The large, five-seat, US-built Ford Explorer SUV was sold in Australia between 1996 and 2005, with approximately 15,000 cars moved in that time.
However, the V8-powered SUV’s days were curtailed with the introduction of the locally-built Ford Territory, which outsold the Explorer 10 to one in its first year on sale in 2004 – despite only arriving in June. When it was on sale the Explorer ranged from Explorer XLT (4X4) costing $5,170 to Explorer Limited (4x4) at $11,110.
In America, the Explorer was the subject of a protracted and bitter recall battle between Ford and Firestone, each company blaming the other after almost 300 people died in rollover-type crashes involving the Explorer in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
