Our Explorer Limited proved to be a most pleasant sport utility to drive. The wheelbase helped eliminate a great deal of the choppiness found in other sport utilities. The Twin Traction Beam front suspension with axle/coil springs and rear two stage leaf springs provided a smooth ride with little body roll in turns.The 4.0-liter 160-hp V6 is coupled with a four-speed automatic transmission, standard in our Explorer Limited. Pedal-to-the-metal provided swift, sure acceleration and great passing and merging power, but the power fell short of Grand Cherokee's V8. The engine did emit some noise as the power increased.
Our Explorer Limited had auto-locking front hubs with a Touch Drive transfer case for on-the-fly shifting from 2WD to 4WD and back at normal road speeds. Manual locking hubs and a manual shift transfer case are optional.
We took our Explorer on our favorite off-road course, and it performed flawlessly, climbing a rather steep grade with no trouble and negotiating a rock-strewn stream and a suspension-testing two-track. We're convinced Explorer can do anything any competing sport utility can -and probably better.
Trailer towing can be accomplished by mounting a ball on the step bumper, but capacity is limited to 3,500 pounds. Add an aftermarket load equalizing hitch and the cooling package, specifically a 3.73 rear axle and towing capacity is increased to 5,400 pounds for the 4x4; 5,600 for the 4x2.
Add your own review or comments
