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Police Explorer vs Sport specs

Speedbird

Active Member
Joined
September 16, 2014
Messages
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City, State
Denver, CO and Cardiff
Year, Model & Trim Level
2018 Explorer Sport
Im sorry if I missed it when I searched but which heavy duty items does the Sport and Police utility have in common...

The specs from the Police utility brochure list...

Heavy duty steering and suspension,
Heavy duty brake components,
Heavy duty engine oil and transmission cooler,
Heavy duty wheels,
Heavy duty Alternator,
Door tethers.

Obviously the Sport has its own variety of wheels, and no door tethers, but does it share any of the rest of the Police Utility heavy duty components?
I do a lot of city driving and frankly i want something that can handle the heavier use!

Thank you.
GDC
 



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To my knowledge, the Sport does not have heavy duty steering or wheels. It has a differently tuned suspension compared to the other trim levels but I don't know if it is considered as being heavy duty. I believe it has the same alternator as all the other retail trim levels. As to the heavy duty engine oil and transmission cooler, I'm guessing that it is no different than the other retail trims. The Sport has the same HD brakes that the other trims have. I believe the only difference in the PIU is the pad and rotor material composition.
I'm sure that any of the Explorers should be able to handle a lot of city driving.
Member Sgt1411 should have all the information and be able to correct any misleading info I may have posted.
Limited vs Sport suspension

Peter
 






It bears mentioning that (depending on options) a PIU can be as much as $20,000 cheaper than a Sport.
 






It bears mentioning that (depending on options) a PIU can be as much as $20,000 cheaper than a Sport.

They are yes. I could get a used “new” Piu for the same price as a more used sport.
My sticking point is I need the 3rd row which I’d have to put in on the Piu and I really want an ecoboost which are very rare on a Piu.

Or I just get a used civilian Sport which forgoes all the “Heavy Duty” items, which I’ll admit I’d really want.
 






To my knowledge, the Sport does not have heavy duty steering or wheels. It has a differently tuned suspension compared to the other trim levels but I don't know if it is considered as being heavy duty. I believe it has the same alternator as all the other retail trim levels. As to the heavy duty engine oil and transmission cooler, I'm guessing that it is no different than the other retail trims. The Sport has the same HD brakes that the other trims have. I believe the only difference in the PIU is the pad and rotor material composition.
I'm sure that any of the Explorers should be able to handle a lot of city driving.
Member Sgt1411 should have all the information and be able to correct any misleading info I may have posted.
Limited vs Sport suspension

Peter
I appreciate your information, thanks.
 






They are yes. I could get a used “new” Piu for the same price as a more used sport.
My sticking point is I need the 3rd row which I’d have to put in on the Piu and I really want an ecoboost which are very rare on a Piu.

Or I just get a used civilian Sport which forgoes all the “Heavy Duty” items, which I’ll admit I’d really want.

Hmmmm...if you gotta have the 3rd row AND "Heavy Duty" stuff, then the only vehicle that would satisfy that requirement "out of the box" is the Suburban FL package, or better yet, what GM now calls Suburban 3500HD, which is fleet-only and of which I've seen exactly two in three years.

So, either the HD stuff goes or the third row goes...
 






They are yes. I could get a used “new” Piu for the same price as a more used sport.
My sticking point is I need the 3rd row which I’d have to put in on the Piu and I really want an ecoboost which are very rare on a Piu.

Or I just get a used civilian Sport which forgoes all the “Heavy Duty” items, which I’ll admit I’d really want.
They are so drastically different that it seems odd to be on the fence between these two polar opposites. The sport is going to have much nicer material finishes, infotainment, comfort, convenience, etc. You should check out both vehicles in person before you make a decision.

2016-Ford-Explorer-Sport-Interior.jpg


kkbmcgiz5tlu55fpy5yg.jpg
 






They are so drastically different that it seems odd to be on the fence between these two polar opposites. The sport is going to have much nicer material finishes, infotainment, comfort, convenience, etc. You should check out both vehicles in person before you make a decision.

2016-Ford-Explorer-Sport-Interior.jpg


kkbmcgiz5tlu55fpy5yg.jpg

I completely agree with with you... I drove a black sport last week and it’s a very nice plush vehicle, but I’ll admit the HD items are more appealing to me than all the gadgets.... I know I’m weird, and the thought of having to install a third row in a piu, not really looking forward to the thought of that
 






I completely agree with with you... I drove a black sport last week and it’s a very nice plush vehicle, but I’ll admit the HD items are more appealing to me than all the gadgets.... I know I’m weird
Nah, not weird. The no-frills heavy duty and low price is probably what draws most people to buy them. Like you though, I drove a high trim Ford recently and was amazed by all the things that I'm missing out on.

3 driver memory
automatic headlights
fog lights
power liftgate
power fold mirrors
push start / intelligent access key
bigger / more advanced instrument cluster screen
center dashboard speaker
huge sync 3 screen
heated and cooled leather seats
bluetooth
dual zone automatic climate
terrain select knob
front camera
reverse sensing

Wish I never found out what I was missing! :D
 






Depending on the trim, it may also have had front and rear 180 degree cameras with washers and self-perpendicular and parallel parking as well as Adaptive Cruise Control which I use almost daily. Front collision warning with brake support. Massaging front seats.

Peter
 






Depending on the trim, it may also have had front and rear 180 degree cameras with washers and self-perpendicular and parallel parking as well as Adaptive Cruise Control which I use almost daily. Front collision warning with brake support. Massaging front seats.

Peter

It had all those tooo.... uhhhhhh I’m so torn!!
 






