joeshaw
New Member
- Joined
- July 26, 2006
- Messages
- 6
- Reaction score
- 0
- City, State
- Blacksburg, VA
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- '98 XLT
Saturday, I traded in my 1998 4.0L SOHC V6 XLT for a new 2006 V6 XLT.
Now, I'm starting to wish I hadn't.
Sure, it rides and handles great, and looks pretty good too. But there are several things that my old 1998 Explorer could do that this one can't.
The 2006 model seems to have lost some of the Utility that my 1998 had. My 1998 was a true SUV, the 2006 is just an SuV.
Things I Can't Do With My 2006 that I Could with the '98:
1. There is no good place for semi-permanantly mounting a scanner or CB. On the '98, I had them on the dash, wedged in under the windshield, where they stayed in place since the dash sloped toward the windshield. On the 2006, the dash is either dead flat or slightly slopes AWAY from the windshield. Can no longer wedge anything in there, and the little depression in the center intended for holding stuff is poorly shaped for holding anything - even worse than a flat surface would be for my needs purpose.
2. The huge ridges on the roof don't leave enough flat surface for mounting any decent sized magnet-mount antenna. The only available flat surface left is on the side of the moonroof, which doesn't leave enough surounding metal for a decent ground plane and looks silly too. Even for the smaller antennas, I suspect the new roof waffles disrupt the ground plane enough to negatively effect my reception, allthough I haven't owned the '06 long enough to be able to accurately quantify this.
3. The rear cross member on the new style roof rack can not be moved far enough back to use an a handhold for safely standing on the back bumper.
While not it's intended use, I did that hundred on times on my 1998 Ex. with no noticable detrimental effect on the roof rack. I never hauled anything on the roof on my '98, and won't on the '06. So the roof rack is now entirely useless to me.
4a. Store miscellanous stuff within easy reach of the driver's seat.
4b. Place 12v accessories somewhere safe while the passenger seat is occupied.
Both of these (and annoyance #2 below) were caused by moving the shift lever from the steering column to the center console. The salesman explained that the reason for that was to help enable a collapseable steering column for occupant protections in collisions. Perfectly understandable, even welcome. But the side effect of this is the loss of places for putting all the various little knicknacks and accessories that always end of being left in the car in convienent reach of the passenger seat. Pocket notebooks, pens, sunglass cases, packages of gum/mints, pens, and what have you. The cup holders need to stay free for their primary purpose, so there is no place left. The tiny depression on top of the dash is too far away for most pluged in accessories, and too shallow to trust to hold smaller items.
5. Retreive a tissue without straining a muscle. It is too awkward to lift the center storage hatch to remove a tissue while driving. The need to lift the hatch isn't the problem, it's the contortion necessary to remove the tissue from the underside of the hatch.
New annoyances:
1. The biggest problem of all, since it is potentially a safety issue when driving at night, is that all lights in front of the vehicle are reflected on the hood. Oncoming headlights, taillights, reflective street signs, reflector in the road and on guard rails, even the white lines on the road. Very distracting.
Even with the seat as low as it goes, and the seat as far back as I can safely move it and still reach the petals, I can still see them. I am only 5'11", fairly average, so this can't be a problem only for the freakishly tall. (In fact, I doubt anyone over 6'2" would even fit without reclining the seat way back.)
2. The center shift lever is so big it gets in the way of removing a drink from the drink holders. Sooner or later this will cause a spill. I understand the collision safety reasons they moved the shift lever there from the steering column (see above), but does the lever need to be so honking HUGE? I've owned and driven other vehicles with center shift levels, but I don't remember this problem with them. If they didn't want us drinking while we're driving, why did they put cup holders in?
3. A signifigant portion of my driving miles occur with either a laptop or sizeable camera bag on the front seat (usually off, but often on and logging radio data or downloading photos from the digital camera). With the '06, I now get a large, annoying 'passenger airbag off' light. At night, the amber warning sign is too bright and distracting. I understand the reason they have the light, it makes sense for a family vehicle. But it doesn't fit my normal driving habits, and there does not seem to be a way to disable or adjust this behavoir. (And yet, I can disable the seat belt warning, although I've never wanted to...) At least for this one, black electrical tape should provide an easy if ugly solution.
4. Why do the headlight come on when I unlock the doors? The owners manual says the interior lights should come on when I do that. Interior lights, and the underside mirror entry lights are good. The '98 did that. But that is no reason for the headlights to come on. hopefully this is something I can turn off and just haven't figured out how yet.
I know there were more, but it's late and I'm too tired to think of them right now.
Unfotunately, these issues that don't present themselves on a simple test drive. They don't show until your try to move your life into your new vehicle. Had I been able to test drive the 2006 for an entire weekend, I would not have purchased it. Instead I would have kept my '98 until I could find a suitable alternative that better fits me and my driving/lifestyle.
I'm not even counting the differences that I know I'll adjust too, like the odd door handles, the 'wrong side' fuel fill, the smaller speedometer, the missing shift lever on the steering column I keep reaching for, etc. These I know I will adapt to eventually -- there is always an adjustment period with a new vehicle.
It's a shame, really. I want to like my vehicle, because in general it seems to be a nice vehicle, and does have some wecome new features. Plus, I already signed the check and papers....
I can't be the only one who has had to deal with some or all of these problems. Please, if you have solved or worked around some of these issues,
please share your solution. Even if you 'felt' the problem but just learned to live with it, it might give me hope that I too will eventually learn to adjust.
