Opinions on fifth gen 2011 onward Explorer | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

  • Register Today It's free!

Opinions on fifth gen 2011 onward Explorer

Should Ford have done anything different with fifth gen Explorer?


  • Total voters
    31

Banjoes

Active Member
Joined
May 25, 2012
Messages
53
Reaction score
1
City, State
Florida
Year, Model & Trim Level
1995 Ford Explorer XLT
I like how the fifth gen explorers look:thumbsup:, BUT there are a few things that I think should have been designed differently, does anyone here think so?:)

Personally, I think Ford should have put bigger windows on it, and the radio antenna on the front right side as it always has been-looks more sporty.

Speaking of the 2013 Sport, I think the four doors are good, but I think they should have/offered put those type of doors like they have on pick up trucks where the rear door exterior handle is stored behind the front doors and can only be opened by first opening the front doors. Its the 4 door but the sporty 2 door look.

For tires, they should have offered all terrain tires-at least for the Sport and any 4WD explorers, I think all they have is cross over tires.

Anyway those are some of the changes I feel Ford should make, but other than that, it looks like a great SUV.:D
 



Join the Elite Explorers for $20 each year.
Elite Explorer members see no advertisements, no banner ads, no double underlined links,.
Add an avatar, upload photo attachments, and more!
.





You have to remember that this is a board mostly populated by enthusiasts who enjoy the fact that their Explorers are traditional frame on body light trucks that can go off-road... The unibody minivan-like Explorers they make now are a completely different vehicle than the earlier gens, so many opinions are tempered by that, as are mine. That said, as far as design goes... Well, I don't really see a problem with that. I don't see a need for a smaller Explorer or a 2-door model like you suggested, because there are 2 other crossovers in Ford's lines that basically look exactly like an Explorer, only smaller. The Escape and the Edge.
 






I honestly feel that they should not have kept the name. It truly is a different vehicle on nearly all aspects, Frame, Motor, Look, Ride height. Same goes for the new Escape (damn thing looks like a taller subaru).

I have no problem with the 5th Gen Ex. I just think its way too different to still hold the explorer name. If you look at the Wikipedia Definition, it is classified as a Crossover/SUV.

Also, I didn't know about the "No all terrain tire" choice, which doesn't seem like a smart call. If I wanted a 5th gen i would definitely want A/T's, if still technically an SUV with AWD and I want A/T's or better for the snow up here although I have had street tires that did well with the snow.
 






I think that the 2011+ ford explorer should not be called a explorer. It's pretty much all plastic, it's front wheel drive or all wheel drive and a unabody car which is not as good as a car with a frame for towing. I am very disappointed in ford.
 






I drive a 2011 Ford Explorer and agree that it should not be called an Explorer. Sometimes I look at the older Explorers on the road and wonder how the hell did they get this from that? Also I would of liked a bigger back window. The thing is just so small!
 






It is no longer an SUV. Even worse, Ford dropped the Panther platform and expects cops to use the Taurus instead. Good Lord! :fire:
 






personally it looks like a crossover
it looks nice
but its not an explorer to me
at the same time
it is
i like how roomy they are, and i love the dash
but it just seems to cross overy to me...
 






It is no longer an SUV. Even worse, Ford dropped the Panther platform and expects cops to use the Taurus instead. Good Lord! :fire:

I know! Ford is purging or adultering all their best models. The Econoline is on its way out too. Let's hope they don't try to mess with the Mustang....
 






Like some people said, they aren't really explorers anymore. I do think they are nice vehicles but they completely stray from the idea of the earlier explorers which is what most people like.
 






I know! Ford is purging or adultering all their best models. The Econoline is on its way out too. Let's hope they don't try to mess with the Mustang....

2015 the europen Mustang. Body redesign, engine redesign

Ford wants to sell Mustangs in Europe.

Glad I got a 2010.
 






I am disappointed in the current Explorer. It is based on the Taurus X station wagon. The exterior looks bloated, in my opinion. Some love it.

