My 2021 XLT review

[BJB94]

This is a company car so money has no effect on my thoughts. 4K miles and counting

Engine and trans - I find the 2.3 simply amazing in its low end linear torque and power. MPG is also amazing at a solid 22MPG around town and 30MPG highway hand calculated. This is with 1-2 hrs of idle time per day in NE PA temps. The noise this engine makes is horrible and im glad that it has quieted down significantly as it breaks in. Im still disappointed that even with the double bulkhead you hear as much of this noise in the cabin. The transmission is one of the best i have driven ever. It is so quick and responsive, O-#$!% moments drop you in the correct gear and your rocketing down the road.

AWD-4WD - This system sucks if you ask me. First why so many driving modes? If this system is so intelligent why dosen't it do what it needs to keep me moving and on the road in all conditions, why must i tell it its snowing outside and i would like AWD. My wifes 2016 Edge is perfict, you simply put it in drive and go. The delay in power going to the front axle is enough to get you in trouble, almost ditched it on a 43' day in normal mode when i hit slush. Still feel on the 2.3 it has the front axle disconnected most of the time and the delay till it engages is to long, it should be locked till you exceed a MPH like 40. I do feel we need a touring mode, something between sport and normal.

Fit and finish - Ford stamping department should be castrated then fired. Every ford i have and i have many the door to fender gap is just piss poor. No excuse for this in 2021 no mater the price point. Interior seems fine to me, maybe a little wonky looking around the cluster.

Style - I love the style inside and out. I like the strong look of the exterior and the fact that it dosent look like any other Ford model. Im getting older and have a 1994 mustang for fun and a 2005 superduty for 5th wheel hauling and i find the dash and display well thought out. Lots of buttons for things that are used often, very easy and smart to use.

Comfort - Im not a big guy but i feel all the seats seem narrow. The ST i had for a few weeks did not feel this way. I have gotten used to it but sometimes i feel like im sitting on the seats instead of in them if that makes sense. Ford in general always seemed to have a sportier ride if you ask me, and thats the way i like it. So when i had the 2020 ST with 21" wheels i felt that was a bit rough for a work vehicle that i would be in 30-40k miles a year. I thought the XLT with softer springs and 20" wheels would be just right. I feel it should be a smidge smoother and would like a little less noise when i do hit bumps. I feel this is my biggest disappointment is the ride and noise. Handling is great and its fun to drive on the back roads, add a larger rear sway bar and it would be much better. Cabin is very quiet once you are up to speed, this thing shines on the highway.

Steering and brakes - If you are a very analog person like me and used to proper feedback from things like your brake pedal and steering rack it will take time to get used to this thing. Brakes feel changes all the time, ST with red calipers was much better and consistent. Steering you can feel its doing all kinds of things in the background, like sway control and wind gusts.

So all in all i really like the explorer and really what else are you going to get for the money. It was this or a Sportage for the same money and there is no comparison. I wanted RWD based for towing and the way it drives.

 

[1sttimeexplorerowner]

I gotta drive a '21 explorer (any variant) to see how the driving characteristics differ from my 20.

You touched on a lot of points that i feel is similar and other stuff where i thought needed improvements and you stated the positives of that, so perhaps it did improve.

My trans pretty much sucks. Not smooth at all although it's not to the point where i need to take it into the dealer to have it checked. It's just not smooth. Basically all the downshifts are bad and especially the 2-1 downshift. The only way i can describe it is if you were to find someone who is driving manual and they don't know how to heel-toe so they'll just select a lower gear and ride the clutch until it catches and then use the engine to slow the car down. That's how unsmooth my trans feels downshifting.

It's definitely comfortable though. I love driving this thing on the highway. I feel like i can go cross country no problem. I should do that though as i have a lot of miles left thus far. On my 9th month? on this lease and i only have 3500 miles LOL. Got a lot of driving to do.

Spot on with the steering and brakes. My corvette has electric steering but it is very responsive and direct so it feels like a hydraulic steering.

The electronic braking is the worst. Sometimes it's super strong and sensitive (especially during city driving) but the on the highway it feels like there's air in the lines and it's not as strong. Probably one of the many 20-21 hiccups.

All in all an XLT is a great buy but i would recommend leasing, IMHO.

OP, you had an ST or it was a loaner? Because if you had one, why would you downgrade?

 

[peterk9]

On my 9th month? on this lease and i only have 3500 miles LOL. Got a lot of driving to do.

