In the field of joint venture brands, there are not many hardcore SUV models, but whenever we talk about the Ford Explorer, its rugged and hardcore style has left a very deep impression on countless consumers. However, its imported status and hardcore positioning make it only a choice for some consumers.
(Cash Explorer)
But in the American market, the Explorer has a unique scenery. Since its birth in 1990, this model has sold more than 8 million units worldwide. The Explorer currently on sale in the domestic market is the fifth-generation model, and it has been updated to the sixth-generation model in overseas markets. What makes consumers happy is that this model will be directly introduced into China after the replacement. On April 8, the Changan Ford Explorer made its debut in China. At this moment, it is finally waiting for you: a hard-core American SUV. Officials also announced that the new car will be launched in the domestic market in June. After its new generation and domestic production, it has left us with a series of questions regarding the improvement of product capabilities.
The new Explorer is based on the new Ford CD6 rear-drive platform, which is also used to build the Lincoln Aviator. Compared with the D4 load-bearing transverse front-wheel drive platform adopted by the fifth-generation Explorer, you can see subtle changes in the Explorer's positioning here. The new platform achieves a 50:50 static weight ratio on the front and rear axles, which is beneficial to the vehicle's actual control and stability. The vehicle frame uses high-strength steel of 1300Mpa-1700Mpa, which exceeds 37. The passenger compartment has boron steel parts and high-strength rolled parts added, and the advantages of rigid support are even more obvious. The all-aluminum hood assembly, aluminum front anti-collision beam, aluminum front longitudinal beam, and aluminum shock tower make extensive use of lightweight aluminum alloy materials to reduce the weight of the vehicle body.
(Pictures from foreign media)
At present, in terms of power, the new car is equipped with a 2.3T four-cylinder turbo engine model CAF488WQGR, with a maximum power of 276 horsepower. The professor guessed that the previous 3.5 There is a high chance that the T?V6 engine will not appear in this new car. In terms of transmission, it is matched with a 10-speed manual gearbox. Compared with the previous 6-speed manual gearbox, the advantages of transmission efficiency will be more obvious. The 2.3T 10AT powertrain is overall very hard-core.
The Explorer, which has the status of a medium and large SUV, did not follow the usual practice of lengthening when entering the domestic market. The introduction of the original flavor is the approach of American hard-core SUVs. According to the previous application drawings, the body size of the new car is 5075/2004 (or 2020)/1778mm, and the wheelbase is 3025mm. This body size has a relatively mainstream advantage in the same level.
The design gene has never changed, but localized elements have been added. The design of the new Explorer still retains the masculine lines of an American hard-core SUV, and adds a wide hexagonal front grille. Judging from the two SUV models Ruiji and Ruijie, Changan Ford is more prominent in performance elements. First of all, in terms of appearance, new cars generally have two different appearances: regular version and ST-Line. The sporty elements of the latter will be more prominent. For a mid-to-large SUV, the professor speculated that the domestic Explorer still has a choice of regular and ST-Line appearance versions, which differ in details such as the front grille logo, wheel hub style, rear exhaust pipe, and steering wheel logo. .
The interior design has been completely redesigned, adopting a T-shaped center console shape, with a 12.8-inch central control screen, and is standard on all models. The shifting method adopts the popular knob-type shifting. Of course, paddle shifters also exist at the same time. The transformation between elegance and violence is just right. However, the large vertical central control screen seems a bit abrupt, and the professor always feels that something is missing.
The first generation of explorers (1990-1994) was born in 1990. With the emergence of the first four generations of products, most domestic consumers are still relatively unfamiliar with them. The first-generation Explorer was built on a non-load-bearing longitudinal rear-drive platform. It was available in two-door and four-door versions, and was powered by a 4.0L V6 engine.
Its appearance opened the road to modern SUVs in North America. The popularity of this model at the time can be seen from the award of "North American SUV of the Year".
The second generation of explorers (1995-2001), with continuous technological innovation. This generation of explorers is built on the new U1 non-load-bearing longitudinal rear-drive platform and features many innovations in automotive technology. At the time, this model was the first SUV model to be equipped with dual airbags and four-wheel anti-lock brakes, and also used a double-wishbone independent suspension to improve driving stability and comfort. In addition to technological innovations, 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 4826mm. In terms of power, a 5.0L V8 large-displacement engine has also been added.
