NEW Ford Explorer: Bye-bye Focus And Fiesta, This Is The Future Of Ford | Top Gear
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- čas přidán 31. 07. 2024
- Ford wants you to rethink what that Blue Oval badge means, in Europe at least. No more small hatchbacks like the Fiesta and the Focus. The plan is to build fewer cars, sell them at bigger profits, and double down on what Ford thinks sets it apart. Chiefly, being American. So future Fords will look more land-of-the-free, and they’ll be themed more around adventurous outdoorsyness than school-run buses.
This brings us to an all-new Ford family hatchback: the Explorer. It’s a medium-sized all-electric crossover with five seats, a big square boot, and a chunky-but-friendly look about it. It’ll go on sale later this year with prices starting at less than £40,000, which slots it neatly between the current hybrid Kuga and the all-electric Mustang Mach-E. So, the question is whether Ford’s bold new unashamedly American-looking strategy will pay off everywhere else. Top Gear Magazine’s Senior Road Test Editor, Ollie Kew, takes a closer look.
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Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:30 The Ford Explorer
02:46 The Stats
04:13 The Exterior
05:15 The Interior and Gadgets
08:53 Conclusion
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Our lack of small, affordable hatchbacks and sedans in the USA is downright frustrating. It's unfortunate to see Europe following suit
Indeed!
Just bought a ZX-5. 2003.
Better than any fiesta I’ve driven. I wear AirPods a lot so I didn’t care about the radio.
Especially wagons
Tesla should make a little hatchback, if they don’t then they’ll lose a big market
@Kashmir boy not by choice, it's things like ford taking away options which is forcing a trend. Glad to see Hyundai with the N models ready to swoop in and steal the market from ford tbh.
Does Ford remember how well the last Explorer sold in the UK ? Don't remember seeing many. Now the Fiesta and Focus on the other hand.....
I don't see Ford being around in Europe 10 years from now with this new strategy. Making European-specific cars was what made them successful in Europe in the first place. Most of us don't want a big car that screams "American" at first sight.
There are many who are not like you.
@@sports2hedz542 yeah lets see how it plays out mate
If i want a vw ill buy a vw not some shit ford clone
it ain't big
There’s literally nothing american about this thing, except for the name. 😏
@@Erik.e.d.b I was not talking about this car specifically, I was talking about Ford’s new strategy
Nothing says "standing out from the pack", like making an extremely generic 'SUV'... Bring back the Fiesta and Focus as EV's! The only reason people don't buy small cars anymore, is because automakers don't want them to.
Umm no it's because CUVs are more accesible.
Carmakers priced everyone out of lower end cars and made it nonsensical to buy them.
Why buy a base economy car new when for a little extra you can finance a loaded up crossover?
U have to realize here in north America, everyone just goes for SUVs, it sucks but everywhere u go, all u see is SUVs
@@SBahamondes suvs were pushed onto the population because it makes car companies more money
Agreed. Most people don't buy EVs. So we in the States, and elsewhere nowadays, end up buying bigger, heavier, more powerful, more ridiculous gas guzzling monsters. The automakers get to sell these behemoths for more money at a higher profit margin.
This makes me sad, I LOVE the Fiesta and it sucks that they are ditching Hatchbacks for fat boring electric SUVs. And making them more "American".
I think it is not more American...
What is happening is the earthquake to change the established order.
The old cars were fine but now someone come up with new regulations that are against old rules so absolutely everyone has to build something new from scratch building everyting from ground up including supply chains.
That earthquake is a change for smaller players to gain more and for previously established one to lose all (see StellAntis group - they're loosing everyting).
They call it "American", yet I'm sure that at least 75% of the parts will be made in China.
Unfortunately sales results speak for themself. They just could give Focus a year more for try...
If I had to make a list of undesirable features and characteristics for a vehicle, this ticks pretty much all of them.
Signed A Proud Fiesta Owner
@@BAKU2K2 no ..its not completely vw
So basically Ford flipped off their devoted audience in Europe saying "Bye, plebs, we're going upmarket." But they don't realize that luxury segment doesn't want them.
Also calling Fiesta and Focus dull while showing us another SUV that looks like a fridge.
Exactly. Just like what Jay Emm said in his recent vid. Clearly Ford doesn't care about their customers. It's because they don't hire car people at Ford anymore or anyone that is a fan of the brand.