I'm at 2,355 miles after 16 months. Having none of the issues described above.

Peter

 

[1sttimeexplorerowner]

I'm at 2,355 miles after 16 months. Having none of the issues described above.

Peter

lol damn. Well i'm sure you have other cars as well as do i. I make sure each of my cars gets it's turn. My job only 8 miles away really helps in keeping all mileage down. I can't wait for summer though so i can use the bike

 

[BJB94]

I gotta drive a '21 explorer (any variant) to see how the driving characteristics differ from my 20.

You touched on a lot of points that i feel is similar and other stuff where i thought needed improvements and you stated the positives of that, so perhaps it did improve.

My trans pretty much sucks. Not smooth at all although it's not to the point where i need to take it into the dealer to have it checked. It's just not smooth. Basically all the downshifts are bad and especially the 2-1 downshift. The only way i can describe it is if you were to find someone who is driving manual and they don't know how to heel-toe so they'll just select a lower gear and ride the clutch until it catches and then use the engine to slow the car down. That's how unsmooth my trans feels downshifting.

It's definitely comfortable though. I love driving this thing on the highway. I feel like i can go cross country no problem. I should do that though as i have a lot of miles left thus far. On my 9th month? on this lease and i only have 3500 miles LOL. Got a lot of driving to do.

Spot on with the steering and brakes. My corvette has electric steering but it is very responsive and direct so it feels like a hydraulic steering.

The electronic braking is the worst. Sometimes it's super strong and sensitive (especially during city driving) but the on the highway it feels like there's air in the lines and it's not as strong. Probably one of the many 20-21 hiccups.

All in all an XLT is a great buy but i would recommend leasing, IMHO.

OP, you had an ST or it was a loaner? Because if you had one, why would you downgrade?

My last company car was a focus with the dual clutch trans. At 160k miles a shift solenoid failed causing me to loose odd gears, limped it 1 mile to the Ford dealer and received a 2020 St as a loaner. I had it for a long time because I did not OK the repairs on the focus for 2 weeks, then do to work schedule I just couldn’t find time to return the ST. I put almost 5k miles on the ST and afterwards told my boss he was buying me an explorer. The wife will be getting an ST once they address some of the issues. Truth be told that 2020 ST was perfect. It was even more comfortable than the active X seats. I never heard or felt the gas tank sloshing around. No wind noise, I feel the bumps were muffled more than the XLT. Brakes and steering were awesome. And I don’t feel the XLT rides any better with 20” wheels and softer springs. My company purchased 3 explorers and I tried to get an ST for myself but do to low supply I couldn’t get the numbers to work.

 

[peterk9]

lol damn. Well i'm sure you have other cars as well as do i. I make sure each of my cars gets it's turn. My job only 8 miles away really helps in keeping all mileage down. I can't wait for summer though so i can use the bike

No, no other vehicles. Retired 19 years ago and live in a small town (police village) where everything is no more than a 3 minute drive. Even the next town is less than 10 minutes away. Also, since this COVID situation came about my travels into the city for my team's hockey games have ceased.

Peter

 

[1sttimeexplorerowner]

No, no other vehicles. Retired 19 years ago and live in a small town (police village) where everything is no more than a 3 minute drive. Even the next town is less than 10 minutes away. Also, since this COVID situation came about my travels into the city for my team's hockey games have ceased.

Peter

Oh nice. I wish i can move to PA. Have my neighbor like a mile away. Kinda tired of the city life.

Although ever since COVID, we haven't really gotten the usual NJ traffic. I mean the traffic definitely picked up from when the pandemic first hit but it's no where near the traffic from pre-COVID thank god.

But man when the pandemic first hit, on my way to work and back and it was a ghost town. Probably the best 1-2 months of commuting to work i ever had.

I should've taken the bike today it was so nice out.

 

[Jost]

Perhaps much to early for me to post a review as I've only had my 21 XLT for a week (200 miles) but it handles well for large vehicle, the activex seats are extremely comfortable and more so then the leather seats in my previous Fusion Titanium. Trans shifts very smoothly. Power is adequate but engine noise is a little excessive, or just 4 cyl. raspy but that takes getting used to. If my opinion changes I'll be sure to post that

 

[peterk9]

^^ Welcome to the Forum.

Peter

 

[Jost]

^^ Welcome to the Forum.

Thank you!

