Explorer VS german cars

[RandyH2]

"In your right mind..."
Yes, I would agree with him. I was looking at the Mercedes GL and the message board, as well as some of the long-term test articles, have far too many reliability comments/complaints. As one person said, "I have over 40,000 miles on my ____ and have had zero service issues..." Yes, there may be some Ford owners able to say that as well, I have not been one of them. I have spent far too much of my time dealing with problems with my Explorer. How many 8-hour days have I lost to this vehicle? At least 4....
I just checked JD Powers web site and of their three categories of "Award Winners", 67 vehicles in all, There were 3 Fords represented: Initial Quality for the Mustang, *DEPENDABILITY* for the Ranger, the only Ford was a mid-size pickup and one Lincoln MKZ under the APEAL study. Ford sells more cars in the USA than anyone else and has a below average dependability record. Worth noting, however, is the fact that the gap between good and bad has decreased significantly and any car built today is probably much better (after 60,000 miles, anyway) than almost any car built 20 years ago.
"J.D. Power and Associates offers the following tips for consumers regarding vehicle dependability:

•The perception that all-new or redesigned models can't be as dependable as those that have been on the market for a year or more is not accurate. Just because a model is new to the market or has been recently redesigned doesn't necessarily mean it won't be as reliable. In fact, dependability of all-new and redesigned models is at a record high, according to 2013 VDS data.
•Dependability of three-year-old models is at an all-time high. If you can't afford a new vehicle, or simply don't want one, you should feel confident when buying a certified pre-owned (CPO) vehicle. Whether buying a CPO vehicle or not, be sure to check quality, appeal and dependability ratings of models you are considering on jdpower.com.
•Improvements in vehicle dependability have been made by both domestic and import brands, and the gap between the two is narrowing. Perceptions of dependability should not be based purely on vehicle origin--consumers should research a variety of sources in order to make a decision consistent with the current reality of the market."

 

[RandyH2]

JD Power Web Site: http://autos.jdpower.com/ratings/index.htm

 

[OKC_Explorer]

Randy, in my humble opinion, its important to be constructive and respectful when participating in a forum discussion. The remark was degrading in my view.

Thank you for the report on the JD study.

 

[RandyH2]

No offensive intended to anyone, and I am sorry if my response upset you. I was merely agreeing with the original post- I would find it a foolish decision to purchase a vehicle with so many potential significant issues once I was aware of the potential for problems. Purchasing one now that the majority of the problems have <hopefully> been identified and addressed is another matter. Still, my experience with my '11 Limited has been bad and Ford has not done much to earn my repeat business. I realize that a significant part of the problem rests on the local dealership(s), but Ford Corporate is, I assume, aware of the reputation of many of their dealerships vs. the experience at some of their competitors. By the way, I started the stickied thread about good dealership experiences for just that reason- to enable folks to have a good experience.
For me, in my "right mind" and stuck with my local dealer, I would not buy another Ford Explorer at this time.

 

[OeschJ]

Just to throw my take on the subject in. Recently departed from my 2000 Mercedes ML-430 into a 2013 Explorer Limited. Myself and the wife test drove several vehicles, domestic and import before deciding on the Ford.
Over several years i have put thousands into repair on the Mercedes. And with the Star emblem, comes the higher price tag. Replacement parts for the Mercedes are hard to come by, and extremely expensive. We wanted a vehicle we could book and oil change or regular maintenance with the dealer and not expect a 700.00 bill.

Now the ML 63 i took out was, well, a $120,000 beast. Boasting a V8 with 505HP, its more than any one in their "right mind" would ever need. The technology was all there, but truthfully nothing more than a top of the line Explorer would be able to match.

Simply put, why pay the prices that come with an import if the quality can't match up to the name your paying for. I loved my ML-430, but needing premium fuel, having a dealership set on higher class people than myself, and driving around just so i can say "I own a Mercedes" was not worth it.

And as for searching forums like this, you will always see 100 times the negative than the positive. I was a part of the Mercedes forum community for five years, and i know as well as anyone that uses Explorer forums does, posts are usually made looking for answers to a part gone wrong.

 

[RandyH2]

Just to throw my take on the subject in. Recently departed from my 2000 Mercedes ML-430 into a 2013 Explorer Limited. Myself and the wife test drove several vehicles, domestic and import before deciding on the Ford.
Over several years i have put thousands into repair on the Mercedes. And with the Star emblem, comes the higher price tag. Replacement parts for the Mercedes are hard to come by, and extremely expensive. We wanted a vehicle we could book and oil change or regular maintenance with the dealer and not expect a 700.00 bill.

