Would you buy again?

[Xcel]

No I would not buy again and I am getting rid of the one I have before it completely falls apart. I bought into the idea that the poor reliability ratings were because of MFT but this is one of the most poorly put together vehicles I have ever owned (and I have owned a lot).

It is really too bad because I love everything else about it and the competition in this class is no great shakes either. The new Highlander is probably the closest as far as features/cost but the thing is fugly. Looks like I am going to wait for the redesigned 2016 Kia Sorento later this year and hope it gains adaptive cruise control and a few more features.

 

[Sgt1411]

I have owned a 2011 Limited, a 2013 Limited, and now a 2014 SPORT.

The 2011 was returned through Lemon Law, thats a terribly long story.

The 2013 Limited was excellent, but I got a taste of the SPORT EcoBoost power and handling and that was it, time to trade in.

The 2014 SPORT I have is 2 months old, absolutely love it other then "My Ford Disappointment"
MFT is an absolute disgrace to the engineers that designed this vehicle. MFT is destroying Fords quality reputation. One day your navigation works, the next day it has you driving through the middle of DisneyLand. One day you have text to speech functionality then the next day you don't. And never mind the promised functionality that never came to life.

If your someone with some advanced driver training or someone who enjoys a safe spirited driving experience then the SPORT is your vehicle. Its not a Go-Kart but its a very sporty SUV. EcoBoost V6 Twin Turbo is great, SPORT tuned EPAS steering and suspension is great.

Previous poster mentioned the Mazda CX9 brakes were better......I will respectfully disagree compared to a SPORT. The SPORT Interceptor brake system is unmatched in this vehicle segment.

Absolutely I will buy again, probably a 2016 SPORT.

PS: Just a comment about the KIA product mentioned above. Read the crash testing data on those vehicles, especially the off-set head on crash data.

 

[wallyuwl]

Looks like a lot of people like the Sport. We might drive it when ready to buy, but it might be more expensive than we want to pay. I just took a look around local dealers web sites and it seems like a basic Sport with just the tow package is hard to find, all of them are pretty loaded up. Not sure if I like the big wheels either, for looks, ride (rougher), or replacement cost for tires. But an extra 75 HP with just 1 mpg loss in mileage is appealing.

I did see on a youtube video that reviewed the 2014 that the brakes are bigger than in previous years, so that is a good thing.

 

[VinceL]

We would not buy another Explorer (or any other Ford for that matter). While the car drives nicely, is comfortable on road trips, and has lots of neat gadgets, we have had too many problems and too many trips to the dealership to justify giving Ford anymore of our hard earned money. This car could have been awesome, but in the end it is just a disappointment. You can read up on the Gray Ghost in our thread.

It seems a number of folks really enjoy their explorers, and if you get one I hope it serves you well.

As for the MPG being only 1 less, I wouldn't count on that, if only for the reason that a fun or fast car gets driven harder because it is fun and fast. You don't buy a more powerful vehicle to drive it like an old lady!

 

[wallyuwl]

Those that have had problems: what type of problems and what year Explorer do you have?

One of the things I like about he Ex and CX-9 is they are currently 4 and 8 years into their life cycle, and usually by year 3 the bugs are worked out.

 

[tmg19103]

Those that have had problems: what type of problems and what year Explorer do you have?

One of the things I like about he Ex and CX-9 is they are currently 4 and 8 years into their life cycle, and usually by year 3 the bugs are worked out.

Or you buy a three year old Ex like I just did. Any problems were handled under warranty by the previous owner who leased and they needed to keep the car in decent shape for return, and I have only experienced MFT 3.6.2 with no problems.

That's one way of looking at used cars, and especially new models - the first owner deals with the big headaches, though problems can occur with any car as miles get up there, but 31k on modern cars like mine is not much - especially when this is a second car for me that won't get a ton of miles.

Will you see some people on here that got a lemon? Sure, you will see that on any car forum for any make and model. Outside of the roof leak I just got fixed and the park problem I have read about, this is a reliable vehicle.

