Ford Explorer Settlement Pays Lawyers

The rich get rich and the poor get certificates. 

Consumers who owned 1999-01 Ford Explorers and charged that their SUV’s resale value dropped like a rock after the exploding-tire-rollover fiasco have finally gotten (a kind of) financial justice.

A California judge has approved a settlement of a class action lawsuit filed more then 2 years ago on behalf of 800,000 Explorer owners in California, Illinois, Texas and Connecticut.

Each will now be sent a certificate worth $500 — toward the purchase of a new Explorer.

Ford Incentives Up, Include Specialty Models

April has begun, and Ford has updated its incentives for the rest of the month. There are some very interesting deals to be had. We’ll break down all the models soon enough, but the most interesting tidbit of information for car enthusiasts is that both the Ford Mustang Bullitt and the upcoming Ford F-150 Chip Foose Edition are getting cash back just like their plain-jane brethren. 

The 2008 Ford Mustang Bullitt is already on sale, and the Bullitt package costs an additional $3,310 on top of the cost of a regular Ford Mustang GT. Rebates range from $1,000 to $1,500, with an additional $1,000 offered in some regions if you go with Ford Credit to purchase the vehicle.*

Depending on where you live, that means you could pay just a $810 premium to have the special edition, which adds horsepower and suspension tweaks.

The 2008 Ford F-150 Chip Foose Edition isn’t on sale yet, but the roughly $55,000 sport truck will come to market over the next few months with between $3,000 and $3,500 cash back (plus that potential $1,000 in financing cash) on the intricately detailed hood.

Other rebates are more pedestrian, but still noteworthy:

2008 Detroit Auto Show Video: Ford Explorer America Concept

KickingTires’ own Suburban Dad took on the most suburb-tastic concept at the Detroit auto show and filed this video report. We have to say, the sliding seats on the center track are pretty nifty. But we never knew the tailgate of an SUV could provide an escape for mom and dad.

Suburban Dad in Detroit: Ford Explorer America Concept

This is only a concept, but Ford tells us it's almost certain the next generation of the venerable Explorer SUV will be a unibody, not a truck/body-on-frame, vehicle — though it may not look exactly like this, inside or out. Ford also said it doesn't plan to soften the vehicle's stance, meaning it won't be a crossover; it should still have true offroad capabilities and other traditional SUV functionality.

2008 Detroit Auto Show: Ford Explorer America Concept

• Looks like: Ford’s serious about updating a dinosaur
• Defining characteristics: Bold grille that doesn’t have three chrome bars
• Ridiculous features: 3-D compass and navigation unit
• Chance of being mass-produced: Pretty darn good.

The big news about the Ford Explorer America concept is that Ford has confirmed it will move its Explorer SUV from a truck-based body-on-frame design to a car-like unibody design that many crossovers use. This will save weight to increase gas mileage and also follows GM’s recent crossover trio the Saturn Outlook, GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave.

Ford also said it will bring turbo engines to the Explorer, including a four-cylinder capable of making 275 hp and 280 lb.-ft of torque. That’s equivalent to what GM’s V-6 crossovers get. To replace the V-8 engine, there will be a turbo V-6 producing around 340 hp. Ford says fuel economy could increase from 20% to 30% over the current V-6 Explorer.

Now, before you go saying this is just a concept, we want to make sure you understand that Ford is serious about making the next Explorer more fuel-efficient and making the next Explorer a crossover with three rows, just like this concept. Whether the aggressive looks, power doors, tailgate seats and other features make it to final production, we’re not sure. Regardless, this is a big, big concept for Ford. Many more photos below.

2008 Ford Sport Trac Adrenalin

• Competes with: Chevy Avalanche, Honda Ridgeline
• Looks like: A faster version of the Ford Sport Trac
• Drivetrain: Exactly the same as the regular Ford Sport Trac
• Hits dealerships: January 2008

When the Sport Trac Adrenalin concept hit the auto show circuit way back in 2005, we thought it was a good idea. Now, seeing that Ford is finally releasing a version of that concept with just cosmetic changes, we’re wondering where the last two years went. Doing some research, though, Ford vice president of design J Mays said way back when the concept debuted that it was planned for 2007. Of course, that concept had a supercharged version of the 4.6-liter V-8 the production model has.

Instead of a go-fast version of the Sport Trac, this is a looks-fast version. Ford announced the starting price of the Sport Trac Adrenalin today as well — $29,775 not including $720 in destination charges. That’s really the price of a Ford Explorer Sport Trac Limited with the Adrenalin Package price of $2,995 already added. So you can opt for either a 4X2 or 4X4 Sport Trac with either the V-6 or V-8 engine. Nope, no superchargers here.

The extra $2,995 goes to new body work, mostly. The new front of the Adrenaline is massive and quite aggressive. We miss the concept’s centered pipes, but the front end is actually bolder than the concept’s. When was the last time that happened?

Twenty-inch wheels also help a lot in trying to explain the added cost. They’re actually the same wheels shown on the concept back in 2005. Interior changes are minor, and the Adrenalin comes in limited colors: the Copper Red you see here, White Suede, black and silver. As always, more photos below, along with a shot of the concept for comparison purposes.

Related
Ford Sport Trac Adrenalin Concept (Cars.com)

Some SUVs Don't Hold Up in Side Crash Tests

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s latest round of crash tests focused on midsize SUVs, and most of the vehicles tested didn’t do nearly as well as sedans and similarly sized crossover SUVs. The results will no doubt spark more debate among the bigger-is-safer and the get-your-land-yachts-off-the-road segments of the population.

