how is a 2011+ 4wd perform off-road in Sand?

[PUR PONY]

Been thinking about replacing my 06 Explorer with a 2011+... however I need something that's good in sand. I plan travel up to 5 miles down sand trails at the beach. To even get a sand pass, the vehicle is supposed to be 4wd with low range. NO AWD allowed.... I never realized the 2011+ Explorers didn't have Low.....
Also, I thought the SPORTS had AWD and the XLT/Limited were 4wd... but looking at the brochures, They all have the same 4wd system? Am I reading that correct?

thanks

 

[Rainlord]

Haven't tried my 2012 in sand yet, so I can't speak how well it works for that part. One of the drive modes that you can select (on non-base models) is "Sand" mode, which should facilitate the driving in sand, but it's not "4WD Low". As you said, there's no low range on the 2011+ explorers, just AWD, and that's up to the car to engage. To my knowledge you can't force it to be on all the time (although some of the drive-modes probably does this anyway). Perhaps someone else can chime in on how it performs in sand.

 

[Halwg]

If no AWD is allowed, you are screwed. The Explorer is simply AWD, nothing more.

 

[peterk9]

Halwg is correct. The 5th gen Explorer is a FWD biased vehicle with AWD on some trims. It has a Terrain Management System that allows for various conditions such as Snow, Mud & Ruts, Sand and Normal.

Peter