This interesting video that was posted on Youtube shows the vehicle dynamics manager for the 2011 Explorer program at Ford explaining the benefits of their new Terrain Management System (TMS). Ford's TMS is similar to Land Rover's Terrain Response, where the driver turns a dial to select one of several icons representing different road conditions.
The video is unusual, in that it shows (camouflaged) Explorer prototypes being driven off-road, before the product has been revealed. This isn't often done in the industry.
The video also shows the Explorer playing in the sand and mud, doing some more-than-casual offroading.
Even though the 2011 Explorer is going to be a unibody design with front-wheel-drive powertrain, it looks like Ford has some more serious off-road capability built in.
