While at a Firebird Raceway promotional event, our Explorer X caught the eye of road racing superstar Bob Bondurant. His Bondurant School of High Performance Driving has taught the finer points of driving to more than 250,000 students, including many big name professional drivers. He maintains a fleet of over 150 school cars, about half of which are specially prepared Mustangs. Bob personally supervises the chassis tuning of his cars to be sure that they are suitable for student road racers and has driven thousands of different street and race cars in his 32 years of driver training. He took the Explorer X on an extended road test on freeway and city streets, concluding with a 6 lap run around his private 1.6 mile road course, where he found the supercharged Explorer able to run with the school's Mustang GTs.

"I was surprised! On the racetrack, the Explorer X is just as quick as our Mustang GTs. The handling is excellent and turn-in is excellent too. There's some body roll, but it's generally well controlled. In the corners, the truck is neutral and predictable and forgiving at the limit.

"The engine is outstanding. It produces a very useable kind of power with a strong midrange and good response that makes the car come off the turns hard. This level of performance from such a bulky vehicle is amazing. I'm impressed.

"I'm 66 years old and don't have any use for a street car that beats me up. But I still enjoy driving. I want a car that's comfortable, goes and turns, with room for people and gear. The X does all that.

"Plus, the styling is sharp - aggressive. It makes a statement without being gaudy or overdone. I like that too.

"The Ford Explorer is a well built truck. For someone looking for a performance SUV, I recommend the Explorer X."

Bob Bondurant