Assimilator

I'd still have a hard time picturing a retrofit for suicide doors, but the good news is that the push-button door release and molding-mounted handles make that configuration slightly less complicated (almost seems like it was designed for that). I do think however that it needs to accompany a major update. And if they are going to stay in the sedan business, I would hold that trick for their CD6 products. Continental is largely perceived as something of a dud so I think suicide doors might just be another Blackwood.

I think Lincoln should get out of sedans, not Cadillac...although I think 3 sedans is too much. I mostly think Lincoln should get out of sedans because they've long lost those customers and it's futile to try and get new ones at this stage. I'm not saying they won't make more sedans but it's going to be significantly more expensive for them to pull it off without Ford's help. The failure of Continental pretty much confirmed for me that Lincoln can't crack that business and needs to focus on being a next-generation luxury carmaker with a focus in Utilities and EVs. I also think Lincoln's current product strategy is stagnating and they need give us an idea on how they want to grow the business. Hopefully we'll see better results with all the new utilities.

The Terri came out in 2004 and was previewed in a concept as the R7 in 2002. The Freestyle came out in 2005 so I'm not quite sure how Freestyle gets the blame for its design. This was mostly a corporate thing, specifically J. Mays who was slowly turning Ford into VW lite. This is the 2011 when they tried to come up with a fascia that looked like Global Ford, although American Ford was doing its own thing in the same year...fortunately!

Yeah, this is just a test mule using the old Explorer. The new Explorer does have some obvious design similarities to the current vehicle (the taillights being the big one) but it's a completely new vehicle none-the-less. The new Explorer looks very much like a better imitation of the Land Rover, it's kinda funny really because the Aviator does a pretty good imitation as well. I love it personally, especially the front.

That was referencing the first MKC commercial with the Bull which was named "Old Cyrus", had nothing to do with their naming intentions.

So that still leaves them with 3 sedans in total right?

I would say retrofitting Suicide Doors on the current Continental would be a huge waste of money, they either do it from the start or they don't do it at all. The Continental is particularly dated news with Aviator arriving on an awesome new platform.

I can get use to Corsair, I like it better than Mariner and MUCH better than Nautilus. Sure it will elicit some memories for people who know automotive history but most won't and those that do will get over it when they see the car which I think looks pretty great. I think the most regrettable thing about Corsair is that it has adorned these previous Fords.

GM is an American manufacturer and scored excellent so I don't really understand that perception of American bias here. These are companies, not countries and it doesn't hurt to hold them to account so they get better. In this case Ford Explorer certainly deserves some attention because it's popular, well known, and a standout poor performer among a crowd of good performers. That's news worthy I would say.

How much does this repair cost or is it covered under an extended warranty?

Actually, as a Leasee in "Rich Surburbia", regular updates are key to keeping people from switching to something else that's newer or different.

Crown Vics were falling out of favor as Taxis well before the car was discontinued because they were gas guzzlers. I haven't seen the Crown Vic Taxi in years.

Presumably a very short-lived product until Escape Hybrid takes over.

Transit Connect Hybrid will be something much more useful as Taxies and should cost the same as those Fusions Hybrids.

They obviously need to do some weeding, but I think exiting the sedan market will take a little longer. I definitely think Lincoln needs to exit the sedan market but Lexus has a far larger customer base to transition.

Why wouldn't it? A stronger safety cage is more likely to be life saving at higher speeds than a considerably weaker one. If the Explorer completely deforms at this speed while the others barely budge, who do you think will withstand the crash better?

But I think it's safe to assume that Explorer has the least comprehensive safety system given it's age and structural performance (and lack of safety amenities). Does that make it an unsafe vehicle, probably not. Would I rather have an Explorer that flunks the IIHS or a Fusion that aces it...I'm not so sure. Ford actually does not have an SUV that currently scores well at the IIHS (presumably new Expedition will) but Edge is really the only decent performer which means it's the only Ford vehicle I would buy besides the F-150. They are gradually making changes to catch up to the market norms with a standard suite of safety features and all-new platforms and products so hopefully this will all be fixed over the next 2-3 years and Ford can stop embarrassing itself....although I suspect EcoSport and Ranger are going to be poor performers considering their age and origin.