 

[sejones3]

This is a company car so money has no effect on my thoughts. 4K miles and counting

Engine and trans - I find the 2.3 simply amazing in its low end linear torque and power. MPG is also amazing at a solid 22MPG around town and 30MPG highway hand calculated. This is with 1-2 hrs of idle time per day in NE PA temps. The noise this engine makes is horrible and im glad that it has quieted down significantly as it breaks in. Im still disappointed that even with the double bulkhead you hear as much of this noise in the cabin. The transmission is one of the best i have driven ever. It is so quick and responsive, O-#$!% moments drop you in the correct gear and your rocketing down the road.

AWD-4WD - This system sucks if you ask me. First why so many driving modes? If this system is so intelligent why dosen't it do what it needs to keep me moving and on the road in all conditions, why must i tell it its snowing outside and i would like AWD. My wifes 2016 Edge is perfict, you simply put it in drive and go. The delay in power going to the front axle is enough to get you in trouble, almost ditched it on a 43' day in normal mode when i hit slush. Still feel on the 2.3 it has the front axle disconnected most of the time and the delay till it engages is to long, it should be locked till you exceed a MPH like 40. I do feel we need a touring mode, something between sport and normal.

Fit and finish - Ford stamping department should be castrated then fired. Every ford i have and i have many the door to fender gap is just piss poor. No excuse for this in 2021 no mater the price point. Interior seems fine to me, maybe a little wonky looking around the cluster.

Style - I love the style inside and out. I like the strong look of the exterior and the fact that it dosent look like any other Ford model. Im getting older and have a 1994 mustang for fun and a 2005 superduty for 5th wheel hauling and i find the dash and display well thought out. Lots of buttons for things that are used often, very easy and smart to use.

Comfort - Im not a big guy but i feel all the seats seem narrow. The ST i had for a few weeks did not feel this way. I have gotten used to it but sometimes i feel like im sitting on the seats instead of in them if that makes sense. Ford in general always seemed to have a sportier ride if you ask me, and thats the way i like it. So when i had the 2020 ST with 21" wheels i felt that was a bit rough for a work vehicle that i would be in 30-40k miles a year. I thought the XLT with softer springs and 20" wheels would be just right. I feel it should be a smidge smoother and would like a little less noise when i do hit bumps. I feel this is my biggest disappointment is the ride and noise. Handling is great and its fun to drive on the back roads, add a larger rear sway bar and it would be much better. Cabin is very quiet once you are up to speed, this thing shines on the highway.

Steering and brakes - If you are a very analog person like me and used to proper feedback from things like your brake pedal and steering rack it will take time to get used to this thing. Brakes feel changes all the time, ST with red calipers was much better and consistent. Steering you can feel its doing all kinds of things in the background, like sway control and wind gusts.

So all in all i really like the explorer and really what else are you going to get for the money. It was this or a Sportage for the same money and there is no comparison. I wanted RWD based for towing and the way it drives.

Nice summary. I TOTALLY agree with the AWD-4WD comments. When I upgraded from my '08 I was expecting great things as my '13 Escape is the best snow and ice vehicle I have ever driven. When I drove my 21 Explorer XLT in the winter this year, I cound not believe how bad it was. Granted, the tires are not perfect, but there is no excuse for how poor this vehicle is in normal mode. It was about the same as the '08. "Slippery" mode seems to help as you get full-time 4WD (same as putting the '08 in full time 4WD). That said, your comments are spot on. It must be the vehicle development team thought all those modes are "cool." Nope.

 

[MNgopher]

Guess I'll be the rebuttal.

Tires, tires, tires. Our 21 XLT AWD is bar none the best snow and ice vehicle we have ever owned. And we don't fool around with all the modes.

The difference between the above reviews and ours: We use a set of dedicated snow tires (General Grabber Arctic). One look at the factory Michelins Primacy A/S and there was no doubt we were putting snow tires on this one. If I didn't do that, at the least I would have looked at was upgrading to an all season with much better winter capabilities. The reviews on the factory Michelins speak for themselves - they stink in the snow. On Tirerack, they are the 10 rated tire for snow/ice ratings in that tires category - and there are other categories of tires with much better snow and ice results.

We run dedicated snow tires on all of our current vehicles and have for many years now - This and previous generations of Explorers ('07 and '97). The AWD is so much smoother and predictable than the '07 or '97. Also have snow tires on my fusion, and used them on our F150s.

Short of deep heavy snow, when I'll take the F150, the Explorer with proper tires is the winter choice with no hesitation.

 

[sejones3]

Guess I'll be the rebuttal.

