There’s been a rumor going around these days that Ford’s next generation 2019 Explorer could make its world debut at the NY Auto Show debut, despite previous reports placing its introduction next year.

We’ll know soon enough if that’s the case, but until then, Carscoops’ extraordinaire reader Brett Borgard caught Ford testing the new Explorer in Colorado.

If there’s something you can expect from the next-generation Ford Explorer is an increase in size, at least based on what we can see in these images.

The new Explorer won’t be just another people hauler for Ford. In fact, judging by the success of the current model, we’d say the new one has some pretty big shoes to fill.

It wasn’t that long ago that we saw a study showing how the Explorer Sport was the best-sold vehicle out of any non-luxury SUV models among Gen-X buyers in the US.

This prompted Ford Explorer marketing manager, Omar Odeh to state that “when consumers look at the Explorer Sport, they see all the style and performance of a luxury SUV, but at roughly $20,000 less.” In other words, Ford managed to design a car that attracts buyers mostly because of how it looks, which is quite an achievement.

Despite the heavy camouflage, we can still picture the a similarly modern design language residing underneath all that vinyl. The fact that it seems bigger should help it not just in practical terms, but also visually as it could look a bit more elegant/streamlined.

According to Autonews, the fact that it has all these flat body panels could mean that Ford made extensive use of aluminum for the doors, hood and tailgate.

It’s also possible that the next-gen Explorer could remain front-wheel driven as standard, with an option for all-wheel drive should customers require it. Another interesting tidbit is that it could receive a new nine-speed automatic transmission, co-developed by Ford together with General Motors – like the one that debuted in the 2017 Malibu.

Once on the road, the 2019 Explorer will continue to compete against the likes of the Toyota Highlander, Hyundai Santa Fe, Honda Pilot, Kia Sorento, GMC Acadia, Nissan Pathfinder and quite a few others.

Photo Credits: Brett Borgard

PHOTO GALLERY