Weird Name, Cool Ride: The Upcoming Ford Explorer Enthusiast ST Ditches All Wheel Drive For Rear Wheel Power Delivery!


Weird Name, Cool Ride: The Upcoming Ford Explorer Enthusiast ST Ditches All Wheel Drive For Rear Wheel Power Delivery!

(By Tom Lohnes) –  The Ford Explorer ST is no slouch in terms of speed and sales. Accounting for approximately 40% of total Explorer sales, this sporty model really didn’t need anything to make it better. And well,it did get better, but by losing things.

I do not know who approved this at Ford HQ, but a RWD Explorer ST is soon to hit the market, and it sounds like a blast. Powered by a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 making 400 horses and powering only the rear wheels, we’re already interested.

Supposedly, Ford is testing how the Explorer platform performs with higher horsepower numbers and RWD, as that’s what the next-gen S650 Mustang will be riding on. In terms of naming, the RWD ST is for some reason called the “Explorer enthusiast ST”, which is kind of a weird name considering the 4,500-pound curb weight of this beast. Expect 0-60 numbers to be slightly quicker than the AWD model with the loss of all the weight and good torque management. This thing will need it because the Ecoboost  V6 makes a whopping 413 lb-ft of torque, and it was seem that wheel spin is inevitable. Inside the same ST touches apply and overall it is a very nice interior to be in

Is the Enthusiast ST on your shopping list? Starting at $53,200. Is the Enthusiast going to outsell the normal ST? Probably not. Will it powerslide? Hopefully.


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One thought on “Weird Name, Cool Ride: The Upcoming Ford Explorer Enthusiast ST Ditches All Wheel Drive For Rear Wheel Power Delivery!

  1. OKSnake08

    Not and SUV guy but it’s great that they are offering this option- the added weight and complexity of the AWD does nothing for the average driver on a platform like this unless it’s in poor weather. Now we just need a head to head test hint hint

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