It's a Revolution

The Ford Explorer was not the first SUV of the modern era, but it's the one most drivers think of first. For decades, a reliable work horse that could transport all the kids and all the stuff, without leading to arguments at home if it picked up some dings in the parking lot. When other manufacturers saw ord's success and came up with their own SUVs, the Explorer just kept chugging along, largely unchanged. And unchanged. And unchanged.

Until now. The newest generation Explorer Sport is such a leap forward, it's almost an injustice to think of it as just an evolution of what came before. Best of all, you can see the changes before you even turn the key. The new styling is more than a little "Range Rover," and that's a good thing. Ford's 3.5 - litre EcoBoost V-6 won't get you off the line first, but it pulls storngly as the turbos kick in. Ride quality is solid, yet agile (at least for this category). And the seats won't punish you on the way to the Bay Area. It seats 7.

The Ford Explorer Sport starts at $40K, and moves north to $47K quickly enough. Not the cheapest choice in the market segment, but you're not paying for evolution, you're paying for revolution... and styling that makes it worth protecting in the parking lot.

(Photo courtesy manufacturer)