Looking forward to test driving the new Explorer

[Titan12345]

2011 Ex, that it funny, but the EX really didn't sound too bad. When the sound of a hemi is long gone, the distance between fill ups is more satisfying. Sad to say,but with the cost of fuel, the v8 is having to give way to turbo 6's.
T

 

[thaywood]

2011 Ex, that it funny, but the EX really didn't sound too bad. When the sound of a hemi is long gone, the distance between fill ups is more satisfying. Sad to say,but with the cost of fuel, the v8 is having to give way to turbo 6's.
T

Not necessarily. The Hemi gets pretty decent mileage for a V-8 and when it gets the 7-speed Merc tranny, it'll be even better. The V-8 will never die. There will always be a market for Grand Cherokee's and Durango's with RWD, V-8, and a real 4x4 drivetrain. No doubt about that.

 

[2011EX]

2011 Ex, that it funny, but the EX really didn't sound too bad. When the sound of a hemi is long gone, the distance between fill ups is more satisfying. Sad to say,but with the cost of fuel, the v8 is having to give way to turbo 6's.
T

It is sad! We are reversing going back to the days of the 80's with turbo's, lol You would have thought all the problems then we would have steered away. I will say they have some a long way, but there is still a lot of maintenance and wear and tear on components with a turbo. As of right now a Hemi grand cherokee can go the same distance on a fill up as the new explorer, only because it has a larger tank, but that means most $ at each stop.

 

[Dre]

and for that matter why aren't we putting diesels in those trucks as well??? 100% of brands sold in Europe have diesels in their offer... while here I have driven a few of them... Discovery1 and 3 in diesel, Land Cruiser in diesel... etc, etc... most of the electronics in the new Explorer have been taken out of the Disco 3 anyway... why not the engine which gets great milage and is pretty "tuff".

We all might think of the old, 1980's domestic diesel engines which were loud, "smokey", very unreliable... new diesel engines can go on for hundreds of miles without major repair now these days.

The best engine in the US (and the cleanest) two years in a row (2009, 2010) was 1.9 TDi from VW... go figure.

well... I just hope the new Explorer does not have the same electronics issues that the Land Rover has... I've been working for Land Rover for the past two years and we have dealth with a lot of problems.

well, just my two cents...

 

[willied]

and for that matter why aren't we putting diesels in those trucks as well??? 100% of brands sold in Europe have diesels in their offer... while here I have driven a few of them... Discovery1 and 3 in diesel, Land Cruiser in diesel... etc, etc... most of the electronics in the new Explorer have been taken out of the Disco 3 anyway... why not the engine which gets great milage and is pretty "tuff".

We all might think of the old, 1980's domestic diesel engines which were loud, "smokey", very unreliable... new diesel engines can go on for hundreds of miles without major repair now these days.

The best engine in the US (and the cleanest) two years in a row (2009, 2010) was 1.9 TDi from VW... go figure.

well... I just hope the new Explorer does not have the same electronics issues that the Land Rover has... I've been working for Land Rover for the past two years and we have dealth with a lot of problems.

well, just my two cents...

Most of the electronics are not from Land Rover, they only worked together on the Terrain system. It's a good thing, too, as the electronics (and just everything) are generally quite unreliable in British made cars. And they can't just throw in a Land Rover engine. That would be way too costly. Plus, diesels cost more in general...

 

[Dre]

new Explorer is looking good though... I will miss the diesel option (would love that) but if lease rates look good I might look at a new vehicle again... although that front wheel drive is a bit out of place.

 

[JDraper]

Drove mine in ice/snow today on the way to work. VERY surefooted (I have the AWD version). Far better than any of my old Explorers or my F-150 in these conditions. Got to mess with the Terrain Control settings and they do some unique stuff with the vehicle. In "Normal", it's mostly front wheel drive with the rear kicking in if traction goes away. In "Mud" mode, it's 50/50 with the shift points higher and the throttle seems to be a tad less responsive than in "normal" mode. In "sand" mode, it's 50/50 with different shift points and the traction control turned off. Throttle seems more responsive in this mode than in "mud" mode. In "snow" mode it's 50/50 with lowered shift points and less throttle response. Traction control is on in this mode.

