According to a new vehicle customer study performed by MaritzCX, the Ford Explorer Sport beats its direct rivals in the Gen-X desirability stakes.
The study points to the Explorer Sport being the best sold vehicle out of any non-luxury SUV among Gen-X buyers in the United States. Since its debut in 2014, the Explorer Sport has snatched a sizable 15% of total nameplate sales, while attracting nearly 40% of midsize SUV buyers born between 1965 and 1978.
“Ford has a very interesting customer with this product, and what’s unusual is that many are buying it without trading anything in,” said MaritzCX director of research Jim Mulcrone. “Our study shows that while 17% of all non-luxury SUV buyers classify themselves as ‘specialty professionals’, that number is closer to one in four with Explorer Sport. It seems this product is breaking through.”
The study also points to Explorer Sport buyers having an average household income of $175,000, compared to $112,000 for the average midsize SUV buyer. The SUV’s starting price is $45,205 and Mulcrone adds that Explorer Sport buyers that do trade in a vehicle in order to complete their purchase, are twice as likely to trade in a premium one as those going for an average midsize SUV.
“When consumers look at Explorer Sport, they see all the style and performance of a luxury SUV, but at roughly $20,000 less,” says Omar Odeh, Ford Explorer marketing manager. “Our surveys show Explorer Sport owners highly rate such attributes as ‘power and pick-up’, ‘fun to drive’ and ‘overall performance’. The best part is they represent incremental buyers for us, in that some don’t even set out looking at the Ford brand. Explorer Sport is proving it can stand on its own.”
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