And here I was, thinking my Explorer was a big vehicle...

[masospaghetti]

Nothing like a couple of Raptors to make your Explorer look like a toy car.

 

[rasouth]

Ain't that the truth! I loose mine in the parking lot if a truck is parked next to it.

 

[bmdubya1198]

I hadn't really thought of the 2nd gens (or any Explorer, really) as being too big, but now that I have my Mountaineer, I realized they're bigger than they look. That said, isn't it crazy how much bigger modern cars and trucks are in general? Makes everything look small!

 

[XLTrunner]

It's ridiculous how large pickups have gotten. It amuses me to watch some people trying to maneuver them into a tight parking spot (as long as it's not next to my vehicle). Most have the short beds and can't haul anything longer than what I can safely slide into my Explorer.

 

[96eb96]

It's ridiculous how large pickups have gotten. It amuses me to watch some people trying to maneuver them into a tight parking spot (as long as it's not next to my vehicle). Most have the short beds and can't haul anything longer than what I can safely slide into my Explorer.

Raptors are wider than Semis I think. It is a special wide platform truck.

 

[masospaghetti]

It's ridiculous how large pickups have gotten. It amuses me to watch some people trying to maneuver them into a tight parking spot (as long as it's not next to my vehicle). Most have the short beds and can't haul anything longer than what I can safely slide into my Explorer.

I recently had a Dodge Ram rental and I found the uncovered bed to be wildly impractical for most purposes. Can't leave anything of value there because it could easily get stolen, and the lack of weather protection is a huge limitation. We had it for a ski trip, and every time we stopped somewhere we had to move all of our gear into the cab. Unlike SUVs, you can't "fold the seats down" and load large objects since the bed is separate from the cab.

 

[RickOTR]

Rented a Ford F-150 last year and it was too big for my taste. Parallel parking or just plane finding a place to park can prove to be very challenging. I'll keep my Explorer thanks.

 

[96eb96]

I recently had a Dodge Ram rental and I found the uncovered bed to be wildly impractical for most purposes. Can't leave anything of value there because it could easily get stolen, and the lack of weather protection is a huge limitation. We had it for a ski trip, and every time we stopped somewhere we had to move all of our gear into the cab. Unlike SUVs, you can't "fold the seats down" and load large objects since the bed is separate from the cab.

Might as well leave a "Take me" note if you leave stuff in an open truck bed.

 

[bmdubya1198]

Yeah, that's one of the biggest things I prefer about SUVs and wagons... you don't have to worry about your stuff getting stolen. Also the fact that I can fold down the seats and haul longer items. The biggest (and pretty much only) advantage to trucks for me is the unlimited height. It's not possible to load an engine into a wagon or SUV with a hoist. I bought my Mountaineer to handle these sorts of things, but I needed something that could both tow cars and haul engines and various other parts without taking up a ton of space on my driveway.

 

[J_C]

Agreed, my 2nd gen is the perfect size for what I need it for. I once wondered if an Escape would be a replacement path since Explorers kept getting bigger too, but Escape looks cheap inside and being unibody instead of body on frame, meh it wouldn't hold up to salted winter roads here.

 

[Larryjb]

Actually the smaller size is exactly why I got it mine for my wife. (okay, it's a 2008, different year range, but close enough...)

She thought it was huge and didn't believe me when I told her it was smaller than the 1992 Grand Marquis she was driving, and shorter than the 1997 Buick LeSabre as well. Other than the Mazda 323 that she drove before we married, this was about the smallest vehicle she drove!.

However, it is taller than all the other sedans she drove. It's a little tougher to scrape ice in the winter.

 

[bmdubya1198]

Actually the smaller size is exactly why I got it mine for my wife. (okay, it's a 2008, different year range, but close enough...)

She thought it was huge and didn't believe me when I told her it was smaller than the 1992 Grand Marquis she was driving, and shorter than the 1997 Buick LeSabre as well. Other than the Mazda 323 that she drove before we married, this was about the smallest vehicle she drove!.

However, it is taller than all the other sedans she drove. It's a little tougher to scrape ice in the winter.

It's funny how people assume any SUV is larger than a sedan. My dad has a BMW X3, and it's hilarious how much smaller that is than my Volvo 940. You really notice the difference when I park it in the garage. The 940 takes up a LOT more space than the X3.

