Ford Explorer’s ability off the blacktop had already impressed mightily at its national launch last November when, along with fellow motoring scribes from around Australia, I had alternately blasted and crawled it along excuses for roads near Alice Springs. (See `archive’).

From steep rocky cuttings to tracks more accustomed to the peak-hour rush of cattle to the water trough, the big US-built wagon had taken everything in its stride and proven itself very capable in the rough stuff.

Now for the real challenge - suburbia !

There was no discomfort involved, as our test vehicle was the range-topping XLT Limited with just about every convenience and luxury item Ford could cram into it.

Standard fare includes full leather trim, 5-speed auto transmission, Ford’s unique Control-Trac 4WD system, ABS brakes, auto-levelling ride control, climate control air-conditioning, power windows, mirrors and locking with remote unlocking and security alarm, alloy wheels, power adjusted seats, roof rack and power sunroof... oh, and a premium sound system with 6-disc CD stacker.

Explorer Limited’s bold visual presence on the road is underlined by the stylish sidesteps, which evoke memories of the running-boards of yester-year. They might reduce ground clearance on the Birdsville Track but they look great on the boulevarde.

Driving at night in Explorer reveals just how comprensive its instrumentation is, simply because every possible control switch/lever/button is illuminated, from the power window switches to the steering wheel-mounted cruise control. Wall-to-wall instruments !

It is all very nice and comfortable indeed, though with two notable exceptions.

Big and bold, Ford Explorer has definite on-road presence.

Wall-to-wall lighting ! Not one control missed out on illumination.

They reduce clearance for serious offroading, but the running board steps rate highly for style !

Finally, in desperation I attacked with a 7/16" socket wrench and removed it completely. There were some odd looks at Ford on the vehicle’s return when I replaced it, but Explorer was noticeably more comfortable with the footrest completely absent. Perhaps a memo between the international design teams was misunderstood, because it is simply not needed.

XLT Limited models are powered by a 4.0 litre Single OverHead Camshaft V6, while lower priced XL models use an OverHead Valve V6 of exactly the same capacity, both engines being built in Germany.

The SOHC V6’s class-topping power and torque complement perfectly the 5-speed auto transmission which is the first of its type seen in a 4WD.

Shifts occur so smoothly as to be barely noticed, and we often found ourselves comfortably forgetting to switch off the overdrive fifth gear. Based on what was originally a 4-speed transmission, it adds the extra ratio between first and second to maximise performance and response, with considerable success from our observations of its behaviour in stop-start traffic conditions.

With overdrive engaged on the highway, it purrs along on WA’s 110kmh openroad limit with the V6 doing a comfortable 2400rpm, which helps to explain my fuel consumption figures; in city conditions it averaged 15.3 L/100km (18.5mpg) and on the open road 12.8L (22mpg), reasonable figures for a wagon that tips the scales over the 2-tonne mark to 2,018 kg.

Something that impressed while offroading at the launch was the nicely weighted rack and pinion steering, which had good response and feedback in rapid-fire direction changes; the same rang true in urban situations, giving the "car-like feel" claimed by Ford and making Explorer manageable in shopping centre carparks (but practice your 3-point turn, its turning circle matches its dimensions).

The only attention to Noise-Vibration-Harshness levels at the launch consisted of vaguely noticing that all the banging and crashing going on underneath seemed reasonably subdued, and the same can be said of its onroad NVH.

Road rumble on asphalt surfaces was very low and increased marginally on coarse chip bitumen, the only clearly discernible wind rustle was around the big exterior mirrors (which incidentally give a good clear view on both sides), and the engine went about its business without intruding on conversation.

We already knew that Explorer Limited could handle tough offroad conditions - we now know that it can also survive the perils of suburbia in style and comfort.