Ford Explorer Timberline

[Grassland]

Anyone hear about this?
Different front facsia, small light, skid plates etc. Just came across my feed. Still rated to tow 5000#. Might be a good mild set up you can daily drive.
I haven't checked to see if they got the quality control locked down for the new Explorers yet, but it's a moot point for me anyway as they start in the 50s and that's too high for me.

2021 Ford Explorer Timberline Tries Exploring Jeep Territory—Farther Off-Road

Is this really the most capable Ford Explorer ever?

www.google.ca

Oh and I keep forgetting no low range in the Explorer. That's one of the reasons we bought a Grand Cherokee for my wife in 2019.

 

[Buddha.]

I don’t understand why the suvs have to cost so much more than a base full-size. Also they jam three rows of seats in them too which would be pointless for me.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Oh and I keep forgetting no low range in the Explorer. That's one of the reasons we bought a Grand Cherokee for my wife in 2019.

To me it's not so much lacking a two-speed transfer case but lacking low gearing. The new Explorer has a 10-speed transmission but 1st is 17:1 while a decade ago a body-on-frame Explorer with a 5-speed auto and 2-speed t-case had a 1st-gear/low range of 30:1. All the torque vectoring, Torsen diff, black magic can't really substitute for crawl in technical situations where you just want the engine RPM high enough on the torque band without requiring a high vehicle speed. With 10 speeds why hasn't an OEM made 1st a granny like in the olden days? You still have 9 others to meet EPA. Couple that granny 10-speed with a real t-case in a F150 or Ranger and then you really got something, too.

 

[Buddha.]

To me it's not so much lacking a two-speed transfer case but lacking low gearing. The new Explorer has a 10-speed transmission but 1st is 17:1 while a decade ago a body-on-frame Explorer with a 5-speed auto and 2-speed t-case had a 1st-gear/low range of 30:1. All the torque vectoring, Torsen diff, black magic can't really substitute for crawl in technical situations where you just want the engine RPM high enough on the torque band without requiring a high vehicle speed. With 10 speeds why hasn't an OEM made 1st a granny like in the olden days? You still have 9 others to meet EPA. Couple that granny 10-speed with a real t-case in a F150 or Ranger and then you really got something, too.

I wish my 6spd forester had a granny gear rather than the double overdrive.

 

[Grassland]

It's not even listed on Canadian Ford site. Shows some pictures but nothing about cost or if a package on a certain trim or its own trim line.

 

[DaveInDenver]

I wish my 6spd forester had a granny gear rather than the double overdrive.

It could be worse, Toyota decided to put a typical 1st gear and only one OD in my 6 speed Tacoma. If they had two overdrive gears then I could at least drop the axle gearing to compensate. The transmission is the same as the Camaro and some Cadillac, which, you know, makes perfect sense.

 

[Todd n Natalie]

Meh. It's still an Explorer. I lost interest in them a while ago.

Now, if they were Ranger based like the Ford Everest.....

 

[Watt maker]

Meh. It's still an Explorer. I lost interest in them a while ago.

Now, if they were Ranger based like the Ford Everest.....

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Same here. Explorers are just station wagons now (CUV is the PC term I guess). They’re fine for staying on pavement but way too long and low for off-road use. I thought Ford was crazy not bringing that Ranger based Everest here but they might redeem themselves with the Bronco.

Of course, GM is totally missing the off-road market. It’s a disgrace to the Blazer lineage to put that name on a crappy CUV. Like we needed another disposable, indistinguishable CUV on the lots.

 

[Todd n Natalie]

Of course, GM is totally missing the off-road market. It’s a disgrace to the Blazer lineage to put that name on a crappy CUV. Like we needed another disposable, indistinguishable CUV on the lots.

Then they failed again when they released the Trailblazer....

And since the original trailblazer was linked (I think) to the Canyon / Colorado, they could have used another Aussie vehicle as the Trailblazer....

In fact, this Colorado based SUV it even called the Holden Trailblazer. It's like the work was already done for them:

 

[jbaucom]

Of course, GM is totally missing the off-road market. It’s a disgrace to the Blazer lineage to put that name on a crappy CUV. Like we needed another disposable, indistinguishable CUV on the lots.

I wouldn't exactly say GM is "missing it." They just don't seem to care, unless they're filling the void with a pricey electric Hummer. CUVs sell, and that's about all that GM cares about. I was excited when they first announced that they'd offer the AT4 trim on the Acadia and Terrain, hoping the package would include a little lift, a little larger A/T tires, revised fascias for better clearance, some underbody protection, and maybe some extra off-road electronic trickery. Basically improvements along the lines of the Bronco Sport Badlands trim. Instead, we got an appearance package with A/T tires on the Acadia. Just because GM is committed to building FWD based crossovers doesn't mean that they can't offer a reasonably viable off-road variant - look what Ford turned the Escape into when they made the Bronco Sport. The Jeep Renegade and Cherokee are also decent examples of what an automaker can do to build an off-road version of a CUV.

This new Explorer Timberline is actually a decent effort from an automaker. It isn't the platform that the early body-on-frame Explorer 4x4s were, with low range, but it does at least have a little lift for extra clearance, some actual metal underbody protection instead of plastic "splash guards", and all terrain tires. There have been worse efforts at an "off-road" trim.