That is a fair reflection on what’s going on - unbelievable frankly … that they corporately can’t see the importance of differentiation between the sea of SUVs and what they had in Europe
the Ford Fiesta might seem dull but it played a huge part in british culture, imagine if they canned the mustang in america instead?
what do you expect when the corporate world is run by shareholder circlejerkers. Shareholders ruin everything.
I believe its because smaller cheaper cars have become less profitable over the last 6 years or so. A fiesta zetec was around £14,500 8 years ago, the equalent now is around £22,000 with less kit as standard.
Goodbye good value for money vehicles. Hello bigger higher more expensive than needed vehicles. So pointless.
Literally is there any affordable cars anymore😂 how on earth do governments expect us to switch to zero emissions cars if manufacturers don't make affordable cars!🤦♂️
@@Aaron-cb2ddshift things so only the elite can afford it. The rest have no choice but to take the bus.
@@Aaron-cb2dd That's the trick. Once your current car dies, you have to use public transportation or buy an expensive EV
@@Aaron-cb2dd yes apparently,
electric power and affordable
cant go well together
You will own nothing and be happy.
Bye bye ford, it's been nice knowing you 😢
Can see ford sales dropping in Europe
They said that themselves, they no longer want to make affordable cars for the masses and instead notch up into busy premium car territory🤦♂️
Vauxhall dealers having a party with the Corsa and Astra right now
I don't think any of the car brands want to do affordable cars they only want premium cars because that's the agenda they want to follow. The masses won't be allowed a car only the privileged will be driving these things.
@@Aaron-cb2ddand it's funny that they sell fake "premium" cars at heavy price
There’s already too many oversize vehicles on our small UK roads, we don’t need more. If being environmentally friendly is the goal then we need smaller vehicles, not larger ones. Just because they’re electric and not pumping stuff out of an exhaust pipe, doesn’t mean there isn’t an environmental cost to producing the electricity, so smaller cars that use less leccy is what they should be forced to make. Personally I’ll be keeping my Fiesta ST until it drops to bits (should be a while with only 20k miles done in 4 years) because I’m yet to see anything electric that I like (and can afford) and these monstrosities from Ford aren’t the answer either
Oversize 😂 And who cares about UK roads? Small and shrinking market. You lot will be lucky to afford goceries (if there are even any on the shelves) in a few years.
It's actually kinda small, sits between the VW ID.3 and ID.4 in size. Apparently it's Europe-only too. They're just using a badge we recognize on the bigger SUV's that are seen stateside. I somewhat understand if it was a global car, but since it's not coming to the states... what's the point of using that badge.
Personally not interested in it, but I think it's just a huge mistake in branding in Europe. Most uk/euro folks like you will hear "Explorer" and have a knee-jerk disdain for big american cars without ever seeing this car in person. Hell, for what it is, it seems like a perfectly okay car in its segment.
If I was in charge I'd bring back the Escort nameplate and get Cosworth to tinker with it lol.
make no mistake. the goal of these companies is to make money. not save the planet. tesla included. profits. theyre all public companies. that is always the only goal. profits. unfortunately, the most profitable vehicles in the US are SUVs and pickup trucks. fords an american company. consolidating product lines and manufacturing to your most profitable offerings makes...more profits. (note, i think SUVs are pointless lol)
Plus over 90% of all the energy going into Ev’s comes from fossil fuels. Not even close to green at this point
Do what I did (my ST 64 plate blew up after 60k adrenaline fuelled miles): Get a GR Yaris, it's what a Fiesta RS could have been, but even better lol.
Whenever I see EVs of Ford, VW or Toyota, I'm just stunned that how good the design of EVs from Kia is.
Designs might be good with Kia, but that’s about it. I’d rather have reliable.
@@rustleseethey're electric reliability shouldn't be a problem
@@rustlesee Well, the company considered as one of the most reliable made EV which wheels fall off, funny.
I think it looks alright. Not "American", but butch enough to turn heads.
@@tangocoyote2643 u dont know much about cars do u electronic systems are just as prone to issues as mechanical systems but now there will likely be far less 3rd party repair option and u will be powerless but to let the associated dealerships rob u to their heart’s content
I mean, I am not running any car company, but this seems to me to be a devastatingly bad business plan :D
Thanks, I hate it. Going from "best hot hatches in the world" to "here's a generic box" is a hell of a strategy!
