Thinking of buying a 2013 Ford Explorer

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The current Explorer is a great looking ride, at least to me. The 3.5 should be plenty reliable and provide plenty of power. I'm not so sure about the 6F transmission.

I haven't driven one yet. I liked the Flex though. Like a Pacifica that isn't quite so weird looking and a little more refined.

It takes a lot of heat about the reduced off road capability over it's predecessor. I don't know why. Most of the older Explorers here are 2WD and most Explorer drivers never really off road beyond the capabilities of a Lexus RX350 or Honda Pilot anyway.

I would personally prefer the new Durango. Looks even more fantastic. Feels like the better parts of the Mercedes Benz M-class with Hemi power. Didn't get to floor it, just around the block... but got the impression that it would go pretty good if one did floor it. I'm guessing the 3.6 would do pretty well itself.
 
Originally Posted By: Spazdog

It takes a lot of heat about the reduced off road capability over it's predecessor. I don't know why. Most of the older Explorers here are 2WD and most Explorer drivers never really off road beyond the capabilities of a Lexus RX350 or Honda Pilot anyway.


Note, I didn't include the '02-'11 in my Explorer praise. I probably would not buy one, but I will say that at least they had a frame, the engine pointed the right way, and if you put a mild lift and good tires on one it might be able to hang with a '91-'01 in a lot of off road situations. Still had a 4.0 (or 4.6) and a 8.8 rear pumpkin, so it wasn't totally removed from its more capable ancestors.

I know times have changed, and everyone needs a blob now, etc, but I still miss the 4WD Town Car trucks Ford used to build. They were clearly pretty good at being multipurpose vehicles since millions decided to use them like any other car. That's all a 2013 Explorer is...any other car. You can't throw it into 4 low and dunk it in a mud hole.

And yes, I know most people who bought '91-'01s didn't really need them, but for me it still doesn't negate the fact that they were excellent multipurpose vehicles. For those of us who can use the full spectrum of capabilities, the SUVs of the not so distant past are hard to replace. I have to agree with OVERKILL that the 5.0 Explorers were some of the best vehicles ever made. Superb platform, engine, trans, drive system, features, and a very utilitarian design. Sorry, even if I had an unlimited budget, I would definitely take a well worn 5.0 over a 2013 Explorer any day. You simply can't get any thing like it these days unless you step up to the low volume luxo stuff like Land Cruisers.
 
Don't believe what CR says. If you like it, buy it. It's been out a few years now, so the kinks should be worked out. Get the 3.5. I wouldn't think of the 2.0 EB, but that's just me. If it were my ride, I'd consider the Sport before the Limited. The wifey probably doesn't need twin turbos though. Don't worry about the forums either. You'd think the same if you hung around Jeep forums. We've had 0 issues with our Grand Cherokee. People come to forums to complain.
 
Originally Posted By: FoxS
Very low down on the CR list

Predicted reliability is bad


IMO CR is a ridiculous choice for automobile info. They do this repeatedly. How can you give out any legitimate information about reliability on a NEW MODEL?

Agree that it should be for raising puppies!
 
Have 2 of them currently in the family. The first one is a 2011 Limited with the 3.5 that my Aunt owns. She has almost 50k on it already and loves it, no repairs so far, good gas mileage, and regularly hauls 3 adults and 2 children in it. The second one is a 2012 Limited with the 3.5 owned by a cousin. Same reports as above with 2 adults and a kid. I had the chance to drive the 2011 over the Thanksgiving holiday and I was really impressed. The interior is super nice and quiet and the thing will really get up and go. I think they look fantastic inside and out.
 
Originally Posted By: Nick R
Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
I would never ever buy a ford or GM truck again. Garbage quality. Nice designes poorly assembled with cheap components. I loved my last '11 ranger but it let me down in a couple months. I loved my Silvarado Wt 4x4 5m but that let me down too.


