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2016 Ford Explorer vs Jeep Grand Cherokee

I test drove both the Sport and the Platinum and they felt the same....Love all of the features and upscale look and feel the Platinum give versus the Sport...

Good luck choosing...
 



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Power - So wow a completely different experience Sport vs Platinum. The Sport I test drove a couple weeks ago seemed like a hot rod off the line, lots of torque, very responsive throttle if anything I had to take it a bit easy. This Platinum seemed well gutless, even when stomping the gas to the floor.
Interesting. It's the same engine and transmission. I wonder what might be different. It could be throttle mapping - an easy way to make a car seem faster is to put more throttle activation in a shorter amount of pedal travel. Or, the suspension is softer on the Platinum. That could lend itself to a feeling of sluggishness.

Size - Someone said the Explorer drove like a big vehicle, I have to agree its a bit like driving a minivan to be honest. There's a lot of room to the left of the drivers door which I think contributes to this, its just the way they designed the door.
That was me. I always say that the most important vehicle on a test drive is the one you drove to the dealer, because most of what a person feels are the differences between the new car and his own. I think the Explorer, in the driving, feels more like an Expedition than it feels like an Edge. The seat is kind of down there inside of the interior. There are some visibility issues with the B and C pillars. You have to peer over the hood a bit. The steering isn't super sharp.

All of these are sensations that will dull somewhat with repeated everyday use, but I have felt a bit disappointed with the driving dynamics. Tell me it's an Explorer and I shouldn't care in a car like that, but the BMW X5 and several SUVs since have shown us it doesn't have to be that way anymore.

Even the Edge feels remarkably similar to a Fusion - in a good way. The Range Rover Sport - obviously a much more expensive vehicle - feels as athletic as a BMW 5 series, despite weighing 5000 pounds. The new Volvo XC90, which can be had as little as $10-$15K more than an Explorer, is surprisingly spry, though it has a super-high-tech 4 cylinder engine that I'm not going to get near.
 






To me the Fusion and the Edge feel the same (they should feel the same since they are based on the same platform)...Actually my Fusion felt sportier...The new Edge is quicker with the 2.7 tuned, but it has to be tuned to be faster than my Fusion...(As my Fusion was also tuned and ran like a scalded cat)

I think stock Edges are running near the same 60 and quarter times the Exp Sport run...

Now when the Fusion comes out with the 2.7 as an option it will be quick, especially once it is tuned...
 






Coolidge, if you get another chance to test drive the Platinum turn the terrain management switch to "Sand" mode. It gets gone in a hurry. That being said our Platinum is pretty damn quick in "Normal". I wonder if something was wrong with that one...
 






There was something very fishy about the lack of power in the Platinum, it was like night and day compared to the Sport I test drove a couple weeks ago. That Sport may have been a 2015.

I read in a review, Motortrend possibly that noted the "touchy" Sport throttle response and that was my experience with the Sport. Consider this, my 2014 RAM 1500 4x4 Hemi has a 3.92 rear diff and its throttle response was touchy compared to the just totaled 2013 F150 4x4 5.0. I had the Ram wheel hopping and spinning tires on the test drive and had to lighten up on the throttle. Yet when I test drove the Sport in comparison to the Ram the Sport took off like a bat out of hell and I had to again lighten up on the throttle in comparison to the Ram 1500 hemi.

The Platinum wow slow, boring, even when floored it was rather blah from a start, in a passing situation. If I stomped the pedal that hard in my Ram 1500 I'd be smoking tires and hauling ass. My Ram 1500 was easily quicker than the Platinum. So weird and not in a good way. I'm wondering if Ford has dialed back the 2016 Platinum vs the 2015.

On a side note I did notice the difference between the Sport and Platinum steering. On my first turn with the Platinum I was wondering why do I have to turn the wheel so far. I'd say the Sport felt smaller vs the Platinum perhaps due to the tighter suspension and lower ratio steering.

While I liked the Platinum interior after sleeping on it I'll pass due to the above and gobs of computer gadgets I have no use for. I'm going to test drive a 2016 Sport today, lets hope has the hot rod performance of the one I drove a couple weeks ago. If its similar to the Platinum I'm done.
 






