The Birth of the Ford Explorer: A Midsize SUV Revolution

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Language: en-

Ooh! Long before Johnny Law got his grubby little hands on it, it was the midsize SUV to own. Following its debut in 1990, it quickly rolled over the competition and kicked off the SUV revolution.

Big thanks to Turo for sponsoring this episode of Up To Speed. Renting a car can be a hassle sometimes. Which is why I use Turo. It's super affordable and convenient compared to the other car rental places. And you can choose from over 850 makes and models. Plus Turo's available in over 5,500 cities. And if you want to make it really easy, you can have the car delivered to you.

Thanks for making life easy, Turo. Click the link below to sign up, and enter the promo code Speed 25 to receive $25 of your first ride.

1990 was a tumultuous time in American history. Milli Vanilli got caught allegedly lip-syncing, Jonathan Lipnicki was born, and the Ford Bronco II was being discontinued because amongst other things, it kept rolling over. But Ford was basically printing money thanks for the Taurus's domination in the sedan market.

Which you can learn about right here. And they wanted a new midsize SUV that would decimate competitors like Chevy S10 Blazer and Jeep Cherokee. And thus, the first gen Explorer was born. You're gonna be in Jurassic Park. Like the Bronco II, the Explorer was derived from the Ford Ranger. But unlike the wobbly baby Bronco, the Explorer's U-platform was two inches wider and significantly longer.

12.6 inches for the two-door, and a whopping 22.5 inches for the four-door. Yeah, I said four doors. Four doors! Anyway, offering a four-door version was huge deal to customers because it made the Explorer a practical family vehicle while maintaining the machismo of an off-roader. Soccer practice in the front, off-road sports car in the back.

Basically, it was the mullet of family vehicle, and the 90s loved a mullet. Everybody was sporting a mullet. Every freaking Superman. This modern family truckster was powered by a four-liter Cologne overhead cam V6, good for a 160 horsepower, and came with your choice of a four-speed automatic or a five-speed manual, with rear drive standard and four-wheel drive available for big boys who drive through puddles.

The first gen was an immediate success and sold over a million units during its four-year run. Not only did it outsell its Chevy and Jeep rivals but it outsold all Ford SUVs combined. Speaking of foreign SUVs, the Mazda-Ford partnership of that era meant Mazda got their own variant of the Explorer. It only came with two doors and a hatch, but what it lacked in doors, it more than made up for with the badass name.

The new Navajo from Mazda. Navajo. In fact, the name was so badass, MotorTrend picked the Navajo over the Explorer for its 1991 Truck of the Year. Zoom zoom? More like zoom boom, muchacho! In your face, Ford!

But not really. Ford wasn't even that mad, because any vehicle can win a frigging trophy. But only one vehicle can get shredded by a T-Rex in the baddest dinosaur movie ever! You know what I'm talking about. Land Before Time. Oh no, a Sharp Tooth.

Oh, the Explorer comes to save the day! The second gen Explorer dropped in 1994, with a lot of attention focused on increased handling and control. A fully independent, short and long arm front suspension, and a new rack pinion setup replaced the recirculating-ball steering.

I'm gonna put a pin on the subject of handling because it's gonna be a big part of the story later. Ford took this to a whole new level by introducing features such as anti-lock brakes and traction control. This wasn't your average SUV.

Ford took it up another notch by introducing a sport-tuned suspension, larger brakes, and improved steering. The Explorer was no longer just for families and weekend getaways; it was now a serious off-roader capable of taking on the toughest trails. And if you really wanted to blow your dough on a second gen, the only real option was to go full Saleen.

Yeah, even Saleen, who was known for adding go-go juice to Mustangs, got in on the Explorer action with the XP8. Cool! The added a supercharger, an aerodynamic body kit, Recaro seats, and a few options like a carbon fiber hood and four-piston vented brakes.

The Saleen was only supposed to come with a V8, which puts out 286 horsepower. But one time, Ford accidentally sent them a shipment of V6 two-wheel drive Explorers. And instead of sending them back, Saleen said