I mean, it's very obvious this thing isn't much bigger than a focus, at least in terms of height. What makes you think a car of similar size that's rwd instead of fwd and a much lower center of gravity will be worse to drive? It might be heavier, but that may not matter. Most cars handle better than the ones that came before despite being much heavier.
@@themidnighttavern6784because no one who isn’t an actual npc wants an suv. even the idea of something like it is detesting. Suvs have become so bland and uninteresting people realise that hatchbacks are more appealing but its probably too late now
@@krinos1 Eh, that's debatable. Hot hatches are great, but everyday small cars, your entry level civics, corollas, fiestas etc, while all good, reliable cars, are about as normie as it gets. I'm not against small cars, our maverick hybrid is a truck based on the focus chassis, it's a focus but good. But I can see why lots of people are moving away from hatchbacks.
@@themidnighttavern6784 but hatchs aren’t tryna be anything at least, they know they are just cars. When i see SUV ads it feels like they’re trying to sell a whole idea and lifestyle idk
@@krinos1 Bro, I have an educational background in communications, have taken quite a few advertising courses. Every consumer product is selling some sort of lifestyle, or benefit, that's how products work. Every human being has a lifestyle who buys products which appeal to said lifestyle, that's what drives most of our transactions.
1. As an American who recently traveled to Europe, I genuinely enjoyed seeing Fiestas and Focuses again. The puma looked cool too. It's annoying when there is a market that clearly demands one product, but instead a company wants to force another down the consumers throats.
2. If Ford thinks it's a good idea to become unapologetically "American," they should remember the Ford Cosworth put them on the map in Europe in the first place. There are so many "American" influences in Europe like McDonalds and Starbucks, more american style cars on european roads is only going to cause more traffic as that "explorer" will eventually explore the wrong road and get stuck.
3. A "haptic feedback" sensor for volume control after customers said they preferred a button over the touch screen? What a joke. Goes to show Ford can't even listen to their customers correctly. All I want, and I imagine many others will agree, is a volume knob and buttons for climate control and heated seats. Is that so hard?
4. Screw square steering wheels. It looks ugly on the Corvette, it looks ugly in this car, and it will always look ugly on any consumer car other than a race car.
5. I sincerely hope more European manufacturers sell cars in the US to compete with Ford and GM.
Ford should stay American, at least because American cars are better than Europeans
@@lucasworktv Please elaborate what exactly brings you to that conlcusion
@@LeonWpr experience
@@lucasworktv source: “trust me bro.” ok ameritard.
@@wiryantirta ?
"Unashamedly American, but German Under the Skin" sounds like Nasa LOL
Saving the planet, one SUV at a time 🤣
Yeah, so instead of selling cars to the average people who can barely afford a new car, we'll make more profit selling less cars to people who can afford more expensive premium brand cars! No one who can afford an Audi, BMW, Mercedes will buy a Ford, and if they like cool design they'll just buy KIA, Hyundai, Skoda.
And the best about this new uninteresting more expensive alternative, it's aimed to a younger customer who either doesn't care about cars or is too poor to afford more than just a Fiesta!
Agreed, I'd love to know the age group this car is aimed at.
You'll get one in ten years when the battery warranty period expires.
I’m thinking the target audience is wide eyed-new parents who eagerly embrace being fleeced for stuff they don’t really need, and want a Sherman tank to transport their new bundle of joy 2 miles to the shops and back. It’s okay though, once they get to their second kid they’ll be wise enough to realise an old Fiesta will do just as well, and easier to park.
If this is the future of Ford then Ford has no future
So Ford are swapping out the 'boring' Fiesta and Focus for what is essentially an identical car to something else on the market that's already regarded as mediocre...great idea.
Car brands making good looking SUVs challange: Impossible
The new Ferrari is beautiful. And the discovery imo.
Mazda.
More like not boring looking SUV: Impossible
@@cwx8 how much that cost again ?
Car brands not making an SUV challenge
Focus was so beautiful, versatile and nice to drive. I hate these new cross mini SUVs
I agree with you except there’s nothing mini about them, they range in sizes starting from needlessly big through to insanely enormous ☹️
@@MattSwain1 They barely offer more space compared to a regular hatchback. It's a Mini SUV.
