looking for honest opinions on 5th Gen Ex

[08Ex]

Thx again for your honest opinions. Again I stress I am agnostic when it comes to car brands. I currently own 2 Fords and 1 Toyota abut I've owned Chevy and Dodge in the past. After reading your replies there are several deal breakers on the new Gen Ex. First my wife and I like selectable 4WD and it seems the new Ex doesn't offer this. Second and most importantly the engine is transverse mounted. I've read the engine must be pulled to replace the water pump. This is a hugh issue for me as I keep my vehicles for 13-15 years and will certainly see a water pump replacement. And I like to replace my own spark plugs and do not want to attempt replacing the plugs facing the firewall blind. Had a Nissan back in the mid 80's where I had to replace them blind. No more. I will now look at the Toyota, Chevy, Honda and Jeep. I thank you all for being very honest. It seems after people buy a particular brand they defend it tooth and nail because they have so much invested in it and are unwilling to admit to the problems and sometimes admit it was a mistake. I love my 08 Ex but times have changed. Thx again, this site Rocks! AJ

 

[PapaGary]

Second and most importantly the engine is transverse mounted.

You'll have a hard time finding an SUV in today's market that doesn't have a transverse engine.

I will now look at the Toyota, Chevy, Honda and Jeep.

See above.

It seems after people buy a particular brand they defend it tooth and nail because they have so much invested in it and are unwilling to admit to the problems and sometimes admit it was a mistake.

Yep.

 

[peterk9]

.......It seems after people buy a particular brand they defend it tooth and nail because they have so much invested in it and are unwilling to admit to the problems and sometimes admit it was a mistake. I love my 08 Ex but times have changed. Thx again, this site Rocks! AJ

I don't particularly agree 100% with this statement. There are many examples in this Forum where members have openly discussed their negative feelings about their choice saying they would never buy 'the brand' again. Some of it was due to the vehicle but also some of it was because of negative experiences from a dealer or Ford itself. I think that you'll find the same on some of the other manufacturer's forums as well.

Peter

 

[Napalm]

Thx again for your honest opinions. Again I stress I am agnostic when it comes to car brands. I currently own 2 Fords and 1 Toyota abut I've owned Chevy and Dodge in the past. After reading your replies there are several deal breakers on the new Gen Ex. First my wife and I like selectable 4WD and it seems the new Ex doesn't offer this. Second and most importantly the engine is transverse mounted. I've read the engine must be pulled to replace the water pump. This is a hugh issue for me as I keep my vehicles for 13-15 years and will certainly see a water pump replacement. And I like to replace my own spark plugs and do not want to attempt replacing the plugs facing the firewall blind. Had a Nissan back in the mid 80's where I had to replace them blind. No more. I will now look at the Toyota, Chevy, Honda and Jeep. I thank you all for being very honest. It seems after people buy a particular brand they defend it tooth and nail because they have so much invested in it and are unwilling to admit to the problems and sometimes admit it was a mistake. I love my 08 Ex but times have changed. Thx again, this site Rocks! AJ

Of those other devices you'll look at those others are transverse mounted and while it might not be germane to the waterpump replacement you will always have some other MX work issue. Funny thing despite the whole blown out of proportion water pump thing. As most today last well over 150K miles and 8 years so Oh you might replace one if you keep the car 20 years. Incidentally your Nissan and Honda devices internally mount their water pumps too. Or the ones I've looked at do. I wouldn't let that be a focus for comparison.

Now if you're looking at a Jeep Grand Cherokee - vs the Cherokee - well that's an equine of a different hue.

 

[kmarnes]

For 150% the cost of a loaded Sport, you can get a similarly equipped/performing Audi Q7 and that has a longitudinal engine and a supercharger instead of twin turbos (supercharger eats more gas, but the mileage of the Q7 is superior to the Explorer, plus it has a ZF-8). It was my first pick over the Explorer. I bought the Explorer because I couldn't justify the expense of the Audi. That said, I love my Explorer and it's been great so far! Audi's increased maintenance costs would more than offset the trouble of a potential water pump issue, and possibly is internally mounted too (didn't check).

I've never had brand loyalty. I've owned Honda, Jeep, BMW, Ford, Lexus, Volkswagen. Whenever I'm in the market for the car, I look at everything and choose based on needs, features, reviews, and price point. I usually buy two year old cars that still have half their warranty. The Explorer is the first new car I've ever purchased, as I tend to not like to eat depreciation. The reason for it is right now, there is this sweet spot of digital & safety tech that isn't available in used cars yet. And the 2016/2017 Explorer style trumped the 2011-2015, and the 2017 trumped the 2016 because of the major Sync 3 upgrade.

The Explorer has a few things going for it, aesthetics, superior cargo capacity, cubby space, performance, and value. There aren't any 7 seaters on the market that look nearly as good as the 2016+ Explorer unless you pay at least 50% more (Audi, Mercedes, Land Rover, Cadillac). Here is my detailed comparison post when I bought the explorer