The third generation of Explorers (2002-2005) pays more attention to safety. Although it was still built on a non-load-bearing longitudinal rear-drive platform, it adopted a 7-seat, three-row interior seat layout to improve interior ride comfort, which was rare at the time. In addition, ABS anti-lock braking system and body stability control system have become standard features of the model, further ensuring vehicle driving safety.
The fourth generation Explorer (2006-2010), the positioning of urban SUV has begun to appear. This generation of models is built on the Magna platform, slowly transitioning to urban SUVs, and is the first to be equipped with the SYNC in-vehicle multimedia communication and entertainment system. In terms of the cabin, more sound insulation technologies commonly used in luxury cars have been introduced to further ensure the comfortable driving experience of the people in the car. In order to improve better fuel economy, this generation of models provides two displacements of 4.0L and 4.6L, ??matched with a 6-speed automatic transmission, and the engine has been re-tuned. Compared with the previous generation, this generation of models has The fuel economy has improved by about 10%.
The fifth generation of explorers (2011-2020) has undergone obvious changes in positioning. The transformation from a non-load-bearing structure chassis to a load-bearing structure chassis has been completed, and the positioning of urban SUV has begun to appear. It was not until 2013 that this medium-to-large SUV, which was popular in the US market, came to the domestic market, but it was not well received in the country. In addition to the brand image, the other reason is that the new car is expensive due to its import status. In addition, the two larger displacement engines of 2.3T and 3.5T have turned away many consumers.
As a mid-to-large SUV, the Explorer’s current direct competitors include SAIC Volkswagen’s Touron. However, Touron is more reasonable in terms of power selection. It has 2.0T and 2.5T version models to choose from, and its selectivity is closer to the purchasing needs of ordinary consumers. At present, domestically produced Explorers only have a 2.3T power version, and the richness of options is relatively insufficient.
Due to the continuous decline in sales of Changan Ford in the domestic market in recent years, the brand influence has declined, which will inevitably affect new cars. The Explorer has also become one of the challenges for new cars in the market based on its previous reputation. For example, in terms of value retention rate, Ford's value retention rate has always been weaker than that of SAIC Volkswagen. The current Explorer's value retention rate in the third year is 54.83, while the Touron's value retention rate is as high as 61.97. Finally, the reason for the excellent performance also worries consumers in terms of fuel consumption.
But for explorers, the product strength has undergone qualitative changes after the new generation. In addition to the optimization of the interior and exterior design, the new car is built on a new platform and has its own unique features in terms of performance and control, whether it is the decoration of the exterior sports package or the power output. The addition of a 10-speed automatic transmission with higher transmission efficiency and a large amount of lightweight design are believed to significantly optimize fuel economy.
So after being domestically produced, what is the price positioning of the Changan Ford Explorer? Referring to the price range of Ruijie, the price range of Ruijie is between 230,000 and 390,000. The price range of the imported model of the current Explorer is between 420,000 and 600,000. Referring to the SAIC Volkswagen Touron, its price range The price range is between 300,000 and 510,000, so the professor speculates that the price of the domestically produced Explorer may be in the range of 350,000 to 450,000.
In addition, the price of domestic explorers can also refer to the newly launched Ruiji. At present, Ruiji has attracted a lot of attention in the market with its excellent product strength, especially in terms of performance. In addition to its excellent performance, the new car adopts a low-price, high-price strategy in terms of pricing, which makes the pricing particularly friendly to the people. The entire series is equipped with a 2.0T 8AT hard-core powertrain. This 2.0T engine has excellent book data of 182 kilowatts of maximum power and 393 Nm of peak torque. The power output performance is particularly hard-core, and the entire series comes standard with a four-wheel drive system. Under the premise, the starting price of the new car is only 189,800. According to this pricing policy, the price of domestic explorers may be more affordable, and a starting price of 320,000 is not impossible.
With the addition of the new Ruiji, the mid-term facelifted Ruijie and the new domestic Explorer, Changan Ford's domestic SUV product matrix has become more and more complete. Among them, the Explorer plays an important role as the flagship SUV model. It has obvious advantages and disadvantages in terms of product strength. It is built on a new platform and has advantages in dynamic performance such as handling; and in some details, such as interior workmanship and comprehensive fuel economy Sexually, there are relative disadvantages. Even so, the professor is still looking forward to its launch. After all, the price after domestic production is bound to attract the attention of more consumers.
This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.