It may look like the current version beneath the disguise, but it hides the new D6 platform.
These are the first images of an early mule of the 2019 Ford Explorer, spotted tested on the public road in Ford’s hometown of Dearborn, Michigan.
Beneath the heavy disguise, the mule appears to be wearing the current, fifth-generation body. But that body is sat atop Ford’s new D6 platform, which will eventually be pressed into service on a number of Ford and Lincoln models. The current car's D4 platform is also used by the Ford Flex and Lincoln MKT.
I find it interesting that the next gen Explorer will have the same wheelbase as the current model. But it does look like the side indentation is much lower on the mule than on the current Explorer.
It may be that Ford is using the center section of the new model, with the current gen front and back end tacked on.... Similar to the mules we see of the next gen Expedition.
I just hope the next gen Explorer has a shorter dash to windshield area.
I find it interesting that the next gen Explorer will have the same wheelbase as the current model...
...It may be that Ford is using the center section of the new model, with the current gen front and back end tacked on.... Similar to the mules we see of the next gen Expedition...
*IF* the (c)D6 'philosoform' is still as flexible as originally speculated;
(or as you say, Bloggin :thumb: ) the mid-section might not be from the current vehicle(s),
the wheelbase(s) might still (be) change(d) or be multiple??
I know it's meaningless in current mule form, but I really like how the body sits down on the wheels vs. the current Explorer. Also, with D6 being FWD/RWD capable I'm guessing the Explorer will remain FWD while the Aviator will push power aft, hopefully.
That would allow Lincoln to have their own architecture by it being RWD or AWD, with Explorer offering FWD/AWD. However, the new Audi Q7 has 40/60 AWD standard. With this being a SUV, maybe Lincoln will go the same route. While at the same time the Q7 'wagon' is more like a competitor for a MKT.
I've been wondering if the recent product-line re-evaluation might have trimmed one of the variants (Fwd, Awd, Rwd) from the architecture(/philosoform)...
...now I'm wondering what DID happen with that Review ... mainly the smaller "A.M.P" vehicles?
I was trying to verify wheel size & think I found those wheels in the 2011 OG, on right (I don't have all years on my current HD) but-yet-tho
to me the tester's wheels look like the current Edge's (on the left) = suspicious
No, this is not a D6. Just the dash to axle ratio can probe it. Even the front wheel drive D6 will have a greater radio than D 4 and CD 4.
This is CD 4.2 which is a Chinese Taurus / Continental's architecture derivative which will be the base for the Explorer and the Aviator until D 6.2 is ready and this is not going to happen until 2023 at least for SUV.
No, this is not a D6. Just the dash to axle ratio can proof it. Even the front wheel drive D6 will have a greater radio than D 4 and CD 4.
This is CD 4.2 which is a Chinese Taurus / Continental's architecture derivative which will be the base for the Explorer and the Aviator until D 6.2 is ready and this is not going to happen until 2023 at least for SUV.
...I'm detecting a trend - along with the '''F-200''' WIW (whatever it was) - perhaps the RPR (recent product review) indicates a number of years of Fill-In (not really Stop-Gap) vehicles until the new Architecture starts redefining the BlueOval?
Maybe the RPR was more about adjusting timelines?
reading some 'jocular' posts elsewhere along with LOTS of speculation about the architecture...
...does anyone else see the new Explorer as All-different ABOVE the beltline?
( below the belt doesn't count imho due to "current sheetmetal" ...afaik )
Ford's next-gen Explorer expected to grow, spy photos show Autonews
Spy pictures show the next Ford Explorer crossover could make extensive use of aluminum for the doors, hood and tailgate. Photo credit: BRIAN WILLIAMS / SPIEDBILDE
The next-generation Ford Explorer was caught testing recently on public roads. The vehicle, due out possibly as early as summer 2018, appears to be growing in size.
The spy pictures show the crossover could make extensive use of aluminum for the doors, hood and tailgate. The flat body panels are a clue. Ford’s aluminum suppliers, Alcoa and Novelis, have been working on new blends of aluminum that won’t crack when stamped into shapes that have deep draws or curves. But they may not yet be ready for mass production.
Ford and other automakers are looking to remove weight and boost the fuel economy of crossovers and SUVs to meet a federally mandated 54.5 mpg fleet average fuel economy standard by 2025.
The next-gen Explorer appears to remain front-wheel drive, with optional all-wheel drive. It’s also a prime candidate for a new fuel-saving nine-speed automatic transmission, co-developed with General Motors.
The Explorer was last overhauled for the 2011 model year when it shed its truck-based mechanicals and adopted Ford’s front-wheel drive, unibody platform that underlies the Ford Taurus sedan and Flex crossover.
The photos were indeed manipulated. I put these "new" Automotive News photos (top) next to the photos from last week's Motor1 article (bottom), and you can clearly see they altered the photos to make them stretched and skewed to make the vehicle look shorter, wider, and longer than it actually is.
I'm still of the opinion that this next Explorer is still just a heavy evolution of the existing vehicle,
be that D3/4 with lighter doors/hood/tail gate or a CD4 variant, unlikely if the PIs are staying.
Also think the 3.3 PFDI will see use as the base Explorer engine with new 9AT and in that case,
Ford will have to decide between the 2.3 EB and the 2.7 EB as the intermediate.
I sure hope we get an Aviator to replace MKT, Ford could switch production of Titanium/Aviator
to Oakville and replace Flex/MKT - also provides more production space at CAP...win-win...:wink2:
It looks like this will be a refresh (final) before the all-new one arrives.
I wonder, will they drop the base 3.5 V6, or adopt the new 3.3 V6? Hmmmm....
I'm assuming it will have the new 3.3 V6 along with the 2.3 Ecoboost. What I really wonder about it whether it will continue with the 3.5 or the 2.7 Ecoboost.
The information in the last link is a piece of sh__.
First, they are showing a mule, not a prototipe because we already saw the new Explorer with new, moré flat sides...
Then, they say that The 2019 model is a refresh of the current Explorer.... Even show an almost identical model but, at the same time they say that the 2019 Explorer will be on a new D6 platform.
I think they have no idea about they are talking there....
We know this, and in a previous post are the information and photos:
The 2019 Explorer will be a facelifted model. New doors, new grille, headlamps and tailigths. We expect a new interior, of course.
The 2019 Explorer will be built on the same platform. No new D6 platform. Not yet
We expect a few surprises in the engine bay: small V6 as a base powerplant? An standard 4 cyl Ecoboost? New 10 speed trans? But a new D6 platform sure not.
Definitely a mule but is it just me or does this have a bit of a prestige gap forming between where the A pillar and front wheel are? Could just be trick photography.
I don't know about these pictures, but there were some circulating a few months back in which the images were clearly distorted (made wider), so it's possible that could be happening here, creating the illusion that something is there that really isn't.
This is such a strange one, it looks like they are camouflaging an existing design. If it's a mule, they usually don't cover it up this thoroughly. If Explorer/Aviator are going on a new platform completely unrelated to D4...then things shouldn't be this clean. Either way, it's a mystery.
I have truly tried to like the Explorer Sport, and something about it from space utilization to vehicle dynamics has simply caused a bit of a rift between the Explorer Sport, and I. I do applaud Ford offering their CUV with a proper powertrain for those that desire a bit more performance, and that to me has always been a glaring issue with the Lambda CUVs.
The Taurus, MKS, and Explorer should have been on the D4 platform to begin with.
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