Cars

Fourth-gen Ford Explorer improves but doesn't meet customer needs

With each successive generation, the Explorer became more car-like, but this iteration proved it needed to be car-based in order to provide fuel economy to make it succeed.

Manuel Carrillo III

A Porsche 911 S brought Manuel Carrillo III home from the hospital after he was born, so it's no surprise his lifelong trajectory has centered on cars, leading him to a robust career creating rich automotive media for publications prior to joining CNET.

The Southern California native briefly lived in Sydney, and is proud to have developed a barely passable Aussie accent. He also serves on the board of directors of the Motor Press Guild. When not reviewing cars or nerding out on OEM premium audio, you can find manual-labor-averse Manuel doing his best to convince his closest friends to fix the very Porsche that delivered him home.

See full bio

Manuel Carrillo III

See full bio

Manuel Carrillo III

Jan. 8, 2019 5:00 a.m. PT

1 of 72 Ford

The 2006 Explorer brought about a more powerful 4.6-liter V8 engine with 292 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque channeled through a new six-speed automatic transmission.

2 of 72 Ford

The fourth-gen Explorer also boasted a tougher frame, improved suspension and a refreshed interior.

3 of 72 Ford

The Explorer was still a body-on-frame SUV.

4 of 72 Ford

This generation of Explorer also had a more luxurious (sort of) Mercury Mountaineer cousin.

5 of 72 Ford

The Explorer's all-time low of 52,190 sales came in 2009 -- roughly a tenth of what sales were at their peak nine years earlier.

6 of 72 Ford

This was the last generation of the Explorer to feature traditional, body-on-frame construction.

7 of 72 Ford

For the base Explorer, the previous generation's 4.0-liter V6 carried on as the standard engine paired with a five-speed automatic, also from the previous generation.

8 of 72 Ford

Later model years added more tech and convenience features.

9 of 72 Ford

Unfortunately, this Explorer was simply outdone by its more modern, car-based rivals.

10 of 72 Ford

Keep scrolling for more photos of the fourth-gen Ford Explorer.

11 of 72 Ford

12 of 72 Ford

13 of 72 Ford

14 of 72 Ford

15 of 72 Ford

16 of 72 Ford

17 of 72 Ford

18 of 72 Ford

19 of 72 Ford

20 of 72 Ford

21 of 72 Ford

22 of 72 Ford

23 of 72 Ford

24 of 72 Ford

25 of 72 Ford

26 of 72 Ford

27 of 72 Ford

28 of 72 Ford

29 of 72 Ford

30 of 72 Ford

31 of 72 Ford

32 of 72 Ford

33 of 72 Ford

34 of 72 Ford

35 of 72 Ford

36 of 72 Ford

37 of 72 Ford

38 of 72 Ford

39 of 72 Ford

40 of 72 Ford

41 of 72 Ford

42 of 72 Ford

43 of 72 Ford

44 of 72 Ford

2006 Ford Explorer: The 2006 Ford Explorer features a new, 4.6-liter, 3-valve V-8 with variable cam timing, delivering 292 hp and 300 ft.-lbs. of torque

45 of 72 Ford

2006 Ford Explorer technical illustration: The 2006 Explorer shares the three-valve, single-overhead-cam heads used on the 4.6-liter Mustang GT and 5.4-liter Ford F-150.