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But in the American market, explorers are a unique landscape. Since the birth of 1990, this model has sold more than 8 million vehicles worldwide. At present, the explorers on sale in the domestic market are the fifth generation models, and the overseas market has been updated and iterated to the sixth generation. To the delight of consumers, this model was directly introduced to China after the replacement. On April 8, Changan Ford Explorers made their debut in China. At this moment, it finally waited for you: an American hard-core SUV. The official also announced that the new car will be listed in China in June. After the new generation and domestic production, it left us with a series of questions about the improvement of product strength.
The brand-new explorer is built on the brand-new rear-drive platform of Ford CD6, and Lincoln's aviator is also built on this platform. Compared with the D4 bearing horizontal front platform adopted by the fifth generation explorers, we can see the subtle changes in the orientation of the explorers here. The new platform realizes the static weight ratio of front and rear axles of 50:50, which is beneficial to the actual performance of vehicle handling stability. The frame is made of 1300Mpa- 1700Mpa high-strength steel, exceeding 37%. With the addition of boron steel parts and high-strength rolled parts in passenger compartment, the advantages of rigid support are more obvious. Lightweight aluminum alloy materials are widely used in all-aluminum hood assembly, aluminum front bumper beam, aluminum front longitudinal beam and aluminum shock absorber tower to reduce the weight of the car body.
(Image from foreign media)
At present, in terms of power, the new car is equipped with CAF488WQGR's 2.3T four-cylinder turbine engine with a maximum power of 276 HP. The professor guessed the previous 3.5T? The V6 engine probably won't appear in this new car. In terms of transmission, it is matched with 10 speed automatic manual transmission. Compared with the previous 6-speed automatic manual transmission, the advantages of transmission efficiency will be more obvious. 2.3T+ 10AT powertrain is very hard core as a whole.
Explorers with medium and large SUV status did not follow the consistent practice of lengthening when entering the domestic market. The introduction of original flavor is the practice of American hard-core SUV. According to the previous declaration drawings, the new car has a body size of 5075/2004 (or 2020)/ 1778mm and a wheelbase of 3025mm, which has a more mainstream advantage in the same class.
The design genes have never changed, only the localization elements have been added. The new explorer still retains the always masculine lines of the American hard-core SUV in design, and adds a large hexagonal front air intake grille. From the sharp and sharp SUV models, Changan Ford is more outstanding in performance elements. First of all, in terms of appearance, new cars generally have two different appearances: the regular version and the ST-Line, and the latter's sports elements will be more prominent. For a medium and large SUV, the professor speculates that domestic explorers still have different versions of the ordinary version and ST-Line, which are different in details such as the front grille logo, the hub style, the rear exhaust pipe and the steering wheel logo.
The interior design has been redesigned with a T-shaped center console. The size of the center console is 12.8 inches, which is standard in all systems. The shift mode adopts the popular knob shift. Of course, shift paddles also exist at the same time, and the transformation between elegance and violence is just right. However, the vertical large-size central control panel is a bit abrupt, and the professor always feels that something is missing.
The first generation of explorers (1990-1994), 1990 was born. The emergence of the first four generations of products, most domestic consumers are still relatively unfamiliar with this. The first generation of Explorer was built on the non-loaded longitudinal rear-drive platform, with two-door and four-door versions available, and the power was equipped with 4.0L? V6 engine. Its appearance opened the road of modern SUV in North America, and its popularity at that time was also known from the honor of "North American SUV of the Year".
The second generation of explorers (1995-200 1 year), the technology is constantly innovating. Based on the brand-new U 1 non-loaded longitudinal rear-drive platform, this generation of explorers have made many innovations in automobile technology. At that time, this model was the first SUV with double airbags and four-wheel anti-lock braking, and it also adopted double wishbone independent suspension to improve driving stability and comfort. In addition to technological innovation, the body size of the new car has been continuously optimized. The body length of the four-door version has increased from the previous 4673mm to 4826 mm In terms of power, the new 5.0L? V8 large displacement engine.
