s front passenger’s seat doesn’t fold in half to accommodate longer items.

Quality could stand to benefit from additional scrutiny. While the materials are generally rich and refined, we spotted a few assembly gaffes on our test vehicle. Still, they weren’t egregious enough for us to withhold a recommendation. If we were buying an Explorer, we’d get the XLT and load it up with equipment, thereby avoiding all the touch-panel madness. Sure, we’d miss out on some of the Limited model’s exclusive features, but retaining sanity is far more important.

The original Ford Explorer ignited America’s love of SUVs and used to be one of the best-selling models on the market. Now, for 2011, the Explorer morphs into a crossover SUV with seven-passenger seating, top-notch safety scores, plenty of modern technology, and better fuel economy than before. It might be arriving a little bit late to a party attended by formidable competitors, but the Explorer is a compelling package and worth close investigation.

By Christian Wardlaw