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Or the Edge.
Hope this helps :shades:
Even if I have the cruise set at 75, and I reset the MPG computer, its getting 15 or, thats crap. No acceleration, maintaing 75 and I am getting 15mpg!!! Either other people are lying, or my explorer has something wrong with it. ANy ideas?
ARE getting what we're getting. You'll get 15-16 on the freeway, and 13 in town. That's what we get. You, however, have your foot in the intake manifold, if you get 9.5 in town. It'll get a tad better as it breaks in, but this is what all truck based SUVs get, regardless of size, really. If you want more mileage, you have to go to a Minivan based SUV, like the Pilot. They do a little better, because they're lighter. But they are no way as tough, if you tow, or haul, or are tough on a truck, like on bad roads a lot.
21 MPG at steady 70 MPH on X-way.
It's either driving habits or something is wrong. A good check for the effect of driving habits is to count the number of brake applications. Every time you apply the brakes, you're converting fuel to heat.
As far as the pilot goes, not an option, I pull a boat, and those things couldn't even pull my boat trailer without the boat. I am definitely a Truck-based SUV guy, (plus my father-in-law works at the plant in KC)
I will post the results of my fuel experiment, as well as the brake idea, although, I reset the MPG computer and even while braking, it doesn't drop, but we shall see.
I think your car is fine, it's just your location and driving necessities that are eating up your mileage.
my '02 explorer actually gets it's best mileage on long 75-80 mph trips. downshifting and braking make a noticeable, negative difference.
My new explorer V8 is very sensitive to my right foot. If I take it easy, gas mileage is about what the sticker says. If you use all 290+ horsepower very often, you will pay the price in gasoline. We did a 250 mile loop through Rocky Mountain National Park this weekend and got 19.7 mpg. With typical suburban-freeway mix with very little stop and go, I get about 15 mpg. The car computer seems very accurate compared with the hand method of figuring gas mileage.
Overall, I'm pretty happy with the car. It's a company vehicle, not what I would have chosen to spend personal money on, but we get a smokin' fleet deal on Fords, and I don't have to buy the gas. The off-road ability is just marginal, but I'm particularly happy with the ride and quietness. The seats are pretty good (I have leather) and the audiophile stereo is quite decent. I'm selling my VW Touareg, which I will miss, but not the cost of keeping it on the road.
So with all this babbling my question is for those of you who have had your 2006 Explorer for a number of months(or for the past year). How are your plastics holding up? Are they rattling on the inside? Has the plastic front grill cracked from road debris? If you have the 18" Chrome-plastic covered wheels how have they held up(cause I have'em). I really like a lot of things about this vehicle I just worry about the plastics(in particular the front grill).
Happy Driving....
Given the retail price is inflated and you work your deal off the invoice not the retail but I would have gladly given Ford an extra $1000 of my money if the materials used were a bit richer and I feel it would go a long way toward Ford winning over a few more customers.
You probably should have checked out the Mercury Mountaineer. The interior materials are a bit better but you still get the same truck underneath. Although the exterior isn't quite as nice IMO.
A) Your fuel economy would drop a bit-more weight
It would dent and nick, later rusting
C) Cheaper to produce- More money in your wallet
D) Lower cost of replacement -in case there's an accident
E) Safer in an accident -it's designed to absorb certain forces
The pros outweigh the con.
Same with interior bits/pieces. More money has been placed to improve the interior of the Explorer/Mountaineer and overall ALL materials are improved from the previous generations which was good at that. And a long way from what they were in the 90's, in fact, it's triple the investment.
Other than that, there's really no other material to be used for interiors. Corian/Granite/Silestone were deemed a bit too heavy and expensive.
Didn't that couple over in Bedrock, Fred and Wilma, have one of those?
tidester, host
The car we moved from was a 1999 Nissan Maxima we had since new and everything about the the car was so well done I'm just overly picky, in particular the interior.
Thanks again,
R.
But the new benefits are less sunlight glare, and Im sure slightly reduced weight. who needs a living room on wheels anyway. :shades:
If I get leadfooted, definitely drops to 9mpg or so.
So far, it's exceeded my expectations.
Only pulling a "virtual" boat in spirit this month. If I get the bayliner next year, I'm sure I'll be paying dearly at the pump. I've noted that the middle grade 89 octane Shell brand is giving about 2mpg more than the 87... might be a diff in ethanol content? I dont know if the fuel chemists would substantiate these findings.
I towed a 5100# travel trailer with my 2006 Mountaineer. Over a 4,000 mile roud trip from AZ to MI and return. At one point I was parked in a damp grassy area and had to pull out up hill. No problem.
A great vehicle that has exceeded my expectations.
don't worry about towing.
With traction control the brake on the slipping wheel is applied, allowing all torque to be directed to the driving wheel.
Does the M'eer AWD have that feature, or is it just simple AWD all the time???...or, is there something about my understanding of AWD that eludes me???
