Nissan Frontier Crew Cab VS Ford Explorer Sport Trac

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Comments

  • thesandmanthesandman Member Posts: 40
    Extreme sports that is its target.Young 20 to 30 year old males and females with money to burn.Backpacking,skiing,Mt.biking,boarding,scuba, rock climbing,surfing,all those types of sport. Others will buy the Sport Track,scoccer moms,people who like the image the truck portrays. Active life style,EXTREME!
  • ziggy18ziggy18 Member Posts: 20
    The best Explorer for true off action would have to be the 2 door, likely to be the least popular of the stable. It's early to compare to the ST sales but a realistic expectation since the ST is only $400 more, has more versatile cargo room, 4 doors & most people don't do "Jeep Jamboree" type stuff with their SUVs/SUTs. The 2 door Explorer's wheel base is a full 2 feet shorter than the ST & only 8" longer than a Wrangler. A 2 door Ex with 4.10 gear, bigger tires & step bars off would be the best Ford answer (somewhere between the price & sophistication of a Wrangler & a Rover). If that were my sole use, bang for the buck, nothing beats the Wrangler.
    For my use the ST fits my New England lifestyle well. 4WD for winter Vermont outings, sufficient roofline for a roof rack to carry the sea kayaks, mountain bikes ON TOP of the hard tonneau cover.... My car has suffered long enough as a SUV/SUT surrogate.
  • fordsporttracfordsporttrac Member Posts: 300
    Cant make too much of an off roader out of the ST. Its got a Long wheel base and average ground clearance. Just itching to be hung up on some mole hill. :-)
  • tjlee22tjlee22 Member Posts: 1
    I sold vehicles for five years.(I sold new imports for four years and new Dodge/Jeeps for one year) Of all the vehicles I sold, new or used, I had more problems with Dodge cars and trucks coming back to get warranty or repair work done. From oil pans leaking, transmissions going out, or door panels falling off I've seen it all. I had more of my customers upset with me for selling them such a poorly-built piece of junk....with no resale value. You get what you pay for. When I sold a Nissan(or Toyota or Honda) the only time I saw them is for an oil change. I own a Nissan myself with 128,000 miles and no mechanical problems, just like most Nissan owners.(Notice I say most,not all. They are only machines) So Dodge owners should just step aside when people talk about quality and reliability and let the Nissan owners do the talking.
  • keaneckeanec Member Posts: 349
    I don't know if I would word it quite like that; or so strongly; because Dodge owners have every right to their opinions and beliefs and should be allowed to express them. If others don't agree that's their right.

    Last week my sitter's 97 Dodge Neon was leaking in my driveway and it turned out to be the head gasket. She traded in on Friday for a new Neon (don't ask me why!).I suggested she call Chrysler and see if she can get a Loyalty rebate as this was her 4th Chrysler in 10 years (Ford & GM sometimes offer this especially if a car has a lot of problems). They looked at her file and said they wouldn't give her one. When she asked why; they said the number of warranty claims (10!!!)was average for Chrysler! She has 44000kms on a 2 1/2 year old car. The lady at Chrysler said that they would have been happy to fix her problems under warranty and that she didn't have to buy a new car. Right - they would fix the problems..why did she go through 3 head gaskets if they fixed it.

    I think that lady at Chrysler's Customer Care Centre speaks pretty clearly. 10 Warranty claims in under 3 years is average for Chrysler. If I even got half that amount of claims in 6 years with my Nissan, I would think it a lemon and sell it!
  • scape2scape2 Member Posts: 4,123
    Hey Nissan fans, better take another look at JD powers and carpoint before you go claiming top quality!! LOL. The Nissans do rate better than most Dodge products but when it comes to Ford/GM products look again.
    There is a shootout in this months Truck Trend (Motor Trend spin off mag) between the Ford Sport Trac and Nissan Quad Cab. I'll give you a hint who won, Not the Nissan.......
  • mahimahimahimahi Member Posts: 497
    Nice to see you run to this page...I noticed I shut you down again on the ranger v. frontier page. But that's ok, it's par right.

    Nice post here, too bad you don't own either vehicle on this topic. The people researching these two vehicles want to see PERSONAL experiences not what other research people have found. Give the readers credit, they can do their own research. You would benefit everyone on this topic if you would not post on it you offer no help what so ever to a potential buyer, in fact they probablly wonder why evertime they see your post why it's about something that you read. Not about something you experienced. So why don't you take your little 160hp 4.0L rnager to the Cascades!
  • ziggy18ziggy18 Member Posts: 20
    mahimahi,
    I'll give you that vince is a little rough around the edges at times but he's right on topic with a post regarding a article on real numbers between the two vehicles of the topic.
    Thanks vince for the heads up on the MT test, Truck Trend Aug 2000.
    I looked at & drove both CC & ST, bought the ST. Its interesting to see that my real life experiences match what the MT testers found although I wasn't able to conduct the exhaustive payload, stopping distance, measurement calcs.

    Two corrections I found in this article:
    1) The fact that the Nissan "..skitters over potholes and similar road irregularities.." & no such comment was made for the ST is not due to "coil rear suspension" as MT mentions but simply a better rear leaf spring/shock setup.

    2)The quoted "as tested" pricing advantage of $5,500 for the CC does not represent the vehicles shown in the test. Comparably equiped, if there is a such thing with these two, the price to options values are similar. When I looked at the two, the CC would have been $1500 to $2000 less than what I considered to be a comparable ST. If Nissan adds the supercharger option for the R&T predicted price of $2000, the two will be closer in performance & price but not features.

