This Forum Makes Me SAD... :(

[DefinitiveCars]

Sorry Sgt, didnt get to the handles today. Im guessing it will be next weekend or so. With two kids and the holidays, its tough to get the 4 hours or so to get it all done. Removing and reinstalling is the tough part.

D

 

[FIND]

I'm gonna stick to my guns saying the new Explorer is AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT VEHICLE.

It's now a car instead of a truck.
It went from a body-on-frame, solid-rear-axle, real 4WD truck...
To a unibody, car chassis, AWD (instead of 4WD), that will never have the off-road capabilities of the older models.
It's not an evolution, it's completely different.

Let's take that BMW M3 and put a heavy rail-frame underneath it, as well as a solid rear axle and see if the "enthusiasts" stick around.

I agree, it would be like releasing a new M3 that was a lifted offroader. This new explorer is a street machine that has almost no place offroad. Even the previous gens when they had switched to IRS, and almost car like suspension could still be interesting offroad, and it had its street following. This new explorer is more like an oversized sedan, but it can be a fun street car. Still, you can't compare the change the explorer took when it became this to the change between an E36 and E46. This is an entirely different platform with an entirely different setup than earlier explorers. This is a FWD or AWD car chassis. Even after explorers became more and more focused on being marketed to people who will never crawl anywhere but the mall, it was still a light truck, and it could act like one. Compare the ground clearance on a 2013 Explorer to a 2010. There is a world of difference between the two vehicles. No, this is a completely new vehicle.

That said, it just needs some time to develop a following. Unfortunately, an Explorer has never had the huge kinds of "enthusiast" following something like a mustang, or an M3 would have, because most people don't need vehicles that do the things it does, and the SUV got swept up by the minivan crowd in the 90s, which neutered it quite a bit, and many people who do want to do the kinds of things an Explorer can do would opt for harder core offerings, or go with bigger trucks. This new explorer is going to suffer even more from the neutering of the SUV, so you need REAL enthusiasts to buy into it who really want to see what they can do with it.

But then, there comes the question. Why an explorer sport when you can buy an SHO if you want a 4 door street performer with a big ecoboost? New explorers are made for their utility, they just aren't going to be the kind of thing that are going to inspire the kind of white knuckle driving experiences you can get from an M3 in the twisties, or a SASed 1st or second gen over some rocks.

 

[OffTrac]

If you really want to see a sad forum, check out the Edge forums.

 

[tryan1977]

Hello Everyone. So a little background on me. I have owned 7 cars so far in my life. One of which was a 2003 Explorer Sport Track 4x4, which I loved. For the past 10 years I have driven BMW's My explorer sport is replacing my wifes X5. I drive a highly modified 2011 BMW M3. One of my past cars was also an Infiniti FX35.

So all that being said, I am very active on forums and have loved being on BMW forums that past 10 years. Even back with my Infiniti I was on forums and started a car club for Infiniti FX's.

On all these forums I have been a part of, I would say the % breakdown of threads is something like this.
75% Positive stories, experiences, build threads, group meets, mods and DIY's
25% Bad experiences, problems with the cars and trolls trashing the brand

This forum I would say is 90% Bad experiences, problems with the cars and 10% people who are enjoying their cars, and very few but some people modding their cars.

Guys I need your help. I love cars, I love modding them, and I love sharing with people about it. Am I on the wrong forum? Is there a better place to be. Is there a section here thats about having fun with your Ex? Did I end up in the section where you post problems?

I dont mean this thread to be harsh or rude in any way. I just have never seen a forum like this before.

Thanks,
D

It should make you sad. This update to the Explorer line has been a pretty disappointing purchase for many of us. An obvious tell is the extended warranty to 5 years on the MFT! 1,825 days! Thats insane. They are very well aware how extremely faulty this product is, obviously. The enthusiasm about this car is quickly diminished and replaced by frustration and disappointment. Its no wonder that it continues to get destroyed by Consumer Reports and the like. Its just too bad though because I really want to enjoy this vehicle.

 

[FIND]

Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahah:bsnicker:

If you really want to see a sad forum, check out the Edge forums.

 

[wikidhd]

Hey, I am with you, I am coming from the NHTOC website where we modded our trucks all the time, you didn't have to but what fun is that. I love cars and I am already thinking about after the warranty ends, how can i add the turbo set-up to my truck and a nice lowering kit.....but its a few things I have to do to my Harley truck first before I get started....lol

 

[wikidhd]

Oh by the way, did I tell you I love my Ex......jus a few things to work out and I am good.....

 

[blichy]

I'm gonna stick to my guns saying the new Explorer is AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT VEHICLE.

It's now a car instead of a truck.
It went from a body-on-frame, solid-rear-axle, real 4WD truck...
To a unibody, car chassis, AWD (instead of 4WD), that will never have the off-road capabilities of the older models.
It's not an evolution, it's completely different.

Let's take that BMW M3 and put a heavy rail-frame underneath it, as well as a solid rear axle and see if the "enthusiasts" stick around.

Yes, but the Explorer hasn't had a solid rear axle from the factory since MY2001...

 

[IZwack]

Yes, but the Explorer hasn't had a solid rear axle from the factory since MY2001...

Mayan Year 2001?

 

[Rick]

Yes, but the Explorer hasn't had a solid rear axle from the factory since MY2001...

Even with the IFS/IRS the 3rd and 4th gen Explorers were/are being run in desert endurance races. I haven't seen any 5th gens out there at all. The 3rd and 4th gen were still lift-able, and definitely workable offroad.

All this has been covered here over the past couple years. DefinitiveCars, you're just late to the show

BTW, our MODIFIED 2011-2013 forum might be more of what you are after. This stock forum's main purpose is dealing with issues regarding the base vehicle. Those who have modified their rigs are definitely more of the enthusiast types, than those who just came here looking to fix a problem.