If you didn't buy the 11-16 explorer, then what?

[Ecobeast88]

Just out of curiosity, If you didn't buy a 2011-2016 explorer? What would have been next in line? I got the sport because the fact of having a high performance suv was pretty interesting. I had bmw m3s and a 335i to a powerstroke diesel truck. The explorer felt right in the middle of them to me. Looking forward to hearing from everyone!

 

[davido_]

I actually started out with a Chevy Traverse that I bought used from CarMax. It was a 2009, and unbeknownst to me at the time of purchase, 2009's had a major issue with the 3-5-R wave plate disintegrating in the transmission. GM even extended their warranty period to cover people who had the problem within 120k miles or 5 years.

Anyway, mine failed almost immediately, and was covered under warranty... four times in five months. On the fourth time I requested that we just be allowed to apply the money we had put into it toward purchasing something else. And that's how we ended up with the slightly used 2015 Explorer Sport. (Yes, the payments were higher, but well worth it to us after our bad experience with the Traverse.)

Our Traverse was the fully loaded "LTZ" model.

Pros with the Traverse:

* Softer feel on the open road.
* More amenities (power lift gate, DVD player, seat coolers.. that sort of thing)
* Slightly longer wheelbase (a little more room inside, and more towing stability).
* Roof rack holds up to 250 pounds.
* Trailer hitch tongue capacity was 600 pounds vs 500 pounds for the Ex.
* Doors don't swing as wide as the Explorer (easier to open in a tight lot).

Pros with the Explorer

* Stiffer suspension feels nicer around town, corners, etc. (The Traverse's softer suspension felt more like a boat sometimes.)
* Much more power. We love the EcoBoost engine.
* Much better looking.
* Driving it feels like the vehicle actually loves to drive.
* Seemingly more cargo area behind 3rd row.
* Better interior configuration despite slightly less room (2-3-2 in the Ex is better than 2-2-3 in the Traverse)
* Better backup cam.
* Better navigation system.
* Much better AWD/4WD and traction control system.
* Better gas mileage.

The 2015 Explorer Sport is a superior vehicle to the Traverse, in my opinion. I'm glad (now) that we had enough trouble with the Traverse that we were willing to cut our losses and move on.

Also, the Traverse just seemed a little too much like a minivan with SUV doors. And although ours had AWD, the 4WD of the Explorer really feels more capable. We wish the Explorer's roof rack were more sturdy, and kind of miss the power-lift rear gate, but overall much prefer the Explorer.

 

[Mbbrewer]

I've had 3 E70 BMW X5s since 2007. When my lease was up on my Diesel I was looking at the F15 X5 with a 3rd row and actually had an order placed on the new XC90. The XC90 leases horribly. The X5 is like an old familiar friend, but the 3rd row is just not functional at all for my family with 2 kids under 7. The 2016 Explorer Sport is the most functional of the 3 and has the sporty characteristic of the X5. The Explorer checks the most boxes and I really like the car. It's not as refined as the X5 or XC90, but it really is a great vehicle in so many ways.

 

[ECinEI]

Just out of curiosity, If you didn't buy a 2011-2016 explorer? What would have been next in line? I got the sport because the fact of having a high performance suv was pretty interesting. I had bmw m3s and a 335i to a powerstroke diesel truck. The explorer felt right in the middle of them to me. Looking forward to hearing from everyone!

We were looking for a vehicle for my wife when we got the Sport. She's had two Lexus RX models a 300 and 350. We considered the RX 350 F Sport as she likes Lexi. I was intrigued by 365 HP in an SUV so we looked at Sports. I did a poor job with my due diligence. I did look at a few Sport specific threads here but didn't pay any attention to the others regarding exhaust issues and quality issues regarding paint, water leaks etc. If I had there's a good chance we wouldn't have gotten the Sport.

We'll move the Sport on before the bumper to bumper expires. We're going to look at the Lexus F Sport again and maybe the Audi Q7 or whatever equivalent models are available in a year or two.

I will say however, my wife loves her Sport.

 

[Ecobeast]

Davido,
Nice objective right-up.

I came from a 5.7L Durango. I liked the interior and the knob shifter. However, quickly I regretted purchasing a Dodge (Fiat Chrysler etc etc lol), as I swore I would never do. The vehicle rode nice, until it would stall. I then received a letter in the mail to stop driving it because of the suspension issues and AC lines being too close to exhaust starting car fires. After suspension issues was fixed, it still stalled when Dodge told me they had fixed that. I was done.