    Hate to slam your CC any worse than MT just did but dems da facts. Look at the two separate & they're both cool trucks. Put em side by side & one will always rise to the top.
  • goobagooba Member Posts: 391
    Not necessarily.It all depends on your priorities and what you want it to do.Your priorities apparently are the same as the MT operators. One of the reasons I got my CC was because it was a better off road performer then the ST,and I preferred the looks and the ride.
  • jeff555jeff555 Member Posts: 5
    The price difference between the crew cab and the sport trac when ordered with the same equipment, is at least $3000 based on both MSRP and invoice pricing from edmunds. The $5500 difference in the Truck Trend article is unfair to the sport trac, because it compares the prices for a crew cab with manual transmission and manual windows, with the automatic sport trac with power windows. However, if what you want is a basic truck with manual transmission and manual windows, you can't get it in the sport trac, and the $5500 difference is real.

    I don't put too much faith in these magazine reviews. You mentioned two problems with the article that are pretty bad. If they did all these exhaustive tests, and can,t even tell the difference between leaf and coil springs, you have to wonder. Also, they tend to express their subjective opinions about ride, handling, styling etc. as if they were fact. They even said that there was only a minor difference between the acceleration of the unloaded crew cab and the unloaded sport track. I love my crew cab, but any moron can see that the sport trac has a major advantage in the acceleration department.
  • keaneckeanec Member Posts: 349
    I have to agree with you that it is good to read articles about other peoples opinions and tests, but to me "real-world" is much more important. I don't care what JD said about quality, I truly believe that, IMO, Nissan quality on the whole is superior to Ford, GM & Chrysler. I base this on my experiences and others who I know. I watch and see the amount of times they bring there vehicles in for repairs and say "routine maintenance". It might be routine for a GM or Ford or Chrsyler, but it happens much less often in a Nissan, and it isn't routine. I live in an area that is very tough on vehicles; GM, Toyota, Land Rover and other have test facilities here.
  • scape2scape2 Member Posts: 4,123
    Read the article folks! They did put these two vehicles through testing on road and offroad, loaded and not loaded. Fact is the ST offers a better ride, better handling, better power, nicer quality interior over the CC. Why is it magazine article matter when they are in favor of the Nissan but not the Ford??
    I don't own either one of these vehicles, but I have driven both! There is NOWAY anyone can say the interior is better on the CC. As far as offroad, better read the article and see what they say about how the CC and ST compare offroad, you may be surprised.
  • scape2scape2 Member Posts: 4,123
    As far as shutting me down in the Ranger vs Frontier room?? When?? I gave you multiple links showing the Ranger is better in crash tests, performance, price, options, and 1 point below in long term reliability!! Check right here at Edmunds! and Carpoint, and crashtest.com....
  • scape2scape2 Member Posts: 4,123
    And I also showed you how "high quality" your Frontier is at JD powers, ranking way, way below the Ranger! LOL.....
  • mahimahimahimahi Member Posts: 497
    Vince,
    I did shut you down..several times. Check out the past posts on that topic.(sales issue for one)

    Anyway, they don't compare folks, just because they have 4-doors. Sorry, they're two totally different vehicles. For one the c.c. is a truck and the st is a suv. No matter how you look at it the c.c. was designed as a truck and for truck buyers and those who plan on using them as trucks. It's funny how the Ford fans have to brag about a magazine article that compares a suv to a truck...hello of course the ride is going to be softer, and probably drive more like a car. That's what suv buyers want! Oh and Vince I drove and towed with both too. Why don't they compare the ST to say the 4-runner, Pathfinder or Blazer. Those are it's true competitors. The c.c. competition will be the 4-door tacoma & s-10...but ford ??? They had their chance to put it on the ranger platform but instead chose the explorer. I started thinking about this power issue too. Vince keeps talking about the 3.3L and its lack of power. Several times a week I end up driving my mother's '99 pathfinder XE and there is a considerable difference in feel of power when compared to my c.c. The thing is I don't know if its that mine is 4-wheel drive and hers isn't? They both have 4.10 rearends. It's that her motor feels more responsive(quicker). I don't know if it actually is faster I haven't tried to race her, maybe we will. I do know that my truck does tow better though...not powerwise but overall towing not pulling. They seem to pull the same. It's kind of puzzling.

    You know vince8 I thought about you several times in the past weeks because I see about 4 out 5 Rangers fairly new ones (I can tell they are because of the new hood & grill) with burned out taillights. Whats that all about anyway? It doesn't matter wich light it could either be the middle light or either of the two bed lights, it's only one but it seems that's only the ranger too. It's all about the little things...I guess they're just lucky that they are running!
    Don't laugh too loud! You should be reading some real-life posts on the ST and see if those owners got their sunroofs fixed or what ford is doing about their gas doors. I hope their dealers take care of them, I know one of the owners had to take his back twice.
  • keaneckeanec Member Posts: 349
    No matter what you argue, if I was to have to choose between the CC & ST (which you haven't had to do in the first place) I would again pick the CC. The price difference is BIG in Canada. The box is smaller, a full cap wouldn't look good on the ST, I prefer the "plain" interior, and the ST is a Ford. Sorry Ford owners, it is just my opinion, but I would not buy a Ford yet. Too many of my friends and family have problems compared to my 5 Nissans, and my sisters 4 Nissans. As I have said before, magazine articles are subjective and ride quality, interior look (quality),handling, are all personal preferences.

    My CC pulls 5000lbs, I have done it several times, with no problem in the power department..that is good enough for me. I am very happy with the ride and handling, my only complaint is bottoming out on very rough roads at highway speeds with a lot of weight being towed!

