chicagotribune.com's view

It has become fashionable to own a truck, but it seems most folks prefer their truck to look a bit-and act a lot-like a car.

So, for the 1995 model year, the Ford Explorer sport-utility vehicle has been redesigned to behave more like a sedan than a pickup. It’s not unusual for those consumers who are trading in sedans and coupes for pickups, mini-vans and sport utilities to want their new trucks to perform more like their old cars. They want the utility that the car didn’t offer but the road manners that it did.

Nonetheless, it was strange that Ford, in an effort to show how it plans to cater to this new behavior pattern, would invite a handful of media types to maneuver the ’95 Explorer around a 9,000-foot mountain where the deer and the antelope roam-when not being chased by serpents with maracas attached to their tails.

At about 6,500 feet, with tree limbs slapping against body panels and rocks bouncing off the undercarriage, one scribe noted, “Anyone who takes a $30,000 vehicle off-road should have his head examined.” And, while Ford officials admit that 9 out of 10 buyers believe off-road means pulling into a drive-through, they said the intent of the trek was to show that if an Explorer owner wants to take his or her investment to the ends of the road, he or she will have the peace of mind that it can handle the trip.

But for those who don’t intend to jar kidney or bladder, not to mention shocks and floor pan, the trip started with 300 miles of regular roadway.

Despite being the best-selling sport-utility in the industry, the Explorer got a host of revisions for 1995. The scribes, when not gasping for breath at 9,000 feet, were wondering why.

“Because we want to protect that No. 1 position,” said Keith Takasawa, chief engineer for Explorer. “If you stand still you can get run over, even if you’re on top of the hill.”

Other than a revised appearance with new grille, head/taillamps, bumpers and a host of creature comforts in, on and throughout Explorer, the most noteworthy change for 1995 is the addition of a passenger-side air bag. (The competing Jeep Grand Cherokee and Chevy Blazer offer only a driver-side bag.)The only other dual-bag sport-utilities are the Land Rover Discovery and Range Rover, priced from $29,000 to $52,000, respectively.

Perhaps the second most notable change is the revised suspension system designed to soften the impact of steel-belted rubber against asphalt or concrete.

“Explorer is car-like, but not Lincoln car-like; rather more BMW car-like,” Takasawa said of Explorer’s recalibrated shock and spring rates, which relieve much of the stiffness and harshness that owners have had to tolerate since the vehicle was introduced in the 1991 model year. Whether kicking aside shale to make it to the next summit or crossing the center line on an interstate to pass a beer truck (the most in-demand vehicle in the wilderness), Explorer’s suspension is much more civilized than it has been. You can take the big bumps without being catapulted to the roof.

Selected Explorers go a step further in offering load-leveling suspension that compensates for cargo, plus adaptive suspension, which adjusts shocks for soft or firm ride, based on road surface or lack of it. The suspension also automatically lowers the vehicle by 1 inch at speeds of more than 45 miles per hour for better aerodynamics, and raises it by 2 inches for better ground clearance.

Another important change is the addition of automatic four-wheel-drive. Ford has offered push-button four-wheel-drive for years: If you needed added pulling power, you pushed a button on the dash and, voila, engaged all four wheels. For 1995 the push button has been replaced by a dial with three settings-2WD, 4WD auto and 4WD low.

You can dial to “4WD auto” and leave it. If sensors detect wheel slippage from snow, watero ice, all four wheels engage. If there’s no slippage, you stay in 2WD. No need to keep pushing a button to engage/disengage 4WD on roads with both patches of snow and stretches of clear pavement, and no unnecessary fuel consumption on dry roads.

If the going gets really tough-maneuvering through a stream or along a cliff ledge covered with residue of melted snow or up an incline covered with boulders, as we did up the 9,000-foot challenge-you give the dial one more crank for the added grip, traction and pulling power of 4WD. If four-wheel engagement malfunctions, a dash light flashes so you aren’t lulled into taking on snow or mountain in 2WD.

The 4WD automatic is a set-and-forget, idiot proof system.

Explorer is loaded with other new features, too: four-wheel anti-lock brakes (rear only in 1994); reclining rear seat backs, so passengers can change positions on long hauls (only with leather seats); a power moonroof for added interior air circulation and comfort; air/heat ducts for rear-seat occupants; and, in selected models, an optional dash-mounted message screen for information, ranging from the mileage you can travel before the tank runs dry to your average fuel economy on the trip, as well as warnings on oil level, battery charge and burned-out lamps or bulbs.

