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Parents who love driving have never had it better. In the past five years, there has been a veritable explosion of choices in seven-seat vehicles up and down the scale in size and price. Ford’s offering, the Explorer, had already been the best-seller in America for more than a decade when it debuted here in 2005 as an all-new model. Earlier this year, Ford pulled the wraps off the new Explorer, featuring a heavy exterior makeover. The nose of the vehicle goes for the big-rig look, with a massive chrome grille that would be a good fit on Optimus Prime. (A flame job wouldn’t look out of place either.) The styling looks bold without being garish, and the angular look is a fine counterpoint to the soft curves currently in fashion in this genre. True to its extensive change of appearance, the rest of the Explorer has been reworked from the tires up. The interior has been completely revamped, with better seats, gauges and materials all around. Hard plastics have been replaced with the soft-touch kind. The shifter has migrated from its previous awkward position on the steering column to the floor; it’s now a shiny chrome lever. There are plenty of cubbyholes for cups, cellphones and gadgets. The Explorer’s audio system is iPod-ready, with sufficiently pleasing sound quality. The interior door release provides some novelty but borders on being gimmicky. For convenience, the pedals adjust electrically and there are remote switches on the steering wheel not just for audio but for the aircon as well. The Explorer seats seven in a 2-3-2 configuration. The front seats provide plenty of space to stretch out. The middle row is divided into three individual buckets. The rear seats are comfortable enough for a Sunday jaunt to Tagaytay. Middle and rear seats can split-fold and tumble to free up cargo room, enough for a sofa-swallowing 2370 liters. |
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