    Why don't you put your money where your mouth is and trade in your Ranger (and Contour?) and get a mortgage and by the ST? That is just a suggestion - I don't know if you want to go get a small mortgage at this time.
  • goobagooba Member Posts: 391
    vince,the articles make for interesting reading.The Sport Trac has some positive points to it over the CC,and the articles in some areas I can agree on,others I do not.You said you drove both,so did I and the off road comparison has the Sport Trac leaving a bit to be desired.You should have seen it with your off road experience.The Sport Trac has 2 big strikes against it before you even get started.The lack of ground clearance and the softness of the suspension.Great for on pavement driving,but a big handicap off road.You should take issue with the writers of the article in the off road area,rating the Sport Trac higher.
  • steve234steve234 Member Posts: 460
    After reading the comments by Nissan owners against everything and anything, I am glad I do not own one. If I did I would sell it immediately so as to not be associated with such a bad mouthing group. Every vehicle has its good point and bad points, even Yugos. The idea that the Nissans or Toyotas are superior vehicles is BS. If they were so superior, they would be number one in sales. Anyone who would pull 5000 lbs with a Nissan is a lunatic. Anyone who would pull a 5000 lb load with any compact truck is a lunatic waiting to kill some innocent family. Nissan and Toyota owners have one major thing in common, they act like the liberals; no opinions allowed that do pump up their own inflated egos and opinions.
  • croy2croy2 Member Posts: 45
    Vince,

    You really do need to go out and drive a few vehicles and stop reading so many test stats. It is real-world performance that matters. If you had any idea how biased car/truck magazines are, you would have little faith in their reviews. Do you think that they are going to give a bad rating to a vehicle that is manufactured by one of their primary advertisers?? Motor trend is famous for their biased reviews. Consumer Reports is the only unbaised magazine, because they do not accept advertising. Read their car reports and you will see that Ford products are consistently rated a CR "Worst Buy". Put up or shut up. Buy an ST or a CC and then you can talk.
  • fordsporttracfordsporttrac Member Posts: 300
    I agree with your ground clearance comment. But thats what makes the ST more of an SUV than a truck. Ford already stated the ST is for LIGHT off roading. But if the ST has soft suspension then something is wrong with mine. :-) Feels pretty firm to me. I wish it was a bit softer.

    We should come up with some fair and standardized tests and maybe an ST and a CC could hook up for some un-official testing some day.

    mahimahi,

    I've got all 3 of the known ST problems.

    1. Sun roof drip tubes need clamps added.
    2. Fuel door rubs when opening
    3. Power steering shimmys at low RPM's

    Ford has bulletins on all three problems. I have an appointment next Tues to get it all fixed. We'll see.

    BTW,
    Be careful what you read in the ST thread. Some of the reported power steering shimmys are from bozos in 4WD making tight turns on dry pavement.
  • goobagooba Member Posts: 391
    You are correct that each vehicle has both good and bad points.We do like to discuss the pros and cons of each vehicle.what I have a problem with is when there is an all inclusive statement not based on fact,just conjecture.The discussions that have taken place with ST owners have been enjoyable and quite informative.Their experiences are real and they have a vested interest in what they say.You failed to mention what you own.As far as towing the 5000lbs,I tend to disagree with your statement.Why do you say that we must be lunatics?

    fordsporttrac
    I agree that your ST is more of a SUV then a truck.The ride on your ST is smoother on the road then my CC,and that is how it should be.I know you think it could be softer still,but in comparison I could get sea sick in your ST.I am used to feeling the pebbles in the road.
    I hope you get good customer service on your warranty issues.
  • ziggy18ziggy18 Member Posts: 20
    Keanec & Mahimahi,
    What kind of trailer brake activation system do you use to handle the 5000lb & 4600lb trailers you quote here & in "Best SUT" forums?
    Before you struggle to research your choices, I'll provide you with multiple choice to keep it simple:
    a) Electronically Controlled Electric
    b) Hydraulically Controlled Electric
    c) Surge Hydraulic
    d) None of the above

