2nd Row Sliding?

[TxRanger351w]

(Long winded, I was typing this in response to another post, then realized it just wasn't on that topic.)



We traded our 2011 Explorer in with 36,000 miles on a 2013 GMC Acadia Denali. The biggest reason was that the second row bench in the Explorer is in a fixed position. We had a 2nd addition to the family, and the car seats would fit (technically) but at 6'1 I can't have my knees pressing into the dash. My wife had it worse because the rear facing child seat was behind her. The 2nd row captain's chairs in the Acadia are capable of sliding back far enough to leave me comfortable in the front.

The GMC Intelli-link(?) system works like a charm compared to our experiences with MFT. Considering when went from an XLT to the Denali there are obviously some extra options and features we didn't have before, but overall the vehicle has been great.

Until this weekend. The dual moonroof on the Acadia does not have a powered shade. Instead, there is a manual screen on each one. This didn't seem like such a big deal when we bought the car back in November. However, after taking a trip down to Corpus Christi this past weekend we noticed that we had a nice sunburn. Apparently the glass and screen do nothing to block UV. This wouldn't be such a big deal if we weren't worried about the excessive exposure for our young children in the back.

We are now half-hearted in the market again. My wife loved the Explorer, and I did too. Especially the fuel mileage - 23 combined compared to 18 on the Acadia. I would regularly get nearly 30 mpg on the highway. I can't even get the Acadia to break 20. Even though the Acadia has more power, the Explorer seemed to have better ratios and response.

So, a question - do the 2nd row captain's chairs in the Explorer slide?

We're also considering a (gag) mini-van. Can't argue with the space in them. The Odyssey seems legit.

 

[ls973800]

We had a Traverse (sister car to the Acadia, Enclave, Outlook) with the sunroof also. Always had the screen open here in Dallas and NEVER had a sunburn or even a tan from the roof!

You can have film put on the roof if in fact you really have a problem. Some owners have done so to limit the heat which comes in, not for a UV protection. Have you posted this concern over on the Acadia and Enclave forum? See if anyone else has ever had this concern.

This link is for the Enclave forum, but you can go to the Acadia forum by clicking in the top right area where Acadia, Traverse, and Outlook are listed. Each is a separate forum but many owners cross check each forum since they are basically the same cars.

http://www.enclaveforum.net/

 

[dave91gt]

To answer your question, yes the captains chairs slide. We just bought a 14 Sport and that was a big benefit. We also have the console (option). My kids are 13 and 6 and we downsized from an Expedition. The Sport is a ball to drive and the Explorer in general seems to be a well built vehicle. Fuel mileage in normal driving is mid 17's. The Expedition in the same driving yielded upper 13's low 14's.
My wife does have a heavy foot. She loves the EcoBoost. Ours has the whole glass top thing and the power shade is a must have.

 

[jbrabham]

the smaller part of bench seats slides back too on the 14 explorers.

 

[soulpatch]

as one with a large convertible car seat make sure you take your kids seats with you to the dealership. In my sport the seat is all the way back but my convertible seat is large and forces the front seat to be moved up slightly from where I would have wanted it. not much but depending on the height of the passenger it could be an issue.

 

[.:TF:.]

I had the same problem which is why I traded my old Limited with a bench seat for a Sport with 2nd row buckets before our son outgrew his infant car seat and moved to a convertible.

The 2nd row buckets do slide fore and aft, but you probably only gain about ~1" over the bench (they probably slide ~1" back and ~3" forward relative to the fixed location of the bench). Having said that, that extra inch or so, along with reclining the backrest one 'notch' provided enough space in the rear to properly mount the new car seat (a Britax Boulevard 70-G3) without having to adjust the position of the front passenger seat.

Other things you might want to consider:

• Not having a center console in the middle row means older kids can climb into the 3rd row without having to fold the 2nd row seats.
• I don't know if you can permanently recline PowerFold 2nd row bucket seats (we keeps ours reclined one notch).
• The inflatable seatbelts in the 2nd row have different (larger) connections on the seats which make it slightly harder to fit car seats on the bench, particularly in the center position.

 

[TxRanger351w]

Thanks. I went ahead and grabbed a Limited from the local dealership to test out the sliding seats. Everything fits nicely. I was able to once again keep the instant fuel economy up around 25 - 30mpg. We also looked at a Pathfinder, I'm not a big fan of the CVT, and the Honda Odyssey. To quote my wife "It's a f****n minivan." Although being able to sit in the third row in complete comfort was nice.

