Evolution Of The Ford Explorer
The Ford Explorer is an impressive SUV. The Ford Explorer has been in production since 1990 and has been the number one SUV sold in the US for the last 25 years. Chances are you, or someone you know has owned or currently owns one. Recently the explorer has taken on more of a crossover role, but it was not always this way. Here is some history for the next time you are looking at a Ford Explorer in Barrington or your area.
First Generation
The Ford Explorer was first introduced to the Ford lineup in 1990 for the 1991 model year. At the time it was strictly a purpose-built SUV. It did offer more comforts that some Spartan vehicles such as the Jeep CJ series, but was still a far cry from the SUVs of today. Today’s SUVs are basically large cars. When the Explorer was first released, they were still transitioning and were much more truck-like than today’s models.
The main complaint with first generation Explorers was the A4LD automatic transmission. This was pretty much a Ford C4 transmission with overdrive. The C4 was an excellent transmission but was not designed to handle high loads. This caused many premature failures on Explorers with modified engines, or that were used to tow a lot.
Second Generation
The first generation Explorer only had a three-year production run before it was replaced with the much more modern and capable second generation. This generation offered a much stronger transmission and more modern styling.
Third and Fourth Generation
The third and fourth generation Explorers were very similar and are the two generations that you still see the most of on the road. The third generation Explorer introduced the 4.6L Modular V8 to the Explorer. Third generation models got a 16-valve variant while the fourth generation got a 24 valve model. These generations also introduced even more reliable and efficient transmissions to the lineup and brought the Explorer into the modern world.
If you are looking for a Ford Explorer in Barrington, then check out Arlington Heights Ford. You can check their inventory at http://www.ahford.net/.
