The 2015 Ford Explorer Platinum moves the midsize utility vehicle up another notch in the price spectrum.
It’s been the best-selling SUV in the American market for 24 years, and it’s the single-largest export model the maker produces in the U.S., but Ford isn’t satisfied with success. It hopes to gain even more ground over its competitors with the mid-cycle update of its midsize Explorer utility vehicle.
Ford has a number of changes planned for the 2015 Explorer, including some modest exterior tweaks, an assortment of new features, a new EcoBoost engine and an all-new Platinum model that it is aiming at the sort of buyers who might otherwise move to luxury competitors such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW.
Ford is counting on the updated Explorer to deliver strong results around the world. “This vehicle has become extremely critical for us,” stressed the automaker’s global marketing chief Jim Farley during a background briefing prior to the opening of this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show.
The 2015 Explorer undergoes some modest exterior changes and gets a series of new features.
The numbers are hard to ignore: utility vehicles, as a whole, now account for 19% of the global automotive market, with sales jumping 88% since 2008, Farley noted. That’s three times faster than the pace of overall automotive growth. For Ford, utility vehicles account for nearly one in every four vehicles it sells worldwide, and the goal is to grow that to 29% by 2020, the executive added.
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Ford has utility vehicles in a wide range of segments, from small to large, base to luxury, but Explorer has been a particularly strong player, generating 7 million sales since he debuted for the 1991 model-year.
In the U.S. alone, it is on pace to generate 180,000 sales this year, with another 56,000 American-made Explorers shipping to markets as diverse as China and the Middle East, making it the company’s top U.S. export.
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A power-fold seat and plenty of cargo space.
From the boxy, truck-based model launched nearly 25 years ago, Ford shifted to a crossover-style platform with the latest Explorer iteration, generating a wave of kudos and increased demand. The 2015 model will carefully tweak that formula, starting with a revised “more 3D grille,” sculpted hood, smaller headlamps revised front and rear pillars and new exhaust tips, explained U.S. lead designer Chris Svensson.
While durability, functionality, features and on- and off-road performance are critical, he explained, “design is the number one purchase consideration for Explorer customers.”
From a powertrain standpoint, the Explorer line-up replaces the old 2.0-liter engine with Ford’s 2.3-liter EcoBoost. That bumps horsepower from 240 to 270, while torque jumps from 270 to 300 pound-feet, said Chief Engineer Are Groeneveld, adding, “We expect to maintain our best-in-segment fuel economy,” the old inline-four engine delivering 28 mpg on the highway.
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A more refined interior.
Other new features include:
- Power-fold third row seats;
- 180-degree cameras, front and rear, with washers to keep the lenses clean;
- A hands-free liftgate that opens with a waggle of a foot under the rear bumper;
- Side sensors to alert a driver getting too close to a car or pillar in a parking lot;
- Smart-charging USB ports that expand the number of devices they work with – and cut recharging times;
Arguably the most significant change for the 2015 Ford Explorer line, however, comes with the addition of the new Explorer Platinum edition. Its debut reflect the fact that 90% of the buyers choosing the old top-line Sport model loaded up with every possible option, explained marketer Matt Zuehlk.
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Ford marketing chief Jim Farley with key members of the 2015 Explorer development team.
The Explorer Platinum edition gets its own, unique grill, 20-inch wheels, satin chrome details, silver-painted skid plates, LED lamps, a heated steering wheel and a new, 500-watt Sony Sound system. It also comes with a wide range of high-tech features, including Active Cruise Control and Lane Keep Assist, as well as a Terrain Management system that can adjust various vehicle functions for different road conditions.
The Platinum model will be powered by Ford’s 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine, the most powerful offered on an Explorer, making 365-horsepower.
All told, the maker is hoping that the updates to the 2015 Ford Explorer will help it not only maintain its midsize SUV segment lead but gain ground on competitors, both in the U.S. and abroad.