Hello - considering buying a 2013 Explorer - need help!

[mooch91]

Hi All,

My wife and I have been considering upgrading our 2006 Honda Pilot (95,000 trouble-free miles) and one of the vehicles we have keyed in on is the 2013 Explorer.

I've been a Ford fan for years when it comes to the trucks - I have a 2007 F350 pickup that I drive daily and have had a few before that. The family vehicle, though, has always been foreign, either a Honda or a Toyota. This would be our first switch back to a Ford for my wife as the primary driver.

I've had experience with an early Explorer, a 1991 or 1992 that my dad owned. Bought new but had a slew of problems. Paint failure, persistent oil leaks that could never be repaired, ultimately had a short block replacement to try to solve the oil leaks (which it never did). The truck was traded in at 60,000 miles when it started consuming coolant. Needless to say, it was not a good experience.

My experience with the trucks has been much better, although I'm currently the proud(?) owner of one of Ford's infamous 6.0 diesels in my F350. I don't have enough miles on it to know if I'm one of the lucky ones or not, only time will tell...

So my reason for coming here is two-fold:
(1) Try to get a better feel for the reliability of the new Explorers. Having had so many trouble-free vehicles prior to this, this will be extremely important to me as I make my purchase decision.
(2) Try to decide on which model is right for me. I absolutely love the Sport model and all that it offers, and it doesn't seem to be priced much higher than an XLT with the options I'd want, but I just don't know if I can justify this much vehicle for the "family truckster". So I'm debating whether I'd splurge for the Sport, option out an XLT, or opt for a minimally optioned XLT model.

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[1Aauto]

Welcome to the site

 

[Rick]

Welcome to our forum. I'm moving your thread to our Stock 2011 forum where you should get a better response.

 

[wvusport]

We currently have a 2011 F350 and love it the ride and comfort is amazing. We also have a 2013 explorer sport. We recently traded our 2011 xlt explorer for the sport. For us, there is a huge difference in the ride. The sport is has a smoother ride and the seats are 10x more comfortable. We travel quite a bit so comfort is huge to us. We thought the xlt rode amazing until we drove the sport. When we first began looking we wanted the 4runner but after driving one we instantly changed our mind. It's too small on the inside. Ford had the best ride to our liking. Hope this helps!

 

[FordService]

Hi All,

My wife and I have been considering upgrading our 2006 Honda Pilot (95,000 trouble-free miles) and one of the vehicles we have keyed in on is the 2013 Explorer...

Hi mooch91,

I think the Explorer is an awesome vehicle, but I'm not the most unbiased person to ask.

If you end up ordering an Explorer, send me a PM with your order number/dealer name. I'll be happy to provide you with weekly updates on your vehicle's status.

Let us know what you end up deciding on!

Crystal

 

[broken strut]

We currently have a 2011 F350 and love it the ride and comfort is amazing. We also have a 2013 explorer sport. We recently traded our 2011 xlt explorer for the sport. For us, there is a huge difference in the ride. The sport is has a smoother ride and the seats are 10x more comfortable. We travel quite a bit so comfort is huge to us. We thought the xlt rode amazing until we drove the sport. When we first began looking we wanted the 4runner but after driving one we instantly changed our mind. It's too small on the inside. Ford had the best ride to our liking. Hope this helps!

I didn't realize there was any seating changes made between the 11's and 13's. My Sport has the same seating as my 11 Ltd? Are there different seats in Base and XLT?

 

[wvusport]

We went from cloth to leather so that night have been where the comfort level is different. I am not sure about the base to the XLT

 

[Slide2hd]

Mooch,

I absolutely love my new Explorer. I went with a ruby red XLT, with the upgraded 202a package. If you are having trouble deciding whether to go with a "loaded" XLT, or a limited model, I would option for the Limited just based on a few fancier interior options... Accent lighting, nicer looking MFT, upgraded stereo to name a few that I believe are left out of the XLT options. My advice is sit in both models, play around, and see if these options are something you really want. All I really wanted when deciding my purchase was color, and the MFT 8" screen which is offered in the XLT. Good luck!

 

[Jayrow]

I was on the fence for months between the Honda Pilot and Explorer, having owned previous models ('00-'06) I was a little biased towards the Honda but after checking out the '13 Explorer I was sold. I purchased a Limited '13 and have not looked back, great vehicle, currently at 20k miles already.

 

[Cj31]

I would go for the Sport for sure. Can't comment on the reliability as I have only owned mine for 3 months. But I would have paid 6-8k more for the engine and handling alone, but as you said it's not much more than a loaded XLT and about the same as the Limited. I love to drive it. Performance is amazing. And I love the styling. I've gotten so many comments on this car, including random people coming up to me at a gas station. People think it is a range rover at 1st glance.
I never looked at the XLT particularly, but the 3 things I could find that you give up from a Limited to a Sport are: No park assist (this is my car not my wife's so I couldn't have cared less), No power fold on the 3rd row (my friend has this and hates it because his cargo sometimes hits the buttons when loading and it tries to fold unexpectedly), and no rain sensing wipers (I miss this feature a lot since my last car had it).