Ford has revealed its newest “pursuit-rated” vehicle, namely the 2012 Explorer Police Interceptor Utility, for police department units that need to haul more cargo or have a need for at least some offroad capability.
After bothering people via a dedicated Facebook group for months, Ford has finally unveiled the all-new 2011 Explorer. As known earlier, the new Ford Explorer is based on the same platform that underpins the Taurus and the Flex, which unfortunately means the demise of the outgoing body-on-frame Explorer platform and its inherent off-road capabilities. Rather, Ford claims to “reinvents the Explorer SUV with best-in-class fuel economy, improved driving dynamics and terrain management system, all wrapped in a modern, weight-saving design.”
This image of what looks like the next-generation Ford Explorer is doing the rounds of the internet. While many believe it is the real deal, we believe it is simply a manipulation of an existing spy shot. Even then, based on the spy shots, this is likely identical to how the new SUV will look like. Said to be debuting in early 2011, it could either be badged as a 2011 or a 2012 model.
Ford is recalling 33,256 cars in the United States, including the 2010 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan twins as well as all variants of the 2010 Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer SUVs, because front seats and head rests may collapse back during a crash.
Over the years, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been recalling a number of older American-made models over the issue of “leaking” cruise control switches in certain brands. By 2008, the agency had recalled around 9.6 million vehicles to repair a faulty Texas Instruments cruise-control deactivation switch, and now after an NHTSA investigation, Ford is the target of the latest recall, adding 4.5 million Ford and Mercury vehicles to the list.