Just what I've always wanted a mobile storage solution. Thanks Ford 😅 Start buying fast Ford hatchbacks now they're about to rocket in value
They already are!
I bought a Fiesta ST a couple of years ago. It quickly became my favorite car I've ever owned.
This will be much faster though. EVs are generally much quicker than the equivalent ICE
@@IAmSoMuchBetterThanYou the Fiesta ST will be a lot lighter than a 2.5 tonne electric computer on wheels like this.
can"t use acceleration much before hitting a speed limit, and then you are stuck in a 2+ ton monstrosity with awful handling and no controls you can use without looking at them.
A light combustion engine car might take a bit longer to get up to speed, but at every turn you"ll be happy about having it instead, and you can go multiple times the distance before filling up
So, if I understood it correctly, the way for ford to survive in the EV-CO2 counting world is to make more and heavier SUVs?
Yeah I call bullshit
They have been pushing SUV's and Pick-Ups to skirt the stricter regulations on small passenger vehicles, especially in the U.S. where they have lower safety and emissions standards. They can also make higher margins on big vehicles
Lol, The European Union and its leftist "climate apocalypse coming soon" ideas that introduced new "EURO7" emission regulations, that will make it a lot harder to comply for small cars and significantly more expensive. Renault says 5000€ more expensive, in a segment where profits are already razor-thin. The size doesn't matter, only tailpipe emissions do, and electric cars such as this one, don't emmit any CO2
@@Ben-Rogue So I cant buy a regular internal combustin 1200Kg hatchback because "iT KilLs TeH PlAnEt" but 2 ton EV SUVs are okay?
Even Volvo struggled to see the gains when comparing a C40 to a C40 ReCharge. The EV version would only have a smaller CO2 impact when they both have driven 140k kms.
It's stupid, idiotic and causing more harm than good.
Larger cars have looser emission regs than smaller ones. Makes sense, otherwise they'd be impossible to produce. Problem is, it's scaled so badly that it's made smaller cars nearly impossible instead. It's completely broken
@@Shark00n1337 Dude the Volvo report has been widely panned. It was absurd marketing that you ate the scam Hook Line and Sinker. Your argument is idiotic indeed, you never realized you based your argument on baseless marketing PR.
*Such a shame Ford is getting rid of the Fiesta and Focus and they're bringing in whatever that is yuck* 😂
More profit is all they care about forcing people into 30k+ suvs fiesta buyers cant afford that
@@sbrader97 terrible behavior I'm not buying them when this happens 😐
No thanks, will run my Foesta ST MK 8.5 as long as possible 🔥
This makes both the Pontiac Aztek and the 1st gen Porsche Cayenne (2002 - 2010) look like a friggin masterpiece and more relevant
The way eco regs are scaled ironically force the smaller more economical cars out of the market. It's insane!
Id rather an old fiat panda over this
Funny thing is the fiat panda is probably more sporty, utilitarian and capable than 70% of all sports utility vehicles. I have no doubt an old panda 4x4 could beat modern suvs offroad
@@krinos1 you're more right than you know. I had to be driven home years ago in a panda (fwd 2008 model) when the UK got completely snowed over. Saw a few cars slide into each other (slowly), and a ton of SUVs abandoned at the sides of country roads.
Funny enough, the only time we ever had to get out and push was to get other cars out of the way. Cars like this
@@existentialselkath1264 i remember that snow i think! even though i was like 4, we had a ford mondeo at the time and got stuck right outside our house on our way home and my parents went to get snow shovels. i decided to take the lighter which cars used to come with and touch it. Pretty memorable experience
I had great fun in my fun and reliable little fiesta and good times in our old transit campers. Shame I won't be buying another Ford again, oh well, they did it to themselves
What would you buy instead then?
@@adamkudla I'm familiar with condoms so don't need a big SUV or MPV, but a fair size Peugeot or Citroen is good for me if I'm being sensible. Nothing German because they're all just badge brands. If I had money and a really expensive diagnostics tool I might even have an alfa
I want one!!!! ❤
Like I'd want a can of open mouldy baked beans on stale burnt toast! Bye Ford.
Guess my Fiesta is the car I die with.
Focus and Fiesta will return to the market...someday!!
