Ford Midsize Cars

Cadillac showed off its new XT6, three-row crossover at the 2019 Detroit auto show, but its debut took place at a private event prior to the kickoff of the Detroit Auto Show. As such, the other SUV debut (the 2020 Ford Explorer) received a lot more attention at the show. Is the Ford Explorer cooler and more desirable than the Cadillac XT6?

There’s no denying that the Ford Explorer is a popular SUV. America’s best-selling crossover with more than seven million units sold 1990s, the Explorer is an SUV that Chevy can’t keep up with. The sixth-gen model just debuted at the 2019 Detroit Auto Show and stole the show by drawing a big crowd of journalists at the Ford booth. Actually, the Explorer was the only reason why people gathered in the Chevrolet booth, from where they watched the unveiling event.

Ford’s new 2020 Explorer has already raised some eyebrows with its rear-wheel drive platform and proportions, as well as its unusual front fascia. But even if you aren’t fond of the way the regular Explorer looks, then the new Explorer ST might change your mind, since it just adds another layer of aggression.

The debut of the new 2020 Ford Explorer is definitely one of the most expected vehicle debuts of this year. It happened. President and CEO of Ford, Jim Hackett and Executive Vice President Jim Farley, presented the new car in Detroit in casual attire. Visually similar to its predecessor, the sixth generation Ford Explorer goes back to its roots with a rear wheel drive platform, longitudinal engine layout, and far more athletic appearance than ever before.

I compiled a list of little-known facts about the new 2020 Ford Explorer that just shows how dedicated Ford engineers and designers have been with the creation of the most advanced Ford Explorer of all time.

The new, redesigned, Ford Explorer is here, and Ford touts it as an "adventure enabler." It’s got more room on the inside, more gizmos, and it can tow a heavier payload than before. But, as the mid-size crossover SUV segment gets busier and busier, the Explorer must execute to perfection in all areas to remain at the top of the pile. One of its competitors will be GMC’s Acadia.

Ford launched the new, sixth-generation, Explorer at an event at Ford Field in Detroit on Wednesday. The automaker says its focus has been on the customer 100%, trying to see what are the areas that the customers are most displeased with and then eliminating these "pain points." The result, Ford says, is a "reinvented" Explorer. Let’s see how well it stacks up against the soon-to-be 3-year-old GMC Acadia.

The Ford Explorer has been around for almost 30 years. In that time, the SUV segment has evolved in ways no one could’ve dreamed of. Through it all, the Explorer has remained one of the segment’s backbones, a pillar from which the SUV world has stood on for close to three decades. The Explorer’s life reads like a Hollywood script, too. It started off with a bang, establishing itself as one of the most popular SUVs on the market. That success lasted for more than a decade before the Explorer lost its way as other SUVs arrived. Sales eventually cratered, leaving Ford desperate to recapture the magic the Explorer had when it became the breakout hit of the early ’90s. The return to form eventually took place as the SUV segment in the U.S. exploded. With the Explorer now entrenched as one of the most popular SUVs in the market, Ford’s banking on the sixth-generation model to keep that momentum. Whether it does so or not remains to be seen, but the all-new Explorer appears fully equipped to take on that challenge.

The Ford Explorer is one of the most recognizable nameplates in the SUV segment, and arguably one of the first models to establish the segment outright. These days, the Explorer is getting close to 30 years old, but it’s still one of the best-selling SUVs out there. Now Ford is offering a fresh sixth-generation for the 2020 model year, introducing a more diverse model lineup, additional muscle under the hood, a more capacious interior, and the very latest technology bits as well.

To say the least, Ford has changed with the times, and that has helped it stay successful. Moving on from hot hatches, the automaker now sees the potential for combining performance with crossovers. Vehicles like the Edge ST can be given some more steroids and bump up that power to give the customers a crossover that can rip the roads. Interesting, right?

In a state where SUVs rule the roads, Ford dropped four larger-than-life special edition SUVs at the 2018 Texas State Fair. One of the four models is the Explorer Limited Luxury Edition, a unique take on the popular Explorer SUV that adds appearance upgrades on the vehicle’s exterior and interior. The Ford Explorer Limited Luxury Edition is joined by the Explorer Desert Copper Edition and a pair of Expedition special editions — the Expedition Stealth Edition and the Expedition Texas Edition — in the annual fair.

The Ford Explorer was well-represented at the 2018 Texas State Fair after Ford brought a pair of special edition versions, including the Explorer Desert Copper Edition. Created to diversify its Explorer lineup, the Desert Copper Edition is based on the XLT trim of the SUV. The special edition Explorer comes with a number of upgrades in the exterior and interior. The automaker hasn’t said if the Explorer Desert Copper is going to be available to the public, but with the popularity of SUVs these days, don’t be surprised if the Explorer Desert Copper Edition arrives in a dealership near you sooner than later.

Ford has backtracked off its plans to use the “Mach 1” name on a future electric crossover. The American automaker reportedly received considerable blowback from fans and customers — us, included — when it floated the idea a few months ago. And so, the former Mustang badge is back in the vault. Ford still plans to infuse the forthcoming crossover with the Mustang’s DNA, but the Mach 1 name appears to have been spared from all that.