There was something very fishy about the lack of power in the Platinum, it was like night and day compared to the Sport I test drove a couple weeks ago. That Sport may have been a 2015. I read in a review, Motortrend possibly that noted the "touchy" Sport throttle response and that was my experience with the Sport. Consider this, my 2014 RAM 1500 4x4 Hemi has a 3.92 rear diff and its throttle response was touchy compared to the just totaled 2013 F150 4x4 5.0. I had the Ram wheel hopping and spinning tires on the test drive and had to lighten up on the throttle. Yet when I test drove the Sport in comparison to the Ram the Sport took off like a bat out of hell and I had to again lighten up on the throttle in comparison to the Ram 1500 hemi. The Platinum wow slow, boring, even when floored it was rather blah from a start, in a passing situation. If I stomped the pedal that hard in my Ram 1500 I'd be smoking tires and hauling ass. My Ram 1500 was easily quicker than the Platinum. So weird and not in a good way. I'm wondering if Ford has dialed back the 2016 Platinum vs the 2015. On a side note I did notice the difference between the Sport and Platinum steering. On my first turn with the Platinum I was wondering why do I have to turn the wheel so far. I'd say the Sport felt smaller vs the Platinum perhaps due to the tighter suspension and lower ratio steering. While I liked the Platinum interior after sleeping on it I'll pass due to the above and gobs of computer gadgets I have no use for. I'm going to test drive a 2016 Sport today, lets hope has the hot rod performance of the one I drove a couple weeks ago. If its similar to the Platinum I'm done.
I just now read a review of the Platinum saying that Ford had toned down the aggressive tip-in compared to the Sport. So that may be it.
 












There was something very fishy about the lack of power in the Platinum, it was like night and day compared to the Sport I test drove a couple weeks ago. That Sport may have been a 2015.

I read in a review, Motortrend possibly that noted the "touchy" Sport throttle response and that was my experience with the Sport. Consider this, my 2014 RAM 1500 4x4 Hemi has a 3.92 rear diff and its throttle response was touchy compared to the just totaled 2013 F150 4x4 5.0. I had the Ram wheel hopping and spinning tires on the test drive and had to lighten up on the throttle. Yet when I test drove the Sport in comparison to the Ram the Sport took off like a bat out of hell and I had to again lighten up on the throttle in comparison to the Ram 1500 hemi.

The Platinum wow slow, boring, even when floored it was rather blah from a start, in a passing situation. If I stomped the pedal that hard in my Ram 1500 I'd be smoking tires and hauling ass. My Ram 1500 was easily quicker than the Platinum. So weird and not in a good way. I'm wondering if Ford has dialed back the 2016 Platinum vs the 2015.

On a side note I did notice the difference between the Sport and Platinum steering. On my first turn with the Platinum I was wondering why do I have to turn the wheel so far. I'd say the Sport felt smaller vs the Platinum perhaps due to the tighter suspension and lower ratio steering.

While I liked the Platinum interior after sleeping on it I'll pass due to the above and gobs of computer gadgets I have no use for. I'm going to test drive a 2016 Sport today, lets hope has the hot rod performance of the one I drove a couple weeks ago. If its similar to the Platinum I'm done.


Smoking tires does not translate to quick. The 5.0l F150 is a dog compared to the 2.7 and 3.5 EB trucks...

The Platinum and the Sport probably feel different because they are supposed to. Suspension, seating, weight and computer mapping are all different.
 






Smoking tires does not translate to quick. The 5.0l F150 is a dog compared to the 2.7 and 3.5 EB trucks...

The Platinum and the Sport probably feel different because they are supposed to. Suspension, seating, weight and computer mapping are all different.

The Platinum accelerated like my old Plymouth minivan, yet its advertised as having the same motor, hp, and torque as the Sport hence I call BS on Ford. Its like the Ram 3500 400hp 860 ft lbs of torque yet its a gutless wonder off the line.
 






The Platinum and the Sport probably feel different because they are supposed to. Suspension, seating, weight and computer mapping are all different.
This.

From the Car & Driver first drive review, there are definitely some feel changes dialed in to the Platinum versus the sport:

Offering the V-6 EcoBoost only in the Sport trim, as was the case with the 2011–2015 Explorer...irritated some potential customers, those who walk into dealerships wanting it all. These folk don’t take kindly to being told they can only have the 365 horsepower mill if they give up their preference for a soft ride and a big shiny grille.

One difference from the Sport is steering feel—the Platinum has a slower steering ratio tuned for a more linear response curve, so it doesn’t dive into a corner or swap lanes quite as sharply as does the Sport. The suspension tuning also is more comfort-oriented, but not in a sloppy, wallowy way.
 






Interesting - what I'd really like if I swap my 2012 for a 2017 is the interior and toys of the Platinum with the drive / handling of the Sport ...
 






The platinum interior was very nice, and comfortable. I'm not sure about having the whole dash covered in leather I think I'd want a more durable material for the dash. But one thing I hated about the platinum is the computer will take over and slam the brakes on and screw with the steering in certain situations.

