When it came to sales, these were the Explorer's glory days. Meanwhile, the blue oval was adding a new pickup truck variant called the Explorer Sport Trac with four doors, a 14.3-inch longer wheelbase and a 4.2-foot, composite truck bed.
The 1997 model year brought about the Mercury Mountaineer, which came only with the 5.0-liter V8, but subsequent years made V6 power optional.īy the turn of the century, the biggest news for the Explorer centered on its Firestone tires blowing out due to tread separation, leading to numerous rollovers, 271 deaths and as many as 23 million tires recalled by both Firestone and Ford. This generation of Explorer waved "goodbye" to its Mazda platform-mate after 1994, but the midsize SUV wasn't alone for long. Also this year, V6 Explorers could be had with a five-speed automatic transmission - a very modern gearbox for the time. The base 4.0-liter V6, however, was still making just 160 ponies. This modernized mill was good for 205 horsepower and 250 pound-feet of torque. In 1997, Ford added a single-overhead cam, 4.0-liter V6 to the option sheet. For 1996, Ford began offering a 5.0-liter V8 engine making 210 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. There was a lot more power under the hood, too. Rather than looking like a pickup with a well-integrated camper shell, the new Explorer had a more rounded look all its own. The Explorer's exterior design also put more distance between itself and the Ranger. The more off-road-inclined I-Beam front suspension was replaced with a new, independent wishbone setup, but a live axle still resided out back. +25 More 1995-2001 Ford Explorer: Topping the chartsīecause most buyers rarely ventured off-road with their Explorers, the second-generation model's redesign was enhanced for better on-road manners, thus further differentiating the Explorer from the Ranger pickup truck on which it was still based.
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