We're going to keep looking around, but we may end up sliding back into an Explorer if she decides that way. Only this time we'll be sure to grab the few extra options we didn't get the first time with our XLT.

 

[scotted73]

TxRanger351w:

We were in the same boat (2007 Outlook XR) and replaced it with a 2012 Explorer Limited. At the time, the Outlook had a power sliding shade for both sunroofs. -Handy. We had the sunroofs tinted a few years later which helped with really bright Arizona sun. We had Captain's chairs without a center console which worked ok especially with two car sats and an older child. I will say that the track the second row seats slid in became magnets for everything - snacks, crayons, pens, coins, dirt, rocks... This required regular cleaning because a pen or crayon would cause the seat not to fold as it could not slide. And there was the lubricating grease in the track...

In the Explorer, we did have one of the car seats in the third row and folding the second row was not in issue. Press a button, reach back, buckle in child and done. Now that our second oldest is in a booster, she can have the second row seat and the oldest can hop in back. Again, no big deal for the older child.
We have the inflatable seat belts and other than a larger buckle size which may require an adult to buckle in, fits our seat widths fine. The latch points (each second row bucket and passenger side third row) eliminates the need for using the seat belts unless in a booster.
The second row buckets do recline and have about 7 notch points, so finding an angle that works with a car seat should not be an issue.
The center console has been a great place to stash the kiddos numerous items.
Finally, I have enjoyed the Explorer's smaller size compared to the Outlook. It feels much more nimble and fits the garage better.

 

[LukerDooker]

Ask your area paint protection/hi-end tint shop about solar tinting.
The current films can block a lot of UV light & heat-up to 90% if done right.
...oh and if mini van is being kicked around, ..I saw a Suburban today with mags and it looked sweet.
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/...ucts/Automotive/Crystalline_Automotive_Films/http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Window_Film/Solutions/Markets-Products/Automotive/Crystalline_Automotive_Films/

(Long winded, I was typing this in response to another post, then realized it just wasn't on that topic.)



We traded our 2011 Explorer in with 36,000 miles on a 2013 GMC Acadia Denali. The biggest reason was that the second row bench in the Explorer is in a fixed position. We had a 2nd addition to the family, and the car seats would fit (technically) but at 6'1 I can't have my knees pressing into the dash. My wife had it worse because the rear facing child seat was behind her. The 2nd row captain's chairs in the Acadia are capable of sliding back far enough to leave me comfortable in the front.

The GMC Intelli-link(?) system works like a charm compared to our experiences with MFT. Considering when went from an XLT to the Denali there are obviously some extra options and features we didn't have before, but overall the vehicle has been great.

Until this weekend. The dual moonroof on the Acadia does not have a powered shade. Instead, there is a manual screen on each one. This didn't seem like such a big deal when we bought the car back in November. However, after taking a trip down to Corpus Christi this past weekend we noticed that we had a nice sunburn. Apparently the glass and screen do nothing to block UV. This wouldn't be such a big deal if we weren't worried about the excessive exposure for our young children in the back.

We are now half-hearted in the market again. My wife loved the Explorer, and I did too. Especially the fuel mileage - 23 combined compared to 18 on the Acadia. I would regularly get nearly 30 mpg on the highway. I can't even get the Acadia to break 20. Even though the Acadia has more power, the Explorer seemed to have better ratios and response.

So, a question - do the 2nd row captain's chairs in the Explorer slide?

We're also considering a (gag) mini-van. Can't argue with the space in them. The Odyssey seems legit.

 

[AZmom]

TXRanger351

Don't consider the Odyssey, just coming from a 2011, I wouldn't do it again...

Honda was advising dealers to reset the computers to reset my gas mileage, going from 32 mpg to 11- honda wasn't finding any issues. 3 dealerships and my gas "was within acceptable range". 11-12 mpg is not my idea of a reasonable gas mileage. 44k and all it brought was a bad attitude and many trips to the dealer. Honda refused to change it back.

I also had two separate incidents at 40 & 80 mph of the odyssey going into park on its own. Not counting the HIDs unable to detect daylight from dark. The odyssey is a princess. In the hot arizona summers it wouldn't start if left outside nor winter mornings of 40 degrees - when every sensor lit up dash like a christmas tree. It was soo temperamental. The struts replaced multiple times the first time under 10k miles. Struts are not cheap, when I traded it in the odyssey has struts replaced 4x.

