Even Ford must have been surprised at the success it found with the Ford Explorer. Ford had been an also-ran in the midsize SUV segment during the '80s. It half-heartedly marketed its too small two-door Bronco II while its competitors moved on to four-doors and much higher sales. The Ford Explorer replaced the Bronco II for the 1991 model year.
Like the Bronco II, the Ford Explorer was based on the compact Ranger pickup. The basic suspension design was a direct lift from the Ranger, the body-on-frame construction was essentially the same and the V6 engine and accompanying transmissions came out of the small pickup, too. The available four-wheel-drive systems were right off the Ranger parts shelf, too. However, unlike the Bronco II, the Explorer was available as both a two- and four-door. Since many of Ford's competitors were building their midsize SUVs in about the same way, there was no reason to believe the Ford Explorer would be a particular hit.
But the Ford Explorer hit exactly the right spot in the market at exactly the right time. During its debut season, the extended 1991 model year (the 1991 Explorer went on sale in March 1990), Ford sold an astonishing 322,328 Explorers. By 1994 Explorer sales were at a red-hot 345,833 units. The Ford Explorer wasn't just another SUV; it was the definitive SUV of the 1990s.
And since the SUV was the definitive vehicle of the 1990s, nothing screams 1990s quite like the Ford Explorer.
Ford tweaked the Ford Explorer's nose for 1995 and the interior was revamped. But the big change was a new A-arm front suspension that was far more supple and forgiving than the swing-arm systems that had been used before. The transition to the new model knocked sales down in 1995, but by 1996, when a V8 was offered for the first time, a mind-boggling 419,352 Ford Explorers were sold.
An all-new Ford Explorer featuring an independent rear suspension and updated drivetrains came online for 2002. It in turn was updated for 2006. Sales suffered, however, as buyers chose more carlike crossovers. So for 2011, the Ford Explorer will be a crossover, too.
