Sevensecondsuv Posted December 10, 2018 Share Posted December 10, 2018 White Space! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted December 10, 2018 Share Posted December 10, 2018 1 hour ago, Assimilator said: 2" is actually quite a big difference when it comes to measuring height. 3" separates Escape and Edge, 2" separates Edge and Flex. Ford's Crossovers have gotten lower with each generation, Edge and Escape dropped 2" each with their 2nd gen redesigns, it looks like Explorer will be doing the same. The other import piece of data is the height of the hip-point in the car. The differences can make you feel like you're driving a station wagon (like the Flex) vs an SUV (Like Explorer). The new Explorer will probably feel like you're stepping down into a car compared to the old one. Which is sorta ironic. Sounds like a gamble if you ask me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Assimilator Posted December 10, 2018 Share Posted December 10, 2018 (edited) I think the 2020 Explorer is a huge gamble. I think it will be a beloved vehicle (like the Flex), I'm not convinced it will be the right vehicle however. Explorer might be losing sight of utility and the primary customer in an effort to look and drive far better than anything else. It does make me a little nervous. I know it will be an outstanding vehicle either way, and maybe they'll sell the same number at higher prices and that's all they really want to achieve. Either way, this is really the first Explorer that really seals the deal for me, I would buy if Lincoln wasn't so damn awesome right now, haha. This new Explorer gives me a SLIGHT hint of the 1996 Taurus vibes, mostly in that it's such a big insanely ambitious gamble that it will either be a big hit or become a problem that needs fixing. Either way it will get noticed positively...I think. The reaction to the grille is a little surprising to me. Edited December 10, 2018 by Assimilator Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted December 10, 2018 Share Posted December 10, 2018 2 minutes ago, Assimilator said: I think the 2020 Explorer is a huge gamble. I think it will be a beloved vehicle (like the Flex), I'm not convinced it will be the right vehicle however. It does make me a little nervous. I know it will be an outstanding vehicle either way, and maybe they'll sell the same number at higher prices and that's all they really want to achieve. That potential ride height concerns me. I don't necessarily mind that ride height in a vacuum, as I drive a Flex, but for an Explorer, it's potentially worrying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Assimilator Posted December 10, 2018 Share Posted December 10, 2018 (edited) I'm mostly concerned about headroom, something Crossovers have a hard time negotiating with the high hip-point as they chop down the roof for a sleeker and more aerodynamic profile. Aviator in particular is something of an outlier lately with many luxury utilities adopting a more formal SUV profile which gives you better space, so it's a little surprising to me that Ford is going for something this low-slung. I mean it all looks good and not too freakishly out of wack, but their decision making is interesting to me. For example, all of the German luxury competitors still favor tall roomy SUV designs over the low crossover profiles. The Germans have white space vehicles for more stylish alternatives. I'm trying to hold my thoughts on this until I drive one and get the specs because I know I'm tall so everything tends to look low and small to me. Edited December 10, 2018 by Assimilator Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chucky2 Posted December 10, 2018 Share Posted December 10, 2018 7 hours ago, fuzzymoomoo said: Or perhaps is a product of the platform, and it's all a critical part of the crash structure.... That's what I'm wondering, if the piece of hard clammy plastic making me have leg hip.and back spasms is there not because the metrosexuals on the design team thought it looked cool and the 120 lb college hire women didn't see a problem at all with it, but rather because it ensures the human body folds up properly/best way possible in a crash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sevensecondsuv Posted December 11, 2018 Share Posted December 11, 2018 1 hour ago, rmc523 said: That potential ride height concerns me. I don't necessarily mind that ride height in a vacuum, as I drive a Flex, but for an Explorer, it's potentially worrying. Now you're worried? But it was ok in 2011 when they nuertered what little actual off-road utility cred it had left? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted December 11, 2018 Share Posted December 11, 2018 2 hours ago, Sevensecondsuv said: Now you're worried? But it was ok in 2011 when they nuertered what little actual off-road utility cred it had left? You mean the off road utility that 99% of buyers never used anyway? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sevensecondsuv Posted December 11, 2018 Share Posted December 11, 2018 4 minutes ago, akirby said: You mean the off road utility that 99% of buyers never used anyway? He's the one who's worried Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sevensecondsuv Posted December 11, 2018 Share Posted December 11, 2018 (edited) It's actually funny how Ford had an actual real off-roader in the early 90s Explorer. Every bit as capable as the Bronco and non-wrangler Jeeps. But then the soccer moms got ahold of them and started complaining that they rode like trucks to the point that Ford is now on it's third platform change with lowered ride height each time in an effort to chase driving dynamics and continue to appeal to that demographic with Explorer to the point that they're going to bring the Bronco back to be the real off-roader! Nothing at all wrong with that strategy and I'm excited to get a proper RWD utility but it's kind of ironic when you think about model names, sales trends, and how old is new again. Edited December 11, 2018 by Sevensecondsuv Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymoomoo Posted December 11, 2018 Share Posted December 11, 2018 That's called changing to market demand. That's business 101 stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted December 11, 2018 Share Posted December 11, 2018 15 hours ago, Assimilator said: 2" is actually quite a big difference when it comes to measuring height. 3" separates Escape and Edge, 2" separates Edge and Flex. Ford's Crossovers have gotten lower with each generation, Edge and Escape dropped 2" each with their 2nd gen redesigns, it looks like Explorer will be doing the same. Seriously? You'd want an Escape sized product as tall as an older Explorer? Oh your completely wrong about the Edge and Escape: 2010 Edge: 67 inches 2015 Edge: 68.5 (2018 is .1 higher for some reason) 2010 Escape: 67ish inches 2015 Escape: 66.3 So the Escape shrank about 3/4 of an inch and the Edge went up an inch and half or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted December 11, 2018 Share Posted December 11, 2018 15 hours ago, Sevensecondsuv said: Now you're worried? But it was ok in 2011 when they nuertered what little actual off-road utility cred it had left? Clearly the market doesn't care about that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted December 11, 2018 Share Posted December 11, 2018 33 minutes ago, rmc523 said: Clearly the market doesn't care about that. Yeah it was a Starbucks Utility Vehicle for the most part God people pick the stupidest hills to die on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted December 11, 2018 Share Posted December 11, 2018 8 minutes ago, silvrsvt said: Yeah it was a Starbucks Utility Vehicle for the most part God people pick the stupidest hills to die on... And to be clear, my comment about the height has nothing to do with actual offroad capability - more the image of capability, which let's be honest, is all many care about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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