Cornering in the snow/ice was good. Didn't plow or swing the rear out. Nice and predictable.

 

[willied]

Drove mine in ice/snow today on the way to work. VERY surefooted (I have the AWD version). Far better than any of my old Explorers or my F-150 in these conditions. Got to mess with the Terrain Control settings and they do some unique stuff with the vehicle. In "Normal", it's mostly front wheel drive with the rear kicking in if traction goes away. In "Mud" mode, it's 50/50 with the shift points higher and the throttle seems to be a tad less responsive than in "normal" mode. In "sand" mode, it's 50/50 with different shift points and the traction control turned off. Throttle seems more responsive in this mode than in "mud" mode. In "snow" mode it's 50/50 with lowered shift points and less throttle response. Traction control is on in this mode.

Cornering in the snow/ice was good. Didn't plow or swing the rear out. Nice and predictable.

Good to hear.

 

[edge929]

My Explorer is due to be built Thursday but seeing how Chicago is supposed to get some record-breaking snow in the next 24 hours, I highly doubt it will be built this week. Would have been nice to have in the ~10" we are predicted to get (5 on the ground already).

 

[JDraper]

Moderator time here folks. This is going into all threads on the '11 Explorer.

I know there are those of you out there that do not like the new Explorer. I'm fine with that and you are entitled to your opinion. HOWEVER I am tired of people bashing the '11 without ever driving one, sitting in one, or in some cases seeing one. If you have experience with one and don't like a feature or how it drives or how it failed you somehow, please post up about it. I've already found stuff I don't like and posted up about it, and I'm sure that there are other features/items that I will find that I don't like either.

If you don't like the fact that Ford called this an Explorer and you feel that the name is tarnished, don't whine here, it won't do any good. You'll just piss people off. Sent a note to Ford and complain to them. If enough people don't like the re-design and tell Ford, maybe they will take that into consideration.


If anyone persists in continued bashing or sniping (as in any other forum on the site), you will become eligible for a vacation from the site of an undetermined length.


Please do not respond to this post saying F-You or Thank You...That's not why it's here. Just read it and continue on.

Thank You.

On Edit..a healthy debate is always welcome on here. Please do not take it as different opinions are not allowed. It's the bashing that needs to stop.

 

[BMan5150]

Update

Ended up buying a new 2011 Honda Pilot Touring AWD today. We liked the Explorer and the interior/exterior styling better than the Pilot but market-pricing to marketr pricing, we ended up spending $3300 less on a similarly-equipped Touring Pilot. Plus, the pilot came with a dvd player.

If the timing was different (meaning better deals were available) and there were more explorers on dealer lots equipped as we wanted, we may have ended up with the Explorer. It's a fine vehicle for sure...and so is the pilot.

 

[JAZNY]

Re: Door Closing

I'm wondering if it was the tightness of the vehicle that kept the doors from closing. No cars have clunky doors anymore...

I've been an exclusive Honda/Acura owner for 20 yrs. Before that, Ford and Dodge and have driven lots of GM cars (not owned though).

I too had a difficult time closing the EX doors. Every one I closed took 2 tries. My guess is that Honda doors close and latch so easily, it's just that frame of reference that made me think the Ford doors might be bulky or need adjustment. If it's your first experience closing a Honda door, the car owner might give you a dirty look because you just slammed the heck out of the door, especially if there were other doors open when you closed yours.

The Explorer doors feel solid, and given the very quiet interior, it's probably the door seals that are giving a bit more closing resistance that the Honda door seals. Could be slight cabin pressurization too, if it was the last door closed.

 

[JAZNY]

Ended up buying a new 2011 Honda Pilot Touring AWD today. We liked the Explorer and the interior/exterior styling better than the Pilot but market-pricing to marketr pricing, we ended up spending $3300 less on a similarly-equipped Touring Pilot. Plus, the pilot came with a dvd player.