Now the ML 63 i took out was, well, a $120,000 beast. Boasting a V8 with 505HP, its more than any one in their "right mind" would ever need. The technology was all there, but truthfully nothing more than a top of the line Explorer would be able to match.

Simply put, why pay the prices that come with an import if the quality can't match up to the name your paying for. I loved my ML-430, but needing premium fuel, having a dealership set on higher class people than myself, and driving around just so i can say "I own a Mercedes" was not worth it.

And as for searching forums like this, you will always see 100 times the negative than the positive. I was a part of the Mercedes forum community for five years, and i know as well as anyone that uses Explorer forums does, posts are usually made looking for answers to a part gone wrong.

All good points. I sold my X5 for the same reason- a high-mileage BMW/Mercedes/etc. becomes costly to keep on the road, even doing maintenance yourself. Lower cost of routine maintenance is certainly an advantage of domestics.
While I can't speak to the Mercedes MyFordTouch equivalent, I know Mercedes is far ahead in vehicle safety such as collision mitigation. I assume, based on my BMW experience, that the other tech works better as well- things like seat heaters that are warm in a few minutes rather than 8 minutes, switches which are difficult to accidentally activate, clocks that show the correct time, etc. Safety aside, it has hard to justify the cost of the premium vehicles. Certainly not worth spending just to say, "I drive a Mercedes..." and put up with snobby dealerships.

 

[Teledatageek]

Hello - New member here. Wanted to chime in on this discussion.

I have a 2011 VW Touareg TDI - I bought it used only last May. Great vehicle but I have had two oil hoses replaced, headlight assembly, and a couple of other items. Adding a factory hitch was $1,500! Fortunately I'm still within the 3x36 warranty. Brakes squeak often on reverse and I have a couple of other squeaks that drive me nuts.

I echo the other comments on the VW earlier in the thread - great mpg; love the diesel; excellent tow vehicle. Dealer is great and their service waiting area is 2nd to none. Of course better not to have to hang out in the service area! I'm scared about post warranty service costs.

VW is nicely put together but I traded my 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland in for this and miss the cooled seats, remote start and lane departure warning I had on the JGC. I also occasionally could have used more than five seats and when not, the Explorer cargo area is quite a bit bigger than the VW.

Am considering an Explorer Sport - drove a used 2013 for the first time yesterday. Really liked it - unless the dealer makes me a smoking offer for the used one, I think new is the better way to go. I will wait for the 2015's to see if some of the Limited features are added. After having HID's on my vehicles since 2006, I don't really want to go back.....

 

[KORDemon7]

I own both. Each has there useful points. I use the BMW to get to work and use the Explorer to do my work.

 

[broken strut]

If you spend serious time reading and digesting this Forum Board, and are in your right mind, you will soon see that Explorers have way to many quality issues, and many ongoing problems that a normal consumer just should not have to contend with....You'd be best served buying just about any other vehicle .

I have driven both a 2011 and 2013 Explorer. The 11 was a limited. My 13 is a sport. The Sport is leaps and bounds ahead of what the 11 was. I am extremely pleased with the vehicle. Plenty of power, fun to drive and the fit and finish is just fine 1 year in. I guess I'm one of those who aren't in their right mind. LOL..... I take it you're not happy with your drive Plumbago.

 

[CDN_Explorer]

I own an Audi S4 and an '11 Explorer Ltd. My main reason for getting an Ex in the first place was to have similar luxury features that high end german cars provide, i.e. power everything, nav, HID projectors, leather etc etc but in an "affordable" SUV package. If I had all the options in a Q7 (which was a contender) I would have paid almost double. Now you always get what you pay for, and by no means is the Ex crappy, but it is noticeably cheaper built than high end german vehicles, this is something I am OK with as it means it comes at the right price tag and still provides me very convenient luxuries. Me having had the first generation of the new Ex I've had a lot of bugs to work out and trips to the dealer, but they have come a long way since then. A lot of the issues I had to deal with were dealt with by the dealer and in newer models have been implemented as well. So in other words, the Ex can hold its own and has not made me want to get rid of it yet.....I guess I too must not be in the right mind lol

 

[virtual]

Just recently rented a VW Jetta, while on a business trip. Admittedly it wasn't a top of the line model, but it was exceedingly average, heavy to steer, and horribly underpowered. Enough so that I couldn't even really tell how it handled. It's true that I don't put the VW in the top tier luxury brands, but when I compare it to a Ford fusion I rented not too long ago, the fusion was a nicer ride in almost every way.

