Tough guy style is still the first time to test drive a new Ford explorer.

Easy car original? On August 10, the new Ford Explorer started the pre-sale, and the pre-sale price range was 309,800-379,800 yuan. This new explorer is a mid-term modified model. The appearance and interior of the new car are optimized, especially the new car comes standard with a 27-inch central control screen. So when I first got the explorer's car, it was easy to give people the illusion that it was worth 600,000 to 700,000. Huge body size, high-tech interior, vertical rear-drive platform ... there are indeed many bright spots. However, before we know what to do, the car finally has to be driven. One day after the pre-sale price was released, we flew to Yunnan, and the test drive was aimed at new Ford explorers.

Dynamic experience Powerful hardware brings outstanding driving experience.

This time, I got the top model of the brand-new Ford Explorer, which is the ST line version of the four-wheel drive. Of course, the new explorers are all equipped with a power combination of 2.3T+ 10AT, so there is only a slight difference in the power feeling between the vehicle weight and the four-wheel drive/two-wheel drive.

Before we begin, let's talk to you about the contents of the paper. The new Ford Explorer adopts a longitudinal rear-drive platform rare in its class, equipped with a 2.3T four-cylinder turbocharged engine, with a maximum power of 203kW and a peak torque of 425n m. ..

Transmission system mATching 10 speed (at) automatic gearbox. In fact, we are familiar with the 2.3T engine and 10AT-the former is equipped in Fox RS and Wild Horse; The latter is also equipped on the F- 150. This powertrain was first used by Changan Ford directly above the Explorer. Officially, the brand-new Explorer four-wheel drive model broke 100 seconds (7.6 seconds for the two-wheel drive model), which is quite good for a medium and large SUV with a curb weight of more than 2 tons.

Let's talk about the actual driving experience first. The new explorer still provides a variety of driving modes, such as economy, standard, sports, snow and rough road modes, and the feedback of accelerator pedal and the logic of gearbox will be adjusted accordingly. In sports mode, the engine speed is usually kept above 2000 rpm to obtain faster dynamic response.

However, I personally prefer the standard mode. The new Ford Explorer is still very big, but because of the sufficient power reserve of this powertrain, there is a kind of "light pleasure" even in the standard mode. The low torque of the engine is enough, and the power feedback in the initial stage is quite positive. When you lightly step on the accelerator pedal, the vehicle can feel the engine start to exert force.

Our driving distance this time is still relatively long, and we have experience in daily urban road conditions, high-speed road conditions and unpaved road conditions. In low-speed road conditions, this 2.3T engine is explosive enough to meet the daily driving needs. Of course, due to positioning reasons, even in sports mode, Ford did not adjust the car badly, so it is not difficult to drive.

However, from the sense of body, the dynamic of this car is not quite like a model with an acceleration of 7.8 seconds per 100 kilometers. Analysis of the reasons, on the one hand, may be because we have three big men riding this time, and the top model is nearly 100kg heavier than the low model. On the other hand, I think the obvious factor affecting the body feel is the adjustment of the gearbox. The new explorer's 10AT is not much different from the old one in adjustment, with smooth shifting action and smooth power transmission. However, it is not easy to downshift when the "floor oil" accelerates sharply, and there is still a certain reaction time. In addition, in the standard mode, the gearbox will occasionally stumble when switching between first gear and second gear, but the frequency is not high.

What about steering and steering? In addition to the sports mode, the new explorer's turn is relatively gentle in other modes, which is easy to be ignored. This is a big car with a length of more than 5 meters and a wheelbase of more than 3 meters, but I personally like that the steering is slightly heavier and the feedback is more obvious in sports mode. Of course, due to the layout of the longitudinal rear drive, the turning radius of this car is only 5.9 meters-much smaller than that of the same level of horizontal front drive models.

The chassis of the new explorer adopts the front double-joint shock absorber suspension and the rear multi-link independent suspension, and the main difference between the all-aluminum swing arm-double-joint shock absorber suspension and our common McPherson independent suspension lies in this double-joint suspension. To put it simply, the double ball joint changes one fulcrum of the original McPherson independent suspension into two fulcrums, and the horizontal force and the vertical force are separated, while the conventional McPherson independent suspension is hard connected and completely depends on the shock absorber. In addition, the all-aluminum lower arm can effectively reduce the unsprung weight, which also improves the handling of the vehicle.

It is precisely because of the vertical rear-drive layout that the front-rear balance ratio of the new explorer is 50: 50, which is reflected in the control that the center of gravity is very close to the center, rather than pushing the front-drive model horizontally.

The support of the whole suspension is not as soft as that of American cars in the past, and the adjustment is tough. Of course, because the weight of the car body is there, the stroke of the shock absorber is not short, and the fluctuation will be slightly obvious. Fortunately, the filter of the chassis for the slight bumps is very simple, and the introduction into the car is already relatively small.

Finally, the NVH performance of new explorers will be more convincing under highway conditions. The new explorer uses five layers of laminated glass on the front windshield and double layers of sound insulation glass in the front row, and the whole vehicle is close to 100 noise reduction rubber block, which is very obvious for wind noise isolation. The engine is not noisy. This 10AT gearbox can shift to 10 when 120km/h, and the engine speed is only 1800rpm.

Tire noise control is also excellent. The top model is equipped with 275/45 R2 1 Scorpion Zero all season, which can take into account general off-road and complex road conditions, improve wet and dry performance, mute effect and reduce rolling resistance. The tire is a high-quality tire of silent cotton. Of course, good tires will definitely not be cheap. The price I found on the third-party platform is about 1550 yuan/piece.

Because there is a simple road driving mode in the driving mode, we also found a light off-road road to experience the off-road performance of this car. The new explorer is still equipped with a timely four-wheel drive system, which automatically distributes the torque of the front and rear wheels according to the driving mode and road surface. Nowadays, this kind of crushed stone pavement is no problem to handle, and it will be more advantageous to arrange it vertically on this undulating road or mountain road: when going uphill, the center of gravity of the vehicle moves backwards, and the driving wheels of the rear-wheel-driven vehicles can get greater grip, while the front wheels of the front-wheel-driven vehicles are responsible for driving and steering, and their power and handling performance are obviously inferior to those of the rear-wheel-driven vehicles.

Generally speaking, the new explorer still maintains a high level, whether it is the layout of longitudinal rear drive, the strength of powertrain or the chassis material. In fact, the strong hardware level can easily open the gap with competing products in perception. After all, this level, whether it is Tuoang, Blue Whale or Angkewei, adopts a horizontal front wheel layout and a 2.0T turbocharged engine.

Static experience Interior 27-inch large horizontal screen is eye-catching

As a mid-term redesigned model, the changes in the appearance of new explorers are actually quite obvious. The design style of the whole vehicle has not changed much, and it is still the tough and atmospheric shape of the old explorers, but more new things have been added.

The most intuitive change of the front face is the shape of the middle net, which has changed from the original hexagon to a more square irregular polygon design, with a larger area and better texture, and provides two front face styles for consumers to choose from. The real shot of this ST line model is a brand-new 3D scale design.