As far as installing a 3rd row, I presume you've reviewed some of the threads on doing so since you're hesitating? :)

I was thinking about going ahead and doing that, even purchased a set of nice, leather 3rd-row seats (which would give my PIU ALL the types of seat, cloth in the front, vinyl second row, leather 3rd...) but there are still a few things I'd need to do and the K-brace probably stiffens the body & rear suspension a lot more than a rear seat would, so I put it aside.

The PIU may be more spartan, but sometimes that's the point. It was for me, anyway. I like the vinyl seats and floormats, makes it much easier to clean-up after muddy dogs. I prefer the column shift and console for mobile radio equipment, but it's just wasted space and a hassle if you don't need additional radio gear.

It's a lot of work to make a vehicle something it wasn't intended to be, but if you want a sturdier Sport, it would probably be less grief and a bit cheaper to just buy a surplus PIU and move its suspension & steering components over, maybe the PTU as well if you really wanted the PIU unit with cooling lines & radiator for extended high-speed driving.

If you had the parts side-by-side, it would also be easier to see firsthand which things are really heavy-duty and which are the same between models rather than taking Ford's vague word that the PIU has a heavy-duty suspension. Could be that they threw on stiffer springs and beefier brakes & rotors, and left it at that. If you prefer the plush interior, no point in sacrificing all that over springs & brake components you could replace in a couple hours!
 






As far as installing a 3rd row, I presume you've reviewed some of the threads on doing so since you're hesitating? :)

I was thinking about going ahead and doing that, even purchased a set of nice, leather 3rd-row seats (which would give my PIU ALL the types of seat, cloth in the front, vinyl second row, leather 3rd...) but there are still a few things I'd need to do and the K-brace probably stiffens the body & rear suspension a lot more than a rear seat would, so I put it aside.

The PIU may be more spartan, but sometimes that's the point. It was for me, anyway. I like the vinyl seats and floormats, makes it much easier to clean-up after muddy dogs. I prefer the column shift and console for mobile radio equipment, but it's just wasted space and a hassle if you don't need additional radio gear.

It's a lot of work to make a vehicle something it wasn't intended to be, but if you want a sturdier Sport, it would probably be less grief and a bit cheaper to just buy a surplus PIU and move its suspension & steering components over, maybe the PTU as well if you really wanted the PIU unit with cooling lines & radiator for extended high-speed driving.

If you had the parts side-by-side, it would also be easier to see firsthand which things are really heavy-duty and which are the same between models rather than taking Ford's vague word that the PIU has a heavy-duty suspension. Could be that they threw on stiffer springs and beefier brakes & rotors, and left it at that. If you prefer the plush interior, no point in sacrificing all that over springs & brake components you could replace in a couple hours!

Well I certainly appreciate your reply. I have indeed looked up the posts regarding changing the interior and to be honest I don’t think I really want to take that on. I would find my own way of screwing it up!
The other thing I have just discovered is that the police explorer second row seats do not have headrests. Having two kids that will be in this vehicle a lot... I would need to switch out the second row for seats WITH headrests also. That is a lot of interior swapping for my taste.
I’m slowly coming to the conclusion that a nice used SPORT may be the best selection and over time as things wear out replace them with heavy duty replacements, and just put an oil and transmission cooler on it.
 






It all depends on how much you can do yourself. I own a shop and picked up a super low mileage piu interceptor with the Ecoboost, with light body damage. Swapped whole interior out for leather, added the sync 2 and 8" screen. Added the center speaker and different gauge cluster. Added auto headlights, Put a set of aftermarket wheels on it and to me it's nice for having under $10k into it total. Only thing it doesn't have that a sport does is push button start power lift gate and folding mirrors which I myself am perfectly fine without having.
 






It all depends on how much you can do yourself. I own a shop and picked up a super low mileage piu interceptor with the Ecoboost, with light body damage. Swapped whole interior out for leather, added the sync 2 and 8" screen. Added the center speaker and different gauge cluster. Added auto headlights, Put a set of aftermarket wheels on it and to me it's nice for having under $10k into it total. Only thing it doesn't have that a sport does is push button start power lift gate and folding mirrors which I myself am perfectly fine without having.[

I wish I were more mechanically minded to be honest. I keep going back and forth between a PIU and doing the seat swap, or just getting a nice used several year old SPORT.

I can take or leave all the gizmos and gadgets on the Sport to be direct, which is why I’m struggling with this decision. I want sturdy.
 






.... and the other thing that just came up recently.... my wife said and is sort of pushing... , “Why don’t we just get a late model Expedition?”
 






Another plus to an Ecoboost piu is it's cheaper on insurance than my wife's exact year base model 4wd!!!! Lol
 












1536513636914.jpg


Plus you can customize it and not feel as bad about tearing apart a more expensive vehicle!
 



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Elite Explorer members see no advertisements, no banner ads, no double underlined links,.
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It all depends on how much you can do yourself. I own a shop and picked up a super low mileage piu interceptor with the Ecoboost, with light body damage. Swapped whole interior out for leather, added the sync 2 and 8" screen. Added the center speaker and different gauge cluster. Added auto headlights, Put a set of aftermarket wheels on it and to me it's nice for having under $10k into it total. Only thing it doesn't have that a sport does is push button start power lift gate and folding mirrors which I myself am perfectly fine without having.

Well, yeah, with your own shop...

Your post reminded me of an episode of "New Yankee Workshop" where good old Norm used what appeared to be dual nuclear reactor-powered door sander that was larger than both of my last houses combined. He ran a whole door through it, and, of course, it came out perfectly smoothly sanded. Norm then stated in his trademark calm, matter-of-fact tone that "these machines come in real handy for jobs like this one". I remember thinking "I'm sure they do, Norm, I'm sure they do."
 






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