Anyone gone from a sporty car to an Explorer Sport?

[T-1000]

Trying to hold out at least till the standard 3 year warranty is up before tuning it. We'll see how long that lasts though lol.

Don't the tunes let you reset to stock tune before taking it in for any service? Just curious what makes you want to wait (something I hadn't thought of, etc) as I'd rather have the warranty in effect just in case anything breaks during the harder driving.

 

[Jason0279]

To the OP, it depends on your definition of a 'sports' car -
many German, or Italian, or... drivers wouldn't consider a mustang a sports car

The wife's DD was an Audi and she likes the sport better - and to me - it holds it's own - again, that's for what WE expect of it...
and that's the correct word - what do you expect of it ? only you can define that - not us.

For a factory design and the limitations inherent from that, it does well.

good luck on your decision - but do get ready for the severe limitations of the mft and the torque mgmt / steering - even without tuning !

JohnBoy,
Severe limitations of the mft? My Ford Touch? I know it has issues, but I thought they had made improvements. I had the system in a 2011 Edge and didn't find it limiting. When it worked properly, I really liked it.

And as far as those other drivers are concerned...I don't really care what is considered a sports car. If they want to spend $100K+ on a car that's only about a second or second and a half faster than a Mustang, have at it. Mine only cost a little less than $40K.

- Jason

 

[blwnsmoke]

JohnBoy,
Severe limitations of the mft? My Ford Touch? I know it has issues, but I thought they had made improvements. I had the system in a 2011 Edge and didn't find it limiting. When it worked properly, I really liked it.

And as far as those other drivers are concerned...I don't really care what is considered a sports car. If they want to spend $100K+ on a car that's only about a second or second and a half faster than a Mustang, have at it. Mine only cost a little less than $40K.

- Jason

The latest version of mft has been great. This is ther version they should have launched with.

 

[blwnsmoke]

Don't the tunes let you reset to stock tune before taking it in for any service? Just curious what makes you want to wait (something I hadn't thought of, etc) as I'd rather have the warranty in effect just in case anything breaks during the harder driving.

If you return to stock, the dealer wont be able to tell but Ford can. Ford can request the dealership to hook up to the obdII and download info. The dealership cant access or see it but Ford can. Realistically speaking, Ford wont request this normally, mostly in the event of a major failure engine/tranny wise.

 

[Harley#356]

Don't the tunes let you reset to stock tune before taking it in for any service? Just curious what makes you want to wait (something I hadn't thought of, etc) as I'd rather have the warranty in effect just in case anything breaks during the harder driving.

They can tell if it's been tuned even if you return back to stock. The computer logs key cycles, and that is only reset when tunes are changed or returned back to stock. Disconnecting the battery doesn't reset the key cycles. So if you've got a car with 20k miles and 2 dozen key cycles, rather than thousands of key cycles, they know it was tuned.

They never gave us a problem on the Mustang when the transmission had to be rebuilt from whining, but we did have it returned back to stock for 9-10 months before taking it back in, and it's always a gamble if they want to pull that card or not. With the explorer I'd rather wait a couple years and make sure there's no bugs whatsoever that pop their head up, before putting a tune in it.

 

[skripo]

I drive a BMW 335 and my wife drove an Audi A3 which we were forced to give up due to 3 growing children.

At first I was horrified and looked at the whole thing as the "the cleanest dirty shirt" type of deal.

While NOTHING beats a sweeping 100 KMH turn in a rear wheel drive 335 with sport suspension, I actually have come to love the Explorer and share equal time in both vehicles with my wife.

 

[JohnBoyToo]

Glad you mft is working out !
the garmins back on the wife's dash she distrust it so much... but that's ok....

re 100 kmh- that's only 60 mph, correct.... you'd get run over from behind here in Texus by some of these soccer moms

 

[Brunt182]

Before the Explorer, I was in my dream car. My 2009 C63 AMG... After about 10 months of owning & loving the car, and 83 year old man turned in front of me resulting in the car being totaled

Since then, my wife and I have found out we will be having our first child early in 2014. So, my next car choice needed to be practical, yet fun. So I started really doing some research & determined the Explorer Sport would be right for us. It's still somewhat quick & nimble, but also spacious and practical. I couldn't be happier with my decision!

The Lund Tune defintely brought the Explorer to life and makes it much more fun!

 

[JETZ]

Going from a 3600 lb. stang, to a 4600+ lb. EX what do you really expect?
I have a modded Vette, and the diff is like night and day...of course!!!

 

[bigmoose15]

One of my previous cars before my sport was a 600whp '03 Cobra. Of course the Sport doesn't compare in speed. The explorer is way more comfortable and great for commuting. However, if you get rid of the stang there will be many days when you wish you still had it. With that being said i plan on keeping the explorer long term and also find my way back into a cobra.

 

[Jason0279]

Thanks again for all of the replies/opinions. It's very helpful. I know the Ex Sport is an entirely different animal than what I'm used to, but it's good to hear that other people have made a similar switch and are still happy.

- Jason

 

[abwdds]

From BMW to Ford

I went from a 2008 BMW 650i to my 2014 Explorer Sport. I loved the BMW, but this Explorer Sport is more similar than you might think. Both plush and comfortable...both great both long distance drivers...both great looking, and both fun to drive. Of course the BMW was quicker, faster, better handling, and better braking...but we're talking about basically a 2+2 sports car vs a midsized SUV. The Explorer is a great SUV...I would call it a luxury SUV. My wife and I have owned a Acura MDX, an Nissan Murano SE, and a Lexus RX350...this Explorer Sport kicks them all to the curb in terms of acceleration, handling, and braking....is better looking...and has better electronics than any of those...and, has more room. I love this Explorer...it is fun, moves a lot of people and stuff, is safe...and makes me forget that I sold my beloved 650i !!

 

[marin77]

Getting into a new X Sport, coming from a BMW 335 - while the cars do not compare, I felt during test-drive that there was enough to keep my driving entertaining. I was also pretty surprised by how comfortable the ride was (note: my 335 had runflats on low profile tires and did horrible in potholes). Hope this helps.

 

[Shokwaves]

I purchased the sport to keep me happy and apt in those moments I want to have the power and some good handling. I purchased an suv because I have two little kids and want the safety and practicality. We are talking about moving 5,000 lbs of weight plus the live weight. No way this mass will feel like a sports car. When I hop in my Lotus Exige it feels so different, the same with my boxster s and my recently sold 2600 lbs porsche 951 track car. Very different animals with very different purposes. I do love the 365 horses the sport offers, no complaints on the performance. Want something faster, $130 k cayenne turbo will do sub 5 secs but it will cost you. I love the sport so far.

 

[JETZ]

Delete

Just another comparison point I forgot to mention, the Sport is worse on gas than our 5.0 mustang was. We'd regularly get 18-20 driving back and forth to work in the Mustang, and 22-24 on the highway. With the Sport we get 16-18 driving back and forth to work, and 20-22 highway. Now before everyone starts posting up "well I get X/Y/Z mpg!", that's just a comparison for the same drivers, same daily route, same driving habbits, and the only difference being what is beneath that right foot.

 

[GSX-WE4]

I own a couple performance cars... on with 600hp so I have a need for speed I looked at the fastest SUV, a Jeep Cherokee SRT but it cost 70k! Our Explorer Sport was stickered at 51k, was bought for 45k so the 25k difference in price between the two made it a no brainer for us for a daily driver. The SRT also only has 2 rows or seats and looked to be a nightmare to drive in the winter without changing to 4 winter tires... a PITA. It has surprisingly good power for a SUV and we could not be happier with it.