"Explorer's powertrains are among the most sophisticated in any SUV. The new all-aluminum V-8 delivers more power, more efficiently, while the improved V-6 is more refined. Combined with two new transmissions and a rugged, updated 4x4 system, Explorer's powertrains deliver everything from improved all-around performance to more serious trailer towing capabilities."
         - Steve von Foerster, Explorer Chief Program Engineer

• New all-aluminum 4.6-liter SOHC V-8 delivers 240 horsepower and provides impressive low-end and mid-range torque
• New maintenance-free, wide-ratio 5-speed automatic transmission gives customers improved city and highway merging performance and better NVH
• Refined 5-speed manual transmission (for the V-6) delivers car-like shift quality in a robust truck powertrain
• New high-tech electronic engine controls integrate several electronic boxes for better reliability
• Improved 210 horsepower 4.0-liter SOHC V-6 is now standard and features an all-new composite plastic intake system for improved sound quality and better durability
• Improved Control Trac™ four-wheel-drive system

With a new all-aluminum V-8 engine, improved V-6, improved manual and automatic transmissions, sophisticated new electronic engine controls and refined Control Trac™ four-wheel-drive system, the new Ford Explorer has even more power to fulfill its mission as the most refined, practical, hardworking and versatile SUV.

Explorer offers customers a choice of two engines. The standard engine is an upgraded 4.0-liter single overhead cam (SOHC) V-6. Also available is a new sophisticated, more powerful, lighter-weight 4.6-liter, all-aluminum, SOHC V-8. It replaces the former 5.0-liter pushrod V-8.

4.6-liter SOHC V-8

Explorer's 4.6-liter engine - the first all-aluminum entry in a Ford SUV - delivers 240 horsepower at 4,750 rpm and 280 foot-pounds of peak torque at 4,000 rpm, providing sure freeway merging. Power is up from 215 horsepower in the former 5.0-liter V-8.

The added power and torque contribute to Explorer's higher tow rating for 2002.

The torque curve for the 4.6-liter V-8 exceeds 250 foot-pounds at revs as low as 1,500 rpm, and remains above that mark all the way to 5,000. This translates into responsive around-town driving and freeway cruising.

Besides the added power, the new V-8 also offers improved part throttle feel, better drivability and less weight than the 5.0-liter it replaces. Engine oil capacity is increased to 6 quarts for better cooling and longer engine life. The engine's reliable coil-on-plug design eliminates conventional spark plug wires.

The proven aluminum-head, 4.0-liter, SOHC V-6 engine offers 210 horsepower at 5,250 rpm and 250 foot-pounds of peak torque at 4,000 rpm. The torque curve for the 4.0-liter engine is designed to be relatively level across the entire rev range, providing strong performance at nearly any engine speed.

An all-new, equal-length composite plastic intake system was added for improved sound quality, while engine durability was improved through the use of aluminum main bearings.

Explorer also offers flexible fuel capability with the standard 4.0-liter V-6 engine and automatic transmission. The Explorer flexible fuel vehicle (FFV) can operate on gasoline or a blend of gasoline and ethanol. The use of E85 fuel reduces carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 20 percent, compared with gasoline.

Both engines meet Low Emissions Vehicle (LEV) standards. Fuel economy has been held constant - even with a larger vehicle and one that can seat two more passengers than the prior model - thanks to several weight-saving innovations. An all-aluminum hood and V-8 engine block as well as a magnesium cross bar beam save approximately 90 pounds.

Both engines offer exceptional reliability and will go 100,000 miles before the first scheduled tune-up under normal driving conditions with routine fluid and filter changes.

New Automatic and Manual Transmissions

Explorer features manual and automatic transmissions. Both offer improved operation and greater efficiency than the units they replace.

The new wide-ratio, 5-speed, 5R55W5 automatic provides improved performance over most four- and five-speed transmissions. It is internally balanced for better NVH.

The transmission team's goals were to improve launch acceleration, quiet operation and reduce customer service needs. A major step in that direction comes from Explorer's new 44-pound single aluminum transmission casting. The single casting greatly reduces NVH and powertrain bending at higher speeds.

The transmission carries more torque through its new wide-ratio five-speed. First gear now has a ratio of 3.26 compared with 2.47 for the previous transmission. Similar gains were made through the other four gears, giving the Explorer improved city and highway merging performance.

To reduce noise, Ford developed a quieter oil pump and new planetary gear designs. Planetary gears provide different ratios as a transmission goes through shifts.

Another major change is in what cannot be found under the hood - a dipstick. The new transmission is sealed at the factory with 11 quarts of a semi-synthetic blend of specially formulated fluid that should not require service for 150,000 miles. This is a benefit to owner convenience and the environment.

Because Explorer is the first Ford SUV with a sealed transmission, it was subjected to a series of brutal lab and real-world tests. Some tests were conducted in Ford's Research and Engineering Center in Dearborn, Mich., where the transmission was run for 50,000 miles at speeds of 115-120 mph on a dynamometer.

Real-world tests took place at Ford's Arizona Proving Grounds, where trailer pulling, mud baths and steep hill-climbs were standard daily fare.

Later in 2001, Explorer's five-speed manual transmission will be available on the 4.0-liter V-6. It has increased torque capacity to handle the engine's higher output, new offset-chamfer design synchronizers and an all-new hydraulic clutch system with improved clutch disk. The goal was car-like shift quality in a robust truck powertrain.