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- Ooh!- Long before Johnny Law gothis grubby little hands on it,it was the midsize SUV to own.Following its debut in 1990,it quickly rolled over the competitionand kicked off the SUV revolution.Here's everything you needto know to get up to speed♪ On the Ford Explorer ♪(exciting 8-bit music)Big thanks to Turo for sponsoringthis episode of Up To Speed.Renting a car can be a hassle sometimes.Which is why I use Turo.I actually really do.It's super affordable and convenientcompared to the other car rental places.And you can choose fromover 850 makes and models.Plus Turo's availablein over 5,500 cities.And if you want to make it really easy,you can have the car delivered to you.Thanks for making life easy, Turo.Click the link below to sign up,and enter the promo code Speed 25to receive $25 of your first ride.1990 was a tumultuoustime in American history.Milli Vanilli got caughtallegedly lip-syncing,Jonathan Lipnicki was born,and the Ford Bronco IIwas being discontinuedbecause amongst otherthings, it kept rolling over.- Oh, (bleep) (bleep).- But Ford was basically printing moneythanks for the Taurus'sdomination in the sedan market.Which you can learn about right here.(smooches)And they wanted a new midsize SUVthat would decimate competitorslike Chevy S10 Blazer and Jeep Cherokee.And thus, the first gen Explorer was born.You're gonna be in Jurassic Park.Yes you are.Like the Bronco II,the Explorer was derivedfrom the Ford Ranger.But unlike the wobbly baby Bronco,the Explorer's U-platformwas two inches widerand significantly longer.12.6 inches for the two-door,and a whopping 22.5inches for the four-door.Yeah, I said four doors.Four doors!Anyway, offering a four-door versionwas huge deal to customersbecause it made the Explorera practical family vehiclewhile maintaining themachismo of an off-roader.Soccer practice in the front,off-road sports car in the back.(engine revving)Basically, it was themullet of family vehicle,and the 90s loved a mullet.From Billy Ray Cyrus to Uncle Jesse,everybody was sporting a mullet.Every freaking Superman.This modern family truckster was poweredby a four liter Cologne overhead cam V6,good for a 160 hrsprs,and came with your choiceof a four-speed automaticor a five-speed manual,with rear drive standardand four-wheel driveavailable for big boyswho drive through puddles!(engine revving)The first gen was an immediate successand sold over a million unitsduring it's four year run.Not only did it outsellits Chevy and Jeep rivals,but it outsold all Ford SUVs combined.Speaking of foreign SUVs,the Mazda-Ford partnership of that erameant Mazda got their ownvariant of the Explorer.It only came with two doors and a hatch,but what it lacked in doors,it more than made up forwith the badass name.- The new Navajo from Mazda.- Navajo.In fact, the name was so badass,MotorTrend picked theNavajo over the Explorerfor its 1991 Truck of the Year.Zoom zoom?More like zoom boom, muchacho!In your face, Ford!But not really.Ford wasn't even that mad,because any vehicle canwin a frigging trophy.But only one vehiclecan get shredded by a T-Rexin the baddest dinosaur movie ever!You know what I'm talking about!Land Before Time!Oh no, a Sharp Tooth!Oh, the Explorer comes to save the day!The second gen Explorer dropped in 1994,with a lot of attention focused onincreased handling and control.A fully independent, shortand long arm front suspension,and a new rack pinion setupreplaces the recirculating-ball steering.I'm gonna put a pin thesubject of handling,because it's gonna be a bigpart of the story later.Ford offered an optional five liter V8that was good for 210 hrsprs.Doesn't that seem insane nowadays?A five liter V8 withbarely over 200 horsepower?Now we have three cylinderturbos with 250 horsepower.Sales were astronomical!And the blue oval soldover 400,000 units a year.- Oh yes, that's nice.- Ford also fancifiedthe Explorer and sold itas the Mercury Mountaineer to the peoplewho thought they were too goodfor the high trim levelEddie Bauer Explorerand all it's tan two-tone glory.Ford harnessed the power of brandingto sell over 1.5 million Eddie Bauer Fordsacross their lineup.And it's consideredone of the best brand collabs of all time.Second only to Linkin Park and Jay-Z.But if you really wantedto blow your doughon a second gen, the only real option,was to go full Saleen.Yeah, even Saleen, who was knownfor adding go-go juice to Mustangs,(engine revving)got in on the Exploreraction with the XP8.Cool!The added a supercharger,aero, Recaro seats,and a few options like a carbon fiber hoodand four-piston vented brakes.The Saleen was onlysupposed to come with a V8,which puts out 286 hrsprs.(tire screeching)But one time, Ford accidentally sent thema shipment of V6two-wheel drive Explorers.And instead of sending them back,Saleen said "Screw it."Let's supercharge these baby boys"and sell them as XP6s."Saleen was making fast SUVs way beforethe Porshe Macan, the JeepTrackhawk, the BMW X6.Now, where is that pin I stuck earlier?Oh, there it is.(glass shattering)We were talking about how Fordwanted to improve handling,and not just because theywanted to dominate Autocross.Okay, 'cause they didn't.That wasn't in the plan.As I had mentioned before,the Bronco II was so prone to rollovers,that consumer reportswarned against buying them.Apparently, this was news to Ford,who was crapping brown ovalsbecause much of the first genand early second gen Explorersshared the Bronco II'shandling characteristics.Project Manager Roger Simpsonwas tasked with resolving the issuejust months before the Explorer's release.His engineers tested the vehicleat Ford's Arizona Proving Groundsand submitted the following report."Upon further examination"of the Explorer's high speed stability,"we have determined the vehicle sucks."Roger knew the only way totruly improve the handlingwas to add two inches to the wheel track,thus making the vehicle stance wider.But they couldn't do thatwithout creating a whole new platform,which would cost millionsand millions of dollars.So Ford did the next best thing.They recommended the tires bepartially deflated to 26 PSIand the suspension befitted with softer springs.