Full of sincerity in changing the money： the development of Ford explorers
[car home Che Ku Wen Hua] On the 16th of this month, Chang ‘an (|) was officially launched, which was the first time that the Explorer model was made in China. I believe many of my friends are like me. Because the explorers didn’t import much into China before, they are not very familiar with this car system. I have the impression that it is a big guy who looks very expensive. The reason why Changan Ford made it in China must be something extraordinary, so what is the good thing? We have to talk about it slowly from its ancestors …
The first generation (1990-1994): Shuangmen is the root of Miaohong.
Ford Explorer is defined as a medium and large SUV in China. As soon as we hear this name, a huge figure will appear in our minds, just like the image of the American fat man in the movie. But you may not know that as early as 1990, when the first generation of explorers came out, it was actually to replace a compact SUV: at that time, in order to better compete with rivals Chevrolet S-10 Blazer and Jeep Cherokee, Ford planned to introduce a larger SUV model to replace its compact SUV-Ford Bronco II, so there was Ford Explorer, whose name came from the Ford F-series pickup truck in 1967- In the early years, many American brands loved to do this. A certain model in a certain car series sold well, so the next car series was named after this model. For example, the new Focus automatic front-shining model sells well. Let’s get a new car another day, and call it Ford front-shining!
As mentioned earlier, Ford Explorer appeared to replace its predecessor, the two-door SUV Bronco II, so the younger generation certainly has to be two-door. So, the explorer who is rooted in Miaohong turned out to be a two-door SUV. Surely you didn’t expect it? Considering the diversified needs of the market, Ford also launched a four-door version for explorers. Of course, that’s what the Mandarin says. Personally, I guess the more important reason is to compete with rivals: Cherokee was listed in 1984 with two-door and four-door versions, and Chevrolet S-10 Blazer also launched a four-door version when it was redesigned in March 1990. Ford Explorer just went on the market in March 1990, and there were four editions. What a coincidence?
The first generation Explorer two-door version is much larger than the last Bronco II (the wheelbase is increased by 205mm and the vehicle length is increased by 320mm), and it has become a medium-sized SUV. The four-door version is even better, with a wheelbase of 2842mm and a vehicle length of 4618mm respectively, which completely surpasses the two competitors. In order to save costs, explorers shared a lot of parts with Ford Ranger, a pickup truck at that time, from bumper to middle net, headlights and fenders … almost the whole front of the car was transplanted from Ranger. In terms of power, it also shares the V6 4.0L engine used by Ranger, with a maximum power of 116 kW, matching two gearboxes: 5-speed manual gearbox and 4-speed automatic gearbox. In 1993, the engine was changed, and the maximum power was raised to 119 kW.
The second generation (1994-2000): a new car series was derived.
In 1994, Ford introduced the 1995 Explorer, the second generation model. The change of this generation can be described as drastic. First of all, the appearance is no longer as square as that of the first generation model, and many arc lines have been added to the front face, such as the corners of the net, headlights and bumpers, which have become more rounded. Although the two generations of cars are only separated by four years, it seems to be the design of two eras.
Secondly, the change of body shape. The first generation of explorers sold well for several years, and Ford seemed to realize that SUVs had to be big to be popular in the environment at that time. As a result, the second-generation models continue to gain weight. Although the wheelbase of the two-door and four-door versions has been reduced by about 10mm compared with the first generation, the length of the car has increased (the two-door version has increased by 104mm, and the four-door version has increased by 163mm), and there is a tendency to continue to gain weight in the later small changes. At this time, the explorers have completely left the Chevrolet S-10 Blazer and Jeep Cherokee behind. From this generation, you can choose to install the third row of seats, which will become a seven-seat car.
The third change is the chassis. Ford’s original Twin I-Beam independent suspension is used in the front suspension of the first generation of explorers. This suspension is characterized by heavy load bearing and strong reliability, but it will occupy more chassis space. The second generation of explorers gave up the double-beam and replaced it with a double-wishbone independent suspension. On the one hand, this structure improved the handling of the vehicle, and at the same time greatly saved the space under the engine compartment. As mentioned earlier, the shortened wheelbase of 10mm was also caused by a new suspension. Therefore, Ford Explorer added a larger V8 5.0L engine when it was redesigned in 1996-finally there was room for it!
The last item is the change in vehicle classification: since 1998, Ford has classified the two-door Explorer into a single car series, Explorer Sport, and continued to use the chassis production of Ford Ranger, but it was not continued until 2003. At the same time, based on the four-door version of Explorer, a medium-sized pickup truck, Explorer Sport Trac, has been launched in two generations: the first generation in 2000-2005, and the second generation in 2005-2010 after a year of suspension. After production stopped in 2010, the four-door Ford Ranger took its place.