    Mahimahi FYE (for your education) proper tongue weight is 10% to 15% of trailer weight. Safely set up, your 4600lb trailer should have a tongue weight of 460lbs to 690lbs, not the 380lbs you claim. To push any tow vehicle to its absolute maximum limits is reprehensible safety judgement & a poor choice of vehicle if those are your "Real Life" needs.
  • scape2scape2 Member Posts: 4,123
    You folks crack me up! Anyone can do the math here, 170HP/200ft/lbs of torque to pull 5000lbs with no problems! LOL! come on... I have towed about 4600lbs with my Ranger and it has 225ft/lbs of torque and I admit, it was able to do it but going up hills was not "no problem"... A vehicle that has a 205HP and 240ft/lbs of torque surely would have handled it much, much better.
    As far as the CC being a truck frame and the ST being an SUV frame. Please read the article from Truck Trend throughly. In one test they found the Nissan with a 1000lb lost considerable acceleration, 60-0 braking increased 20ft, (The Ford ST actually SHORTENED its braking distance with the same weight!), the CC suspension had practically no travel left. Since the ST is rated at 1500lbs, they tested the ST with 1500lbs and no difference! The ST performs better loaded than the CC, stops better, accelerates better and suspension travel holds its own! LOL. Read the article please!
    As far as offroad the Nissan CC "skitters over potholes and similar road irregularities". The ST is the superior over the CC. The prices and test vehicles were a bit squewed I agree. The Nissan CC was not as decked out as the ST, showing a lopsided price difference.
    mah, what sales issue are you talking about? The Ranger still outsells the Frontier almost 5 to 1! The Frontier has had 3 years to make its mark against the Ranger... The Frontier doesn't even show up in the top 25!!
  • roundrocktxroundrocktx Member Posts: 14
    I only drove the Dakota QC and the Nissan CC, I passed on the ST as my wife didn't like the look of it and the dealer was asking for a price higher than sticker -- I purchased my Dakota Quadcab at the same time the ST and SC was just coming out. The SC wouldn't fit in my garage. I just went over 1000 miles on my QC and love it more every day -- Dodge paid close attention to the details and built a very solid truck. I got the 2WD 4.7 V8 with auto. I got the SLT package and couldn't be happier. Took it off road and it performed very well and it rides on the highway very nice. I've been getting 17 mpg on mostly short city trips and mixed rural and urban highway driving. The bed in the Dodge is over 5 foot 3 inches, or about 9 inches shorter than a King cab Nissan, but about the same volume due to its higher walls and wider bed.
    I looked at the Nissan CC and was discouraged by two things -- first the rear seat was much smaller and doesn't fold -- don't know how Nissan could drop the ball and not figure out how to make a seat fold but they did. The Dodge has about 30 cubic feet of cargo area in the back seat area with the seat folded flush against the back of the cab. Second, the V-6 in the Nissan gets slightly worse mpg than the Dakota with a V-8. Dakota is rated at 20/15, the Nissan at 19/16. The Dakota can accomodate 6, then Nissan barely 5. The Dakota drove better -- I test drove both cars w/i 15 minutes of each other. In fact, the Dodge dealership drove me to the Nissan lot to compare them. I own a '96 Plymouth Breeze and had only two minor repairs done under warranty, a small oil leak and a visor clip both covered quickly and w/o any problem. I now have 58,000 miles and it is going strong. I am not saying the Nissan is a bad truck, just that it did not suit my needs (won't hold 6, rear seat doesn't fold, bed shorter than short, inefficient V-6 motor). I recommend that when you test drive either of them, drive one to the competition's lot and park them side by side to compare them.
  • mahimahimahimahi Member Posts: 497
    Well I'd say you might be the one that needs a check on facts. First off if you had read my posts, past and present you would see that I tow boats. Also you should know that I sell boats and have for the last 5 years. I also had set up trailers and helped with rigging for another 2 years. So I don't think I will be 'struggling' with ANY answers about towing boats. But I should clear up that 380lbs. tongue weight was without fuel(I hadn't measured it with a full tank, we did it during the set up). My tongue weight with a full tank of fuel is 416lbs. For YOUR education, electric brakes of any kind won't work properly. All of the major brands that I know of (EZ Loader, Magic Loader, Contenintal, BoatMaster, ShoreLander, Performance, Side On) would all not recommend and some of them don't even offer electric brakes. Also, tongue weight isn't set in stone, it will depend on what the trailer manufacturer recommends on a particular setup. For example, it's alot harder to get tongue weight out of an outboard boat than an sterndrive assuming that they are the same model. If you called the different manufacturers you would get different answers, I have...for several customers. Since my trailer is a tandem axle the weight is distributed more over the axles providing a wider area supporting most of the weight, making a heavy tongue weight less likely. Do you even know why tongue weight is even important? Don't struggle I'll help you, it's to help eliminate 'fish-tailing'. Eventhough it's certainly possible to have it with a tandem, it's just not as prevalent. The axles(even on a outboard boat)are usually further back on the frame therefore you will get a natural tilt forward. My particular brand of trailer is a Magic Tilt and they recommend on all of their trailers not to exceed 11% of the maximum total package weight. They recommend 7-10% for all of their trailers. But I can tell you, that working in state that requires all trailers sold with a towing capacity rating of 3000lbs. or more are to be sold with brakes, that the ultimate liability lays in the dealer.
  • ziggy18ziggy18 Member Posts: 20
    Mahimahi,
    You're not playing fair, you quoted a magazine article....LOL.
    If you're going to quote this source, allow me to help...

    "After a series of lackluster tow vehicles, Nissan stages a comeback with the 5000-pound-rated Xterra"
    http://www.trailerboats.com/trailerboats_cfmfiles/articles/darticle1.cfm?m=1&s=6

    For someone so educated about towing why did you choose a vehicle that is not rated for the tongue weight you have. Your manual will tell you & KBB will tell the rest of us that 350lbs tongue weight is the MAX rating for your CC. Please explain why the CC is such a great choice for you when you exceed the MAX tongue weight by 10% to 20% depending on fuel level in the boat.

    Please tell me that you have some type of trailer brake system on that rig.
  • mahimahimahimahi Member Posts: 497
    I know you're just kidding but I was using the article for Vince8 he's been looking for a torque curve on the 3.3L According to MY manual (pg 10-23)"4-WD with A/T (V6) maximum tongue load is 500lbs". Also I should note that on pg 10-22 the manual states "Keep the tongue load between 9 to 11 percent of the total trailer load within the maximum tongue load limits shown on the following Towing Load/Specification Chart". Plus I have a Class III Draw-Tite hitch, which allows me to have a max of 500lbs. of tongue weight and 5000lbs. maximum towing weight. I'm sorry I guess I didn't make it clear earlier, I got caught up in covering the points. I do have surge brakes(and brake flush), personally wouldn't tow anything 3000lbs. or higher without it.
  • keaneckeanec Member Posts: 349
    steve234: First you say you wouldn't own a Nissan because of how "bad mouthing group" Nissan Owners are. Then you go on to shoot yourself in the foot and say that "Anyone who would pull 5000 lbs with a Nissan is a lunatic" Nice blanket statement. Can you back it up? The last I saw they have rated the CC auto capacity at 5000lbs. My '75 travel trailer is 4000lbs dry, add some gear and it hits around 5000lbs. It has brakes that work (sorry I don't know what kind, I just bought it)and stabalizer bars. Can you explain to me why Nissan would rate the capacity at 5000lbs if it was unsafe? My father-in-law just left to pull a trailer that is 6500 lbs dry - he has it loaded so we estimated 7500-7800lbs - from Ontario to Alaska and back 9000 miles. He is using a F150 4x4 rated for 7900lbs. Is he endangering others because he is close to the rated max? Give me facts why I am putting others at risk.

    roundrocktx:
    I like your thought process on why you bought the Dodge and I do agree with your reasoning. I personally have no reason to use the back seat as storage as I have to kid seats back there for the forseeable future. Also I have a family of four and don't need to carry six people. The biggest problem I found with the Dodge was price. As I have stated earlier, I paid $29,800Can before taxes, No Dodge dealer would sell a comparably equiped Dodge for less than $38,000can bt. With the problems my father continues to have with his '93 Dodge Caravan, the comments from Chrysler about their average repairs, I could not justify the extra $10,000 after tax; I would have bought a F150 4 door instead. I don't really disagree with any of your comments. The Dodge is a sharp looking truck and I liked its looks better than my Nissan; at first. I put a cap on and the look of my CC grew on me. If I can figure how to do it, I will post a picture.