 

[Xcel]

I have owned a 2011 Limited, a 2013 Limited, and now a 2014 SPORT.
PS: Just a comment about the KIA product mentioned above. Read the crash testing data on those vehicles, especially the off-set head on crash data.

http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/vehicle/v/kia/sorento

 

[Sgt1411]

Did I miss it or does it not reference off set frontal impact?

 

[Xcel]

Did I miss it or does it not reference off set frontal impact?

You missed it.

http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/ratings-info/frontal-crash-tests

"IIHS conducts two different frontal crash tests: a moderate overlap test (formerly known as the frontal offset test) and a small overlap test."

 

[Odrapnew]

Previous poster mentioned the Mazda CX9 brakes were better......I will respectfully disagree compared to a SPORT. The SPORT Interceptor brake system is unmatched in this vehicle segment.

I should clarify my brake comment. After driving them both, the peddle in the X is a little more boosted, so you don't get the feel through the pedal as much as the Cx9. I don't disagree that the Sport's brakes are great, the "magazines" have them very similar for 1 panic stop. I'm sure repeated stops, or heavy towing would show the weakness of the smaller Cx9 rotors. Thankfully I have not had to test how well either work in a real world situation.

 

[plumbago]

We would not buy another Explorer (or any other Ford for that matter). While the car drives nicely, is comfortable on road trips, and has lots of neat gadgets, we have had too many problems and too many trips to the dealership to justify giving Ford anymore of our hard earned money. This car could have been awesome, but in the end it is just a disappointment. You can read up on the Gray Ghost in our thread.

It seems a number of folks really enjoy their explorers, and if you get one I hope it serves you well.

As for the MPG being only 1 less, I wouldn't count on that, if only for the reason that a fun or fast car gets driven harder because it is fun and fast. You don't buy a more powerful vehicle to drive it like an old lady!

Vincel, You are spot on.....I will not buy another either....best regards Plum

 

[Sgt1411]

I should clarify my brake comment. After driving them both, the peddle in the X is a little more boosted, so you don't get the feel through the pedal as much as the Cx9. I don't disagree that the Sport's brakes are great, the "magazines" have them very similar for 1 panic stop. I'm sure repeated stops, or heavy towing would show the weakness of the smaller Cx9 rotors. Thankfully I have not had to test how well either work in a real world situation.

I figured thats what you meant I knew it wasn't a direct comparison of what the two vehicles would do in a braking comparison test. I just made the comment because the SPORT system is directly from the the Interceptor package and the Interceptor has to pass this Michigan State Police Test which I don't believe any non performance retail vehicle brakes would be able to pass.

In the MSP test each vehicle makes two decelerations at specific predetermined points on the test road from 90 – 0 mph at 22 ft/s2, with the driver using a decelerometer to maintain the deceleration rate.

Immediately after these “heat-up” stops are completed, the vehicle is turned around and makes six measured 60 – 0 mph impending skid (threshold) stops with ABS in operation, if so equipped, at specific predetermined points.

Following a four (4) minute heat soak, the entire sequence is repeated. The exact initial velocity at the beginning of each of the 60 – 0 mph decelerations, and the exact distance required to make each stop is recorded by means of a non contact optical sensor in conjunction with electronic speed and distance meters. The data resulting from the twelve total stops is used to calculate the average deceleration rate which is the vehicle’s score for this test.

 

[peterk9]

Posts are straying OFF the thread topic.

Peter

 

[wallyuwl]

Went and the wife test drove one last night. She really liked it. I think we both like the Ex better than the CX-9. Seems most people would re-buy, and those that have said they wouldn't haven't given reasons why. According to TrueCar the prices have dropped a fair amount recently. I'd expect the trend to continue as we get closer to the 2015s coming out. We'll probably wait until Memorial Day and see if they do a 0% for 72 months, maybe with some cash back too or something.

One thing we noticed is a strong burning smell on the test drive. The salesman said it was the catalytic converter "burning in" and it goes away after a couple hundred miles. Anyone know more about this?

Also any thoughts on the quality of the material the cloth seats are made of? We'd probably be looking to get cloth, and so far have just been in/seen ones with leather.

