Why the 2018 Ford Explorer appeals to both Baby Boomers and Millenials

Ford has freshened one of its workhorses, giving the 2018 Ford Explorer new front and rear styling, as well as technology updates. You can see the new 2018 Explorer, on the New York Auto Show floor, in this picture from TorqueNews managing editor Patrick Rall. The most noticeable change is the all-new front grille.

Ford is estimating that the SUV demand will continue to surge and account for up to 45 percent of the automotive market in the next five to seven years. Ford says that a new generation of buyers is fueling the boom.

Mark LaNeve, Ford vice president of U.S. marketing, says, “Two sets of consumers – millennials and baby boomers – are driving this growth, and Ford will be ready with a full portfolio of SUVs to meet their needs.”

A huge part of meeting demand for the younger generation is making sure that the vehicle is equipped with the latest technology. The millennials grew up being hauled around in SUVs. Now they want SUVs with Wi-Fi hotspots and other bells and whistles.

The 2018 Ford Explorer will have a hotspot that can support as many as 10 devices at the same time, from up to 50 feet away from the vehicle. It will also have SYNC Connect, which lets drivers use the FordPass app on their phones to open, start or lock their vehicles from almost anywhere.

The 2018 Ford Explorer will feature an enhanced version of active park assist to help drivers with parallel and perpendicular parking.

For 2018, Ford is also bundling its additional safety features in a package called Safe and Smart. The package includes adaptive cruise control with braking, blind spot alerts, cross traffic alerts, lane departure alerts, automatic high and low beams and rain-sensing wipers.

The 2018 Ford Explorer is built at Chicago Assembly. It should be on dealer lots in late 2017.