    Vince8: You still around? Did you buy one of these vehicles? Forget about your articles, they are just somebody's opinion who takes a car for a test drive; they don't own them and drive them day in and out. I can comment on the CC - but not on the ST - because I own one and drive it! the comment ""skitters over potholes and similar road irregularities" is bull crap... I drive camp roads every week!! It handles potholes and wash board roads with ease!! My die-hard Ford fan father-in-law also agrees it handles those conditions BETTER than his F150. Now I don't no how the ST handles them so I am not commenting on it. Maybe fordsporttrac can tell if he lives in an area where he can test it. As for the price mismatch; in Canada, the ST is the same price as the Dodge, and much more than a fully loaded CC.
    As for your comment that my truck can't pull 5000lbs with no problems, have you tried it? Put up or ___up. My definition of no problem is cruising at 55 mph w/out OD on and not having it slow down anymore than most fully loaded vehicles would. Yes on steep hills it does slow a bit, but not any more then my in-laws F150 pulling their trailer. They followed me and actually were surprised by how little I was slowing on moderate hills.

    mahamahi: That torque curve seems about right for my experience. When I am towing, I try to keep it between 3000-4000 rpm going up hills, that is where it seems to perform best.

    Ziggy18: Better check your facts - they are wrong - only the mt CC is rated for 350lbs tongue weight, the at is 500lbs and 5000lbs towing capacity.
  • goobagooba Member Posts: 391
    As far as offroad the Nissan CC "skitters over
    potholes and similar road irregularities". The ST
    is the superior over the CC.
    I read this part also.I also drove both trucks over the same terrain.It is apparent that you did not drive both trucks and do not know what you are talking about.I drug the plates on the ST and could not apply all the power because the rear end would not stay down.I went through the sandy areas in 2wd with the CC and had to engage the 4wd on the ST and had to feather the throttle.They may say superior off road,but it is not.It is superior on road.
  • fordsporttracfordsporttrac Member Posts: 300
    Jeez the list is quiet for 2 weeks and then WAM! Out of the woodwork comes a WAR.

    Going back to a post of mine from a looong time ago. I too think its too much strain and unsafe to tow long distances (50+ miles) at or near maximum weight. In the 4000lb+ towing weight range you need more truck than the ST or the CC.

    Don't ask me to provide Facts on this its IMHO. I cannot provide facts on this anymore than you folks can provide facts on towing in O/D.

    As far as off roading the ST doesn't have the ground clearence to do anything but Light Off roading. The long wheel base doesn't help with off roading either. To me this makes the ST more of a SUV than a Truck. I'm not complaining, thats what I was looking for and what I brought.

    Vince8 you said;
    As far as the CC being a truck frame and the ST being an SUV frame.

    My comment never mentioned a frame. I agree both vehicles are on Truck frames. I just feel the ST leans more twards a luxury SUV than a Truck.

    Snipet from Boaters World Article,
    "But, when you look at the sticker price, you will
    understand why you see so many Xterras on the road nowadays...."

    Price does drive the popularity of a vehicle. I know I want a Lamborgihni but...

    Another Snippet;
    "I towed 500 pounds more than the recommended weight for this vehicle....Any damage that might occur to an overloaded tow vehicle is not covered by the factory warranty."

    Gee I wonder who brought that Truck after he was done with his test.

    mahimahi do you own a scanner? Can you scan the article in and post it somewhere?
  • mahimahimahimahi Member Posts: 497
    Where did you come from? I must have missed what kind of vehicle you own? Nice blanket statement though...Anyways I didn't say that Nissan was superior to Ford or any other brand did you guys? NO! You too must not understand sales figures. You also display that you must not have much experience towing, which would explain your fear of people towing. One more thing, if you read some of the past posts you would understand the current posts, then maybe understand the frustration of people popping in throwing/lashing out unsupported comments i.e. lunatics, engine is a joke, sales figures equal quality.
  • mahimahimahimahi Member Posts: 497
    Yeah I've got a scanner. I'll see if I can work on that this evening. I tried to scan it last night but, the ocr wouldn't read all of the print and was mixing it up with the ads on the same page. BTW, I wasn't trying to use the problems that the s/t are having against the truck rather to point to vince8 that Ford isn't perfect either. It's good to see if that you already have an appointment with your dealer. What's with the 'shimmy'? Loose hardware? I had to keep replacing my pitman arm on my '94 s-10, i think it was a design flaw, or the dealer couldn't install it right. So, how do you like it so far vs. your 4-runner. Tell me you didn't have a '89 or older 4-runner. I liked those with the removable back.
  • keaneckeanec Member Posts: 349
    You are right; price does drive the popularity of a vehicle to a point. The ability of people to pay is why people are going to buy the ST. Right now people have the ability to pay for it and will. I am probably from the old school; I buy for utility and value. IMHO the CC is a better utility vehicle, and it has more value (much lower price) at least in Canada. I personally would purchase the F150 4 door over the ST because they are close in price, and you can use the F150 as a true utility vehicle. The ST is exactly what you bought it for; a luxury small SUV with a unique back. I am not knocking the ST just saying that all things considered, in my neck of the woods the F150 is a better deal for me - which is why I bought the CC because it is more truck than car.