If the timing was different (meaning better deals were available) and there were more explorers on dealer lots equipped as we wanted, we may have ended up with the Explorer. It's a fine vehicle for sure...and so is the pilot.

We are still on the fence between another Pilot and an XLT. My dealer gives a price and says that's the price ... no negotiation. His reasoning was that they are on allocation. I was surprised and pushed back on that point, since he says Ford is building more to order to keep their inventory low (and of course the price inflated). His response - the allocation was regarding a Ford mandate on number of 2WD Explorers each dealership must order for every 4WD ordered!? Does that sound like a story to you?

 

[JLindley]

If i had to choose between the new midsize suv's i would choose the new Grand Cherokee. I saw a new explorer last night, i thought they were okay until i looked underneath the car. Damn looks just like a midsize sedan underneath. Way to low to the ground. And not to mention their FWD now ugghhh.

 

[JLindley]

Not necessarily. The Hemi gets pretty decent mileage for a V-8 and when it gets the 7-speed Merc tranny, it'll be even better. The V-8 will never die. There will always be a market for Grand Cherokee's and Durango's with RWD, V-8, and a real 4x4 drivetrain. No doubt about that.

YESS! i agree.

 

[Thrumcap]

If i had to choose between the new midsize suv's i would choose the new Grand Cherokee. I saw a new explorer last night, i thought they were okay until i looked underneath the car. Damn looks just like a damn midsize sedan underneath. Way to low to the ground. And not to mention their FWD now ugghhh.

Too bad the Grand Cherokee has the same cargo space as a Jetta wagon though. No third row either.

 

[JDraper]

If i had to choose between the new midsize suv's i would choose the new Grand Cherokee. I saw a new explorer last night, i thought they were okay until i looked underneath the car. Damn looks just like a damn midsize sedan underneath. Way to low to the ground. And not to mention their FWD now ugghhh.

The ground clearance is actually slightly better than previous generation Explorers. For example, the minimum running height on a '98 is 6.7" and on the '11 it's listed at 7.6". It has less hanging down than the older models, so the clearance is actually slightly better. Also, they are not all FWD, many are AWD, and the system works pretty well.

 

[peterk9]

Finally received my VIN from the dealer today. Build date is scheduled for the week of Feb. 21st. I tried that link for Ford stickers but it didn't like the VIN number. I wonder if it only works for those built for the US market? I'm guessing the delivery will likely be in early March. Still not sure about keeping those poorly rated Hankooks.:scratch:

 

[JLindley]

Too bad the Grand Cherokee has the same cargo space as a Jetta wagon though. No third row either.

Mines got the third row, and I have probley used it mabie three times out of the five years of owned it. I dont really care about third row until i have kids one day. I keep it down with the huskey liner over it so other ppl. wont see it and say "oh lets just take ur car since you've got the third row" Normally the passengers are very careless about other peoples vehicle. They aint messin mine up gettin in it with muddy/oily shoes, spilin drinks or lightin up cigarettes and burning the upholstery. Mabie im a lil to stricked about my explorer but thats why it still looks brand new

 

[JLindley]

The ground clearance is actually slightly better than previous generation Explorers. For example, the minimum running height on a '98 is 6.7" and on the '11 it's listed at 7.6". It has less hanging down than the older models, so the clearance is actually slightly better. Also, they are not all FWD, many are AWD, and the system works pretty well.

Im not bashing the new ones i just have a different opinion than others. Mabie they will grow on me in the future. It may sit up higher than the 2nd gens idk, I have a 3rd gen and its ground clearance is 8.7 but, im goin up one size when i buy my next set of tires. I pulled mine up beside a new one the other night and there was a speed bump that both mine and the new one was sittin over and the new one was way closer to the speed bump than mine was. Out of all the 4wd drivtrains out there I pefer the rwd with a selectable 4wd system that ingages the front wheels instead of the back.