The message center was lifted from the Mark VIII-another example of people wanting to retain creature comforts when they move from cars to trucks.

“Explorer is a surrogate for a luxury car,” said Steve Lyons, Ford division general sales manager.

Also, there’s a power lock switch in the rear compartment that will lock all doors once you’ve unloaded the cargo, so you don’t have to go back to the front door and use a key.

Other notable features include speed-sensitive wipers that travel faster/slower based on vehicle speed; dual cupholders in the front and rear of the center console (optional in the Hi line console); optional compact disc player in the center armrest; a battery saver that turns off lights20 minutes after the ignition key is removed; a 12-volt power plug in the dash for phone or radar detector; an arrow on the gas gauge that points to the side of the car with the fuel filler door; huge outside mirrors for excellent side and rear visibility; and rear-seat headrests that slip down against seat tops so you can fold seat backs for more cargo room without having to remove headrests.

Ford says two items will be offered later in the model year-a hidden child-safety seat and a blanket and first-aid kit for the cargo hold.

Lots of attractions, but there are shortcomings. The most notable being the 4-liter, 160-horsepower, V-6 that’s nearly 40 h.p. shy of the 4.3-liter, V-6 powering the Chevy Blazer. The engine gasps for breath at altitude and you wonder how it would do if you had four or five passengers on board, along with their luggage. Ford is working to raise the 4-liter’s h.p. without sacrificing its anemic-15 miles per gallon city/20 m.p.g. highway-mileage. Eventually a version of Ford’s 4.6-liter, V-8 will be added to Explorer.

Also, Explorer features leaf springs, not coils, which help hold tires more firmly to the road. On gravel and washboard surfaces the rear end is a tad skittish and likes to skate at speed when you corner or turn. The best off road/gravel tires are the 16-inch treads offered only on the two-door Expedition model and the four-door Eddie Bauer (but the 16-inchers are a bit bouncy on dry pavement). If you settle for the 15-inch tires, get the p235 75R15 upgrade from the standard p225 70r15 tires for a wider footprint and better road grip.

We tested the XLT and Eddie Bauer four-door models and the youth-oriented Expedition two-door version and didn’t find a very comfortable seat in any of them. The base cloth bucket is stiff; the optional leather sport bucket with pull-out thigh sup ort is too confining. Both seat backs and bottoms need to be softer so you sit in the seat, not on it.

And Ford needs to bite the bullet and forget about the inflatable bladder in the bottom and back of the seat that it seems to have fallen in love with because a few buff books liked it. Fill the bladder and it feels like a rock pressing against your back. What next-whips and chains?

Explorer offers an optional rearview mirror that has compass readings and , with the flip of a switch, adjusts automatically to prevent glare from the headlights of cars approaching from the rear. The unit is so big it blocks frontal vision of such a vehicle off to your right approaching along the merger ramp. Even Ford officials admit a fix is needed.

Other annoyances are the fact that the tissue holder is so close to the cupholders that when you reach for your Dr. Pepper you get a handful of Kleenex; the center console lid is held closed by magnet and requires too much effort to open; and there’s no rear hatch/window release in the cabin so you can pop either of them open from the driver’s seat.

The Explorer is expected to be priced from $23,000.

Ford said it has capacity to build 425,000 to 450,000 Explorers for 1995-about 100,000 more than it had in 1994.

>> 1995 Ford Explorer XLT 4WD
Wheelbase: 111.5 inches Length: 188.5 inches Engine: 4-liter, 160-h.p., V-6 Transmission: 4-speed automatic EPA mileage: 15 m.p.g. city/20 m.p.g. highway estimated Base price: $23,000 estimated Price as tested: Not available. Explorer on sale in late December. Pluses: Dual air bags standard. New front-end design. “Intelligent” four-wheel-drive system that works automatically at the twist of a dial. A mile-long list of new features, such as four-wheel ABS, reclining rear seats, power moonroof, rear seat heat/air controls, message center, adjustable shoulder harness and rear-end power lock switch to name just a few. Minuses:The 4-liter needs more muscle. The fuel economy rating needs to be more user friendly. Bucket, bench, leather or cloth, any kind of seat you want-except comfortable. >>