    As for the towing - I don't entirely disagree with you..I think if you do infrequent towing the CC will suffice @5000lbs. I own 2 trailers, a tent that I use the majority of the time, and a travel trailer I leave parked except for once or twice a year. I will pull it up to 140 miles one way but only once or twice a year. As I noted earlier, my father-in-law is pulling close or at the F150 maximum for 9000 miles! Surely, with your reasoning, he shouldn't be; but Ford tells him it is no problem (except for big hills where he slows down quite a bit). I guess I believe that Nissan rates it at 5000lbs because that is what it is capable of towing. Don't most manufacturers of most products underrate their ratings to give a margin of error? Maybe a engineer out there could answer that one.
  • mahimahimahimahi Member Posts: 497
    I'm no engineer, but i do know that boat trailer manufacturers have a 10% built in safety factor in their max cap ratings. Before you guys go off on written proof, you won't find any. You will have to believe me because if the man. put it in writing then every tom and harry would REALLY be maxing their trailer load. So if you boat weighs 2000lbs and your trailer is rated to carry 2000lbs. you really have 200lbs left in the true capacity. I am only posting this to show that keanec might be right. I personally think that the manufacturer(vehicle) will build in a safety factor...for nothing else but their own liability. BTW, I got the trailer info because the man. rep . All this info doesn't you should overload the capacity at all, just that if you are at the max it might be as bad as you think.
  • fordsporttracfordsporttrac Member Posts: 300
    Forget about that OCR stuff just make it a jpeg or gif and post/ftp it somewhere. Makes it much easier to scan and see.

    I didn't think you were trying to use my current problems as a stick against Ford, although I think its good ammo and I wouldn't hesitate to use similar stuff against Nissan. Just kidding.

    4Runner;
    It was a 94 4Runner. Brought during a snow storm for $1000 over invoice and traded for the ST for 1/2 its purchase price @100,000 miles. Had a MR2 before that and blew the head gasket @120,000 miles. I wasn't very nice to my MR2.

    Before that I had a Chevy Biscayne. Anyone remember that car. Dam thing was indestructible!!! Straight 6. One day while I was at school someone switched the firing order. I was able to start it and drive it 5 miles to my friends house to get fixed. :-) I don't remember ever changing the oil before I sold it to my friend @100,000 miles. He drove it another 175,000 miles before he sold it to his friend. Last I saw it had 300,000 miles on it.

    ST Shimmy;
    Although I haven't read the Service Bulletin I think it requires bleeding the system and changing a hose. Either air in the system or incorrect diameter hydraulic hose. No fluid leaks and to tell you the truth the shimmy is so slight I never would have noticed it until I read it on the ST thread.

    But I will say my first experience with FORD Customer service was Lame. They were quick to respond to my email questions but said they have no clue. I'm sure if I pushed it up to a supervisor I would have gotten some type of answer but I was too disgusted with their lack of knowledge on their own product. They told me to call the dealer to find out about service bulletins and Tonneau cover because they did not have that information. They also directed me to a site that I could "buy" Ford service bulletins. It just ticked me off and I couldn't wait to get off the phone.

    I'll tackle that issue in a formal letter to Ford later when I have the full story.

    I'm also up to Survey number 5 and 2 post cards telling me about the surveys. So far I received $4 in survey revenues. :-) That's a Margarita on Ford. I think I'll need it before I write that letter.
  • fordsporttracfordsporttrac Member Posts: 300
    ALL OF THE FOLLOWING IS MY OPINION!
    How much of this is fact is up to Experts.
    ==========================================

    I guess the question is "What is max towing capacity"?

    If you look back at the electronic industry speakers were rated in Watts. Well that was peak watts not continuous (RMS) Watts. Push that much power through the speakers for any period of time and you were picking up paper cone pieces.

    Or how about walkie talkies. Does anyone really get 5 miles from a set rated at 5 miles?

    So is Max Towing capacity the True long term vehicle tow rating
    or
    the max it can take for a short time.
    or
    the max it can tow on straight and level roads.

    If a vehicle slows down considerably on a up hill climb, means to me, it is straining. That can't be good for engine and tranny.

    My "GUESS" is Max towing capacity is how much you can pull on straight and level roads only. Put a couple of hills in the picture and you need to lower the weight to compensate or your looking for a service problem over time.

    IMHO, You cannot and should not tow at max capacity in real world driving conditions. If I was to "GUESS" I would "SUGGEST" you do not tow any more than 75% of a vehicles rated capacity.

    And for safety I would "SUGGEST" a vehicle weigh at least %55 of what it is towing. If your towing 5000 lbs you should have a GVW of 2750 lbs. Unless you prefer the trailer to pass you on the highway.
  • fordsporttracfordsporttrac Member Posts: 300
    Oh I forgot to mention the shimmy feels like the power steering pump is pulsing at idle RPMs during a slow turn like in a parking lot. Increase the RPMs by 100 and it stops.

    Its not a highway shimmy in the steering.
  • mahimahimahimahi Member Posts: 497
    I'm working right now on uploading the article on driveway.com This site is like a "public storage" for files. You only get 25MB free so I scanned it in black and white photo mode, except the page with the torque curve I scanned it in color. The storage room I created is for anyone on this page if you want to maybe post something that isn't available online. The thing is it's only got room for 25MB so we'll have to store one thing at a time at least with this article because even in Blk & White it's about 18MB or so. The username you need to use is "frontracspace" and the password is "frontrac". :-) It's going to take me awhile to upload it because I have AOL, soon to get Roadrunner though.
  • goobagooba Member Posts: 391
    fordsporttrac,you made some good points.I agree with some of what you said.I think there is something that we are all forgetting about because I have not seen it mentioned yet,and that is the GCVW(gross combined vehicle weight). This is the determining factor on how much you can safely pull.My 4x4 CC with auto has a GCVW of 9500lbs.With a curb weight of 4141lbs,that leaves only 359lbs for passenger(s)and stuff if I wanted to tow a 5000lb load.If I follow the mfg recommendations and load the trailer right,getting the tongue weight correct,I should be able to go anywhere I want.Granted,the hills would take some time,but the use of the lower gear will handle the load.
  • mahimahimahimahi Member Posts: 497
    Ok it's on there. Once you login it's under the file boat trailer article. There's only three files you'll see it because it's the file with 17MB. Once you click on the file it will bring you the 4 pages just check each page and then download them. You'll see page 3.1 listed first. This really page three but in Blk & white, the color version I had was too big(12MB) it made the dl 25.8MB Try this link:

    http://www.driveway.com/web/logon.jsp
  • mahimahimahimahi Member Posts: 497
    I just tried the link, it's a shortcut that takes you right to the pages of the article. Just double click on the page and the hit the download button on the right. Let me know if you have any problems.
  • steve234steve234 Member Posts: 460
    croy2: You are a good exzmple of what I mean. You ignore the many reputable magazines and respect a magazine that has no respect in the automotive industry because of its bias.

