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Driving Impressions
Two new engines are available for the 2006 Ford Explorer. The 4.0-liter single-overhead-cam V6 has been retuned with variable valve timing and is rated at 210 horsepower and 254 pound-feet of torque. The V8 is the traditional 4.6-liter single-overhead-cam V8, but now it has three valves per cylinder, two intake and one exhaust, for better breathing, 53 additional horsepower at 292, and 300 pound-feet of torque.With the V6, you get a five-speed overdrive automatic. With the V8, you get a brand new Ford-built six-speed automatic overdrive transmission with full electronic control of upshifting, downshifting and torque converter functions. Both powertrains are quiet and smooth. The lighter V6 is a bit easier to turn and maneuver, but both are very pleasant, competent and quiet rides. Ford told us before we drove the truck that customers had demanded quieter operation from the new Explorer, so they have used the body-on-frame design to maximum advantage to quiet the truck down, isolate it from the road, and halt the transmission of noise and vibration. In this respect, Ford has done an exemplary job on the new truck. The AC system operates with 30 percent less noise yet moves and exchanges more air. Conversations are easily heard, the music sounds good, and the mirrors, with their new square corners defying aero logic, are mercifully quiet, as are the tires. This is a big, heavy family truck with 15 years of continuous sales success and a few dark episodes behind it (involving previous-generation models), so they have utterly bathed it in safety equipment, from standard Roll Stability Control (also used in Volvo, Land Rover, and other Ford Truck products) to smart air bags to side air bags to an air curtain setup for the second and third rows. Ford says it expects a full house of five-star safety ratings, the highest possible, when the truck is tested. The new steering on the 2006 Explorer has a much heftier feel at highway speeds with plenty of assist for parking. The new suspension is one of the most supple we've driven on any SUV in this big class. And the new brakes work much harder with much less pedal pressure and travel than before. Body roll is much better (the Explorer leans less in corners), and the general feeling of being planted on Earth is stronger on this new chassis. The new chassis is some 63-percent stiffer than before, and a stiff chassis is a key element for crisp handling and a smooth ride. This truck manages to be isolated from the road, but well connected to it, at the same time.
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