Ford Explorer ST Review...Kia Telluride has some Competition Problems...

If you haven't figured out it yet the SUV is here to stay since 2007 there has been a calling for vehicles that ride higher from all manufacturers hence why special car makers like Ferrari and Aston Martin have decided to come to the design table with these "sitting higher type vehicle". With all that ammunition to build there are a few guys that have been in the game awhile who cannot come to the plate with the same old platter as there are many other outfits vying for position on the same block. In comes Ford and the Explorer it's history as an American SUV has been a staple since the 1990's when the Bronco was a little too big to compete against the offerings from Chevy and Jeep. It has been the best selling SUV for Ford by a wide margin and with all the money in R&D comes an expectation actually a do or die situation. Either this thing is designed well and can compete or Ford is in a whole lot of trouble as they are coming to a point where they are no longer offering low selling sedans..(Mustang is still alive) 

We posted the article for the latest released explorer now we, one up the explorer with a vehicle that is meant to have a bit more sporty attentions in the newly released Ford Explorer ST. The ST stands for Sports Technology, not the full out RS models that we have seen from the Dearborn Michigan Group. I actually toured there facility in the early 2000s when they were going through there robotics overall essentially moving away from anything manual. What took me at that time was Ford's forward-thinking, they also had the gift of having some of the designers under the helm in the name of Jaguar, Land Rover, and Aston Martin. What a gift that was and after letting those brands go there is not one vehicle in the Ford staple that hasn't taken hints of its English partnership. So in comes the design which in my mind puts it in a discussion as a competitor for the Kia Telluride which I hold as the best looking mid-size SUV you can buy at this time but also substantially improves in an area that my heart is keen on so call me biased, let's call that performance. 

Dimension wise let's look at where it sits vs the competitors, I am only looking at the top trims from each of the car manufacturers. 



It's the highest-priced of the group but also performs well above its mark, to be frank, the Explorer would keep up with the Audi SQ7 TDI, and the BMW X5 40i XDrive. In the looks department, it is reminiscent of the Range Rover Sport 5.0L in many ways it's only when you sit in the car and feel all the hard surface material/plastics plus the Ford badging do you see the variance. What makes this ST special outside of the fact that you can start it with your cell phone, are the suspension enhancements stiffer springs, and an RWD based platform adds to the sporty nature of the ST. A 10-speed automatic quickly shifts through gears, but the power is more built-up vs full in your face once the gas is pressed.  The back seats can comfortably fit the aforementioned NBA players in the 2nd row, the 3rd row 5"11 and under can make it. In all it's a sleeper car with a sleeper price if your pricing out a Range Rover.  What more can we say, Ford is lucky this ride along with Mustang should keep them in the passenger game for years to come. 

Specs: 
Engine: 3.0 TT V6 
0-60: 5.0 sec to 5.5 sec 
1/4 MIle: 13.4 sec to 13.9 sec 
Top Speed: 143 MPH