Ford Adds Some Oomph to Explorer with +350HP Sport Edition Powered by a 3.5L Turbo [40 Photos]

This is the first ever performance version in the history of the Ford Explorer and it will arrive in U.S. showrooms later this year. Ford hasn't said anything yet, but it's only reasonable to assume that the new Explorer Sport will make its first public outing at next week's 2012 New York Motor Show.

The new addition to the Explorer's range justifies its Sport tag by employing the use of Ford's 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6 engine, which the company says makes "at least 350-horsepower" in this application. Ford has not released any other performance numbers.

“Adding an EcoBoost drivetrain to Explorer Sport delivers even more fuel efficiency and performance to the lineup,” said Bill Gubing, Explorer chief engineer. “This is our highest- performance, most capable Ford Explorer ever.”

The force-fed six-cylinder is matched to a paddle-shifted six-speed SelectShift Automatic transmission with a unique 3.16 to 1 final drive ratio and four-wheel drive with a Terrain Management System.

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Ford Video Teases New Performance Version of Explorer SUV

A new edition of the Explorer will soon be revealed and Ford wants viewers to take a guess at what it is by carefully watching a 26-second long teaser video.

The mesh grille, dark alloy wheels and of course, the throaty exhaust sound, all point to a performance variant of the fifth generation Explorer.

We'll know for sure on Wednesday, March 28, as Ford will be revealing full details on its SUV model, which will probably make it to the 2012 New York Auto Show. For the time being, head past the jump to check out the clip for yourself.

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