I looked on TireRack and there are more tire choices on the base model, but with the bigger wheels on the XLT, Limited, and Sport, the only choices are "touring tires", which says to me "not for snow". Plus, there's the very low front air dam.

Very little aftermarket support and accessories like bull bars and grille guards just don't look right on the current design.

High beltline and tiny windows, means you pretty much have to have a rear camera.

Antenna on the roof, must be removed or replaced by the aftermarket shark fin, if one wants to carry a canoe or piece of plywood.

No 2-speed transfer case (which I use in winter for powering through snowbanks and crawling up and down slippery hills with ease). Instead, a weak fluid-coupled AWD system (Volvo?) that overheats and shuts down, according to a Popular Mechanics review.

On the other hand, I'm sure that Ford believes that they are giving the people what they want. Blame it on the CAFE standards or changing consumer appetites. All SUVs, with the exception of Nissan Xterra and Jeep Wrangler, have gone the same route.

I don't have a problem with unibody, but I would have preferred a more traditional look and drive train, like the old Explorer or maybe the Australian Ford Territory.

The stock answer to all of these gripes is, "Get over it", so I just keep nursing my 92 Ex along in hope that it will keep running at least until Ford comes up with something that would be more appealing or with fewer shortcomings, a vehicle that I could actually get excited over, like when I saw the first Explorers.

Bwana Bob
 






Well since I just bought a new 15 Explorer 4wd, which I do love, there are a few things that I wish were available for the Explorer. I would make an off road/trail specific model. Maybe give it special badging and include in the package the following. Another inch or two of ground clearance or an air suspension system to raise the vehicle, skid plates, a little more off road type of tire but not too rugged as to keep highway noise lower. It would have all the items we love on the current Explorer but be just a bit tougher. This would follow along similar to some models of the Jeep Grand Cherokee that has these items. I would love to see an Explorer like that, and I probably would have bought it if it was available.
 






I personally like the pre-unibody Explorers -far- more. I really have no interest in the newer ones. Not as capable. A four cylinder?! "Explorer" was meant to envoke the feeling that you could do just as the name suggest(ed), which is to be able to go where other things couldn't.

I love my '94 XLT. Nicely optioned, leather, all that nice stuff, but it can do more than drive on pavement. That, and previous generations are so easy to customize to your own purposes. Got some basic mechanical knowledge? You can do damn near anything when it comes to fixing a first gen.
 






Interesting poll - but a bit too general a question, perhaps. It is noteworthy that commenters here all seem to be of the same mind: Customers looking for an "Explorer" expect it to be able to explore more than the route to Wal-Mart.

In fact, when I raised the question on the subaruoutback.org forum of what would be the best "next step up" from our '09 Outback (ie., no loss of offroad capability, but better towing capability), the 5th gen Explorers were poo-hoo'd as "mall finders" but the 4th gens actually seemed to get some respect. That's what we bought! (I'd have preferred a '07-'10 Toyota 4Runner, but the prices were too high, few are available, and the interior is a bit smaller than what we wanted.)

I wish there was an appropriate spot in the subforums for a more "visible" discussion of whether or not a significant portion of the buying public wants an affordable mid-size "real" SUV with good off-road and towing capacity, that doesn't fall apart like the Fiat-Chrysler products. (GM is only a bit better.) Another question is whether buyers would sacrifice "modern" creature comforts / standard features (make them options?) to be able to actually afford a mid-size vehicle with reasonable towing and off-road capabilities. I saw a graph the other day showing how over the past several years, the household income of the average new car buyer has climbed to well over $80k, while median household income is only a bit over $50k, and pretty much stagnating.

As a potential customer down the line, I'd be quite interested in a mid-size Ford SUV with the offroad capability of a Toyota 4Runner, but with better towing capacity, more 3rd row seat room, decent reliability, and just keep the base model very "basic" to hold the price down. The (planned?) 1018 Ranger could donate the platform, perhaps.

I'm pretty sure Subaru "could" do it too, probably with better reliability, and the sales of such a vehicle might be more in line with their "scale" of manufacturing, but, they're a little busy right now...
 






Back
Top