    gooba: I own (among other vehicles) a 91 F150 which is soon to be retired after 170,000 miles of faithful service. My next vehicle will be a 01 Dakota Q. All of my vehicles are highly sought after when they are sold because of the care I give them. I am looking at the next set of wheels for my wife in the next two years. I put on roughly 50,000 miles each year on my vehicles, but I do not haul professionally any more. I have more road experience than I care to mention, but I have driven professionally in 5 countries and have held an international license.

    keanac: Do you know how well your brakes work? A 75 travel trailer will have electric brakes, but have you done the tests to insure full operation? If you do not know what type, how can you perform maintenance? Before you or any one else tows a heavy load, they should take the rig to the nearest commercial scale. That will tell you the load on the trailer. Unfortuneately, too few people know the limitations that a trailer imposes. The idiots on the road have no respect for the amount of time it takes to shut down a large rig. You can get into some hairy situations and the more you push the limits, the more you push your luck. An experienced trucker knows the fear of having several tons of trailer being shoved up his butt in an emergency stop. When you hit the brakes hard, the dynamics of the rig change dramatically. Good hauling techniques can make a major difference. You start with at the beginning. When you set a rig up, you have to consider the vehicle wt/brakes/footprint, the trailer wt/brakes/length and angle of incidence, and then look at road conditions and traffic factors. I can haul my 5000 lb boat around with my 18 Craftsman mower, but that doesn't make it prudent to haul on the road. A good driver does not trust in the factory safety factors. He adds his own.

    mahimahi: You are the perfecet example of arrogant ignorance. You sell boats for five years and are now a expert on towing. My experience and that of the dozen or so boat dealers(Ranger, Cobalt, Bryant, Bluewater, Formula, Carver, Harbormaster, etc.) that I know, is that salemen are a dime a dozen. Good ones are a gem, but most haven't got a clue as to what is happening in the real world. You wouldn't know a jake brake if you heard one. You and Vince8 are two of a kind. You both take parts of articles as enforcement of your opinions. The Truck Trend article was clearly pro Sporttrac because in their opinion, the SCwas the more refined offering. That those not infer inferiority of the CC, just that Nissan needs to look at some areas. The main fault most people find with the CC is that the rear seating shows the lack of thought that later offerings come with and the engine is too whinny. The Trailer Boats article on the Xterra was very short and not very detailed. They failed to explain why they hooked up 4000 lbs to a vehicle that is rated for 3500. Normally they test the limit of a tow rating, but experienced readers will be aware that they do not endorse pushing the limits.

    I, like many others, check out what other sites say about what is on the market. I may not plan on owning a particular vehicle, but many people ask me for my opinion and I try to be informed. I have been touching this forum for several months and have not been impressed with a few of the attitudes, particularly on the CC side. I have looked at many of the pickup sites on Edmunds, but few of them have the animosity this one does, without being specifically setup for that purpose.
  • mahimahimahimahi Member Posts: 497
    I never said I was an expert on townig. I do have alot of experience, not just towing one size but several different size of boats from 12ft to 26ft. All with different kinds of trucks. Also thanks for lumping me in the clueless salesman group, eventhough you don't even know my 'real world' knowledge. What would you like to know? Also, I never used an article to support any of my posts. I posted the article findings for Vince8 since he was looking for it. Did you see a quote? I didn't think so! I didn't post the article because they towed something.

    Since you want to throw stones...
    Also since it sounds like you're a trucker maybe you sould wait until the speed wears off or take some Zanax before you start your posts. You sound like a very angry person.Or if you don't like the topic and how we are discussing things...just don't read it.
  • keaneckeanec Member Posts: 349
    1) I agree with Croy2 that many of your "respected" magazines are biased towards the advertisers - without the advertisers they are out of business and woulnd't be respected. Although I don't put anymore stock in Consumer Reports. I tend to talk to people I know and trust and get their experiences.
    2) I dropped my CC off at larry's trailer centre along with the trailer and had it inspected and was told everything is up to snuff and the brakes are working great! Sorry I couldn't answer you brake question, not all people fix/service their own vehicles. I trust my vehicle to the professionals; not to some backyard mechanic who thinks he/she knows everything. I am going to investigate the type of brakes that are on the trailer - ie. check with Coachmen (and Larry when he gets off holidays). I am also going to research your statement that my Father-in-law and I are lunatics for towing at/close to rated capacity. It might take me a while but if you peruse this town-hall I will post my results later.
    3)Get a life!! - not all salesmen are idiots; I happened to be one for a couple of years and my customers would have been suprised to learn that I don't know anything - I have my strong points and weakpoints - as do mahimahi and any other salesmen.
    4) are/were you a professional truck driver? Is that why you claim to be vastly more intelligent than us peons who dare to own Nissans?? give me a break!
  • keaneckeanec Member Posts: 349
    Also, to appease my curiosity, I will bring my truck and trailer to a scale and get a reading.