If noone buys the new crossovers then yes the names will return on some other random EV cuv's
@@margussakk126 I won´t. I like sedans better!!
@@jorgemoll5994 hatchbacks, saloons/sedens, estates/station wagons and coupes are far better than SUVs.
With a Kia or Hyundai badge.
Along with the ford mondeo
Interior RGB light bars are going to seem so dated so fast.
This episode of the car industry business is becoming very similar to the white goods business. Standardised base shared between manufacturers who simply change the badges, the gear knob and decor.
Of course, it is entirely possible to simply enjoy the more interesting back catalogue and leave this type of grey porridge to those who actually want a dull product.
One of my most memorable drives was to drive a hired Focus across Scotland very early in the morning. For two hours, I could feel the smile of Colin McRae watching from his cloud.
Platform sharing has been around for decades.
@@IAmSoMuchBetterThanYou Yes and it can be a good thing. But Ford is saying good bye to its main profession in Europe, making Fords.
There are indeed plenty of fancy examples (Audi R8 and Lambo, Audi and Bentley, all of the Porsche mum trucks (with Skoda, Seat, VW, Audi).
By doing this, Ford is writing off decades of involvement in WRC as no one is ever going to rally a white elephant as jointly proposed.
By all means use a 3rd party platform, but fix the problems.... check out the touch buttons on the Steering Wheel and those awful Window controls and that headlight control.... if you're going to do this platform sharing you need to fix the issues first!
This just shows why old car companies have no chance of survival when after so many years of customer complains and they still can’t change even the window switches
They have definitely deserted their petrol heads fans I’m one of them yeah they got the mustang the puma ST but I don’t know how they how long their going to be around for
Yeah, ironic how ford wants to shed its normie mainstream image, by selling only soccer mom crossovers and reddit teir overrated sports cars and trucks.
What dumb dumb says "let's ditch our cool little hatches for some pig fat homogeneous CrosSUV."? If anything ford has become just that much duller than they already were.
The Puma ST is definitely not for petrolheads. Petrol sniffers maybe
I agree 😂 I’m not really a fan the mustang yeah
Bring back cars. I don't want an SUV. Give me a freaking sedan.
It actually looks good, but it's a bit tiny to be an Explorer, more like an Escape or an Edge.
The new-age Ford is more, generic? Not sure if that is an improvement if you ask me.
"Needs a bit getting used to it" You're right but people will simply dont bother getting used to this new niche posh Ford they'll just switch to other brands and this will be the end of Ford. At least in Europe.
Ford, like other manufacturers, are losing the plot of late. First the Mondeo, now the Fiesta & Focus. What next? Not everyone wants an EV or SUV, and Ford will move itself out of the market that it has dominated for so long.
And lose against the competition. Idiots
Don't forget the S Max and Galaxy! Two of the best cars Ford ever made.
And the b max
They will purposely keep EV’s at low production levels to keep prices high. On top of that dealers here in the USA are still price gouging…..
If you think they’d rather sell fewer vehicles, you have it all wrong.
@@rustlesee That's exactly what's happening, legacy OEM's have realized they make more money by selling less at higher margins.
We're being priced off the road. Its a con
reminds me of the PT cruiser
and probably just as unreliable.
where is the Explorer - 7 seater, 5 meters long? Why does this Citroen C3 have a Blue oval on it?
The future is car without soul?
So they do away with 2 high selling reasonably priced cars and think they can replace it with a £40k SUV that they didn't even design and build themselves. Crazy.
The only reason I liked Ford was because they felt more premium than their price suggested. Each segment from the s max down to the ka had certain unique features (especially the heated windscreen) were very nice touches while their suspension was just better than most of the competition. And their ST and RS cars were all very capable and desirable.
This new stuff looks boring and there’s no real identity, just boxes running on electricity that are defining the era of fridges on wheels.
Have there been any other Ford/VW partnerships aside from the original Galaxy/Sharan?
In the early 90's, AutoLatina, a joint venture of Ford and VW, gave birth to some weird cars in Brasil.
VW Apollo, Logus and Pointer were based on the Ford escort. Ford Versailles and Royalle were rebagded VW Passats.
I was thinking of making a Puma my next car, having had 3 Mondeos, 2 Escorts, a Focus, a Fiesta and a Capri in days gone by. Now I’ll never buy another Ford again.