Joe Shaw
Blacksburg, VA
Now, I'm starting to wish I hadn't.
Sure, it rides and handles great, and looks pretty good too. But there are several things that my old 1998 Explorer could do that this one can't.
The 2006 model seems to have lost some of the Utility that my 1998 had. My 1998 was a true SUV, the 2006 is just an SuV.
Things I Can't Do With My 2006 that I Could with the '98:
1. There is no good place for semi-permanantly mounting a scanner or CB. On the '98, I had them on the dash, wedged in under the windshield, where they stayed in place since the dash sloped toward the windshield. On the 2006, the dash is either dead flat or slightly slopes AWAY from the windshield. Can no longer wedge anything in there, and the little depression in the center intended for holding stuff is poorly shaped for holding anything - even worse than a flat surface would be for my needs purpose.
2. The huge ridges on the roof don't leave enough flat surface for mounting any decent sized magnet-mount antenna. The only available flat surface left is on the side of the moonroof, which doesn't leave enough surounding metal for a decent ground plane and looks silly too. Even for the smaller antennas, I suspect the new roof waffles disrupt the ground plane enough to negatively effect my reception, allthough I haven't owned the '06 long enough to be able to accurately quantify this.
3. The rear cross member on the new style roof rack can not be moved far enough back to use an a handhold for safely standing on the back bumper.
While not it's intended use, I did that hundred on times on my 1998 Ex. with no noticable detrimental effect on the roof rack. I never hauled anything on the roof on my '98, and won't on the '06. So the roof rack is now entirely useless to me.
4a. Store miscellanous stuff within easy reach of the driver's seat.
4b. Place 12v accessories somewhere safe while the passenger seat is occupied.
Both of these (and annoyance #2 below) were caused by moving the shift lever from the steering column to the center console. The salesman explained that the reason for that was to help enable a collapseable steering column for occupant protections in collisions. Perfectly understandable, even welcome. But the side effect of this is the loss of places for putting all the various little knicknacks and accessories that always end of being left in the car in convienent reach of the passenger seat. Pocket notebooks, pens, sunglass cases, packages of gum/mints, pens, and what have you. The cup holders need to stay free for their primary purpose, so there is no place left. The tiny depression on top of the dash is too far away for most pluged in accessories, and too shallow to trust to hold smaller items.
5. Retreive a tissue without straining a muscle. It is too awkward to lift the center storage hatch to remove a tissue while driving. The need to lift the hatch isn't the problem, it's the contortion necessary to remove the tissue from the underside of the hatch.
New annoyances:
1. The biggest problem of all, since it is potentially a safety issue when driving at night, is that all lights in front of the vehicle are reflected on the hood. Oncoming headlights, taillights, reflective street signs, reflector in the road and on guard rails, even the white lines on the road. Very distracting.
Even with the seat as low as it goes, and the seat as far back as I can safely move it and still reach the petals, I can still see them. I am only 5'11", fairly average, so this can't be a problem only for the freakishly tall. (In fact, I doubt anyone over 6'2" would even fit without reclining the seat way back.)
2. The center shift lever is so big it gets in the way of removing a drink from the drink holders. Sooner or later this will cause a spill. I understand the collision safety reasons they moved the shift lever there from the steering column (see above), but does the lever need to be so honking HUGE? I've owned and driven other vehicles with center shift levels, but I don't remember this problem with them. If they didn't want us drinking while we're driving, why did they put cup holders in?
3. A signifigant portion of my driving miles occur with either a laptop or sizeable camera bag on the front seat (usually off, but often on and logging radio data or downloading photos from the digital camera). With the '06, I now get a large, annoying 'passenger airbag off' light. At night, the amber warning sign is too bright and distracting. I understand the reason they have the light, it makes sense for a family vehicle. But it doesn't fit my normal driving habits, and there does not seem to be a way to disable or adjust this behavoir. (And yet, I can disable the seat belt warning, although I've never wanted to...) At least for this one, black electrical tape should provide an easy if ugly solution.
4. Why do the headlight come on when I unlock the doors? The owners manual says the interior lights should come on when I do that. Interior lights, and the underside mirror entry lights are good. The '98 did that. But that is no reason for the headlights to come on. hopefully this is something I can turn off and just haven't figured out how yet.
I know there were more, but it's late and I'm too tired to think of them right now.
Unfotunately, these issues that don't present themselves on a simple test drive. They don't show until your try to move your life into your new vehicle. Had I been able to test drive the 2006 for an entire weekend, I would not have purchased it. Instead I would have kept my '98 until I could find a suitable alternative that better fits me and my driving/lifestyle.
I'm not even counting the differences that I know I'll adjust too, like the odd door handles, the 'wrong side' fuel fill, the smaller speedometer, the missing shift lever on the steering column I keep reaching for, etc. These I know I will adapt to eventually -- there is always an adjustment period with a new vehicle.
It's a shame, really. I want to like my vehicle, because in general it seems to be a nice vehicle, and does have some wecome new features. Plus, I already signed the check and papers....
I can't be the only one who has had to deal with some or all of these problems. Please, if you have solved or worked around some of these issues,
please share your solution. Even if you 'felt' the problem but just learned to live with it, it might give me hope that I too will eventually learn to adjust.
Joe Shaw
Blacksburg, VA
