What was the last "game changer"?

[MX793]

Said it before and I'll say it again: didn't change shit.

It wasn't the first SUV, but it was the first midsize SUV of the modern era.  Previously you had full sizers (K5 Blazer, SJ Grand Wagoneer, Bronco) and compact (Cherokee, Bronco II, S10), but the Explorer kickstarted the midsize SUV segment.  By the mid-90s, the Explorer was the mainstream SUV, much as the Taurus was the midsize sedan.  It was the one that struck a cord with the masses and really kicked off the SUV-as-a-family-car-replacement craze.  Jeep did not offer a midsize SUV until after the Explorer came out (when they offered the Grand Cherokee for '93).  Chevy bumped the size of the S-10 Blazer up to midsize in the mid 90s as a response to the Explorer.  The Explorer was the bowl of porridge that was "just right".  Right-sized for a family of 4, civilized enough to be driven around daily, rugged enough for light truck duty.

[Payman]

It absolutely did.  It wasn't the first,  but if it had not been built and had not taken the market by storm the way it did,  the SUV craze would not have happened...or at least not for several more years.  SUVs until then were off road trucks.  The Explorer made them mainstream and a livable and comfortable daily driver.

Absolutely. The Explorer started the trend of consumers looking at SUVs as family vehicles.

[Colonel Cadillac]

The RX300 did it with the car-based SUV.

[Laconian]

The RX300 did it with the car-based SUV.

Nah, that would be the RAV-4.

[Rupert]

The Explorer was not the first mid-size SUV. 4Runner, Trooper, Montero were all out years before the Explorer, not to mention some of the Land Rovers and the G-wagon and the Land Cruiser.

The Explorer, for some reason, was the one that seems to have kicked off the '90s SUV craze, though.

[Laconian]

Surely it was the Eddie Bauer edition that got people all worked up.

[Rupert]

I think when this Explorer dies, I'm gonna get one of those with the V8 and leather.

[sportyaccordy]

Im kind of confused as to why we are talking about cars from before 2002... I was talking about game changers of the last decade

But its all good.

[MX793]

The Explorer was not the first mid-size SUV. 4Runner, Trooper, Montero were all out years before the Explorer, not to mention some of the Land Rovers and the G-wagon and the Land Cruiser.

The Explorer, for some reason, was the one that seems to have kicked off the '90s SUV craze, though.

4Runner was technically compact (same size as a Bronco II or Cherokee) until after the Explorer (per Wiki, it didn't go midsize until the early '00s).  Trooper grew in size from compact at the same time the Explorer came out.  The Discovery of 1989 was the first midsize SUV from Land Rover, and that wasn't offered in the US until '94.  The G-wagon wasn't offered in the States until 2002, and it was priced as a high end vehicle (not for mass consumption).  There was a LWB version of the mkI Trooper, though I'm not sure it was as large as the Explorer overall.  And pre-Explorer Land Cruisers were pretty utilitarian.  Like I said, the Explorer was the first mainstream midsize SUV for the modern era and one of the first on the US market.

[Rupert]

4Runner was based on the same size truck that the Explorer was. I find they have less room on the inside than the Explorer, but the external dimensions are pretty similar. Trooper didn't get much bigger over its life, and was pretty much the same size as the 4Runner, and ditto the early Montero. Range Rover was also in the same size category and was introduced to the U.S. in 1989 IIRC, though it was more expensive.

You didn't specify mainstream or first on the U.S. market, just midsize and modern era. Even still, other than the G-wagon, most of the rigs I mentioned were pretty mainstream and present on the U.S. market from the mid-'80s. Like I said, the Explorer wasn't the first mainstream midsize SUV, but it was the one that started the '90s SUV craze.

[sportyaccordy]

Montero, 4 Runner and I'll throw in Pathfinder as it was the same deal were not mainstream... if any of them were they would have been the ones to capitalize on the SUV craze

Even after the Explorer caught on, and those models got rounded out a bit, none of em came close as far as sales go. On paper they are all 6 cylinder BOF SUVs but for whatever reason the Exploder was America's gateway drug to SUVs

[Onslaught]

Mazda Navajo was before the explorer! And it sucked just as bad!!!!

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

Mazda Navajo was before the explorer! And it sucked just as bad!!!!

Weren't they the same vehicle?

[FoMoJo]

Weren't they the same vehicle?

Yup.

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

Yup.

Maybe he was making a funny.......

[SVT666]

Mazda Navajo was before the explorer! And it sucked just as bad!!!!

Navajo was after and was the same truck.

