Ford’s Explorer, an indestructible icon for the company, may be a game changer both for the Blue Oval gang and for the SUV market as a whole, officials there say.

Just as important, the core customer for Explorer remains faithful to the brand, giving the company a solid, large base for sales upon which to build.

“The Explorer customer has not changed over time. For them, the Explorer represents the path to adventure, and whether they’re actually doing adventures or not doesn’t matter to them, it’s the potential that the Explorer represents,” Mr. Echlin said.

Explorer has other assets that it will offer to consumers when it hits showrooms, Mr. Echlin said.

“It’s among the highest customer satisfaction vehicles, and it enjoys some of the highest favorable opinion rates in the country. In that regard it also is seen as a genuine SUV and that’s imperative for our customer base and attracting more to our customer base..“ Mr. Echlin said.

Some of the new technology includes a “fantastic dial to the right of the driver, which you use to literally change how the Explorer responds. We call it the terrain management system,, and you turn it to drive on a variety of surfaces like snowstorms, and mud,“ Mr. Echlin said.

The best news of all for consumers is that the “starting price will be about a thousand dollars less than the outgoing model,” Mr. Echlin said. It will start at just under $28,000.”