Automotive Trends

      As the Ford Explorer enters into its 21st model year, the vehicle itself attempts to redefine a segment which it led through years of prosperity. Once referred to as the ‘compact SUV,’ the genre has changed in recent years. The original Explorer was little more than a lightly re-skinned Bronco II offered in 2-door and stretched 4-door form. Eventually the 2-door would vanish and the 4-door would add a third row of seats, but one thing stayed constant all those years: body-on-frame construction. For 2011 Ford is taking a small gamble that SUV buyers don’t really care about what type of platform their vehicle is based on. Read more…

     Since the mid-1990s rumors of the demise of the Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis twins have perpetuated through the automotive press. GM’s relatively unexpected discontinuation of the Caprice in 1996 gave extra boost to the Crown Vic’s sales. Unfortunately, with no competition Ford’s Panther platform soldiered on year after year with changes that were often transparent to their aging target audience. Read more…