Ford Explorer

The Ford Explorer is a mid-size SUV sold in North America and built by the Ford Motor Company since 1990, as a replacement for the smaller but related Ford Bronco II. It is manufactured in Louisville, Kentucky (it was also assembled in Hazelwood, Missouri until the plant closed on March 10, 2006). The Ford Explorer was instrumental in turning the SUV from a special-interest vehicle into one of the most popular vehicle types on the road. It is marked as Ford's only mid-sized SUV and is slotted between the larger Ford Expedition and the smaller Ford Escape. Though the Ford Escape is a crossover and the Expedition and Explorer are traditional SUVs, Ford considers all three vehicles to make up their "SUV" portfolio. Their "crossover" portfolio consists of the Ford Flex and the Ford Edge.