2016, 2017, 2018 Explorer Sport Trim- Why? | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Which year explorer sport should I buy?

  • 2016

  • 2017

  • 2018


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Explorrin

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Year, Model & Trim Level
2018, Explorer Sport
Well, I've sold my previous vehicle and I am now a soon to be explorer owner. Finding exactly what I'm looking for has proven to be a challenge so far. I'm hoping I can get some input from actual owners on here, maybe pointing out aspects I have overlooked. Dealerships tend to be extremely bias depending on what is sitting in the lot.

Basically, I'm set on an explorer with the sport trim either 2016, 2017, or 2018. I would most likely opt for a ford extended service plan due to my unfamiliarity with the electronic aspect of newer vehicles. Being that I want a service plan, it (I believe) limits me to 36000 miles or less, and 36 months. Due to the 36 month aspect, it has pushed me away from the 2016's... but, they are also far cheaper. Is the ford service plan worth it? I like the idea of being on vacation and still having garages nearby.

From what I was told, the electronic system (sync?) was upgraded in 2018 and a hotspot ability was also added. I have no use for the hotspot, am I loosing any other significant features purchasing a 2017 over a 2018?

Those who do own one of these years, why did you buy it over another? Is there features you find extremely useful?


I'd appreciate any input as I am looking to purchase asap and options are extremely limited within 150 miles of me.

Thanks!
 



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I would go 2017 or newer for the Sync 3.0. I think 2016 still came with Sync 2. I passed on a 2016 partly because of that, and because they all had more miles. I drive enough on my own, and I disliked the Sync 2 interface and lag.

I have an 18 Limited that has the wifi hotspot. That's only useful to you though if you'll use it enough to make paying for it worth it. For me it is because my kid can do her homework in the car, since it's all on a laptop... otherwise I wouldn't honestly probably use it. I don't know if all 2018 models include the hotspot option though as standard.

I don't think there's a huge difference in other features from 17-18, but there's far more knowledgable people here than me on that! Lol
 






I would go 2017 or newer for the Sync 3.0. I think 2016 still came with Sync 2. I passed on a 2016 partly because of that, and because they all had more miles. I drive enough on my own, and I disliked the Sync 2 interface and lag.

I have an 18 Limited that has the wifi hotspot. That's only useful to you though if you'll use it enough to make paying for it worth it. For me it is because my kid can do her homework in the car, since it's all on a laptop... otherwise I wouldn't honestly probably use it. I don't know if all 2018 models include the hotspot option though as standard.

I don't think there's a huge difference in other features from 17-18, but there's far more knowledgable people here than me on that! Lol

Good to know. Yet another reason pushing me away from the 16's.

Since you have an 18, do you use the remote starting option from your phone or is it more of a gimmick? Do you need the hotspot subscription to use that?
 






Good to know. Yet another reason pushing me away from the 16's.

Since you have an 18, do you use the remote starting option from your phone or is it more of a gimmick? Do you need the hotspot subscription to use that?

I think I started it from my phone once. Lol. I have however unlocked it and then relocked it from inside my job when my husband has come to pick up or drop off something. That's kinda cool, since I can't get the door panel code to work. I don't think that Ford app feature lasts forever though - I feel like I read it was free for 2 years or something? I don't recall where I read that now.

The hotspot is $25/month I think normally. I signed up with a special deal at $15/month, and for my kid to be able to get her homework done on our way to afterschool stuff it's worth it. If you have At&T you can connect it to a phone plan if you have a shared data plan.
 






I think I started it from my phone once. Lol. I have however unlocked it and then relocked it from inside my job when my husband has come to pick up or drop off something. That's kinda cool, since I can't get the door panel code to work. I don't think that Ford app feature lasts forever though - I feel like I read it was free for 2 years or something? I don't recall where I read that now.

The hotspot is $25/month I think normally. I signed up with a special deal at $15/month, and for my kid to be able to get her homework done on our way to afterschool stuff it's worth it. If you have At&T you can connect it to a phone plan if you have a shared data plan.

The convenience factor of starting it well outside of the fob limits would be convenient, but I personally couldn't justify paying extra for it. Thanks for your input!
 






The convenience factor of starting it well outside of the fob limits would be convenient, but I personally couldn't justify paying extra for it. Thanks for your input!

I rarely feel the need to start mine from that far away. I might feel differently about that if I lived somewhere very cold or something though. Lol
 






I vote for 17 onward, as the Sync 3 is much better.

We have a 17 and we really like it, my wife would love to have the hotspot for the kids tablets, but otherwise, it's perfect.

I have the GMC app(like the Ford My Pass) for 5yrs and I seldom use it. It is a very cool feature, but I could easily live without it.

One thought for ya, if you plan on using the 3rd row regularly, I would recommend getting the 2row buckets.

Good luck with your future purchase!
 






I don't pay for the hotspot on my '18 Sport, but I like the ability to use FordPass to remotely lock/unlock doors and also check on vehicle location and fuel level. It also allows for in-car delivery services, which I have yet to use. I don't know that I'd pay extra for it though. The downside is that the hotspot allows the vehicle to automatically share more vehicle data with Ford than I'd like. Other minor (cosmetic, personal preference) differences leaning me towards the '18 vs earlier include the exhaust design and front grill and LED foglights (I don't care for the design and the mismatch of color temperature between halogen foglamps and LED headlights on the '17's and earlier.)
 