- Don't use a size and type of tireother than that originallyprovide by Ford.Otherwise, the safety andperformance of your Explorercan be adversely affected.- That penny-pinchingsolution worked great.Oh, wait.No, sorry.Sometimes I get the word "great" mixed upwith the descriptive coupling ofsuper, omega, ultra terrible!Ford's lame band-aid fixesdidn't stop the Explorersfrom rolling overlike a son-of-a-(bleep).(banging)And this is where things get heavy.The poor handling resultedin hundreds of fatalities,and thousands of injuries.And while it was easy tothrow stones at the Explorer,the bottom line is SUVsof that era all sufferedfrom lack of rollover stability.But since Americanconsumers were going nutsover the high sales margin SUVs,manufacturers turned ablind eye to the problem.Oh, your things roll over?Nah.A fact that is bestshow in this Drake meme.By the mid to late 90s,Ford changed the suspensionset up in the second genand were designing a wider,more stable third gen.But the problem with selling400,000 Explorers a year,was that there were over a millionpoorly designed vehicles on the road.(tire screeching)And as the death toll rose,and lawsuits were filed,Ford realized they needed a scapegoat.And this is when Firestone came into play.Firestone had been supplying tires to Fordsince the Model T.But nearly a hundred years of partnershipdidn't stop the automotive giantfrom driving right over them with a bus.You see, Firestone madethe steel-belted radialsfor the Explorer.And there had been reportsthat in hotter climates,like in Arizona or SoCal,tread separation had been linkedto some of the rollover fatalities.Now since Firestone wasalready in hot waterfor accidents from tire separation,Ford figured they would just blameall the rollovers on Firestone.- This is a tire issue,and only a tire issue.- This lead to a major legal throwdownbetween the two former friendly companies.In fact, there were evenCongressional hearings on the matter.And you guys know how hard it isto get Congress to go to work.Unfortunately for Firestone,they came ill-preparedfor the showdown in DC,as Ford had the backingof hundreds of lobbyistsand sympathetic politicians.Ford even enlisted thehelp of Car and Driverto make a propaganda video,showing how stable the Explorer is,in spite of the Firestone tires.- As far as the chargesthat the Explorer is unstable,we've seen just the opposite.- The result of thehearings and various trialsnearly bankrupt Firestone,costing the company almost1.7 billion dollars.And Ford didn't come outsmelling like roses either.They lost half a billion dollars.All because they didn'twant to scrap productionand add two inches of cushionto the corner pushing.The saga also lead lawmakers to passthe Transportation Recall EnhancementAccountability andDocumentation Act in 2000.Known as the Tread Act,what a fun coincidence,the legislation was designedto protect consumersfrom future safety oversightsby auto manufacturers.In 2001, Ford launchedthe third gen explorer.It was completely redesignedfrom the ground upand was no longer derived from the Ranger.It was wider and longer andeven offered a third row seat.By this point, most manufacturerswere making comparable SUVs,and there's really nothing ofnote to say about the Explorerother than they did awaywith the two-door modeland the manual transmission option.You know what?I'm just gonna say it.For the next 11 years,the Ford Explorer wasa pretty basic (bleep).(gasps)This is why I love it.He gives the peoplewhat they need to hear.All right, brother.But in 2012, something glorious happened.The fifth gen, which wasbased on the Taurus unibody,go the 365 hrspr SHO EcoBoost powerplant,which was available toconsumers in the Sport trimline,and available to cops in the"respect my authoritah" trimline.Ford recently revealed thenew 2020 sixth gen Explorer,and auto journalists arefreaking out about the seats?Cool, comfy seats.But there is actually alot to be excited for.For starters, there's finallygonna be a hybrid Explorer.Which is great because itcan offset the emissionsfrom the new tire burning ST trim.Ford also revealed the allnew Police Interceptor.Despite being a large crossover SUV,the popo mobile is actuallythe fastest cop car in America.The three liter V6all-wheel drive Interceptoris over a second faster from zero to 100than the 5.7 liter V8 Hemi(engine revving)found in the two-wheeldrive Dodge Charger.Which means people like Nolanare gonna be lining up at police auctionsto get their hands on all thatcheap government performance.- Ooh!- Thanks for watching Donut Media.If you guys didn't watch it,I would just be some weirdohanging out with my friends,talking about cars in my bedroom.Yo, we got a ton of newshows coming up this summer.And make sure you don't miss any.Hit that Subscribe button.Actually, Colby, let them knowwhat the Subscribebutton looks like 'cause,oh, you can actually justclick this guy right here.This circle is a Subscribe button.If you want to learn more about cop cars,check out this episode of my other show,Bumper to Bumper.You want to learn how toget away from the cops,check out this episode of Nolan's show.Follow me on Instagram andTwitter @jamespumphrey.Follow Donut on Instagramand Twitter @donutmedia.I love you!