No worries atleast the puma will come as electric
That looks terrible! No new fords for me then!
Nothing new m8 😂
Why do manufacturers presume that we all want boring ev boxes? Id like a fast saloon or estate ahead of any of these zanussis!
@@andyp9040 Yeah I don't understand it either 🤷 I'm glad I convinced my parents to buy the new Volvo V60 😌 It's such a nice car. And it's even a manual 👌
the cheapest of the line, kuga starts at 30 grand?
if you call that cheap then i dont know why i still wanna live in this world anymore
'Cheapest' not 'cheap'. Comprehension is so important.
@@IAmSoMuchBetterThanYou yeah, imagine 30K as the lowest price
was expecting mid 10 grand like it used to be
he better said
"the lowest price"
not, "the cheapest price"
because not everyone considers 30 grand as cheap
I've had 3 Fiesta ST's, across 2 generations, and this makes me sad. They were a blast, especially my 64 plate one, amazing little car. But this is a seriously risky strategy by Ford, and I kind of want it to fail, just as a way of rejecting "Americanised" cars. Glad I bought my GR even more now.
VW: nobody can ruin the brand identity like us
FORD: hold my beer
I guess you haven't been paying attention to what VW have been up to recently. The ID range is excellent.
@@IAmSoMuchBetterThanYou really ? by what standards ? overall quality ? innovation ? usability ? which USED to be core values of VW. Piech must be rolling in his grave.
New Opel by Ford.
Hope this comes to New Zealand, I like it. I have a feeling it's going to be very expensive though. Enyakbhas just been released here at a starting price of NZD 92000, ouch!
It looks like a GMC terrain
This car from the inside looks as if you are lying on a couch, putting your iPad and soundbar next to you! B O R I N G!
That’s why I’m glad I’ve just picked up a new focus the other week, means it’s a good excuse to keep it for a long time because they won’t make cheaper cars like that again 😂
My honest opinion:
This strategy is Sh!t.
I and many others would still want a little, efficient, functional car. I just bought an almost new (used) Fiesta! I and many others HATE the inefficiencies and costs of SUVs, even small ones. Why would I get a Puma if it's just a Fiesta that lets you sit higher and costs more (and consumes more cause it's less aerodynamic)... It has better looking lamps cause they want you to buy it and get more profit margin. That's it.
I thought the VT is about Ford. The side plan looks like a German Mini with an essence of Cortina. There's alot of clunky moments inside that'll be seriously annoying. Also 'Feedback' I've read about what a person wants in any thread about touch screens say they want more physical buttons. (this is what I've noticed, I don't have ant stats)
Chrysler, Cadillac, and Dodge were also unapologetically American when they were being sold in Europe. Ford should have asked them how that went down before ploughing ahead with this suicidal strategy.
RIP Ford, thanks for the memories
A sad future
Would have been nice to see the rear seat and trunk also :)
I’m sorry y’all have to deal with our wasteful, pedestrian-smashing SUVs now too. It was bad enough when Ford got rid of cars over here, now they’re ignoring their deep small-car heritage in the UK and Europe for the sake of the bottom line. Sad times.
UK is Europe by the way
How long will it take Ford to realize this Europe strategy is completely daft?
the comments here say it all.. and I agree completely. As a guy that owns a 2021 fiesta st line, it's a BRILLIANT car. ford doesn't need to go up market, why? cause for 50k you can buy a bmw for example. I guess the ford edge wasn't enough
Do you not get the Bronco Sport in Europe?
I'm American and even I think this strategy is a mistake. Europe & the UK are not the US. Your roads and cities look & feel different than ours and I don't see our big, wide cars doing as well on your side of the pond. Very curious.
I'm glad there were no punches pulled - great initial look
So, the Explorer is going fully electric? Like there's no other gasoline option?
Fiestas are amazing, all of em. Even without any power they are enjoyable. Maximum feel and always pedal to the metal
Well they are lying, I live in Dubai and have driven every Explorer from the 1996 model till the latest generation model (have also owned 3), and I can’t help but notice how much smaller this one is, really looks like an Escape or an Edge.
I still prefer the focus and fiesta than that piece of shit 💀
0:47 so their plan is to double down on the boring. Not sure this is a good plan.
