2000 Ford Explorer Road Test

Walkaround

Just about everything has changed on the Explorer since its 1991 introduction. Still, if asked to describe a sport-utility vehicle, most people could save time by just showing a picture of the Explorer.

The XLT is the typical Explorer, well equipped but not overly fancy or too expensive. It features a bright front and rear bumper with an integrated rub strip. Its compound headlamp array includes the headlights plus parking lights, turn signals and side marker lights in a single aero-curved assembly set into the bright grille surround. The grille itself is simple, with a large crossbar decorated with the Ford blue oval badge and three smaller vertical bars. The rear bumper echoes the front in appearance, but comes standard with a 3500-pound trailer towing capacity. Tri-color taillights and a liftgate with a flip-open rear window finish off the rear.

The Explorer uses an independent short/long arm front suspension with torsion bars and a live axle mounted on two-stage variable-rate leaf springs at the rear. A 4.0-liter pushrod V6 is standard in the XLS and can be upgraded to the 4.0-liter overhead-cam V6 for those wanting more performance. These engines come with a choice of 5-speed manual or 5-speed automatic transmission. The XLT and more expensive models, however, come standard with a 5.0-liter overhead-valve V8 with a 4-speed automatic. The 215-horsepower V8 cranks out 288 foot-pounds of torque. Ford made its trailer towing package standard on all V8-equipped Explorers.

Interior Features

The inside of the Ford Explorer looks like America's living room, which is appropriate, considering that so many Americans spend so much time there. The front passengers get a pair of comfy captain's chairs, covered in a premium cloth for the XLT. The bench seat offers three-passenger capacity; the rear seat is split so that either half can be folded down for versatility when moving cargo and people at the same time. Big doors make access easy, though the XLT doesn't have the running boards standard on the Eddie Bauer and Limited models. Of course, half the time running boards only get in the way and you wind up with dirt on your pants cuff.

The Explorer has its automatic shifter mounted on the column with an overdrive-off button located on the end, handy when hauling or towing a trailer to prevent automatic transmission hunting (and overheating) in hilly areas. The dash features full instrumentation in a neatly laid out nacelle. The radio and HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) controls are centered on the dash in a pod; that pod also houses a knob that controls the 4WD operation. The audio and cabin temperature controls are easy enough to use though we'd prefer an old-fashioned twist knob to control station tuning on the radio. The XLT has a handy center console/arm rest.

Front seat side-impact airbags are optional. Also optional is an ultrasonic sonar system that beeps ever faster as you back up within 6 feet or less of objects behind the vehicle. Considering the poor rear vision SUVs have when backing up, this rear sensing system is an important safety option.