So I took a loss, I hopped in an Explorer (was upset at myself for not buying it initially), and have been happy since. I will say I did not test drive the Ecoboost before getting the Durango. I was amazed how much more power this thing has move than the "vaunted" 5.7L Hemi. I was very dissatisfied with the mileage and the power of that motor. I am getting close to 20 mpg (25 on my road trips) on my EB Sport and love the suspension and power.

My next vehicle will be an F150 - and the gf will take over on the Sport so I can have her at arms length

 

[Miami-Beach]

Was planning on getting a Explorer this summer but taking it off the table..Spoke to a lot of owners over the past couple of years as I drive from Miami-NYC several times a year..A lot complained about the smell issue and can not seem to get it fixed..A sprinkling said the 3.5 did not have enough power going up hilly areas of the country..I do not want the Sport with the Turbo..I test drove a 3.5 Limited..IMHO could have used more power..Maybe because I have been driving nothing but Ford V8 vehicles since 1972.

I will stay with Ford because I think Ford makes a better vehicle then anyone..I did consider a Tahoe for a brief minute as it has a V8 and RWD but because of issues with the After Fuel Management System took that off the table..I keep vehicles till after 200K miles.

Decided it will be a late model V8 Navigator or Expedition before they went to Turbos in 2015 with a bumper to bumper extended warranty..I am leaning more and more toward a Navigator..

On my 05 V8 Vic with over 200K miles I have done absolutely nothing but a water pump and minor a/c work..All the rest was just plain old regular maintenance..I did about 15 trips from Miami-NYC with this Vic plus in a ton of gridlock here in Miami Beach and in Queens N.Y.

With all that said I think the 2011-2016 Explorer is the nicest looking vehicle on the road..There are tons of them in my neck of the woods..IMHO they look awesome in white.

 

[blwnsmoke]

back in 2010 my wife and I had just had our first daughter and needed to get out of our Audi A4 and into something that would actually fit a car seat comfortably. At that point we were looking between the Flex and the Explorer (there were only a few out on lots as it was just released). I really wanted the Ecoboost motor which we test drove a Flex with but also wanted MFT which the Flex did not offer yet. Between the 2, we chose the Explorer because of MFT and the "latest and greatest" at the time. However if MFT was in the Flex, we would have went with that instead.

Many don't like the looks of them but personally I love it.

I'll be buying a 2018 Explorer when the redesign comes out in 2017. Was told yesterday that it looks amazing compared to even the refresh that was done on the 2016.

 

[Ecobeast88]

We were looking for a vehicle for my wife when we got the Sport. She's had two Lexus RX models a 300 and 350. We considered the RX 350 F Sport as she likes Lexi. I was intrigued by 365 HP in an SUV so we looked at Sports. I did a poor job with my due diligence. I did look at a few Sport specific threads here but didn't pay any attention to the others regarding exhaust issues and quality issues regarding paint, water leaks etc. If I had there's a good chance we wouldn't have gotten the Sport.

We'll move the Sport on before the bumper to bumper expires. We're going to look at the Lexus F Sport again and maybe the Audi Q7 or whatever equivalent models are available in a year or two.

I will say however, my wife loves her Sport.

That's exactly how I feel. I love the sport, it's just the lack of quality has me thinking. Am I gonna regret having this explorer out of warranty? I know it's not a Bmw or Benz but I also don't think any other manufacturer has that many issues at one time. I know all cars have issues I get it. If your new and read these forums you'll never buy an explorer. That being said I hope the 2017-18 explorer is all corrected!

 

[blwnsmoke]

That's exactly how I feel. I love the sport, it's just the lack of quality has me thinking. Am I gonna regret having this explorer out of warranty? I know it's not a Bmw or Benz but I also don't think any other manufacturer has that many issues at one time. I know all cars have issues I get it. If your new and read these forums you'll never buy an explorer. That being said I hope the 2017-18 explorer is all corrected!

The 11s were by far the worst of them all because it was a completely new redesign and they had their growing pains.. After the 2012 MY most of the kinks were worked out.

With that said, I'm on the forum every day and although I'm not knew, I understand what forums are and understand that you are always going to read far more bad threads over good threads.. it's just how the internet works. People search and post about issues but don't come on here to say how fantastic their vehicle is.

Fact is, with over 200,000 Explorers being sold every year, the defect rate on these I'm sure is very low overall and I wouldn't hesitate to buy another.