How long until your forester or fit throws a rod, the way you go through cars
wink.gif

I actually have a proper statistical sample of owned vehcles which is representative of population vs a sample of 1. The Fit and Forester both have TSb and recalls which can cause complete engine failure. Thats the junk being made today. Its all just a matter of probability and luck getting a good truck given the high defect rate and component count.
As far as rods and HG go - at least ive figured out to change the oil and filter at the first signs of poor oiling. The fit is getting there ( noise wise) with only 2700 on this oil fill. No liquimoly mos2 or other additives allowed anymore, other than a bit of non-detergent sae30 WNE made top oil. The Forester has a good OEM Tokyo-Roki filter so no worries there anymore ( vs the fram oem service part previously used). I'm still hunting for the best 0w20 for the subaru - the penzoil platinum has gotten mud -dirty and the forester is gobbling oil the last 1000 miles of the 7500 oci so thats off the list if it cant do an easy 7500mi. A Bit hesistant on using the Na package in the valvoline plus i cant seem to locate reasonably prices 5 qt jugs - only single qts for 7 bucks ea. May have to settle on the M1 again. Wish it was easier to try Amsoil signature.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
Originally Posted By: Nick R
Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
I would never ever buy a ford or GM truck again. Garbage quality. Nice designes poorly assembled with cheap components. I loved my last '11 ranger but it let me down in a couple months. I loved my Silvarado Wt 4x4 5m but that let me down too.


How long until your forester or fit throws a rod, the way you go through cars
wink.gif

I actually have a proper statistical sample of owned vehcles which is representative of population vs a sample of 1. The Fit and Forester both have TSb and recalls which can cause complete engine failure. Thats the junk being made today. Its all just a matter of probability and luck getting a good truck given the high defect rate and component count.
As far as rods and HG go - at least ive figured out to change the oil and filter at the first signs of poor oiling. The fit is getting there ( noise wise) with only 2700 on this oil fill. No liquimoly mos2 or other additives allowed anymore, other than a bit of non-detergent sae30 WNE made top oil. The Forester has a good OEM Tokyo-Roki filter so no worries there anymore ( vs the fram oem service part previously used). I'm still hunting for the best 0w20 for the subaru - the penzoil platinum has gotten mud -dirty and the forester is gobbling oil the last 1000 miles of the 7500 oci so thats off the list if it cant do an easy 7500mi. A Bit hesistant on using the Na package in the valvoline plus i cant seem to locate reasonably prices 5 qt jugs - only single qts for 7 bucks ea. May have to settle on the M1 again. Wish it was easier to try Amsoil signature.


crazy2.gif
 
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Exploders are pos's don't waste your money.


This is more of a troll post than I would ever have expetected of you aquarius.
 
Originally Posted By: Nick R
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Exploders are pos's don't waste your money.


This is more of a troll post than I would ever have expetected of you aquarius.


Just from experience. The ones I`ve driven were horrible rattle-traps,and they had a HUGE issue of them randomly catching on fire. I actually deleted this original post (guess I wasn`t quick enough) because I didn`t want to sound harsh or mean against a certain type of vehicle,but out of all the cars I`ve driven,these have been one of the worst.

http://jalopnik.com/5381540/cruise-control-fire-recall-expanded-to-fords-largest-ever
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Originally Posted By: Nick R
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Exploders are pos's don't waste your money.


This is more of a troll post than I would ever have expetected of you aquarius.


Just from experience. The ones I`ve driven were horrible rattle-traps,and they had a HUGE issue of them randomly catching on fire. I actually deleted this original post (guess I wasn`t quick enough) because I didn`t want to sound harsh or mean against a certain type of vehicle,but out of all the cars I`ve driven,these have been one of the worst.

http://jalopnik.com/5381540/cruise-control-fire-recall-expanded-to-fords-largest-ever


The cruise control fire issue covered many, MANY vehicles beyond the Explorer. All of our Expeditions were affected, in fact, I had the cruise control switch fail on mine. Does that make it a POS?

Use your head big guy. The Explorer was essentially an SUV version of the Ranger and often saw a similar usage profile and maintenance. The Eddie Bauer and Limited versions were very nice trucks however. I have a buddy who's owned two V8 Limited models and just loved them. I had a base XL that served our family faithfully well into the mid 300,000Km range until my sister replaced it with the BMW.
 
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Originally Posted By: Nick R
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Exploders are pos's don't waste your money.


This is more of a troll post than I would ever have expetected of you aquarius.