The 2017 has LED fog lamps (same temp for both low beams and fog), halogen is used for the High Beams which is the same for all of the 2016-2019 Explorers.. Only the 2016 had the halogen fogs.. 2016-2017 has the C shape fog, while 2018-2019 has the horizontal line.

Someone on the forum posted the 2018 Explorer ordering guide
Dropbox - 2018 Explorer Order Guide.pdf - Simplify your life

This will show you the differences between 2017 and 2018
 






The 2017 has LED fog lamps (same temp for both low beams and fog), halogen is used for the High Beams which is the same for all of the 2016-2019 Explorers.. Only the 2016 had the halogen fogs.. 2016-2017 has the C shape fog, while 2018-2019 has the horizontal line.

Someone on the forum posted the 2018 Explorer ordering guide
Dropbox - 2018 Explorer Order Guide.pdf - Simplify your life

This will show you the differences between 2017 and 2018
The 2019 has LED high and low beams.

Peter
 












The 2019 has LED high and low beams.

Peter

According to the 2019 owner's manual in the bulb specification chart, it has both Halogen or LED options for High Beam. I believe the LED High Beam was reserved for the Platinum trim.

This was taken from Ford's site for 2019 Explorer Platinum
2019 Ford® Explorer Platinum SUV | Model Highlights | Ford.com
Under "Exterior Features"
  • Headlamps – Autolamp Auto On/Off, LED Low Beams, Halogen Reflector High Beams
Typo or maybe Ford was lazy and copied over from 2018? lol
 






According to the 2019 owner's manual in the bulb specification chart, it has both Halogen or LED options for High Beam. I believe the LED High Beam was reserved for the Platinum trim.
That may be so. I know that there was a discussion on this and am quite sure that the Platinum had it. I looked at the 2019 Order Guide and thought it was mentioned there but didn't see it.

Peter
 






Oh Ford lol.. I also love that on the 2019 ordering guide they list the "LED signature lighting" as limited to the Platinum trim, but I know they called it that for all trims back to the 2016 model year.
 






The halogen high beams were super easy to swap out for LED bulbs to match the low beams...especially needed with the Forscan mod to allow high and low beams on at the same time.
 






The 2017 has LED fog lamps (same temp for both low beams and fog), halogen is used for the High Beams which is the same for all of the 2016-2019 Explorers.. Only the 2016 had the halogen fogs.. 2016-2017 has the C shape fog, while 2018-2019 has the horizontal line.

Someone on the forum posted the 2018 Explorer ordering guide
Dropbox - 2018 Explorer Order Guide.pdf - Simplify your life

This will show you the differences between 2017 and 2018

Just a note on this... my 2016 Sport has LED fogs. I think lower trim levels might be the ones with the halogen fogs, or maybe part of the model year.
 






Looks like according to this forum it was late available for the 2016 model year. You got lucky lol. Neighbor on my street has a 2016 sport with halogen fog lights (yellowish in color)

2016 Explorer LED Fog Lights option??
 






I vote for 17 onward, as the Sync 3 is much better.

We have a 17 and we really like it, my wife would love to have the hotspot for the kids tablets, but otherwise, it's perfect.

I have the GMC app(like the Ford My Pass) for 5yrs and I seldom use it. It is a very cool feature, but I could easily live without it.

One thought for ya, if you plan on using the 3rd row regularly, I would recommend getting the 2row buckets.

Good luck with your future purchase!

Good to know... I've actually looked at a few with the bucket seats, but I wouldn't use the 3rd row often, especially if I have 5 seats without it. I also didn't like the fact the center console for the 2nd row sits higher than the seats when folded down. Yes I could remove it, but if I went with bucket seats I would want to keep it.
 






I don't pay for the hotspot on my '18 Sport, but I like the ability to use FordPass to remotely lock/unlock doors and also check on vehicle location and fuel level. It also allows for in-car delivery services, which I have yet to use. I don't know that I'd pay extra for it though. The downside is that the hotspot allows the vehicle to automatically share more vehicle data with Ford than I'd like. Other minor (cosmetic, personal preference) differences leaning me towards the '18 vs earlier include the exhaust design and front grill and LED foglights (I don't care for the design and the mismatch of color temperature between halogen foglamps and LED headlights on the '17's and earlier.)

So do you need to buy an extra "plan" for the remote lock/ unlock & vehicle location? What do you get for free with Ford Pass before they make you pay for a subscription?
 



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Welcome to the Forum.:wave:
I would go with the latest model partly for warranty purposes. If you are planning to buy the ESP, check this out; Ford ESP at dealer cost to forum members Make sure you check the front edge of the hood for possible paint bubbles. Hood Paint bubble issue only

Peter
Thanks for the welcome!
I'll definitely check out that thread for a warranty. I was going to go through Flood Ford but this is probably cheaper. I'll also check out the hood's of any I look at in the future. I did not know about that.
 






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