 

[Teledatageek]

Just recently rented a VW Jetta, while on a business trip. Admittedly it wasn't a top of the line model, but it was exceedingly average, heavy to steer, and horribly underpowered. Enough so that I couldn't even really tell how it handled. It's true that I don't put the VW in the top tier luxury brands, but when I compare it to a Ford fusion I rented not too long ago, the fusion was a nicer ride in almost every way.

I have driven a few of the other models as well and have felt the same way. The Touareg is a different animal and frankly a little odd that it's even in the VW line-up.

 

[182RG]

IThe Touareg is a different animal and frankly a little odd that it's even in the VW line-up.

It's a stripped down Porsche Cayenne, yet it retains excellent performance. In the US, the CC and Touareg are the closest to being luxury entries for VW, yet they are alien to the rest of the line up. The rest are pretty pedestrian (Golf, Jetta, Passat).

 

[CDN_Explorer]

Just recently rented a VW Jetta, while on a business trip. Admittedly it wasn't a top of the line model, but it was exceedingly average, heavy to steer, and horribly underpowered. Enough so that I couldn't even really tell how it handled. It's true that I don't put the VW in the top tier luxury brands, but when I compare it to a Ford fusion I rented not too long ago, the fusion was a nicer ride in almost every way.

VW is not a luxury vehicle, Audi is VW's luxury line. And keep in mind, most VW's designed after the MKV were specifically designed for the N.American market and the financial crisis in mind, which is why a lot of the materials are cheaper and luxuries such as HID projectors were standard on certain MKV models have been cut out. The overall feel of the quality has been reduced and it shows. The quality is pretty much on par with most american made vehicles. Buttons feel flimsy, trims are cheap plastic, or fake wood, lines from the door to the dash don't line up etc etc. BUT the prices are affordable and that is what matters the most in our N.American consumer society.

 

[sloop]

...my 2000 Mercedes ML-430...a $120,000 beast.

you got ripped off - our 2014 g, a vehicle 14 years newer, was not much more than that

 

[OeschJ]

you got ripped off - our 2014 g, a vehicle 14 years newer, was not much more than that

Might want to read my post over again. Those two parts weren't even in the same paragraph, much less the same sentence.

If you would care to re-read it, it states "Now the ML 63 i took out was, well, a $120,000 beast. "

My fault actually, i should have stated "Now the ML 63 i took out for a test drive before purchasing the explorer, was, well, a $120,000 beast"

Does that clarify?

 

[honestz]

the 13 Explorer Sport is the first American car that I bought, before that I had Audi, BMW and Mercedes. Although I heard there are many issues going on with the explorer, the only one that I had was the "sync update" sometime happens when you start your car, which is the moment that I need to use back-up camera or I want to turn on the heated seats.

Saying from experience, not all German cars are build to be reliable, especially Audi and BMW. During the time that I had them, they broke down pretty often, (by saying brake down, I mean there's a problem I have to fix before I drive it again). After Audi/BMW I moved on to Mercedes, which is much more reliable, I had a c300 with no troubles for 3 years, then I have my c63 now has no troubles for a about a year. Maybe it's different for each one of us, but my experiences match with the chart below.

I don't regret that I bought the explorer sport, but I only have it for a year, things may get different on the road, but at least not now.

 

[peterk9]

.....I don't regret that I bought the explorer sport, but I only have it for a year, things may get different on the road, but at least not now.

I have had mine now coming up to almost 3 years and it has been an excellent vehicle. The thing that affected Ford's ranking the most was the MFT.

Peter

 

[honestz]

I have had mine now coming up to almost 3 years and it has been an excellent vehicle. The thing that affected Ford's ranking the most was the MFT.

Peter

That's what I thought too, my dad has both Edge and Fusion, no big problems for both, I guess Ford is pretty reliable.

what car are you thinking next after this explorer?

 

[peterk9]

That's what I thought too, my dad has both Edge and Fusion, no big problems for both, I guess Ford is pretty reliable.

what car are you thinking next after this explorer?

Leaning towards another Ex. My 48 month lease is up March 2015.

Peter