Just from experience. The ones I`ve driven were horrible rattle-traps,and they had a HUGE issue of them randomly catching on fire. I actually deleted this original post (guess I wasn`t quick enough) because I didn`t want to sound harsh or mean against a certain type of vehicle,but out of all the cars I`ve driven,these have been one of the worst.

http://jalopnik.com/5381540/cruise-control-fire-recall-expanded-to-fords-largest-ever


The cruise control fire issue covered many, MANY vehicles beyond the Explorer. All of our Expeditions were affected, in fact, I had the cruise control switch fail on mine. Does that make it a POS?

Use your head big guy. The Explorer was essentially an SUV version of the Ranger and often saw a similar usage profile and maintenance. The Eddie Bauer and Limited versions were very nice trucks however. I have a buddy who's owned two V8 Limited models and just loved them. I had a base XL that served our family faithfully well into the mid 300,000Km range until my sister replaced it with the BMW.



Not to mention the fact that the new explorer doesn't share even a single same bolt that those models had. That's like saying don't buy a Camry because the Taurus had transmission problems.
 
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL


The cruise control fire issue covered many, MANY vehicles beyond the Explorer. All of our Expeditions were affected, in fact, I had the cruise control switch fail on mine. Does that make it a POS?

Use your head big guy. The Explorer was essentially an SUV version of the Ranger and often saw a similar usage profile and maintenance. The Eddie Bauer and Limited versions were very nice trucks however. I have a buddy who's owned two V8 Limited models and just loved them. I had a base XL that served our family faithfully well into the mid 300,000Km range until my sister replaced it with the BMW.


And ironically, the old red Texas Instruments switch in my 1995 Explorer never did fail, or even begin to leak! I did replace it as a preventive thing though.

Mine was a nearly loaded "Expedition" model (before the Expedition was its own vehicle), and was definitely not a rattle trap either. I'd still own it if rust had not eaten it alive. Despite severe rust, everything still worked and no electrical issues...just leaking brake lines, radiator hanging on for dear life, no rocker panels to speak of, etc. Still ran and drove everyday with comfort comparable to any luxury vehicle of the time.
 
Exploders are just like all the other makes that get no respect here. A few vocal owners get on the Internet and create a HUGE stink about their issues while tons of normal folks beat the daylights out of the same vehicle with few problems. They just don't post up!

I would bet the overwhelming majority of Exploder owners are happy with their vehicle. In our extended family I cared for one back in the 90's and it was just fine, ran smooth and happy well past 100k miles until traded.
 
Compare an Explorer to a Tahoe. The Tahoe blows away the Explorer in precision,body/hardware integrity,engine,lasting longer,dependability,etc. I never criticize things unless I`ve had first hand experience with them. I`ve had alot of experience with both.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Compare an Explorer to a Tahoe. The Tahoe blows away the Explorer in precision,body/hardware integrity,engine,lasting longer,dependability,etc. I never criticize things unless I`ve had first hand experience with them. I`ve had alot of experience with both.


Are you comparing the new Explorer, or the previous model?
 
Originally Posted By: Nick R
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Compare an Explorer to a Tahoe. The Tahoe blows away the Explorer in precision,body/hardware integrity,engine,lasting longer,dependability,etc. I never criticize things unless I`ve had first hand experience with them. I`ve had alot of experience with both.


Are you comparing the new Explorer, or the previous model?


Older ones are the only ones I`ve driven (both,up to a 2010 model). I haven`t driven a brand new Tahoe,but I`ve driven a brand new Explorer. I couldn`t imagine trying to take one off road. I`m guessing they`re not designed to be used as a true sport utility vehicle.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Compare an Explorer to a Tahoe. The Tahoe blows away the Explorer in precision,body/hardware integrity,engine,lasting longer,dependability,etc. I never criticize things unless I`ve had first hand experience with them. I`ve had alot of experience with both.


Why would you compare the Explorer to the Tahoe? The Tahoe competes with the Expedition. What do you propose next, comparing the Navigator to a Blazer?
crazy2.gif


And the SBC in the Tahoe, even if we make that absurd comparison, was no better than the 302 backed by the 4R70W in the Explorer Limited or Eddie Bauer.

I not only have first-hand experience with SEVERAL of them, I put 200,000Km on one.
 
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
The Tahoe competes with the Expedition. What do you propose next, comparing the Navigator to a Blazer?
crazy2.gif



I`d think the Expedition would compete with the Suburban.
 
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