Tires, tires, tires. Our 21 XLT AWD is bar none the best snow and ice vehicle we have ever owned. And we don't fool around with all the modes.

The difference between the above reviews and ours: We use a set of dedicated snow tires (General Grabber Arctic). One look at the factory Michelins Primacy A/S and there was no doubt we were putting snow tires on this one. If I didn't do that, at the least I would have looked at was upgrading to an all season with much better winter capabilities. The reviews on the factory Michelins speak for themselves - they stink in the snow. On Tirerack, they are the 10 rated tire for snow/ice ratings in that tires category - and there are other categories of tires with much better snow and ice results.

We run dedicated snow tires on all of our current vehicles and have for many years now - This and previous generations of Explorers ('07 and '97). The AWD is so much smoother and predictable than the '07 or '97. Also have snow tires on my fusion, and used them on our F150s.

Short of deep heavy snow, when I'll take the F150, the Explorer with proper tires is the winter choice with no hesitation.

Great comments on the tires...I've run dedicated snow tires on other vehicles with outstanding results. I'm currently trying to decide if it's worth it. My life is full of winter/summer changeover items and adding snow tires (as in the past) is something I was not counting on, hence the disappointment. I'm all ears if anyone has a good all-season tire suggestion for THIS vehicle (2020-1) XLT AWD. Otherwise, I may just bite the bullet and take the General Graber Artic suggestion for next season.

 

[MNgopher]

I hear you on the changeover... and storing the tires (I store three sets these days for three vehicles...) It adds up.

If I had not gone the route of dedicated winter tires, I would have looked at some of the options like Michelin Cross Climates, Goodyear Assurance Weatherready, Bridgestone Weatherpeaks, or Pirelli Scorpion Weatheractives. (Though some of that depends on whether you are looking for 18" or 20" options) They all seem to be a cross between a winter tire and an All season tire. None are cheap, but as a go between between all seasons and winter tires, they all seem to get decent winter reviews.

As far as winter tires go, I've run Blizzaks, Hankook Winter I Pikes in two varieties, Cooper winter tires, Yokohoma Ice Guards, and then the General Grabber Arctics. The Generals are hands down our favorites to date. Reasonable price, and they are wearing well. Super predictable in snow and ice, and that's kind of the point! I liked them enough I went with a set of General Altimax Arctic 12s on the new to us Fusion, and they also worked very well. I liked that the Grabbers for the Explorer were made in the USA (in Illinois). The set on the Fusion were made in Germany. You win some, and lose some I guess...

 

[peterk9]

I hear you on the changeover... and storing the tires (I store three sets these days for three vehicles...) It adds up.

If I had not gone the route of dedicated winter tires, I would have looked at some of the options like Michelin Cross Climates, Goodyear Assurance Weatherready, Bridgestone Weatherpeaks, or Pirelli Scorpion Weatheractives. (Though some of that depends on whether you are looking for 18" or 20" options) They all seem to be a cross between a winter tire and an All season tire. None are cheap, but as a go between between all seasons and winter tires, they all seem to get decent winter reviews.

As far as winter tires go, I've run Blizzaks, Hankook Winter I Pikes in two varieties, Cooper winter tires, Yokohoma Ice Guards, and then the General Grabber Arctics. The Generals are hands down our favorites to date. Reasonable price, and they are wearing well. Super predictable in snow and ice, and that's kind of the point! I liked them enough I went with a set of General Altimax Arctic 12s on the new to us Fusion, and they also worked very well. I liked that the Grabbers for the Explorer were made in the USA (in Illinois). The set on the Fusion were made in Germany. You win some, and lose some I guess...

I see you've gone from the outdated "snow tires" reference to the more appropriate "winter tires" reference. The latter is more in line with what they are intended for as cold weather in addition to snow plays an important part as well.

Peter

 

[MNgopher]

I see you've gone from the outdated "snow tires" reference to the more appropriate "winter tires" reference. The latter is more in line with what they are intended for as dold weather in addition to snow plays an important part as well.

Peter

Potato, Potato... Tomato, Tomato (just pronounce them the different way). Even on tire rack they are referred to as winter / snow tires. I don't find one or the other outdated.

Reality is these are just a class of tires that promote ice/snow/winter traction over the other parameters that tire manufacturers, car manufacturers and consumers prioritize. For an OEM like Ford, these days I see them prioritizing fuel economy, ride quietness etc at the expense of tire life and winter traction parameters. Life is full of tradeoffs...