Ford Motor Co. will introduce what it is billing as the next level in automotive safety with the launch of the 2011 Explorer, a system the maker has dubbed “Curve Control.”
The technology is designed to go a step further than today’s electronic stability control, the maker says, allowing the vehicle to sense whether it is turning as much as the driver intends.
Curve Control is just one of a number of new systems debuting on what will be a very different vehicle than the classic Ford Explorer, a product that, two decades ago helped kick off the boom in sport-utility vehicle sales.
Curve Control is a sort of analog to stability control, according to Ford. That earlier system is designed to detect when a vehicle enters oversteer – counteracting what the average motorist would call a skid. The new system helps correct understeer, phenomenon most makers actually design into their products. That’s fine under most circumstances, but under aggressive driving or slick road conditions it can lead to a loss of control, with the vehicle sliding off the road.
Curve Control works by coordinating a variety of vehicle sensors, including those that measure yaw – the rotation around the vehicle’s center axis – wheel speed and steering wheel angle. If necessary, the system can apply individual brakes, much like stability control, and cut engine power by as much as 10 mph per second, to help put the 2011 Explorer back on track.
The company emphasizes that Curve Control will not override the driver’s input. It won’t steer the car out of trouble in a direction opposite what the motorist is asking for.
There’s an ongoing debate within the industry over just how much control advanced safety systems should be allowed to take when they sense a pending collision or skid.
Some devices, like Curve Control, make it easier to get the vehicle to perform as the driver wants. Other systems, like Lane Departure Warning typically sound an alert if a driver makes an error, such as drifting out of a lane. But some new technology will intervene in an emergency. The Mercedes-Benz Pre-Safe system, for example, can rapidly slow a vehicle down if it senses the likelihood of a crash, acting even before the driver touches the brake pedal. A new Volvo system will bring the vehicle to a complete halt in urban driving conditions if it detects a potential car-pedestrian collision.
Curve Control is just one of a variety of moves Ford is taking to put an emphasis on safety with the 2011 Explorer. The vehicle will be the first to get a new system that incorporates an airbag with the rear seatbelts, something Ford claims should significantly reduce injuries to children and the elderly – who its data show are more likely to be sitting in back.
The new 2011 Ford Explorer also will take a cue from Land Rover, the British SUV maker Ford sold off last year. Explorer will come with Terrain Management, a system that instantly adapts to a variety of different road and driving conditions, such as mud-and-ruts, snow or gravel with the twist of a dial. Each setting will optimize vehicle functions such as gearshifts, braking and throttle response to maintain maximum traction under specific conditions.
But the most significant change of all is that the 2011 Ford Explorer will migrate from a conventional truck-based body-on-frame platform to a car-based crossover chassis, much like the popular Ford Edge. In fact, some analysts wonder whether that will lead to some confusion among potential buyers.
There should be little surprise in Ford’s decision to emphasize safety with the 2011 Explorer. The SUV was long the segment leader, but sales began to dwindle in the wake of a rollover crisis that led to the recall of millions of the vehicles and the replacement of potentially faulty Firestone tires.
The Curve Control system will appear only on the Ford Explorer during the 2011 model-year, but will then begin migrating to other Ford vehicles. The maker expects the technology to be available on 90% of its line-up by 2015.
Ford has been slowly leaking details of the Explorer- long codenamed the U-502 – to the media, but continues to hold back other specifics, including the full range of engine options. It appears certain that there will be a naturally-aspirated 3.5-liter V6, similar to the powertrain going into the Mustang V6, and replacing Explorer’s old 4.0-liter engine. A 2.o-liter EcoBoost also appears on tap and is likely to deliver mileage of at least 25 mpg on the highway. A larger version of the EcoBoost may also show up at some point during the new Explorer’s lifecycle.
The new 2011 Ford Explorer will be available with three rows, meanwhile, but in a notable break from the past, the platform will be unique to Ford; what with the impending abandonment of the long-ailing Mercury nameplate, there’ll be no badge-engineered version sold by the sibling brand.
Ford officials are notably mum when it comes to expectations for the next-gen Explorer. At one point, sales averaged more than 400,000 annually, volume hitting a 2000 model-year peak of 445,000. Recent numbers have been running barely a quarter of that rate, a massive decline even adjusting for the current doldrums in the U.S. auto market. There’s no doubt Ford is betting the 2011 Explorer will deliver a much-needed bump in the numbers, but few observers expect the newly-evolved crossover to come close to its former glory days, not in a market with so much more competition.
This curve control system just sounds like a way for idiot drivers to continue to be idiots.
Rollovers are very dangerous and the risk is high in top heavy vehicles. Any system made to reduce the risk of these accidents from happening is a good one. However, at what point do drivers become too dependent on these systems and forget how to drive?
If you have a Ford Explorer don’t try and take that exit ramp like you’re in a Mustang!