The third generation of explorers (2002 -2005) paid more attention to safety. Although it was built on a non-loaded longitudinal rear-drive platform, the layout of seven seats and three rows of internal seats was adopted, which improved the internal ride comfort, which was rare at that time. In addition, ABS anti-lock braking system and body stability control system become the standard of vehicles, which further ensures the driving safety of vehicles.
The fourth generation of explorers (2006 -20 10), the positioning of urban SUVs began to appear. This generation of vehicles is built on the Magna platform, and gradually transits to the urban SUV, taking the lead in carrying the SYNC car multimedia communication and entertainment system. In terms of carriages, more sound insulation technologies commonly used in luxury cars are introduced to further ensure the comfortable driving experience of people in the car. In order to improve fuel economy, this generation of models has provided 4.0L and 4.6L displacement, matched with a 6-speed automatic transmission, and the engine has been re-adjusted. Compared with the previous generation, the fuel economy of this generation has improved by about 65,438+00%.
The fifth generation of explorers (20 1 1 -2020), their positioning has changed obviously. The transformation from non-loaded structure chassis to loaded structure chassis has been completed, and the positioning of urban SUV has begun to show. It was not until 20 13 that this medium and large SUV, which sold well in the American market, came to the domestic market, but it was unknown in China. Besides the brand image, the other is that the new car is imported and expensive. Coupled with two large-displacement engines of 2.3T+3.5T, many consumers are disappointed.
For the positioning of medium and large SUVs, the explorer's current direct competitor is TUANG of SAIC Volkswagen. Touran, on the other hand, is more reasonable in the power selection version, with the choice of 2.0T and 2.5T versions, which is closer to the purchasing needs of ordinary consumers in terms of selectivity. At present, domestic explorers only have a 2.3T power version, and the selection is not rich enough.
In recent years, Changan Ford's sales in the domestic market have been declining, leading to a decline in brand influence, which is bound to affect new cars. On the basis of previous word of mouth, explorers have also become one of the challenges of new cars in the market. For example, in terms of hedging rate, Ford's hedging rate has been weaker than SAIC Volkswagen. In the third year, the cash explorer's hedging rate was 54.83%, while Touran's hedging rate was as high as 6 1.97%. Finally, the reason for excellent performance is that consumers are worried about fuel consumption.
But for explorers, the product strength has changed qualitatively after the new generation. In addition to the optimization of internal and external design, the new car is built on a brand-new platform. Whether it is the decoration of the exterior sports kit or the power output, it has its own uniqueness in performance control. Coupled with the 10 speed automatic gearbox with higher transmission efficiency and a large number of lightweight designs, it is believed that there is obvious optimization in fuel economy.
Then, after domestic production, what is the price positioning of Changan Ford Explorer? Referring to the price range of Sharp, the price range of Sharp is between 230,000 and 390,000, and the price range of imported models of cash explorers is between 420,000 and 600,000. Referring to SAIC Volkswagen Touran, its price range is 300-565,438+00,000, so the professor guessed that the price of domestic explorers might be 350-450,000.
In addition, the price of domestic explorers can also refer to the sharp world that has just been listed. At present, with its excellent product strength, especially in terms of performance, St. Regis has a high degree of attention in the market. In addition to excellent performance, the new car has adopted the strategy of "opening low and going high" in pricing, especially close to the people. The whole system is equipped with 2.0T+8AT hard-core powertrain. This 2.0T engine has the maximum power of 182 kw and excellent book data of 393 Nm peak torque, and its power output performance is particularly hard. On the premise that the four-wheel drive system is standard in the whole department, the starting price of the new car is only 654.38+089.8 million. According to this pricing policy, the price of domestic explorers may be more close to the people, and the starting price of 320 thousand is not impossible.
With the addition of all-new sharp circles, sharp circles with mid-term changes and new domestic explorers, Changan Ford's domestic SUV product matrix has become more and more perfect. Among them, explorers play an important role in the flagship SUV model, and have obvious advantages in product strength, especially in dynamic performance such as handling. But there are relative disadvantages in some details, such as interior workmanship and comprehensive fuel economy. Even so, the professor is looking forward to its listing. After all, domestic prices are bound to attract more consumers' attention.
This article comes from car home, the author of the car manufacturer, and does not represent car home's position.