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AUTO: Ford Touts New Explorer Economy
Optional turbo four in 2011 SUV boosts fuel mileage by 30 percent while maintaining V6 performance, Ford claims.
Bob Golfen  |  Posted July 19, 2010   Dearborn, MI
Ford is slowly revealing the 2011 Explorer that will be unveiled next week, recently providing this photo of the new headlight styling. (Photo: Ford)
As Ford gradually reveals more of the 2011 Explorer that will be unveiled next week with imaginative partial photos, the automaker is also bragging about the SUV’s performance and fuel economy.

Ford promises that Explorer will gain 30 percent in fuel economy with lower emissions when equipped with an optional 2-liter EcoBoost turbocharged inline-four, compared with the standard V6 model. The turbo four is new for the redesigned SUV, and Ford says it will provide performance comparable to the six-cylinder model.

“The all-new Explorer will give a huge universe of existing and prospective customers the capability they expect and the luxury and convenience they want, all combined with the fuel economy they need,” said Mark Fields, Ford president of The Americas.

Ford also has been sending out "spy shots" of the Explorer doing SUV duties out in the woods. (Photo: Ford)
No specific details are being provided for the EcoBoost Explorer, but if mileage is improved 30 percent compared with the 2010 V6 model, that figures out to an average of about 21 miles per gallon and 26 mpg on the highway for the two-wheel-drive model. The EPA has yet to issue the fuel-mileage rating for the 2011 Explorer.

Ford’s recent Explorer America concept SUV was powered by a turbocharged 2-liter EcoBoost four that delivered 275 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque.

The EcoBoost four in the 2011 Explorer combines turbocharging with direct fuel injection and twin independent variable camshaft timing to provide power and economy, along with a new six-speed automatic transmission.

Adding to the new Explorer’s fuel economy, Ford says, are lighter body materials for an overall reduction in weight, electric power-assisted steering, battery management, fast engine warm-up, aggressive deceleration fuel shutoff and a variable-displacement air conditioning compressor that reduces parasitic engine drag.

Aerodynamic improvements improve fuel efficiency and drivability at highway speeds, according to Ford.

Ford recently revealed a new safety innovation for Explorer, Curve Control, designed to help drivers maintain control of their vehicles when attempting to take a curve too quickly.

Bob Golfen, Automotive Editor for SPEED.com, is a veteran auto writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, who has driven and evaluated essentially every new vehicle sold in the United States. A lifelong car enthusiast with a passion for collector cars, car culture and the automotive lifestyle, he annually attends and writes about Arizona's famous January collector-car auctions, focusing on Scottsdale’s monumental Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event and other Barrett-Jackson auctions. SPEED.com fans email Automotive Editor Bob Golfen at

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