http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/25/f...rmor/#comments



Lookin pretty good to me. I've always loved those blacked out headlamps. Rivets are also cool, and the relief from chrome is appreciated.

 

i agree, its rather nice. i love the new explorer, chrome and all

but this still looks good

 

I really just can't stand the chumps who trash Ford for no good apparent reason. Plastic bits??? Every vehicle on the planet including Bugattis have plastic on them. That's rediculous. The Explorer defined the SUV segment and I believe it still sets the midsize bar. I've been in the midsize GM vehicles, they don't impress me. To get to anything Toyota, you need to spend big bucks and their styling is as mundane as it gets both inside and out.

 

That looks very good!

 

Looks better without the chrome. Tony Stark, your SUV has arrived.

 

Pretty good.

 

That is so true, couldn't have said it better myself. The real thing that bothers me, since we're talking about the Explorer and all (the Ironman package, I LOVE the look, very mean looking). People think that the Explorer was just reskinned, but they have no idea until they drive it. The whole frame is new, and the interior was all new. Plud, the car is SO MUCH quieter than before. The big thing for me, I had a customer drive a 2006, and a leftover 2005 Explorer. Both were XLT's and he said the drive was like night and day. The new one is light years ahead of the old one, and that doesn't mean the '05 was bad. The '06 is just that good.

 

Well, sure, it looks great and all, but aren't we ignorning the 800 pound gorilla in the room? Explorer sales are WAAAY down, and with a gas crisis on, SUVs aren't what the public wants right now, nor are they what Ford needs right now.

 

I have to disagree, the wife is driving an 2006 Explorer Limited v-8, has 10 less h.p. than my 2006 stang GT, get basically the same gas mileage, averages 18-22 whether on streets or interstate. The best my Stang has gotten was 23.6 on road trip to atlanta area earlier this year.
The Explorer is nice for road trips, serves a purpose that the Stang does not, Stang can't haul 4 Schipperke's to AKC dog shows, crates, etc.
Ford still has the right idea, SUV's do have a purpose, just not to everyone.

TDS

 

I tend to agree with you. While Explorer sales are way down compared to last year, they've still sold nearly 112,000 year to date.

 

Ford’s financial situation is deteriorating quickly, primarily because of declining sales of pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles, which make up the bulk of Ford’s North American revenue.

Industry analysts have been forecasting that Ford could lose about $3 billion before taxes in North America this year, or double its 2005 loss. But one internal forecast now shows the automaker’s pretax losses could be as high as $5 billion in North America.

 

The black body molding should be gold. Then Ford can call it the Ironman package.

 

lol

 

They already have an Explorer with gold body molding. Its called the Eddie Bauer .