    I find it very hard to believe that Nissan (or any car manufacturer) would state a rating that is unsafe!! It is called Lawsuit in a big way!! When manufacturers state things like "Range 5 miles" they ALWAYS qualify it if 1. that only happens under ideal conditions, and 2. there could be injury/death if used at the max rating for prolonged periods. Nissan doesn't qualify its rating by saying "only tow 4000lbs to be safe"

    I will ask them and see what they say.
  • croy2croy2 Member Posts: 45
    I don't base my auto decisions magazine article reviews. There are enought mags out there that you can always find one to support your opinions, even if your vehicle is a Ford. Thanks for listing your prestigious driving qualifications for all of us. I am really impressed. You know what they say about people that have to brag about how qualified they are. I too drive a lot of miles, and I know a good vehicle when I drive one. To date, I have not driven a Ford product that impressed me at all. Due to prior company car benefits, I have been the unlucky operator of a Ford Taurus (2), Explorer (2), and a Ranger. Luckily, the company car lease company turned these vehicles over at 60K miles. At 60K every one of them was ridden with rattles and numerous mechanical problems. I now get paid by the mile to drive a vehicle of my choice, and my Nissan SE crewcab has been great so far.
  • scape2scape2 Member Posts: 4,123
    Here we go again, Ford bad, Nissan good. No questions asked garbage. If Fords are all so terrible, unreliable, lack quality why in the He.. are they still in business after how many years?? Why do they continue to make profits? Why do they continue to outsell Nissan 20 to 1 maybe more?? in truck and car sales? Who needed bailing out of financial difficulties? Hmmm.. wasn't Ford... Why does the Frontier rate so low at JD Powers in quality? Why are so many Fords on the recommended buy list in both Consumer reports and Consumers Digest? This Ford bashing cracks me up. Ford makes quality vehicles... the consumer has spoken with buying them year after year after year after year........
  • ricprricpr Member Posts: 24
    Well, I see your at the name calling game again! Let's see if we can redirect. I sensed that Keanec may have considered purchasing a Dodge if it weren't for price as per his response to Round Rock TX. I have to say since I am in Austin, I agree with Round Rock. If the three vehicles were the same price... which do you buy? I still stand by the Dodge due to overall versatility. While domestic auto makers may drop the ball on car quality, I believe that truck quality is considerably different. Trucks are the mainstay of domestic auto makers. Sales figures aside, most people prefer domestic trucks because of versatility, which in the Dodge means more space and cylinders.
  • keaneckeanec Member Posts: 349
    You are pretty much right on - on all your comments. Yes, I would very much consider the Dodge, and would probably buy it if the price was reasonable. The American companies do rely on the Trucks as their bread & butter and because of this the quality is much higher than in their cars. I would never consider buying any Chrysler car product - including their minivans - but trucks are different. Same goes for Ford, their F150 is rock solid, but there Taurus & Windstars have a miriad of problems. On the other hand, the Japanese rely on their cars, and maybe that is why the Frontier doesn't rate as well with JD.

    Vince8 - since you want to continue to spout off, and maybe fordsporttrack would agree with me, sales does not equal quality. Microsoft mean anything to you? Because Nissan is in financial trouble doesn't mean their cars are lousy. Things such as design, appeal, MARKETING, and others is what makes sales. Did you know that for many years (I don't know if that is the case now)American companies only allowed there lower level employees to buy American fleet cars? Also, the rental car companies for many years only used american cars. What is the # one selling car in the US? Ford? hopefully you get my point. For my part, I am not saying they don't make any quality products, just that they have some serious quality issues with some of their products. I don't think that is Ford bashing, just stating a point.

    In my opinion - Nissans whole line of vehicles, although maybe not a flashy, or well styled as other companies, are quality vehicles. The prices are reasonable for the usually outstanding quality that you get. Maybe Ford & Dodge aren't as plain and have some small design advantages but it is hard to argue with the value/quality with Nissan - even if they are going broke :)

    Vince8 - as an aside you have/do won a Ranger and a Contour. I know you like them but what, if any, servicing, small and big, have you done outside oil changes?
  • cncmancncman Member Posts: 487
    Vince,
    Finally found out where you were hiding, I see you get completely shut down in the ranger vs frontier topic and decide to come here and spread the same garbage around because you don't want to respond to the people that challenged what you said before. I am still waiting for your fax # to send you that article that showed the ranger's suspension was worse, what are you afraid of?
    OK, let's go over this for the umpteenth time.
    Higher sales do not = higher quality. You still have not demonstrated that it does. Hyundai has not gone out of business and has been selling more and more each year, and they have the worst reputation for reliability, why is that? Ford outsells Nissan because they are a domestic company, because they have government and fleet sales, because they finance just about anyone. Can you explain why Nissan truck sales were up 56% while ford truck sales were up only 3%? How does that fit in with your argument? I said before that if you want to say that the ranger is better than the frontier because it outsells it then you have to admit the frontier is better than the mazda because the frontier outsells it, is that what you are telling us now? As to the JD power survey, how did the ranger do in comparison to the frontier the last two years? I know you won't look it up so let's just see who was the highest of all compact trucks, the frontier. All this means is that on one survey the ranger scored higher and on the previous two the frontier rated higher, and these are essentially the same trucks since 98, so what does this prove? How many Nissans are on the same recommended list? Why is Ford still rated by your beloved JD power below the industry standard and Nissan above the industry standard, how does this fit in with your theory? Why is it that EVERY publication rates the frontier better in reliability than the ranger? Not to mention that intellichoice rates the frontier better in maintenance, repairs, insurance, resale value and all costs of ownership. Which compact truck did consumer reports rate as highest in resale value, that's right, the CC. And if the Nissan products were so bad, why are the crew cabs and Xterras still flying off of the dealers lot faster than Nissan can build them and why is it that ford, dodge, toyota, and chevy were so concerned with the sales of the CC that they copied it and came out with a version of their own?
    So vince, here we go again, you get shut down in one room and refuse to respond to the garbage you throw around, hide for awhile and move to another room and start spreading the same misinformation around again, then it just repeats again, well, you'll run out of rooms pretty soon.
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