[SVT666]

Montero, 4 Runner and I'll throw in Pathfinder as it was the same deal were not mainstream... if any of them were they would have been the ones to capitalize on the SUV craze

Even after the Explorer caught on, and those models got rounded out a bit, none of em came close as far as sales go. On paper they are all 6 cylinder BOF SUVs but for whatever reason the Exploder was America's gateway drug to SUVs

My parents bought a 1991 Explorer to replace the family sedan.  The Explorer was far and away the most comfortable SUV on the market.  Ride quality, ride height, interior appointments, and it also looked classy.

[FoMoJo]

Domestic cars may have been crap in the 90s but they still knew how to make trucks.  Still do.

[GoCougs]

The '91 Explore was indeed a HUGE game changer - probably the biggest of the '90s.

[Onslaught]

Navajo was after and was the same truck.

You sure about that? I know it was the same thing (a POS) but I thought it came out first. But you could only get it in a 2 door and when the 4 door Ford came out the Navajo sales went down the tubes.

[MX793]

You sure about that? I know it was the same thing (a POS) but I thought it came out first. But you could only get it in a 2 door and when the 4 door Ford came out the Navajo sales went down the tubes.

Both came out in '91.

[Onslaught]

Both came out in '91.

For some reason I remember our Mazda dealer getting theirs in way before our Ford did. But that was long ago and I didn't like either of them.

[2o6]

2003 CTS and 2003 Infinti G. Both cars from manufacturers people never really considered. Both rocked the segment.

[MX793]

For some reason I remember our Mazda dealer getting theirs in way before our Ford did. But that was long ago and I didn't like either of them.

Local Ford dealership may have needed/wanted to clean some left-over Bronco IIs off the lot or something before they could get their allotment of Explorers.  Mazda didn't have an SUV before the Navajo, so they may have been more eager to get vehicles to the dealers.  The Mazda was a rebadge and was built in the same plant as the Ford version, so I doubt one was released appreciably before the other.

[Rupert]

Montero, 4 Runner and I'll throw in Pathfinder as it was the same deal were not mainstream... if any of them were they would have been the ones to capitalize on the SUV craze

Even after the Explorer caught on, and those models got rounded out a bit, none of em came close as far as sales go. On paper they are all 6 cylinder BOF SUVs but for whatever reason the Exploder was America's gateway drug to SUVs

4Runner and Pathfinder were definitely mainstream (I forgot about the Pathfinder). Trooper and Montero somewhat less so, but they were still pretty popular, particularly the Trooper. Land Rovers/Cruisers not as mainstream.

Last time: Yes, Explorer was the Big Daddy, the one that we can credit for the SUV thing 20 years ago, but its success was not because it was the absolute first mainstream midsize SUV in North America. Maybe it was marketing, maybe it was that it was an American make, maybe it was just better on-road than the rest, or, of course, some combination.

[SVT666]

4Runner and Pathfinder were definitely mainstream (I forgot about the Pathfinder). Trooper and Montero somewhat less so, but they were still pretty popular, particularly the Trooper. Land Rovers/Cruisers not as mainstream.

Last time: Yes, Explorer was the Big Daddy, the one that we can credit for the SUV thing 20 years ago, but it's success was not because it was the absolute first mainstream midsize SUV in North America. Maybe it was marketing, maybe it was that it was an American make, maybe it was just better on-road than the rest, or, of course, some combination.

I can tell you why my parents bought one as soon as they came out.  It had the biggest and most accessible back doors (4Runner, Pathfinder, and Trooper were jokes in comparison), the ride was the most comfortable, you didn't have to climb up into it, it had the rear hatch with the separate glass, and it was the classiest looking of the bunch.

[GoCougs]

The competition was generally cramped, had higher step-in height, and either crude (Cherokee, S-10 Blazer) or expensive (4Runner, Pathfinder). The Explorer was in effect a stylish replacement for the minivan - roomy, relatively fined, fairly easy to get in/out of, and didn't cost a ton.

[r0tor]

Im not sure what the frbrzzzzz does that the rx8 didnt do 9 years ago.

I dont think i've seen it mentioned, but the 2005 Mustang really stirred the pot and gave the old american ponycar image some respect again.

[Raza]

Im not sure what the frbrzzzzz does that the rx8 didnt do 9 years ago.

I dont think i've seen it mentioned, but the 2005 Mustang really stirred the pot and gave the old american ponycar image some respect again.

Not burn oil, be reliable, not get horrible gas mileage...

[MrH]

Not burn oil, be reliable, not get horrible gas mileage...

+1

It's also better to drive, lighter, and looks better.