 

[Runnin'OnEmpty]

At least my Sports will fit in the garage, with room to spare.
BIL bought a 4dr truck that was too long for his.....

 

[TsherryUSA]

Grew up with my parents having first a Bronco, then two Expeditions. I always hated driving the Expeds because it felt like steering the Titanic. They offered to sell me their early 2000s Expedition. I passed and my 99 Explorer fell into my lap. Glad I held off. Perfect SUV size IMO.

 

[Sauc3r]

I got an old brute that makes my Explorer look like a toy. 88 Chevy R30, 24ft long and I think it’s 10(.5) ft wide lol. Only reason you can’t see the front of it is that it’s sitting to left of the Explorer and literally up it’s behind.

 

[GCAM]

In my opinion, the Explorer is the perfect size, and an extremely practical and useful vehicle. Recently I decided I had too many cars and had to decide between selling my 05 explorer or my 97 F150. Even though the F150 has 80,000 less miles, and is in PERFECT condition, I decided to sell it because

A- the extended cab is means a tight fit with car seats
B- the explorer gets better gas milege
C- the enclosed cargo space of the explorer
D- everything I can do with the truck I can also do with my explorer and a utility trailer
E- The truck is almost the same length as my garage, and parking it in there is a 3 step process.

The only things I will miss about the truck are the manual transmission, renting u-haul trailers if needed, and the leaf spring rear suspension (I know first and second gens have leafs too). There is also just something about a pickup truck, I cant explain it but I always loved driving pickups of any size, practicality aside.

 

[BKennedy]

Mine is taller than a Raptor and much cooler, and a lot slower.

 

[Larryjb]

I now have a Tahoe and the Explorer. Some may feel it steers like a Titanic. I suppose if you try to drive it like a sports car, it will steer like a Titanic. I'm used to it after having driven a 1971 Olds 88, 73 Buick Lesabre, 81 Lemans, 92 Grans Marquis.

You won't get a sheet of 4x8 anything inside an Explorer. (Mind you, the 8' length won't fit inside the Tahoe, but you can strap the liftgate closed on top of the material.) The Tahoe gives us more room on long trips.

One thing I'd like the automakers to get rid of are those forward tilted head rests. They actually cause me neck strain in the Explorer. In our 2002 Tahoe, the tilt is adjustable which is nice.

To sum it up:
Seating comfort: Tahoe wins.
Fuel economy: Explorer wins.
Cargo: Tahoe wins.
Wife likability: Explorer wins.
Simplicity/functionality of dashsboard: Tahoe (2002 anyway) wins.
Sound dampening: Explorer wins.
Tough look in a parking lot: um, neither. There's always something bigger than either of them parked beside me!

I could go on. As you can see, each has its own merits. When I take the family out, I take whichever one is more suitable for the occasion. That's usually the Explorer.

 

[Beachcomber86]

he vehicle before giving an opinion. Things

I now have a Tahoe and the Explorer. Some may feel it steers like a Titanic. I suppose if you try to drive it like a sports car, it will steer like a Titanic. I'm used to it after having driven a 1971 Olds 88, 73 Buick Lesabre, 81 Lemans, 92 Grans Marquis.

You won't get a sheet of 4x8 anything inside an Explorer. (Mind you, the 8' length won't fit inside the Tahoe, but you can strap the liftgate closed on top of the material.) The Tahoe gives us more room on long trips.

One thing I'd like the automakers to get rid of are those forward tilted head rests. They actually cause me neck strain in the Explorer. In our 2002 Tahoe, the tilt is adjustable which is nice.

To sum it up:
Seating comfort: Tahoe wins.
Fuel economy: Explorer wins.
Cargo: Tahoe wins.
Wife likability: Explorer wins.
Simplicity/functionality of dashsboard: Tahoe (2002 anyway) wins.
Sound dampening: Explorer wins.
Tough look in a parking lot: um, neither. There's always something bigger than either of them parked beside me!

I could go on. As you can see, each has its own merits. When I take the family out, I take whichever one is more suitable for the occasion. That's the Explorer.

You forgot one thing, and it's major: A Gen 4 Explorer has a tighter turning radius than many cars. You can u-turn on a two lane road without running off the pavement. Easiest decent size vehicle to park I've ever driver. The Gen 5 is much worse.

 

[donalds]

You can't fit a 4x8 sheet of wood I did with like 6 in hanging out I just used a strap

So you can fit a 4x7.5 sheet of wood lol