Unibody Explorer?

[02SilverStroke]

Say it isn't so: 2011 Explorer: Ford's Detroit concept rewrites the SUV playbook - AutoWeek Magazine

 

[Fire1]

I guess that is progress. We sure love our 2000 Explorer with the 5.0 V8. It has been a GREAT vehicle with no real problems in 95,000 miles. The wife loves it and say she does not want a "new" vehicle yet.

 

[02SilverStroke]

I guess that is progress.

Yeah, they want to make everything a "crossover" that will get better mileage. Of course, "crossovers" are the "in" vehicles now, like Explorers were awhile back and minivans before that. We don't need smaller and lighter vehicles, just better fuel management technology for the bigger ones we have now. Eventually, (because of the new CAFE standards), most people will be driving around in little tin box deathtraps.

 

[BigDaveZJ]

Unibody works just fine for a soccer-mom mobile. Every Jeep except the Wrangler in the last 20 years or so has been a unibody. It definitely has some drawbacks when you modify them like crazy, but I don't see anyone turning one of those Explorers into a rockcrawler.