The odyssey is longer, however explorer easier to maneuver. My recaro and britax car seats fit the same in both vehicles. I have been able to pack the same amount of "crap" into both vehicles and nearly the same amount of legroom.

 

[TxRanger351w]

Thanks everyone. We do miss the Explorer. Just wanting to make sure we get the absolute right vehicle. In 2 years the youngest will be in a forward facing position, so some of these issues won't be a big deal then.

We're also going to look at a Flex Limited today. The dealer has one loaded out for less than a moderately equipped Explorer Limited. I know the engines are the same, and the chassis is mostly the same (considering they share with the Taurus.) So, it may just be a sizing issue. Ground clearance is not a concern. This vehicle doesn't go off-road, I have a truck for that.

Good to hear on the Odyssey. We're also waiting on a Quest to be delivered to dealer inventory to lay hands on it. I like the idea of being able to sit in the third row comfortably (I could ride for 3+ hours back there). But I don't want a temperamental maintenance nightmare.

 

[AZmom]

Good luck

I wish you the best of luck. I don't recommend Honda's knowing that they will change the computer on your car and never change it back....

I hope you find something that suits your family....I had the full size vehicle when my kids were that age. When they are forward facing-buy a Recaro car seat--

When the kids are old enough-I recommend going back to the Explorer...

 

[TxRanger351w]

I wish you the best of luck. I don't recommend Honda's knowing that they will change the computer on your car and never change it back....

I hope you find something that suits your family....I had the full size vehicle when my kids were that age. When they are forward facing-buy a Recaro car seat--

When the kids are old enough-I recommend going back to the Explorer...

We're currently pricing 2014 Limiteds. The Edge can be loaded out for less than the Explorer, but the slightly larger cargo area makes the Explorer the winner.

I have to research what's different between 2013 and 2014. We found a 2013 that has the 302A package in Houston for the same price we'd pay on a 2014 with the 301A.

 

[AZmom]

If you were closer I would offer the Recaro's to you.

I am not sure of the differences- but with my 9 year old is already 5 feet tall- I knew I needed something with space. I had a Navigator before the Honda and now comparing against the Explorer---still love the Explorer. Navigator was a gas hog and Honda was a service department nightmare.

Still in love with the Explorer - I can fit all the football gear - the family and my mom in law and we are having stylish fun.

 

[TxRanger351w]

If you were closer I would offer the Recaro's to you.

I am not sure of the differences- but with my 9 year old is already 5 feet tall- I knew I needed something with space. I had a Navigator before the Honda and now comparing against the Explorer---still love the Explorer. Navigator was a gas hog and Honda was a service department nightmare.

Still in love with the Explorer - I can fit all the football gear - the family and my mom in law and we are having stylish fun.

We might be close sooner than you'd think. We're looking at buying land somewhere in Arizona or New Mexico near 4-corners.


Ok, we located the vehicle we wanted, dealer just has to add the DVD players.

2014 Limited FWD V6. Ingot Silver w/ Charcoal interior. 302A, adaptive cruise control, moonroof, 2nd row buckets w/ console, tow package. Sticker says $48,395. We're giving $45,500 less whatever we get on our trade plus some cash.

 

[pingbling23]

Price seems steep for 2wd.

 

[AZmom]

I am in the Phoenix area. Let me know-otherwise I am going to donate them. The Mustang arrived and I need 2 vehicles to fit inside the 3-1/2 car garage.

Don't be afraid to put the dealers against one another- I did that and pitted them against one another. The trying to earn your business - goes a long way. I was able to get a larger trade in value- but I had the X-plan with rebates to boot. Everything aside my payment is much lower than the Honda was and did I mention I love driving it too?

Now I have to figure where to hide the keys so hubby can't find them....

 

[TxRanger351w]

I spoke too soon on the Silver. That dealer wanted me to give them my trade. Had help from a family friend in the car business who does a lot of wholesaling with the dealers. We were able to get more for the trade, and he got me invoice +300. Not horrible. We're getting pretty much the same vehicle, less the moon roof and cruise control, in Deep Blue.

Let me talk to my wife about the seats. Her brother is in Tucson going to U of A. Maybe I can convince him to ride up and get them, then I can get them from him when we move him to UC Davis in July.

Here's the car, just have to get it transferred today.

http://www.inventory.ford.com/deale...e=70663&segment=Crossover&inventoryType=local