 

[Ecobeast]

I did look at a few Sport specific threads here but didn't pay any attention to the others regarding exhaust issues and quality issues regarding paint, water leaks etc. If I had there's a good chance we wouldn't have gotten the Sport.

Hi ECi, I definitely understand what you're saying. Not many people, like myself, come on here to testify to the positive - just the negative. Go on any forum, from Ferrari to Fiat, and you will find issues and complaints. In particular, Fiat-Chrysler-Dodge or GM-Chevy (who just announced more major recalls yesterday for more major 'life threatening' issues). At least my Ford's have never tried to kill me lol. Ford sells over 200,000 Explorer's per year in the US - you are seeing a fraction of them with problems on this forum. Unfortunately, no matter what brand or how much you par for a car, there will always be some with issues. Rest assured, the issues you read here do not apply to every Explorer made. I hope you and your wife enjoy the rest of the ownership.

 

[tmg19103]

I was looking at the JGC and really liked it but nixed it due to the transmission issues. I really liked the 4Runner in regards to build quality and off road ability, but just did not like the way it looked.

I most seriously considered a Tahoe, but thought the look was a little dated and pricier with same options. In retrospect given some of the issues I have with the Ex, I look at Tahoe's on the road with some envy - though they have had some issue too.

Still, I like the Ex in regards to looks inside and out. It rides well and I don't need true 4-wheel for most beach driving and my Escape can handle the tough stuff even with AWD. Just wish I did not have all the fit and finish issues inside and out, water leak and the biggie was paying $500 due to the hood bubble issue.

The engine is solid on the Ex. As a buy and hold owner, I just wonder how long the paint body/paint/interior parts will hold up.

 

[Sgt1411]

the 11s were by far the worst of them all because it was a completely new redesign and they had their growing pains.. After the 2012 my most of the kinks were worked out.

With that said, i'm on the forum every day and although i'm not knew, i understand what forums are and understand that you are always going to read far more bad threads over good threads.. It's just how the internet works. People search and post about issues but don't come on here to say how fantastic their vehicle is.

Fact is, with over 200,000 explorers being sold every year, the defect rate on these i'm sure is very low overall and i wouldn't hesitate to buy another.

+1

 

[steve04KU]

My wife just got the new Volvo XC90. I'm jealous.

 

[wifes2011xlt]

Acura MDX...not as douchebaggy as the other "luxury" brands.

My suggestion though, give it some time. It's not that bad. Eventually the buyer's remorse will go away. You got three years until your lease is up. Enjoy your ride until then.

 

[Ryan02Stang]

There was no other option for us. I don't trust the quality of Dodge or GM, and frankly...I think the Acadia interior isn't even up to par for a car 10 years ago.

The luxury brands are nice, but you pay $30k more for a similarly equipped car.

 

[JEFFSMACHINE]

I came from a Durango with the 5.7 as well, an RT. It looked good on paper,based on the 5.7 performance in the other vehicles that Dodge puts that engine in.
But they sure fooled Me.

I was not even aware of the EX with the 3.5 EB until I bought an F150 3.5 EB , and the engine impressed Me enough ,that I looked into it and bought the Sport.

The only other SUV that impressed Me for the performance per dollar ,was the JGC SRT, but I wanted better gas mileage.

 

[rvlyssup]

We came from another Ford, a 2007 Ford EDGE SEL AWD. Other than the leaking PTU seal (TSB fixed by our dealership) & body panel issues, (dealership botched the repair attempt on the rear bumper so we never bothered to try and correct the rest) she was a damn good truck. Only regret on that purchase was not getting NAV & the moon roof. Sold her with 105K+ on the clock with still a lot of life left in her. Looked into the newest EDGE Sport but the lack of ability to really fit anything back there, I didn't want to go thru again. Besides, we always loved the EX since the 2011 redesign.

Only other vehicle we ever considered getting was an Audi Q7 but I was worried about long term reliability. Granted the EXSport isn't perfect by any means but considering my success with Ford products, I have no regrets.

 

[Napalm]

mine's a touch complicated so I'll try to keep it short.

so for us it's a new kid hauler - and wifey primary car - and we hardly agree on squat.