The AWD on the Mountaineer in standard mode automatically detects a slipping wheel(s) and instantly compensates.
I also thought the Explorer leather seats were the best of any I tried yesterday, and more comfortable than the cloth seats.
Our Explorer will be a RWD XLT V8 with:
96A - Convenience Group - automatic lights, electrochromic interior mirror, keyless entry & keypad, compass
47A - XLT Appearance Package - color keyed front and rear fascias & wheel lip moldings, black running boards, 17" machined wheels, door bezel film
96L - XLT Comfort Group - security approach lamps, illuminated visors, overhead console, rear dome & map light, leather steering wheel,
V - XLT Leather Heated Seats Package - black power heated exterior mirrors with approach lamps, leather seats w/lumbar supports, 10-way power driver
21E - Safety Canopy
76H - Reverse Sensing System
435 - Rear Cargo Shade
Yes, we could get an Eddie Bauer, but equipped the same, it is $500 more, and does not offer the Pueblo Gold color we want.
I will add a Pioneer EVIC-Z1 navigation unit with the Pioneer XM radio and XM NavTraffic unit and Pioneer Bluetooth unit, and upgrade the speakers as required.
I will replace the running boards with the Ford "frame hider," and may also add other things such as Homelink and "sheepskins" or even the perforated Mountaineer front seat covers (and keep the originals to reinstall before selling it).
The excellent NHTSA and IIHS wreck test ratings of the Explorer were also a factor in our decision.
To finally satisfy my curiosity, I rented a 4Runner a few weeks ago and drove it over 200 miles in one day for business. It is quiet, and the 4.0 V6 was so strong that I opened the hood to make sure I had not been given a V8 rental. The cargo area is nice and wide,a nd the shelf for two level storage is very nice. However, the solid rear axle does what I expected, bouncing around and creating a rough ride , and the cup holders are too large and too far away.
We also seriously considered the RAV4, as it has a strong V6, excellent mileage ratings, nice interior storage, and a good price, but the seats curve forward at the top, and might just cause the same bad back pain the '05 Sienna I mistakenly bought caused :mad: , plus its wreck test ratings are not as good as those of the Explorer.
The big new GMC Acadia and Saturn Relay are at the show (rotating, not to be touched), but the Mazda CX-9 was nowhere to be found. The new CRV is nice, but only comes with a weak 4. The Edge is there, also rotating and not to be touched. The MKX is on a platform, also not to be touched. The pre-production MKZ is kept locked.
One other thing we didn't like about the EB was the fake wood. I much prefer the carbon fiber look the XLT has surrounding the center console and on the door rests. We have the tan interior with the carbon and I think it looks pretty sharp. My father-in-law has an EB V8 with the tan interior and the plood and I don't particularly care for it that much. But he does and that's all that counts.
Good choice with the Explorer. You won't be disappointed. Although the Edge is quite nice too and gives you V8 power in a V6 with decent fuel economy if that's your cup of tea. It's just a little small for us right now.
I need help understanding your statement:"I believe there is no such feature available anymore on the Mountaineer."
1- Airplane like noise, when demanding additional power from the engine, under medium to high engine load. It seems to be initiated by the throttle, and disappears when the load goes down.
2- Engine lacks of power when the airplane like noise appears... It happened also to my wife when driving uphill in normal city driving conditions, but I did not believe her.
3- When in flat sand, the car will not move in 4WD High... engine revs up to about 3500RPM, none of the wheels spin, feels like if the car is on "neutral", except that the engine won't rev higher than this. The only way of getting the car to move is by engaging 4WD low and... have some friends pushing!!! until reaching a downhill slope, then I can stop, switch to 4WD high and continue driving normally without being able to stop on flat ground without getting stuck by this lack of traction.
I went to the dealer... they checked "everything on the computer" and checked the "levels and pressures" in the transmission, and concluded that everything is perfectly normal with my car.
Can I have some suggestions on what the problems might be? I believe the mechanics available around here (Sultanate of Oman) require some guidance. There are no other Ford Dealers around.
Other question: can I drive for long periods of time in 4WD low?
Thanks
Mario :confuse:
I don't have a clue about your other issues.
i managed to worm my way back out of the sand on the outer banks with my rear tires close to 40 psi. broke out into a major sweat doing it, though. recommended pressure was about 20 psi.
According to pg. 228 of the '06 Mountaineer Owner's Guide, 4X4 mode available only on vehicles equipped with AdvanceTrac with RSC.
It's engaged by going to Setup in the message center, then pressing reset to select AWD locked. This is the 4X4 mode, and "4X4" appears in the instrument cluster.
It is different from the Explorer in that it has only one range, which seems to be the same final drive ratio as with AWD. That's fine with me. Even though I do some off-roading, I don't expect to ever need the extra grunt provided by low range.
I'll keep the owner's guide at my desk to field further inquiries.