Bill Pierre Ford

It may not utilize electric or solar power, but the 2011 Ford Explorer equipped with an optional 2.0 EcoBoost I-4 engine will help you save money at the gas pump. And when considering a certain catastrophic event taking place in the Gulf of Mexico, the more cash in your pocket and the less flowing to big oil the better.

According to Ford, the EcoBoost I-4 engine delivers V6 power with four-cylinder efficiency. In fact the new power plant achieves nearly a 30% increase in fuel efficiency when compared to the current V-6 Explorer models.

The 2011 Explorer is also the first North American Ford to use a variable-displacement air conditioning unit. That may sound like gibberish to most but the bottom line is the new compressor allows for improved drivability and increased fuel efficiency.

Not surprisingly Ford is quite excited about their new offering.

“The all-new Explorer will give a huge universe of existing and prospective customers the capability they expect and the luxury and convenience they want, all combined with the fuel economy they need,” said Mark Fields, Ford president of The Americas.

The 2011 Ford Explorer is expected to hit showrooms later this year.

Ford has announced a new curve control technology to prevent rollover accidents during the curves that the company will first introduce in its 2011 Ford Explorer. The company plans to further roll out the technology to 90 percent of Ford’s North American crossovers, sport utilities, trucks and vans by 2015.

The technology as explained by Ford senses when a driver is taking a curve too quickly and rapidly reduces engine torque and can apply four-wheel braking, slowing the vehicle by up to 10 mph in about one second.  Curve Control works perfectly over any surface whether dry or wet pavement and serves best when drivers are entering or exiting freeway on- or off-ramps with too much speed.

The system works by measuring how quickly the vehicle is turning and comparing that with how quickly the driver is trying to turn. For this CCT calculates inputs from various sensors that measure roll rate, yaw rate, lateral acceleration, wheel speed and steering wheel angle, 100 times a second.

The move comes after U.S. government crash data reveals that about 50,000 serious crashes annually occur due to driving too fast on curves.

“Too many accidents stem from drivers misjudging their speed going into curves and freeway off- and on-ramps,” said Sue Cischke, Ford group vice president of Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering. “Ford’s Curve Control technology senses a potentially dangerous situation and reduces power and applies brakes more quickly than most drivers can react on their own.”

Paul Mascarenas, Ford vice president of Engineering for Global Product Development further added that the company’s motive behind developing technologies

such as Curve Control and radar-based collision warning systems was to prevent crashes from happening in the first place. He said these technologies were a perfect complement for Ford’s leading passive safety systems.