This sounds like a good idea on paper but the computer cannot out think a human not even close, computers are dumb as a brick in comparison and I don't want the computer taking over control of the vehicle in a dangerous situation. Maybe there's a reason I'm diving into the next lane without turning on my turn signal like avoiding something in the road I don't need the computer thinking I have drifted off to sleep and trying to keep me in my lane. I have nearly been wrecked more than once by computers taking over the vehicle and doing something really dumb so I'm not a fan. And I lead a team of software developers for a living. lol

I went through all the platinum menus, some of that stuff you can turn off and some of it you can only turn down the sensitivity.
 






I use most of the computer driven safety features, and have for the most part of the last 10 years in various vehicles. Most of your high end / luxury cars have been for more than a decade. I think the EXP's work pretty well. At the end of the day all cars are going this way. If you don't want the car helping from a safety perspective then my suggestion would be to stay away from newer cars.
 






Well, I went from a Sport to a Platinum, and the acceleration on mine was identical. So, your test vehicle must have had a problem. One of my friends has his sport still, and we get into friendly driving here and there, and he doesn't pull me. Coolidge- what are you talking about features on the platinum you can't turn off? Can you be more specific? i mean, it makes total sense a Dodge pick up guy is here on a Ford Explorer site....
 






well, i went from a sport to a platinum, and the acceleration on mine was identical. So, your test vehicle must have had a problem. One of my friends has his sport still, and we get into friendly driving here and there, and he doesn't pull me. Coolidge- what are you talking about features on the platinum you can't turn off? Can you be more specific? I mean, it makes total sense a dodge pick up guy is here on a ford explorer site....��


+1
 






Well, I went from a Sport to a Platinum, and the acceleration on mine was identical. So, your test vehicle must have had a problem. One of my friends has his sport still, and we get into friendly driving here and there, and he doesn't pull me. Coolidge- what are you talking about features on the platinum you can't turn off? Can you be more specific? i mean, it makes total sense a Dodge pick up guy is here on a Ford Explorer site....��

I'd have to dig through the (gulp) 538 page owners manual again, suffices to say if you scroll through these features on the center console display the ones that can be turned off have a check box, the ones that can do not, you scroll to the right and you can select the sensitivity but you can't turn them off.

As for you questioning my Ford owner credentials my 2013 F150 was totaled by some idiot kid Dec/2014, t-boned. I was forced to buy something and there were hardly any of the new aluminum F150's out at the time. Plus they were asking an arm and a leg for them.

This Ram 1500 was dirt cheap, end of month, end of year, end of model year blow out price 25% off msrp. So I bought it planning to only keep it until the 2017 Raptor came out. Sadly my hip has deteriorated to the point I had to give up on my Raptor plan and 4x4 trucks and look for something that was closer to the ground and easier to get in/out of. I tested the Audio SQ5, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Explorer Sport and the Sport is the easiest on my hip plus its fast so win/win.

My Fords over the years...other than being idiot driver magnets I have been happy with Ford.

Ford Pinto
Ford Maverick
Mercury Capri - rear ended by idiot
Ford Mustang II 302v8
2004 Ford F150 new - rear ended by idiot...while I was in Lowes shopping (face palm)
2008 Ford Explorer new - rear ended by idiot 3rd day
2013 Ford F150 new - t-boned by idiot, totaled
 






I'd have to dig through the (gulp) 538 page owners manual again, suffices to say if you scroll through these features on the center console display the ones that can be turned off have a check box, the ones that can do not, you scroll to the right and you can select the sensitivity but you can't turn them off.

As for you questioning my Ford owner credentials my 2013 F150 was totaled by some idiot kid Dec/2014, t-boned. I was forced to buy something and there were hardly any of the new aluminum F150's out at the time. Plus they were asking an arm and a leg for them.

This Ram 1500 was dirt cheap, end of month, end of year, end of model year blow out price 25% off msrp. So I bought it planning to only keep it until the 2017 Raptor came out. Sadly my hip has deteriorated to the point I had to give up on my Raptor plan and 4x4 trucks and look for something that was closer to the ground and easier to get in/out of. I tested the Audio SQ5, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Explorer Sport and the Sport is the easiest on my hip plus its fast so win/win.

My Fords over the years...other than being idiot driver magnets I have been happy with Ford.