All things being relative, you would probably want to chose the vehicle that offers the best overall protection and balance that against pricing, amenities, and availability. It's just one thing to consider when shopping for a vehicle and how you weigh it against everything else is up to you. Personally it's a hard deal breaker for me, any car that flunks IIHS testing (especially as spectacularly as Explorer) is just not worth considering with so many outstanding choices. I think the 2020 Explorer will nail it if their CD4 cars can...except Edge. If not, Aviator probably will (MKX improved upon Edge).

Nobody is paying attention to this except for Police Agencies and that's probably all Ford cares about, even though we all know what a big deal some of this information really is. I have seen the 2020 Explorer and PUI and indeed it does look quite a bit like the current vehicle, but lower, longer, leaner, and wider. The lower fascia reminds me of a Navigator crossed with a 2019 Edge vibe if that makes any sense, it's the most distinctively new visual feature of the front-end actually since the grille and headlights essentially look like an Evoque or Velar...I think it's very sharp looking. Those ARE the final taillights for those questioning it, they do look oddly carried over...even though they are new components. The back-end is less boxy and more swept back but with a wider hip/shoulder with terminates at the bulging taillights (similar to the current vehicle but a little more defined). They essentially made the Explorer look a bit more exotic and even more like the modern Range Rovers. I'm not thrilled by what it is obviously a lower ride height and hip point, but it should make those Flex owners happy. Like the 2nd gen MKX/Edge, the new generation also chopped down the roof quite a bit so I'm not so sure about headroom...that signature boxy roofline above the windshield is much more 'vestigial' now...but it's there. I'm actually really curious about passenger spaciousness, it looks small but it could just be that the hip-points are much lower on this platform because of the longer wheelbase.

I completely agree, Lincoln has also been using that same display and it's completely useless. It's messy, less informative, and does far less. I haven't used the new display on Continental/Navigator that extensively yet but visually it's not nearly as striking as the virtual cockpit in Audi. It's a little too minimal and defeats the purpose of a full screen. I assume if I get another Lincoln in a year I will have the larger screen (Nautilus or Aviator).

The architecture under the D3/D4 Explorer dates back to the 1998 Volvo P3 platform, which wasn't even developed by Ford. The Ford D3 platform differs slightly from the original configuration of the Volvo P2 architecture. To reduce production costs, Ford Motor Company adopted steel suspension arms (in place of aluminum) and similar material cost-saving measures. In contrast to the Volvo P2 architecture, Ford adopted a common 112.9 wheelbase for each D3 variant (three inches longer than a Volvo S80, two inches shorter than a Ford Crown Victoria). In place of the inline-5 and inline-6 engines used by Volvo, Ford adopted its own Duratec V6 engines. As with the P2 platform, front-wheel drive is standard, with Haldex all-wheel drive (shared with the S80/XC90) fitted as an option. The D4 platform is a revision of D3 unibody platform produced since 2009. Developed to underpin crossover SUVs (including the Ford Flex, Lincoln MKT, and the 2011-present Ford Explorer), the variant is adaptable to multiple wheelbases; the suspension is also upgraded for off-road driving and towing. Toyota got nothing on Ford when it comes to keeping a platform rolling, new platforms are extremely rare at either company but more so at Ford which makes this current phase of Ford pretty extraordinary.

I'm squinting really hard to see this but it sure looks like the front-end has a Taurus or 2015 Edge-like vibe that I wasn't expecting. The grille looks trapezoidal with the lights shaped similar to the current Edge and Taurus. Anybody else seeing this?

I can confirm that the Explorer/Aviator/F-150/Mustang are using the same RWD Hybrid design and it's NOT part of the AWD system. The Hybrid Generator is actually built into the 10-Speed transmission and housed inside the Transmission's enclosure. It's designed to be extremely versatile, compact, and modular so it can be fitted to multiple engines like any other transmission. The FWD hybrids are using a more traditional setup.

I just learned that the 2020 Explorer is getting an optional Vertical or "Portrait" oriented screen on the center console. The main purpose is to allow for simultaneous Sync3 and CarPlay/Android Auto controls similar to the Volvo head-units (and the new RAM). Apparently the Aviator is not.