A 3.27 axle ratio is standard for all automatic 4x2 XLS and XLT models. A 3.55 axle ratio is standard on 4x4 manual XLS, 4x4 XLT, Eddie Bauer and Limited models. A 3.73 axle ratio and limited slip differential are standard with the Class III/IV towing package.

Towing capacity is increased with Explorer's V-8 engine. The standard receiver hitch, which is part of the rear frame, offers Class II towing capacity of 3,500 pounds, depending on engine and drivetrain. An upgraded towing package, which includes a limited slip rear differential, provides Class III/IV towing capability of up to 7,300 pounds. A built-in hitch receiver offers towing capability right from the factory and can accept many accessories, such as a bicycle rack.

A next-generation 32-bit Powertrain Electronic Controller (PTEC) manages all engine and transmission functions, along with speed control and many other powertrain functions.

"If you think of the previous-generation electronic engine control module as a 286 computer, the new PTEC is like a Pentium," explains Mike Pruitt, powertrain program planner. "It's very powerful."

The new PTEC module integrates several electronics boxes, for better reliability.

The electronic controller is so sophisticated that it raised national security issues during development.

Because it uses a high-tech internal code, the United States government at one point forbid engineers from taking it across international borders.

The main benefit of PTEC is that it allowed engineers to more precisely control engine functions - including combustion - under a broader variety of operating conditions. The result is better emissions control, reliability and efficiency.

Ford expects to use the PTEC in a broad range of vehicles in the future. The PTEC module in Explorer also controls the 4.0-liter V-6's flexible fuel capability, allowing it to operate on environmentally responsible gasoline-alcohol blends of up to 85 percent ethanol.

The PTEC allowed engineers to give the 4.6-liter V-8 a fail-safe coolant strategy to prevent engine damage through overheating. When the cylinder head temperature rises too high as a result of coolant loss, the engine's electronic controls shut off fuel to alternating banks of cylinders - but continue to pump cool air through those cylinders - to allow the driver to drive a short distance without engine damage.

Explorer's transmission also benefits from this "smart" electronics approach. Adaptive pressure control technology helps keep transmission shifts consistent over time, even as the transmission wears.

The same adaptive technology extends to engine controls. The powertrain control module adjusts for hundreds of variables, including throttle position - a key indicator of how the driver wants the engine to perform.

Explorer's Control Trac™ four-wheel-drive system has been refined to make it more "transparent" to the driver, while improving its abilities in limited traction situations.

For the first time, the optional, two-speed four-wheel drive system has its own electronic controller, which can be likened to the latest high-speed personal computer. The extra computing power gave Explorer's engineers the ability to fine-tune the system to a wide variety of demands.

For example, sensors measure and compare front and rear drive shaft speeds, as well as throttle position - to figure the driver's intent into the mathematical formula that determines how much torque to send to each axle.

These measurements are taken 50 times per second, for an almost seamless adjustment of the clutch that controls the transfer case output in the 4x4 system's "automatic" setting.

If the rear wheels lose traction, the optimal amount of torque for the situation is transferred to the front - up to 500 foot-pounds.

But the system doesn't have to wait to sense slip before it takes action. For example, if the Explorer is sitting at rest in a four-wheel-drive setting and the driver presses the accelerator, the controller sends torque to both the front and back wheels within milliseconds and then samples the results. This heads off wheel spin in low-traction situations.

The Control Trac™ system includes a pushbutton switch - versus the former rotary knob - on the instrument panel that allows the operator to select "4x4 Auto," "4x4 High" or "4x4 Low" modes.

In 4x4 Auto - recommended for most driving situations - the system continuously monitors conditions and adjusts front-wheel torque, combining transparent all-surface operation with highly capable four-wheel drive. When in automatic mode, the Control Trac™ drivetrain normally delivers all engine torque to the rear wheels. It uses an electronically controlled electromagnetic clutch to redirect up to 100 percent of engine torque to the front wheels when it detects rear-wheel slippage or heavy throttle application.

In 4x4 High - recommended for severe winter weather and off-road conditions - the system effectively locks the front and rear driveshafts together to provide optimal traction of four wheels.

In 4x4 Low - recommended for low-speed off-road driving or high-torque situations, such as towing a boat out of the water - the system locks the front and rear driveshafts together but adds a 2.48:1 gear reduction, which provides extra pulling power.

Neither 4x4 high nor 4x4 Low is recommended for dry road operation.

An important consideration in designing the 4x4 system was to make sure the wheels don't "bind" during turns in the automatic mode, providing uncomfortable feedback to the driver. Built into the Control Trac™ system is a smart control. Unlike typical mechanical 4x4 systems, Explorer's Control Trac™ can even adjust for such variables as differences in tire pressure.

By continually tailoring torque transfer before any slip is detected, the system actually helps prevent wheels from losing traction in the first place. The 4x4 system kicks in when needed without telltale pulses or harshness. The Control Trac™ transfer case housing is made of magnesium for reduced weight.

ControlSlip Rear Driveshaft

Four-wheel-drive Explorer models are equipped with a patented new ControlSlip rear driveshaft, which provides exceptional stiffness, for quiet performance.

It has safety benefits as well. In the event of a frontal impact, the driveshaft is designed to telescope, not buckle. This movement helps the vehicle further absorb impact forces and manage energy. In addition, the driveshaft is thinner than the previous shaft and contributes to a 3.5-pound weight savings.