2007 Ford Explorer “Lil Truck”

The 2006 model year brought the fourth-generation Ford Explorer, the last generation to use the Ranger-derived body-on-frame layout. The 2006 Explorer kept the three-row, body-on-frame midsize SUV format and was re-engineered with a stronger frame and revised suspension. Safety equipment was a focus: this generation added electronic stability control, which Ford marketed as AdvanceTrac with Roll Stability Control, along with side curtain airbags and tire-pressure monitoring. The engine lineup was the single-overhead-cam (SOHC) 4.0-liter V6 and an updated 4.6-liter single-overhead-cam V8, now a three-valve-per-cylinder design rated at 292 horsepower and 300 lb-ft of torque, more than the earlier two-valve 4.6, and paired with a six-speed automatic from the 2006 launch. The 2006-2010 Explorer remained rear-wheel drive in standard form with available ControlTrac four-wheel drive, and it was offered in trims spanning XLS, XLT, Eddie Bauer, and Limited. The body-on-frame Explorer Sport Trac pickup derivative continued through 2010 as its own model. The fourth-generation Explorer was the final body-on-frame Explorer; for 2011 Ford replaced it with a unibody crossover on the D4 platform.