The common thought is that the bigger the vehicle you’re in, the safer you are in an accident. There have been various studies to back that up that compare the number of road casualties to the types of vehicles involved. What IIHS discovered is that many popular midsize SUVs, including the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Nissan Pathfinder, Nissan Xterra, Chevy TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy and Saab 9-7X, rate Marginal side-impact scores. The two Nissan's did earn Good scores when equipped with optianl side airbags. The others came standard with side airbags. Most of the SUVs tested also didn’t do well in rear crash tests, and none earned a Top Safety Pick award from IIHS.

Interestingly enough, the vehicles tested were truck-based. Car-based crossover SUVs, including the Ford Edge, Subaru Tribeca and Honda Pilot, have gotten IIHS’ Top Safety Pick nod. Check out the full crash results below.

Ford Announces Sync Strategy, Price

Ford’s new Microsoft Sync in-car entertainment and communication system has a price tag, and it’s not that bad. For $395, buyers will be able to add the option onto selected Ford and Mercury vehicles and it will be standard equipment on Lincoln models.

Besides Lincolns, higher-end trims of Ford and Mercury vehicles will eventually come with Sync standard. The first models to get Sync will be the 2008 Ford Focus, Fusion, Taurus, Taurus X, Edge, Explorer and Sport Trac, and the Lincoln MKX and MKZ. Sync should start becoming available on those models before the end of the year. 

Sync has Bluetooth capability and integrates peripherals like MP3 players into the system using voice recognition software. That means you can surf through your iPod’s playlists with voice commands. It also will read text messages from your phone aloud, even translating abbreviations like LOL. Plus it’s multilingual for English, French and Spanish speakers. Check out the video below for Ford’s promotional take on the new technology.

And on a personal note, as a Zune owner, I’m excited to finally see a press photo with something other than an iPod in it.

Honda CR-V Now Most Popular SUV

The Wall Street Journal has written a story about how the Honda CR-V recently passed the Ford Explorer as the most popular SUV in America. That’s true; there have been 104,179 CR-Vs sold through June of this year, versus 74,704 Explorers. The redesigned CR-V is seeing brisk sales, but Ford isn’t necessarily losing the SUV game. It’s Escape compact SUV, including a hybrid version, has sold 92,205 vehicles in the same time frame — up from last year — and is one of the company’s best-sellers. It’s also direct competition for the CR-V. Ford has also sold 58,783 of its new Edge crossovers, which it hopes will replace the Explorer as the family transport of the future.

Is Ford in bad shape because the CR-V has taken over the top spot? Not necessarily, but being No. 1 doesn’t hurt.

Ford, Honda Cross Paths on Sales of SUVs (Wall Street Journal Via GM InsideNews)

Related
Cars.com Honda CR-V Video (YouTube)
Expert Honda CR-V Review (Cars.com)
More Honda CR-V News (KickingTires)

Ford Adds $1,000 Cash Back to Popular Models

The race is on to end 2006 on a positive note for Detroit automakers, including Ford. The struggling company announced it would add $1,000 in year-end bonus cash to 12 more Ford models, including the popular Mustang and Explorer. The bonus cash is on top of existing rebates.

For a full list of current incentives, go here.

[Ford Ramps Up Deals Again, The Detroit News]

2006 L.A. Auto Show: Ford Explorer Fuel Cell

Ford is debuting what looks like a standard Explorer SUV in L.A. this week, but it actually packs a hydrogen powertrain; a tank of the alternative fuel can take the Explorer 350 miles on a single fill-up.

The fuel cell prototype is partially funded by the U.S. Department of Energy in order to show a viable alternative to petroleum. We’d have to assume the government wouldn’t want to invest in any hydrogen infrastructure without seeing some real working samples on the road.

The fuel cell Explorer has been tested over more than 17,000 miles, and traveled 1,556 miles in a 24-hour period. Ford will also launch its next-generation Escape and Escape Hybrid compact SUVs tonight at midnight. Check back here for more.

Cars.com 2006 L.A. Auto Show Coverage

Reader Review of the Week

It was pretty tough to pick a winner for our no-prize-attached Reader Review of the Week award this Halloween week. After sifting through dozens of new submissions, we thought we were being treated to tricks galore, especially after not one but two confused entries stated that the B in BMW stood for British, as in British Motor Works. We’re hoping they’re not the people responsible for BMW’s Wikipedia entry.

Luckily we received one treat in our search, from Thomas in Miami, Fla. Thomas just bought a new 2007 Ford Explorer and details why he made the switch from a Bavarian Motor Works 3 Series to Ford’s bread-and-butter SUV. Read the full review below, and if you really want to help us out please contribute a review of your own vehicle right here.

Ford Dealers Learn How to Sell Edge

When the all-new Ford Edge crossover arrives at dealers next month, salesmen are going to have a new tool to help them sell the car. Because the Edge joins three other Ford SUVs and crossovers in similar price points — the Escape, Explorer and Freestyle — the company created a guide to help customers find the “right vehicle” for them. The Edge could, and probably will, cannibalize sales from Escape and Explorer, but Ford dealers seem to prefer to lose a sale to another Ford buyer, instead of another automaker.

From the announcement of the Edge last January and the subsequent news that Ford would sell the aging Escape compact SUV right alongside it, we’ve wondered: Who will buy the Escape when a shiny Edge is sitting right next to it? Dealers suggest they’ll order more four-cylinder Escapes and V-8 Explorers to complement the V-6-only Edge in the showroom. That makes some sense and spreads the sticker price gap a bit more realistically between those three cars. We don’t expect those shopping for a three-row Freestyle to cross-shop the Edge, no matter what the pricepoint. 

[Stealing Sales, AutoWeek]