The first cars of Ford's new Explorer can probably be delivered from June next year. Ford Norway expects to open for orders in the spring. We have tried to look at Ford in the cards. Is it worth the wait?
On tour of Norway
A new Ford Explorer is currently being driven around to Norwegian dealers. I got to see it when it stopped by the Oslo Motor Show at the weekend. Today it is located on Jæren and will drive up Western Norway to Namsos before heading down the interior towards Southern Norway.
Seeing the car in real life gave me a better impression than what I got from the press photos. In the pictures, I think the car appears shapeless, underbite and perhaps somewhat voluminous - in the sense of "bloated". Seen with my own eyes, I could see that the new Explorer is smaller than the Mustang. It is then also 28 cm shorter. I also got the impression that it had more of a passenger car feel than the advertising has tried to create. This is a car for roads all over Norway, but not a car I would drive in a desert with, as in the advertisement. And the underbite front? It is actually quite alright with a modern, unfussy lighting arrangement with a low grill for cooling the batteries. Like the Volkswagen ID.4 which shares the same platform, the air intake has to share space with the front bumper, which must have been a challenge for the designers.
Place
The space conditions are normal for the class. The luggage compartment holds approximately 450 liters with a small space for the charging cable, warning triangle and the like - but no "frunk". By comparison, the Ford Mustang Mach-E takes 402 liters in the back and 100 liters in the front. The Volkswagen ID.4 takes 543 litres. I thought the new Ford offered more space, but in return I can say that it is quite stylish - in other words - a good compromise between shape and space.
Will there be any news?
The advertisement highlights "new features" such as an adjustable touch screen, 17 liter storage space in the center console and a soundbar on the dashboard. Some may want to highlight the square steering wheel as well. To see if any may appear real news, we have to look at what Volkswagen doing. As you know, the drivetrain in the new Explorer is sourced from Volkswagen. The so-called MEB platform is shared with the Volkswagen ID.4, which today has a 77 kWh battery with a range of 520 km for rear-wheel drive cars and 512 km for 4-wheel drive. Volkswagen is currently working on developing the MEB+ which can operate with a range of up to 700 km. It will be exciting to see when the upgraded platform becomes available in the ID.4 and the other models on the same platform. If that happens before the summer of 2024, the Ford Explorer will probably also be delivered on the MEB+ platform.
Worth the wait?
If you don't want to wait, you can order a Volkswagen ID.4 now and maybe have it delivered before Christmas. However, considering that ID.4 may be upgraded in a few months, it may be worth waiting a few weeks and see what happens. Worth waiting before ordering is also for the new Ford Explorer - as well as the Skoda Enyaq and Audi Q4. If you don't want to wait, these days you can get great deals on beautiful, well-equipped. smooth-driving and long-range Ford Mustang Mach-E at the same price as next year's Explorer.
Next electric Ford model?
When Ford Europe announced its new electric car venture, it was said that there will be 2 new models. The next model will probably be a crossover with a low-built glass body, like the ID.5 – i.e. a car that will have a more coupe-like shape. It is rumored that this model may be named "Capri". Has Ford's management decided that new electric cars will inherit the names of previous, legendary models?
- Maybe you can call it recycling?
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