Car Moon

Ford's frustrating striptease tactics came to an end today with the official unveiling of the all-new Explorer SUV (or shall we say, crossover?) that goes on sale in the U.S. at the end of the year with pricing said to start $1,000 less than the current base model at $28,995. More details on prices will be released closer to the launch date.

The new Explorer marks a significant departure from the outgoing version as the 7-seater model switched from a heavy body-on-frame to the same unibody structure with independent from and rear suspension used on the Ford Taurus sedan and Flex crossover, as well as on the Lincoln MKS.

Ford says that while adding significant content to the vehicle, engineers were able to reduce total vehicle weight by almost 100 pounds through the use of lighter materials such as an aluminum hood.