In 2017, it was time for Ford to Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the original 1967 Shelby Super Snake – a one-off designed by the man himself. To celebrate that anniversary Ford created the 2017 Shelby Super Snake 50th Anniversary Edition. It comes with an awesome blue and white color scheme to go with as much as 750 horsepower and 700 pound-feet of torque, enough to make it faster than the Challenger and Charger Hellcat twins and the Chevy Camaro ZL1, with a quarter-mile run taking just 10.9 seconds. With the new Shelby GT350 already making its debut and the Shelby GT500 about to debut in the very near future, we thought it was fitting to showcase the 2017 Super Snake and have made it our wallpaper of the day. Check out our hand-picked choice or choose from a small gallery at the bottom of the page. Go ahead; they are free.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has flagged the Ford Explorer and Jeep Grand Cherokee after both SUVs scored an overall rating of “poor” in the agency’s recent crash test examination. According to results of the passenger-side small overlap front crash tests, both SUVs showed a high risk of injury to a front passenger with potentially fatal ramifications.

The Escort was once a fun compact car that even had its place in the rally world. But, like all good things, the Escort eventually had to come to an end. It was even discontinued in Europe years ago as well. In 2014, Ford quietly introduced the name to the Chinese market, and it’s apparently been very well received. So much so, in fact, that Ford just ushered in a new-gen model built around the brands new global midsize car platform. Could the Escort come back to the States and Europe someday?

Whoa, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Until gas prices spike and SUVs lose popularity, we’re never going to see the Escort this side of the Asian market again. In fact, Ford just announced it’s downsizing to just two passenger cars in its whole U.S. Lineup. But, if it makes you feel better, the new Escort in China comes with an eight-inch touchscreen display, an attractive instrument cluster, and there’s even a little bit of fastback and Focus DNA in there as well.

It is offered with a 1.0-liter or 1.5-liter EcoBoost engine, but power figures have been kept secret for now. I wouldn’t expect to see it deliver over 130 horsepower in its most potent form – after all; it’s for the Chinese market. Either way, if you’re going to be in China and you miss the Escort of the old days (God I miss my hatchback), you could move to China and procure yourself a 1.5-liter model with a manual transmission.

When Ford showed off the new Ranger, it showed nothing but potential in terms of utility and everyday usefulness. It had damn near everyone wondering if Ford would go back to its roots and offer the new Ranger as a single-cab, two-door model with a longer bed. The hope was there, but according to a 2019 model year VIN document sent to the NHTSA, the Ranger will only offer four doors in either supercab or supercrew body styles. Both supercab and supercrew models will be available with rear- or all-wheel drive, but supercab models options with “bed delete” will only be offered with rear-wheel drive. That’s right; you’ll be able to turn the new ranger into a flatbed. As expected, the only engine on offer is a 2.3-liter four-banger paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission.

The originally Ford GT40 was designed to make a fool out of Enzo Ferrari at Le Mans, but that might as well be a lifetime ago. Then, Ford decided it would step into the supercar market with the second-generation of the model, calling it nothing more than the “Ford GT.” Sexy and sleek, powerful and fast – these words easily describe the GT40. It’s got that low-slung supercar look and, despite hauling around just a 3.5-liter V-6, it can deliver 647 horsepower and 550 pound-feet of torque. That’s good enough to hit 60 mph in 3.0 seconds, 100 mph in 6.2 seconds, and 130 mph in 10.1 seconds. If you’re brave enough to pin it for 21.4 seconds, you can hit 170 mph too. That’s great, and all, but the GT was a very limited model, and Ford did some serious vetting when it came to who got to own one. We’re guessing you probably weren’t one of those guys so if you’re still itching for some Ford GT, go ahead and download one of our hand-picked wallpapers!

With the current generation of the Ford Fusion being on sale since 2012, it’s long overdue for a facelift, and that’s what we’re going to get at the 2018 New York Auto Show. Like most facelifts, few changes can be seen on the inside or outside, but what Ford has done is include its new Co-Pilot360 suite of driver assistance technology on all trim levels as standard equipment. Hybrid models get a new, larger battery with improved all-electric range, while some higher trim levels now get a standard 4G LTE internet connection and the Fusion SEL returns to the lineup to replace the SE Luxury package.

A few months after dusting off the “Bullitt” name, Ford is once again in a throwback mood. This time, the Blue Oval is bringing back the “California Special” name for the 2019 Ford Mustang. The nod to the late 60’s special edition couldn’t have come at a better time, either. The original Mustang California edition came out in 1968. It’s no surprise, then, that 50 years later, the California name is bringing brought back with a modern twist.

Introduced in 2014, the Ford Edge, one of the company’s key vehicles, gained a significant update for the 2019 model. Alongside the revised exterior, high-tech interior, and upgraded turbo engine, Ford also updated the model lineup with an ST model. Replacing the old Sport, the new Edge ST brings the performance-oriented "ST" badge into the SUV market for the first time. At the 2018 Chicago Auto Show, Ford unveiled a second new trim. It’s called the Titanium Elite and slots right between the Titanium and the ST.

Ford’s choice for a new trim seems rather awkward at first glance. Unlike other models, the Edge doesn’t have the luxury-oriented Platinum trim. The latter seemed to be the next logical step after the ST, but Ford chose to introduce a slight upgrade to the Titanium model. The Titanium Elite would make more sense if the Titanium were to be discontinued soon, but as things stand, I can’t really understand where Ford is going with this. But let’s have a closer look at what we already know about this new trim.

Continue reading to learn more about the Ford Edge Titanium Elite.

Ford has seen a healthy eight-percent increase in sales of the Edge crossover with higher trims over the last four years. As a response, the 2019 Edge is getting a new luxury-minded trim package that should help boost consumer interest in the two-row crossover. It’s the Titanium Elite and it slots between the current Titanium and the new performance-oriented Edge ST.

Continue reading for more on the 2019 Ford Edge Titanium Elite.