Ford Explorer News

Ford Australia has axed so many of its cars over the past two years that it almost has nothing left on sale. It’s just lucky that one of the few cars left that it does sell — the Ranger ute —  does so in enormous numbers. So what’s missing from Ford’s line-up? A lot. Here are the cars we think Ford really needs in Australia right now.Ford lacks a rival, to not just to hardcore four-wheel drives like the Toyota LandCruiser and Nissan Patrol, but to more domesticated Aussie family favourites such as the Toyota Kluger, Kia Sorento and Hyundai Santa Fe.Yes, the Ford Everest seats seven and can go off-road with the best of them, but a more plush and comfortable suburban cruiser would fit nicely in the line-up.Now this might hurt a little bit and I apologise in advance, but in South Africa you can buy a Ford Territory. I know, what the Ford!?So, the South African Ford Territory is made in China and sold in other countries but it’s made in right-hand drive, which means there’s no reason why we can’t have it here.This new Territory isn’t as big as the Santa Fe at 4.63m long so it’s not really a large SUV but still, what a shame.What Australia really needs is a Ford Explorer, as in the petrol-powered version form the United States, not the UK electric version. The US Explorer is a a five-metre long seven seater, while the UK version is 4.4m and smaller than an Escape.Nope, bigger is better in this case and while the Explorer is currently only made in left hand drive, there is a chance a right hand drive might get the green light for the next-gen model.Ford axing the Escape is the car company equivalent to throwing away your only pair of pants just because you don’t like the colour of them.OK, that’s a terrible analogy but the point is mid-sized SUVs are the bread and butter of car brands and they sell all year long in large numbers and they’re kind of an essential item to car manufacturers. Ford axed the Escape because it didn’t sell enough of them. But it could easily bring back the Escape because it’s sold in the right-hand drive in the UK.Ford should seriously consider it, the mid-sized SUV segment is increasing in size at 19.6 per cent market share and Ford’s not able to join in the spoils. Toyota has the RAV4, Kia has the Sportage, Nissan has the X-Trail and Ford has nothing. No pants to wear at all.If there’s something Australians love almost as much as mid-sized SUVs it’s a small SUV. We’re talking the likes of the Toyota Corolla Cross, Hyundai Kona and the MG ZS. And Ford did have the Puma, but axed it in 2024 just four years after it arrived.The Puma was a high-quality feeling and premium looking SUV, but it was overpriced compared to its rivals and so sales struggled. People want premium looking at budget prices apparently.The Puma is sold in the UK as a hybrid and a fully-electric vehicle, so bringing it to Australia wouldn’t require anything other than a trip on a boat from Romania where they’re made.So there you are, Ford has pretty much all the cars it needs in right-hand drive to take the fight to rivals such as the Toyota RAV4 and Corolla Cross, the Kia Sorento and Hyundai Santa Fe.Will we see the Territory again? Will Aussies be OK with a Chinese made Territory? Given the the shift in attitudes and growing maturity towards Chinese brands and their rapid take-up there's no reason they wouldn't be.Sure bringing back the Territory nameplate, plus the Puma and Escape could be a risk for Ford, but would it be as big a risk as having all your eggs in the Ranger basket as it does now?

Ford has announced it will shelve its electric three-row SUV plans and push back its ‘T3’ electric pick-up truck launch by two years.

First came Puma, then came Mustang and now Ford has reinvigorated its Capri sports coupe nameplate as an electric SUV. Mustang may be a global sensation but Capri is just as, if not more, important to British and European buyers than the stallion nameplate.Headline figures are up to 627km of WLTP driving range from the rear-drive 210kW/545Nm Capri, while the twin-motor AWD ups power to 250kW though total torque remains the same. Unfortunately, the Capri is not in Ford Australia’s plans: "The Ford Capri is an exciting new addition to Ford's growing EV line-up. There are no plans for the Capri to come to Australia," a spokesperson told CarsGuide. The Capri is effectively a coupe version of the Ford Explorer (also ruled out for Australia) and therefore rides on Volkswagen’s MEB platform – the same found under VW’s ID.5 coupe SUV rival. Ford’s new Capri measures 4634mm long, 1872mm wide and 1626mm tall with a 2796mm wheelbase. It is a little longer than the Explorer and visually very different, though it is mighty close in size and target market to the existing Mustang Mach-E.The Capri’s chiselled styling and rising window line is more reminiscent of the SUV’s sport coupe namesake (and, funnily enough, the Polestar 2) than the Mach-E, giving it some unique attributes to the electric ’Stang. It rides on large alloy wheels, between 19 and 21 inches depending on trim.The electric stats are impressive, too, with good efficiency (13.3kWh/100km in the RWD) meaning the Extended Range RWD model is capable of travelling up to 627km from a single charge of its 77kWh NMC lithium-ion battery pack. That’s enough to beat a Tesla Model Y Long Range (542km). It is also a long way clear of the Mustang Mach-E equipped with a much larger 91kWh battery, which is only capable of 597km from a charge. A 79kWh pack is linked to AWD Capris, though the driving range falls to 592km in the WLTP combined cycle. The RWD model can fast charge up to 135kW (DC) while the AWD tops out at 185kW. Both take under 30 minutes to charge from 10-80 per cent.Inside, the Capri is outfitted with a generous 14.6-inch portrait-oriented touchscreen with connected navigation, a 5.0-inch digital instrument cluster and centre console bin with 17 litres of storage.  Two trim levels: Capri and Capri Premium are available, both can be paired with either rear- or all-wheel drive. This won’t be the end of Ford’s badge revivals, far from it (though we hope Probe stays in the grave) and while the result may annoy some fans it is at least a refreshingly different approach to Volkswagen, Polestar and Tesla’s dull alphanumerics.Not coming to Australia but Ford has promised five electric cars by the end of the year. Mustang Mach-E and two electric vans will definitely be joined by the Puma electric, but what else? The F-150 Lightning sounds most likely.

Some carmakers have some very conspicuous gaps in their product portfolios. There’s no rhyme or reason why, and no consistency across brands. Just the glaring holes that would surely make their lives – and not to mention their associated dealers – happier if filled with the right models. Here are the main offenders.

“You tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is, never try.” Homer Simpson’s words came to my mind when the news came through this week that Ford Australia is dropping the Escape at the end of 2023. It’s no secret that the Blue Oval has struggled with the mid-size SUV, or to be frank, anything other than the Ranger and Everest.

China will become one of the few countries in the world to build the Ford Ranger as the brand announced at the Shanghai Auto Show the popular dual-cab ute is set to go on sale there “soon”.

As interest builds in the news Ford is going to revive the Capri nameplate for a new electric SUV crossover, curiosity begins to circle around how the car will look.

Since the beginning of this decade, models like the Mustang Mach-E electric vehicle (EV), reborn Explorer and Bronco SUVs and the trailblazing Maverick ute have really connected with consumers.

Ford has finally pulled the covers off its Volkswagen-based electric SUV, which it has revealed will take on the Explorer badge name.

Ford knows it relies too heavily on Ranger and Everest to stay afloat in Australia, but what can be done to address this? Does it plunge headfirst in the bright array of coming crossovers, SUVs, 4x4s, trucks and electric cars, all of which come with no guarantee of success?