A post questioning the 2011 Ford Explorer's nonexistent off-road capability was all it took to confirm what many of us have suspected — the Raptor notwithstanding, Ford is no longer interested in making a capable off-road vehicle.

I've heard a lot of commenters bitchin', moanin' and complainin' about the Ford Explorer today. You're right, I should go easy on Ford. At least FoMoCo did it on their own without U.S. government loans. Well, mostly anyway. [via NickBunkley]

Here's the all-new 2011 Ford Explorer unveiled today in its natural habitat — outside of Macy's in Manhattan's Herald Square. Mike Rowe was even there. It's a dirty job to reveal a new crossover, but somebody's got to do it.

No, it's not a joke. This is the 2011 Ford Explorer. But, built on the same not-at-all-off-road-ready platform that birthed the Ford Taurus and Ford Flex, it's just not an SUV.

The 2011 Ford Explorer will be unveiled July 26th at a Mike Rowe-emceed event in midtown Manhattan (outside of Macy's!). That says pretty much everything you need to know about the off-road "capabilities" of the new Explorer.

This appears to be the first image of the all-new unibody 2012 Ford Explorer. Let's look at what this shot can tell us most about — the electric razor-like styling.

We've been in a huff about the 2011 Ford Explorer going from body-on-frame SUV to questionably-necessary, Taurus-based crossover. But we've had our thinking backwards. An emasculated Explorer means the possibility of an easily made high-clearance light off-road Taurus SHO! Discuss.

The 2011 Ford Explorer will be built on the same platform as the Ford Taurus. No transfer case acting as the four-wheel-drive system's linchpin. That's not stopping Ford from releasing this teaser shot touting the potential for off-road prowess.

UPDATE: The new 2011 Ford Explorer's been revealed. Take a look at the new crossover here. Times, they are a-changin' and the era of the body-on-frame Explorer is coming to an end. The 2011 Ford Explorer is going car-like, with a unibody frame and front-wheel bias. How do we know? A chatty Chicago assembly worker.