Ford Explorer gains new SOHC engine with best-in-class power
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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SEWARD, Ak. -- Rain and snow perennially whip the paved route across Alaska's rugged Kenai Peninsula to this port city, making driving conditions always difficult but sometimes even dangerous.
Then add twisty mountain curves through the Chugach National Forest with summer vacationers moving in what seems like the migratory procession of enormous recreational vehicles and you can count on constant traffic tie-ups and resultant driver frustrations.
Despite these obstacles this tester set what should be a new land speed record during a recent Kenai crossing to reach Seward, thanks to the surging passing power and sure-grip traction of a new variation of Ford's best-selling sport-utility wagon, Explorer.
Dubbed Explorer SOHC, Ford's wagon stocks a new 4.0-liter V6 engine which generates up to 205 horsepower, making it the most powerful standard V6 in the compact class.
In the Alaskan test of this engine -- stock item in a cushy Eddie Bauer 4-door version with optional Control Trac 4x4 traction -- Explorer passed slower vehicles with ease and virtually leaped over that rain-swept peninsula.
What a surprise.
In previous issues Explorer with base engine was never noted for surging power. Easy to drive, comfortable to the core and entirely user-friendly, sure, but with less power flowing from the hefty wagon's standard 6-cylinder engine, Explorer never acted aggressively in acceleration.
Some rivals in this popular class of sport-utility vehicles pack far more base horsepower, and I will confess to more than a tinge of disappointment when I learned that the 1995 Explorer, in its first major revision since a 1990 introduction, did not address this perceived shortcoming in the power department.
The SOHC engine corrects that shortage, and then some.
It links exclusively to a new 5-speed automatic transmission which, in effect, adds another gear range between first and second notches of the former 4-speed automatic. This produces more precise gear ratios and, ultimately, better action for accelerating, towing a trailer or with 4x4 traction plunging off-pavement into rough stuff.
It's a dreamy combination, this new Ford engine and transmission, ultimately elevating Explorer to an entirely new level of power status.
Gross combined weight rating with the SOHC engine climbs now to 10,000 lbs, and Explorer's trailer-towing capacity increases by 500 lbs to 5,800.
The new SOHC engine appears as standard issue for the 4-door Explorer's two top trim levels -- Eddie Bauer and Limited, but it's an optional perk for 2-door base XL and Sport or 4-door XL and XLT models.
Entry engine -- the German-built V6 -- displaces 4.0 liters and employs sequential electronic fuel injection and Ford's distributorless electronic ignition package to produce 160 hp and 225 lbs/ft of torque.
You'll encounter it now only in base Explorers, pitched toward the economy end of the market.
Keep in mind that for trailer-towing, a third engine choice is also available, since Ford's 5.0-liter V8, generating 210 hp, became an upgrade choice for 4-door 4x2 XLT Explorer last year.
The new SOHC V6 may be a preferred choice between the earlier V6 and that V8. On the Seward Highway in Alaskan tests, I experienced no-fear passing, even at altitude, and discovered a plushly appointed Explorer could scoot up steep grades or effortlessly pass the longest line of big RVs.
What a wonderful package.
Of course, since its inception as the first sport-utility wagon to provide plush comforts and push-button conveniences of a conventional sedan, Explorer has been a sellout -- with one in four SUVs on the market bearing the oval blue badge of Ford.
Explorer's typical buyer wants fancy features of the higher-priced editions and usually uses the vehicle as a family car or commuter carrier. Curiously, of those who purchase optional 4-wheel-drive traction, only a small percentage actually steer the wagon off pavement.
Explorer's 4-door trim levels begin with that base XL and climb with equipment added through the more luxurious XLT (traditionally, the most popular Explorer trim level, accounting for 60 percent of all sales), to special Eddie Bauer with 2-tone paint treatment and opulent Limited.
The 2-door Explorer models, riding on an abbreviated chassis, include base XL and Sport.
All Explorers contain quick rack and pinion steering and 4-wheel disc brakes with 4-wheel anti-lock controls. All also employ a short and long arm independent front suspension which in the remake of 1995 replaced a previous cumbersome twin I-beam arrangement.
All contain twin bucket seats in front and a bench seat in the rear. The back bench of 2-door Explorers is rated to carry three but anyone in the middle may feel squeezed. Even so, Explorer's interior volume adds up to best-in-class measurements, which translates to increased room for legs, heads and shoulders, cargo too.
For parents who carpool, 4-door Explorers provide an optional integrated child's seat which folds down from the rear bench and includes automatic locking restraints.
The ultimate 4-door edition, Explorer Limited, stocks leather upholstery, Ford's Automatic Ride Control system that varies shock dampening electronically, the effortless new electronic automatic 5-speed transmission, electronic message center displaying various digital messages regarding fuel consumption and mechanical functions, electronic speed control, automatic climate control, power windows and door locks, plus options like power moonroof, JBL audio system, 6-disc CD changer and voice-activated cellular telephone.
Ford's part-time 4-wheel-drive system, called Control Trac, uses a push-button device to easily switch from rear 2-wheel to 4-wheel high gear or into 4-wheel low for more serious off-road stuff.
Also, a transmission high-gear lockout switch mounted to the tip of the shifter lever enables a driver to downshift with only the tap of a thumb -- a convenience appreciated during that RV-passing frenzy in Alaska.
Overall, Ford's treatment of Explorer with new SOHC V6 power sets a high standard for power, safety and convenience. Prices, while not the lowest in class, equate to value due to so many on-board features.
1997 FORD EXPLORER SOHC
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| 1997 FORD EXPLORER SOHC VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS |
| Description: |
Compact SUV wagon |
| Model Options: |
Compact SUV wagon |
| Wheelbase: |
2-door: 101.7 inches
4-door: 111.5 inches |
| Overall Length: |
2-door: 178.6 inches
4-door: 188.5 inches
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| Engine Size: |
SEFI 4.0-L V6
SOHC 4.0-L V6
SEFI 5.0-L V8
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| Transmission: |
SEFI 4: Manual/5, Auto/5
SOHC 4: Auto/5
SEFI 5: Auto/4 |
| Drive: |
Rear 4x2, 4x4 |
| Braking: |
Power 4-disc/ABS |
| Airbags: |
2 |
| Gas Mileage: |
18/23 mpg |
| MSRP Price: |
$ 20,000 to $ 37,000 |
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