Ford Pinto
Ford Maverick
Mercury Capri - rear ended by idiot
Ford Mustang II 302v8
2004 Ford F150 new - rear ended by idiot...while I was in Lowes shopping (face palm)
2008 Ford Explorer new - rear ended by idiot 3rd day
2013 Ford F150 new - t-boned by idiot, totaled

Thanks for answering. Okay, I think I know what you are talking about now, but I'll have to wait to get my Platinum out of the shop to see that list from the left cluster. I dont mean to sound abrasive, but on the Raptor forum, we had this kid that owned a Ranger, and a guy that owned a Dodge truck, and all they would do is talk trash about the Raptor, and for the life of me I couldnt understand why they would be on there. Dont get me wrong, Im not the type who looks down on any brand. I have a Jeep Wrangler, a Shelby Dodge Van from the 80s, and drove a Suburban for about a decade of my life. Some of the guys on the Shelby forum HATE vettes, which I personally dont understand, but its the my team your team mentality that tends to take root. Reading your review of the Platinum seemed a tad nit picky, and the difference in acceleration was certainly not my experience. The Platinum, is not much different from the older Sport. The REAL difference is that the new Sport gets a slightly stiffer ride, and the platinum gets a slightly softer ride WHEN COMPARED to the 2011-2015 Explorer Sport. Its subtle in difference at best. (Maybe a 2 degree difference in body roll as I have driven both on the track at COTA during some downtime between event sessions)

What is different on the Platinum is the gauge cluster is much nicer, all the limited options come standard, a slightly better stereo(or so they say),definitely more comfortable seats, and some trim upgrades beyond the suspension tuning. My SHO has that vibrating steering wheel, but doesnt actually self steer like my platinum does. (I dont recommend that though- it has its limitations for sure)

I will chime in and say the one thing I want Ford to allow us to turn off is the running lights. When parked at the Drive In, I have to pop the hood and drop a blanket over each side of the headlights if I want to keep the engine running. Thats a poor oversight. The non HID high beams plain suck living out in the country. Other than those two things, (and I guess the fact that my drivetrain grenade'd at 7k miles and Ive been without my explorer for a month now) I have no complaints.
 






You're lucky it wasn't the Pinto that was "rear ended by idiot" ... :D

<snip>

My Fords over the years...other than being idiot driver magnets I have been happy with Ford.

Ford Pinto
Ford Maverick
Mercury Capri - rear ended by idiot
Ford Mustang II 302v8
2004 Ford F150 new - rear ended by idiot...while I was in Lowes shopping (face palm)
2008 Ford Explorer new - rear ended by idiot 3rd day
2013 Ford F150 new - t-boned by idiot, totaled
 






Thanks for answering. Okay, I think I know what you are talking about now, but I'll have to wait to get my Platinum out of the shop to see that list from the left cluster. I dont mean to sound abrasive, but on the Raptor forum, we had this kid that owned a Ranger, and a guy that owned a Dodge truck, and all they would do is talk trash about the Raptor, and for the life of me I couldnt understand why they would be on there. Dont get me wrong, Im not the type who looks down on any brand. I have a Jeep Wrangler, a Shelby Dodge Van from the 80s, and drove a Suburban for about a decade of my life. Some of the guys on the Shelby forum HATE vettes, which I personally dont understand, but its the my team your team mentality that tends to take root. Reading your review of the Platinum seemed a tad nit picky, and the difference in acceleration was certainly not my experience. The Platinum, is not much different from the older Sport. The REAL difference is that the new Sport gets a slightly stiffer ride, and the platinum gets a slightly softer ride WHEN COMPARED to the 2011-2015 Explorer Sport. Its subtle in difference at best. (Maybe a 2 degree difference in body roll as I have driven both on the track at COTA during some downtime between event sessions)

What is different on the Platinum is the gauge cluster is much nicer, all the limited options come standard, a slightly better stereo(or so they say),definitely more comfortable seats, and some trim upgrades beyond the suspension tuning. My SHO has that vibrating steering wheel, but doesnt actually self steer like my platinum does. (I dont recommend that though- it has its limitations for sure)

I will chime in and say the one thing I want Ford to allow us to turn off is the running lights. When parked at the Drive In, I have to pop the hood and drop a blanket over each side of the headlights if I want to keep the engine running. Thats a poor oversight. The non HID high beams plain suck living out in the country. Other than those two things, (and I guess the fact that my drivetrain grenade'd at 7k miles and Ive been without my explorer for a month now) I have no complaints.

Thanks for reminding me, yet something else I hate the vibrating steering wheel. I could make a case that things like that which startle the driver are dangerous in itself.

There is technology I like, airbags for example. I like the front/rear parking sensors, rear camera, navigation, etc. etc. But I draw the line at having a computer take over control of my vehicle steering, braking, and throttle.

I see Ford isn't alone in going backwards on headlights, other brands are also dropping the HID projector lights and going with an LED low beam/Halogen high beam. I saved the link to the guy who replaced his halogen high beam bulb with an LED bulb, that's the way I'd go.

Your drive train grenaded do tell?

One thing I do wish the Explorer had was an 8 speed transmission. The F150 is going to a 10 speed.
 



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I have 4000 on my Platinum and no complaints. Glad I made the switch from the JGC. I don't mind the steering deal. I can turn that off.
 






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