new 2018 Ford Fusion | Model Review and car driver

2018 Ford Fusion | In-Depth Model Review 

The Ford Explorer is one of the quintessential SUVs, ever since it hit the market in 1991. Ford gave its ute a mid-cycle refresh for the 2016 model year, but for 2018, it's giving it a little more love.

The 2018 Explorer will also offer four new paint colors -- cinnamon glaze (yum), burgundy velvet tinted clearcoat, platinum dune tricoat and blue metallic.

1. 2018 Ford Bronco

2018 Ford RangerSafety tech rides shotgun on this mild refresh. There's a new Safe and Smart Package that adds a truckload of active and passive safety systems. 

It includes adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keep assist, automatic high beams and rain-sensing wipers.

The Explorer's powertrains remain unchanged. 

There's a base 3.5-liter V6, which puts out 290 horsepower and 255 pound-feet of torque. The midrange offering is a 2.3-liter turbocharged I4 good for 280 horsepower and 310 torques. If you really want to hustle, there's a 3.5-liter, turbocharged V6. 

Output on that bad boy is 365 horsepower and 350 pound-feet.

The 2018 Ford Explorer goes on sale this fall. Like the current Explorer, it will be built at the Chicago Assembly Plant in Illinois.

1. Ford is resurrecting the Ford Bronco in order to compete against the successful Jeep Wrangler.

2. Expect it to use one of Ford’s EcoBoost V6 engines, either the 2.7-liter or 3.5-liter units
3. The Bronco could use the Ford global pickup platform and will be offered with rear or all-wheel drive.

2. 2018 Ford Ranger

1. Ford may be looking to get back into the compact pickup truck market in 2018.

2. According to sources familiar with the matter, the American automaker has begun 

contract negotiations with the United Auto Workers that will bring production of the Ranger to a Michigan Assembly Plant in 2018, helping to avoid the chicken tax that plagues the current generation Ranger.

3. The Ford Ranger was the best-selling compact pickup truck in the U.S. from 1987 to 2004, it was eventually discontinued in the US, while international markets received a bigger, more rugged model.

4. Expect the new Ranger to follow closely in the footsteps of its international predecessor.
5. Spy photos suggest the Raptor version in the works.