All-new Ford Explorer raises bar for SUVs

Numbers don't lie: There's no denying that the Ford Explorer, introduced in 1990, was an enormous success, quickly becoming — year after year — the top-selling SUV. The four-door, V-6-powered sport utility vehicle filled an enormous hole in Ford's lineup, as the models that preceded it, the Bronco and smaller Bronco II, were never offered with rear doors.

By Steven Cole Smith, Tribune newspapers

January 3, 2011