Do wanna be a "fake cop" driving America's BEST SELLING Law Enforcement SUV? The Ford Explorer is the SUV you want, it offers all of the visual indicators, and doesn't lack ability to haul both ass, and ass (human crash test dummies). Ford has a storied love affair with the Explorer, from rollovers to roasting chassis. But let's skip the history lesson and flash forward to now. The newest Gen is "fun" to drive, and that fun comes with a caveat. It feels a little like driving a small shed, but with better windows. Visually you sit up high enough to see everything, but length and girth do shield small objects like curbs, bollards, and an occasional Miata. Ford provides a nice feature called blind spot monitors and 360 degree camera's. So if you hit it, don't blame the distraction, blame yourself.There's a plethora of features from Massaging Seats, to near Hands Free driving, it's buggy, and doesn't always work as intended. It's still a few years away from being useful for longer than a few minutes here and there. In my most recent experience I set it to triple digits for about ten miles on a very open road. It did perform flawlessly then but around traffic it gets a little confused about who is actually in front of you.
About me, In my previous vehicles I bought RWD versions because I wanted to control when the rear stepped out. In a big heavy SUV I don't want that, ever!!! I'd be careful trying to slide this big boy if you have the RWD version, me I'll gladly keep the rubber on the road in AWD fashion. Your mileage may vary, but driving on ice in Texas, didn't aspire or inspire confidence. Nothing like the chatter of ABS while still moving forward and thinking oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, Thank God. In the rain I was absolutely white knuckling it on my way to Del Rio, I hit heavy rain and am too damn dumb to drive less than the posted speed limit plus 15-20. So roughly 90 in Texas monsoon conditions in my 93 Octane ZFG Racing tuned ST. I couldn't be bothered to dial in the Slippery setting because it really doesn't do anything but control torque distribution. The other settings Normal/Tow/Sport/ seem to offer a little difference in stock form, but a tune should be considered if you enjoy a little more spirit.
The engine is fantastic, but it's limited by slow throttle response (which does somewhat improve in sport mode). The engine moves throughout the gear range decently, but a ten speed isn't necessary in this vehicle, a faster shifting 8 speed would do wonders. It handles great once you change the OEM springs, and too thin to be in, 275 tires. This vehicle should not be sold with anything under 295-305 sizes, all-season Michelin or Continental tires. The Pirelli's are horrendously noisy, and ill equipped to grip the road like the aforementioned. Did I mention noisy at parking lot speed while slightly turning, damn I'm squealing at 5 mph. I've learned from owning a Porsche 928, 2 Camaro's, 1 Corvette, a Charger, and BMW 2 series, along with others, that wide tires save lives. Better handling, better stopping, better rain performance, on and on and on....They work! The cabin has a huge list of necessary's, and not necessary to just plain ole over burdening. I'm not using half of the apps, and really wish they would have added a better gauge package with real boost, oil pressure, oil temp, trans temp, etc.
The cabin is full featured and as large as you would need for a family of 5 or begrudgingly 6, any more than that buy a van. It stays cool and warm equally, but without the rear heater/AC on the cold/hot air can come from the rear of the vehicle. Hot in the front, and cool in the back or vice versa. The seats suck in my opinion, but they are great for that thirty minute to one hour trip around town, if that makes sense. Anything after an hour I get stiffness and cramping in my right ass cheek. The massaging seats do reduce fatigue effectively so no complaints at this time. One of the nicest features I've come to hate is the exterior rear liftgate button, it seems to have a life of its own and decides if it wants to work at that time of day. It's the little quality control issues like trim moulding not lining up, cheap Alcantara instead of leather, and clunky control dials for both Transmission and Drive settings. Hey Ford, why not enable hidden FORSCAN features, it's of added value to customers. In Closing, if you get rid of the Nanny State fuel economy parts and go with a higher octane tune, better exhaust system, better suspension components, better brakes & tires, and you'd have a solid performance SUV rivalled by none. At a $60,000 price tag, I want better than Ford OEM, I want Eibach, Brembo, Steeda, FENFAB, Thermal R&D, Continental, and ZFG Racing. And don't get me started on I-5 Autohouse, SS Tuning, and Waido. Sheesh!
About me, In my previous vehicles I bought RWD versions because I wanted to control when the rear stepped out. In a big heavy SUV I don't want that, ever!!! I'd be careful trying to slide this big boy if you have the RWD version, me I'll gladly keep the rubber on the road in AWD fashion. Your mileage may vary, but driving on ice in Texas, didn't aspire or inspire confidence. Nothing like the chatter of ABS while still moving forward and thinking oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, Thank God. In the rain I was absolutely white knuckling it on my way to Del Rio, I hit heavy rain and am too damn dumb to drive less than the posted speed limit plus 15-20. So roughly 90 in Texas monsoon conditions in my 93 Octane ZFG Racing tuned ST. I couldn't be bothered to dial in the Slippery setting because it really doesn't do anything but control torque distribution. The other settings Normal/Tow/Sport/ seem to offer a little difference in stock form, but a tune should be considered if you enjoy a little more spirit.
The engine is fantastic, but it's limited by slow throttle response (which does somewhat improve in sport mode). The engine moves throughout the gear range decently, but a ten speed isn't necessary in this vehicle, a faster shifting 8 speed would do wonders. It handles great once you change the OEM springs, and too thin to be in, 275 tires. This vehicle should not be sold with anything under 295-305 sizes, all-season Michelin or Continental tires. The Pirelli's are horrendously noisy, and ill equipped to grip the road like the aforementioned. Did I mention noisy at parking lot speed while slightly turning, damn I'm squealing at 5 mph. I've learned from owning a Porsche 928, 2 Camaro's, 1 Corvette, a Charger, and BMW 2 series, along with others, that wide tires save lives. Better handling, better stopping, better rain performance, on and on and on....They work! The cabin has a huge list of necessary's, and not necessary to just plain ole over burdening. I'm not using half of the apps, and really wish they would have added a better gauge package with real boost, oil pressure, oil temp, trans temp, etc.
The cabin is full featured and as large as you would need for a family of 5 or begrudgingly 6, any more than that buy a van. It stays cool and warm equally, but without the rear heater/AC on the cold/hot air can come from the rear of the vehicle. Hot in the front, and cool in the back or vice versa. The seats suck in my opinion, but they are great for that thirty minute to one hour trip around town, if that makes sense. Anything after an hour I get stiffness and cramping in my right ass cheek. The massaging seats do reduce fatigue effectively so no complaints at this time. One of the nicest features I've come to hate is the exterior rear liftgate button, it seems to have a life of its own and decides if it wants to work at that time of day. It's the little quality control issues like trim moulding not lining up, cheap Alcantara instead of leather, and clunky control dials for both Transmission and Drive settings. Hey Ford, why not enable hidden FORSCAN features, it's of added value to customers. In Closing, if you get rid of the Nanny State fuel economy parts and go with a higher octane tune, better exhaust system, better suspension components, better brakes & tires, and you'd have a solid performance SUV rivalled by none. At a $60,000 price tag, I want better than Ford OEM, I want Eibach, Brembo, Steeda, FENFAB, Thermal R&D, Continental, and ZFG Racing. And don't get me started on I-5 Autohouse, SS Tuning, and Waido. Sheesh!
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