We got that in the USA already. The only car they sell is the Mustang. I am a hot-hatch-sedan-car of a man. If I need a pick-up truck, I just rent one. Proud owner of a 2018 Ford Focus ST, the last production year here. What is a typical SUV? A raised-up station wagon with less energy efficiency than a car due to the larger frontal area.
If most people finance/ PCP/ lease cars these days, why would you have this over a VW- which arguably has more badge credibility? Is this not what killed the Mondeo off initially, people moving to more affluent car brands for not much more money, so is the same not going to happen to this/ all new "upmarket" Ford models?
Me and a current Ford Fiesta ST owner: what in the literally heck are they thinking?????
Agenda 2030 is what
@mario5301 im not sure what you mean. Im guessing their agenda in 2030 will still be profitability
I drew that car when I was 3 years old
Ah yes, exactly what Europeans wanted and need. More expensive large EV suvs instead of affordable small and practical hatchbacks.
See my reply above
In Germany last October I was impressed by all the cool small hot hatches we don't have in America, many from the Ford factory in Cologne. Also in America, Ford has discontinued all "cars" except the Mustang. Now it appears they will do the same in Europe. That's too bad, because the newest Focus RS is particularly nice, and a VW-based Explorer EV will, like most VW's, fall apart in three years.
does this have same V2H feature like the old F150
The Ford Rover
The Ford no one asked for
The Ford Poorover
The elephant in the room was not addressed here: WHY THE HELL IS IT NAMED EXPLORER???? There exists a 3-row SUV of the same name that will not be discontinued anytime soon (even sold in Europe) but why slap it on a completely different and significantly smaller vehicle? This should have been named the Escape given that nameplate isn't used by Ford of Europe and would make so much more sense. Instead of highlighting the fact that Ford has a new mass market EV, all it did is create confusion. Good thing this is an EU-exclusive compliance vehicle at the end of the day.
Not the first Ford Explorer sold in the UK. Late nineties early two thousands and it wasn't successful
You're asking the folks that decided to name an SUV a Mustang ...
Damn you were driving at 120 MPH (or km/h) without touching the steering wheel, that's doped. 😆
Are they still keeping the Mondeo?
They're making such a gap in the market for someone to fill. Seems like a very weird choice at a pivotal time in the car market.
Hopefully one day a manufacturer will see the light and make something affordable, economical, stylish and reliable. With no haptic crap or laser guided lane assist guff. A car that is simple, easy to service and fun to drive. Surely there is a market for that?
I think Ford shouldn't cancel their small car line up. They should make those small cars for the African Market cause that's what many of us here can afford. Not everyone can afford and SUV in Africa.
And not everyone wants an electric car either.
I still don't understand the battery "dream" we're being pushed. The energy that charges them is still dirty, the batteries are dirty, they're heavy, range is bad, and they take a long time to charge. What am I supposed to be getting onboard with and paying such a huge premium for? I'm hoping to skip this battery generation and hoping that Hydrogen or another clean combustion fuel becomes readily available very soon. The industry and the publics clamour for battery is bewildering.
It's not meant to make sense, they want the masses out of cars and locked into 15 minute cities. Meanwhile the rich can enjoy the planet for themselves.
England doesn’t need suvs it needs small cars for its narrow small roads. I will never by a suv
Always had large cars, even LandRover Disco’s - but it’s 2023, I want a plug-in hybrid Fiesta !
At least this has a rear window wiper, unlike so many new cars today.
That screen movability is cool
Bye-bye Ford.
That looks considerably smaller than the actual Explorer. Is it the same size? I've had a Explorer and actually really liked it. I've also had an Edge, and it was pretty decent, but I did like the Explorer more.
Jesus Christ , can we just have normal cars. There was a reason why the escort and cortina were remembered so fondly, I love how every new electric car is 26ft long 1.3 standard UK lanes wide, 5 tonnes and as characterful as a damp rag .
£40,000!? I'm not the sure the car companies quite understand the average person's wage. I know the second hand car market is still suffering with inventory but replacing my current 2012 VW Passat for anything half decent is impossible without spending the best part of a year's wage. At some point they are going to go from no inventory to too much as people choose to keep their existing vehicles. Great if you can afford it, I know I can't.
I bet they’ll make it out of the same Tupperware plastic that my Fiesta was made out of.