So typical under 30 female of OMG I need a new car because _____________....._______.

we had a 12 focus - it was a great car and I sort of wanted to keep it.

so kid hauler - I was primed and ready to buy a Chrysler Town and Country. Already planned on it within year 2 or when offspring 2 was a reality. I looked at a Transit, even considered the Merc device. Stow n Go seating is absolutely awesome.

but - wifey - OMG . . . . I'm not a lame mom . . . . daddy had an ugly . . . . . . . meh, what can you do right.

So HAS to be a SUV - now I'm an Engineer and I fundamentally hate any SUV device that is't based on a truck platform and something sizeable. IE yukon or expedition or durango/cherokee like devices. If I'm going to have a FWD based platform wagon with a high roof and hip line I'd perfer it to be an actual station wagon. (yes I'd like a station wagon or estate car - namely something akin to a Holden Clubman SS)

anywho - I wanted 2 row only as I really didn't think anything bigger is necessary for us. you know what has 3 rows - a minivan - oh and that expedition, yukon, durango I mentioned earlier. And I wanted to stay 42K or below just because. Also I should mention when presented with valid options I will not consider purchase of a foreign national based auto - IE I'm not giving 1000's of dollars of profit to the economy base of another country unless I just have to.

So I wanted a Ford Edge - 2016 model and I do indeed like the rework. Would probably have gotten the 2.3 ecoboost motor too. Looked at the cherokee (not the grand) and the equinox. Equinox just sucked in comparison.

wifey was on the 3 row kick - so. Buick Enclave, GMC acadia (might as well look), Durango, and Ford Explorer started the list - but then I saw and added the Flex. I still wish we'd bought the flex - it's bigger than the explorer and I'd have gotten in cheaper.

Durango is nice - but my parents have one already and wifey didn't want to drive what the MIL drove. meh - she wasn't going to get an SRT model either so I didn't mind.

Basically I wanted leather, remote start, and as good an mpg as I could get. I also purposely drove the cars hard (without wifey or kid on the test drives) so I could see how they handle. I want some competence for when I need it - oh and brake ability was equally important to me. again without going toward sports flavored option packages.

SO Buick Enclave or Ford Explorer was the run off - and since nobody at the time had a 2016 on lot - we checked child seats in both - and it really doesn't fit well in the 2015 explorer with wifey or me in the front pax seat. So I was about to buy a Buick Enclave just because of child seat fitment (as opposed to going to and finding the one and only child seat that would fit well). But honestly the 2015 explorer drove better.

Then 2 dealers in my area got 2016's - and magically the child seats fit - there is some differences in the seats or floor pan because the measurements seem to reflect that the 2016 has some leg room differences. It works.

Since I hate GM for other political reasons (engineering wise they have some good kit on deck). while the buick would have been 2000 cheaper financed - I bought the explorer instead - which as I said drives considerably better. Sharper handling, more confident brakes, and I think a touch better acceleration - in non sport trim.

I tried out a 2.3 ecoboost 2016 explorer and decided for the MPG differences vs our driving style - I got the 3.5 TI-VCT. End result - 2016 XLT with 202b I think - minus rear console in white diamond (I really wanted blue - wifey again).

 

[Ecobeast]

Napalm- nice write up. I enjoyed the anecdote; if engineering doesn't pan out, you should consider being a column writer lol.

I also share the same ire with GM and desire to support American companies (and I know a lot of foreign cars are made here, but my concern is where the bottom dollar goes).

It really is a shame about Jeep's in general. Those transmission issues are real. Chrysler has really found a way to destroy what was such a great brand up to Daimler-Benz before Daimler Chrysler took over in '98. My gf still has her '94 Cherokee with over 350,000 miles.

Overall, I buy Ford's because I find a lot of pride in the blue oval, generationally from my blue collar family and the fact that they didn't steal taxpayers dollars. I could not be happier with my Sport. I use it as a daily driver and to haul my snowmobiles, so I do not need the frame-on design for better off-roading or heavy hauling. For what I need it for, it does just fine.

 

[tmg19103]

I could not be happier with my Sport. I use it as a daily driver and to haul my snowmobiles, so I do not need the frame-on design for better off-roading or heavy hauling. For what I need it for, it does just fine.

Unibody and AWD have pretty much caught up with body on frame and true 4x4. Outside of truly hardcore stuff like boulder climbing, unibody is fine.

The new Range Rovers are unibody. Still amazing off road and can tow 7,500 lbs.

They are AWD with locking differential ability, but I doubt they are locked much.

The true problem with these newer vehicles is ground clearance - and the Ex has that problem. Unibody Range Rover has adjustable air suspension.