Reconciling the pressing need for EVs while reassuring users who don\u2019t like features that are over the top? Ford design seems to have found the solution to this conundrum with the new Explorer which has a nose panel that is deliberately devoid of a grille, but which has borrowed lines from the tradition of certain US off-roaders. It is no coincidence that the name, initially missing in press releases, appeared appropriate as soon as the car was unveiled: \u201cExplorer, as a symbol of our story. A choice that conditioned the styling from very early on\u201d, explains Liviu Tudoran, exterior designer.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>No more family feeling<\/strong><\/span> Between aerodynamics and offroad<\/strong><\/span> A graphic replacement for the pillar<\/strong><\/span>
\nThe result is a surprise: very neat, regular shapes, no sign of the nastiness that dresses the Mustang Mach-E with ribbing, no Suv-coup\u00e9 silhouette. The rational, square elements, combined with the well-chosen Artic Blue launch colour, generate almost the same effect as some early 2000s prototypes, enlivened by a purity that is anything but disagreeable.
\n“For the future, Ford aims to break free from the logic of an overly constrictive family feeling: each model will have its own character. That is why here we have enjoyed a certain freedom and made the most of the new platform, the first fully electric one for the European market\u201d, continues Tudoran.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\nDefining this specific personality is first and foremost \u201cthe new closed grille that has become a ‘shield’ and is dominated by the restyled logo, i.e. flat instead of convex, in dark blue and white instead of chrome\u201d. Further down, the aluminium-coloured profile evokes an underbody plate and, above all, engages with the corners of the bumper by opening two slits that reduce turbulence in the wheel arches. “Aerodynamics was a key objective, but in this way we also displayed our off-road origins. Without overdoing it, as we were aiming for a road vehicle in any case”.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\nModeration is also confirmed by the absence of any “rustic” accessories, as well as a ground clearance in line with that of saloons: perhaps the project’s authentic contemporary feature, capable of completely distancing it from the proportions of the SUVs of yesteryear.
\nThe treatment of the third side light is decidedly intriguing, decorated with a sticker never before used by Ford and conceived as a graphic replacement for the pillar “with a high degree of transparency from the inside, so as not to affect visibility”.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>