2000 Ford Explorer ESi

Vehicle Overview, , , The most popular SUV is a carryover from 1999, when it was among the top five vehicles in sales. The Mercury Mountaineer is a clone of the Explorer but comes only in a four-door body style, while the Explorer also comes as a two-door sport model. Explorer buyers can choose from three engines and Mountaineer buyers from two., , This spring, the 2001 edition of the Explorer Sport two-door arrives with new styling, a redesigned interior and other changes, and Ford adds the 2001 Explorer Sport Trac, a four-door model with a 4-foot long open cargo bed like a pickup truck's., , New versions of both the Explorer and Mountaineer are expected during the 2001 model year, and the new ones will not share the same styling., , Interior, All models have front bucket seats, but fancier captain's chairs and leather buckets are available. The two-door model comes in a sport trim and seats four. The four-door models hold five, with a three-place rear bench providing the additional position. The rear seatbacks are split and fold for extra cargo room on all models., , Exterior, The slow-selling two-door Explorer is shorter by about 10 inches, both in wheelbase and overall length, than the four-door. Both are available with either 2WD or 4WD, and both are regarded as compact SUVs., , Under the Hood, The two-door Sport and four-door XL and XLT models come with a 160-horsepower, 4.0-liter V-6, an overhead-valve engine that has been in the Explorer lineup since the vehicle debuted as a 1991 model. A newer 210-horsepower, 4.0-liter V-6 and overhead camshafts are standard on the Eddie Bauer and Limited models and optional on the Sport and XLT. A 5.0-liter V-8 with overhead valves is optional on the Eddie Bauer and Limited.