 

[peterk9]

Went and the wife test drove one last night. She really liked it. I think we both like the Ex better than the CX-9. Seems most people would re-buy, and those that have said they wouldn't haven't given reasons why. According to TrueCar the prices have dropped a fair amount recently. I'd expect the trend to continue as we get closer to the 2015s coming out. We'll probably wait until Memorial Day and see if they do a 0% for 72 months, maybe with some cash back too or something.

One thing we noticed is a strong burning smell on the test drive. The salesman said it was the catalytic converter "burning in" and it goes away after a couple hundred miles. Anyone know more about this?

Also any thoughts on the quality of the material the cloth seats are made of? We'd probably be looking to get cloth, and so far have just been in/seen ones with leather.

Never had that 'catalytic burn in' smell in the Ex or any other vehicle I had. According to one post from last November, Ford was going to change and remove the platinum from the convertor since they determined that was causing the smell.

Peter

 

[broken strut]

I have owned an 11 Ltd and a 13 Sport. The 11 was a nice vehicle. Ride was smooth and there were a few problems that were fixed under warranty. All in all a nice vehicle. The Sport has been amazing. With the Livernois tune it went from amazing to a true beast. Fit and finish in the interior are very good. Exterior looks are the best in it's class IMO. The engine. Well. I have well over 400 hp now. This thing hauls ass. I will be buying another one when the come out with a new model.

 

[LukerDooker]

Went and the wife test drove one last night. She really liked it. I think we both like the Ex better than the CX-9. Seems most people would re-buy, and those that have said they wouldn't haven't given reasons why. According to TrueCar the prices have dropped a fair amount recently. I'd expect the trend to continue as we get closer to the 2015s coming out. We'll probably wait until Memorial Day and see if they do a 0% for 72 months, maybe with some cash back too or something.

One thing we noticed is a strong burning smell on the test drive. The salesman said it was the catalytic converter "burning in" and it goes away after a couple hundred miles. Anyone know more about this?

Also any thoughts on the quality of the material the cloth seats are made of? We'd probably be looking to get cloth, and so far have just been in/seen ones with leather.

I doubt you will find or get 0% on an Ex, they wont offer that fin. on Ex sales.
Its available for other models, but the only way that is happening on SUVs is another economic nose dive and SUVs generally not selling across the board.

The opposite is true, cars are selling very well in general all over, and SUVs of all sizes are selling well. And now that GM is under the spotlight for not fixing things that caused possibly over 300 deaths, which is in itself mind blowing - some finance sites are saying lost GM sales will go to Ford.
... I bet the 0% offers are limited to certain models where sales are low and they will need to move inventory this summer.
Good luck.

 

[Motoarzan]

Yes, I would buy again. I love my Sport...this is the first vehicle I've ever owned where I don;t have to "Beat" the engine because the V6 Ecoboost has ample power.
I would love to get that Livernois tune but can afford to void my warranty and don't know the long term effects this would have on the longevity of the engine.
I would love for Ford to come out with a Super Sport and drop in the Ecoboost from the F150

 

[wallyuwl]

I doubt you will find or get 0% on an Ex, they wont offer that fin. on Ex sales.

... I bet the 0% offers are limited to certain models where sales are low and they will need to move inventory this summer.
Good luck.

Right now there is 0% for 60 months or $2000 cash back for March on the Ex. I don't imagine as we get closer to the "refreshed" 2015s coming out that the deals will get WORSE. Especially if they do short-term (week-long vs. the typical month-long offers) deals around Memorial Day or 4th of July, as the "Big 3" often do. Ford also has 0% for 72 right now on several other models, cars and trucks.

 

[LukerDooker]

Right now there is 0% for 60 months or $2000 cash back for March on the Ex. I don't imagine as we get closer to the "refreshed" 2015s coming out that the deals will get WORSE. Especially if they do short-term (week-long vs. the typical month-long offers) deals around Memorial Day or 4th of July, as the "Big 3" often do. Ford also has 0% for 72 right now on several other models, cars and trucks.

...wish I had the chance for 0% I would have done that instead. I asked and they laughed and laughed...

The deals may not get worse but the season/month end individual incentives dry up according to a schedule...so to get every little cash back or finance deal you have to be ready to go in and haggle..