Ford Explorer Hits The 100,000-Sales Milestone In Early October

By Suzanne Kane

Suzanne Kane

Contributing Writer BIO

Suzanne Kane is an editor at High Gear Media focusing on covering the latest product and other auto-related information for Family Car Guide... More

LATEST ARTICLE
The Worst Traffic In America? It's Not Los Angeles
Los Angeles might seem to be the nation's capital for gridlock, but according to Inrix, a provider... Read More

• #12LEADERBOARD RANK
• 738ARTICLES CONTRIBUTED
• 138COMMENTS POSTED

1,199 views Oct 25, 2011

2012 Ford Explorer

2012 Ford Explorer

Enlarge Photo

As milestones go, achieving 100,000 sales of a redesigned vehicle is pretty impressive. Now that the new Ford Explorer has reached that pinnacle, the Dearborn, Michigan automaker is touting that the Explorer is the fastest-growing mid-size utility in the country.

This may be some comfort to the Blue Oval folks after what has to be a stinging blow from Consumer Reports’ 2011 Annual Car Reliability Survey (subscription required) showing Ford dropping to 20^th spot this year, from 10^th place last year. This was attributed to three new models that “blemished” Ford’s record: the Explorer, Fiesta and Focus, all with below-average reliability.

Still, consumers are gravitating to the new Explorer crossover SUV. Ford switched from the Explorer’s previous truck-based architecture to car-based underpinnings, dramatically changed the styling, and introduced the fuel-efficient 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine for the 2012 model year. Being the owner of the newest Explorer certainly has some appeal.

As noted in TheCarConnection, our sister publication, Ford conducted extensive research with consumers prior to developing the 2011 Explorer and, contrary to some critics’ issues with its unibody construction, reduced towing capacity and somewhat limited off-road capability, consumers seem to like the new version.

As for the fuel-efficient EcoBoost engine, now available in the Explorer and Edge, Ford says sales of models equipped with the engine are up 15 percent.

See why FamilyCarGuide gives the 2012 Ford Explorer an overall 9 (out of 10) rating here.

Sign up for our free newsletter or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.