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Comments
I am interested in the 2011 Limited 4WD. Does this version come standard with a moon roof over the driver/passenger area? My understanding was the Dual Panel Moonroof option was for a moon roof over the rear passenger area section and does not need to be selected to get a moon roof for the driver/passenger area.
Please advise.
Thank you
Sam
I'm simply saying that these new F/awd systems are flawed in that they either become USELESS (TC dethrottling and braking) or even PATENTLY UNSAFE in the very conditions, marginally traction conditions, for which most purchase them.
Loss of traction on the front wheels of a FWD or F/awd vehicle resulting from the use of too much engine drive torque for conditions is a really SERIOUS matter and therefore must be addressed URGENTLY. The new 2011 Ford Explorer addresses that urgency using INSTANT TC activation.
That urgency does not allow for a really useful SUV in certain common wintertime roadbed conditions.
The buying public is being sold a "load of poles" already with ANY F/awd system and even to a greater depth calling a sous ear (the 2011 Explorer)a silk purse (the legacy Explorer).
*** The 4runner "torsen" system or the latest Cayenne using the same elctromechanical clutch system as the 2011 Ford Explorer but for front drive torque apportionment would be my ideal R/awd systems.
Sure, they added a few technological aspects, but that could have, would have, been done to the Taurus X if it had not failed to be accepted in the marketplace.
Before purchasing a new 2011 Ford Explorer one should think long and hard about the platform's previous failure in the marketplace. Will rebadging the Taurus X as a Ford Explorer make it a success in the marketplace...?
Really....??!!
The Dual-panel moon roof is optional only on the XLT and Limited trim. No moon roof will come standard. Also, the moon roof does not hit the 3rd row--only 1st and second.
Check out this video to see it in action!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-ag8CG4pok
At the recent Seattle auto show while I didn't get a very good look at the undercarriage it looked to me as if both the PTO and the rear diff'l/clutch might be water cooled.
It that the case..?
The Ford Escape and Mariner seem to have had an inordinate level of failures of these two drive line components, apparently due to over heating from inadvertent over use, reliance, by drivers. Does the new Explorer have that same temperature sensor setup in the rear diff'l/clutch as the Escape/Mariner to warn the driver that the drive line is overheating...?
The Mazda CX-7 using the same F/awd setup has always used water cooling for the PTO. Seemingly that has solved the overheating issue for the CX-7 F/awd system. The 2011 MDX also has a temperature sensor in the rear "diff'l" I assume for the same reasons as the Escape.
or maybe i should say does the 2011 explorer have roof rails if it has a sun/moon roof?
with the edge it is either/or.
Specifically, the Terrain Management System is getting a lot of praise.
USA Today (Dec. 17):
"All new Explorer makes a statement. Its smooth, comfy, smart and classy"
Wall Street Journal (Dec. 18-19):
"On the road, the Explorer acquits the product planners with ride and handling that is stable, car-like and serene. The rear independent multilink suspension keeps the big machine planted......and the ride is composed and quiet, even with the 20 inch wheel and tire package on the Limited edition. Wind and road noise are competently smothered. I like it. Actually, I like it a lot better than before........."
Is this what you wanted?
Typically, most vehicles would have some bit of fixed load floor between the rearmost seat and the tailgate.
I guess this is more similar to the way it would be in a minivan??
Very much so. My 2000 Odyssey has a hole like that.
The well behind the third seat then keeps groceries and other cargo from rolling around on the floor of the vehicle.
Are you planning to carry something all the time that would be in the way when you fold and unfold the 3rd row? I guess I don't understand the issue or the alternative design.
If it is a 30% improvement on the 2010 model it will only increase the fuel economy by one mile per gallon on the current 2011 models being released.
If it is 30% improvement of the 2011 model it would put the hwy epa somewhere around 30.
Big difference.
A DFI enegine can have a compression ratio as high as 12:1. The EcoBoost engine, otherwise, previously known, as the TwinForce Gas-Guzling Gas-HOG, must be run in derated/detuned mode, substandard CR, the ~98% of the time you are simply in "cruise" mode.
The 30% number Ford is touting is an apples to oranges comparison. Yes, the EcoBoost I4 engine can match the HP/torque output of the non-DFI V6 while also equaling its FE. But the I4, of the V6 w/DFI, could have even better FE with a standard base compression ratio were it not necessary to provide for BOOST.
Ford = EcoBoost, magicians trick....."look over here, not over there"...STUPID...!!
Sorry, no, they're taking it for granted that the SUV buying public is STUPID.
And you known, looking around at the mostly non-functional F/awd systems they might well be correct.
EcoBoost/(TwinForce), Ford's latest LOOSER...!!
No, sorry, that's just WRONG..! Ford's latest LOOSER would be taking the FreeStyle/Taurus X body/frame/drive train and putting the Explorer label on it.
A FWD Explorer...REALLY...?
Sorta like a Jeep Compass FWD, who cares...?
I love my '02, but we have had good luck with our '04 and '09 Escapes and '07 Fusion AWD.
The negatives from my POV are it's kind of big and if fuel prices rise, I am not sure I would give up my '02 EB V8 for a few extra mpg.
I would miss the EB trim, too.
All other trucks I have ever owned or seen, including the old Explorer, Pathfinder, Pilot, Expedition, the seats fold flat into the floor without creating a rear well.
SO. If you need to temporarily use the third row, when you open it in the New Explorer, all your equipment now goes into the "well". Now, you need to fold the seat back down to put more stuff inside, and you have to empty the well before you can fold the seats down.
If, for example, you need to shove a large cooler into the truck , in the other trucks you could simply fold down one half of the rear seats and shove the cooler in. In the new explorer, you would first have to "empty the well" then reload.
The well area is where the spare tire is stored in all those vehicles. Honda had the first well in minivans for the magic seat. Since then, it's become the standard in minivans. Honda stores the spare between the first two rows.
I deal with emptying the well when needing to drop the third row. Personally, I prefer the well as it keeps things from moving around the back of the vehicle.
The new explorer is now a cool looking mini-van.
And FINALLY....
Badge it with....
2012 Ford EXPEDITION.
Jbellet, check the Ford Explorer/Mercury Mountaineer Prices Paid and Buying Experience discussion.
Yes, many SUV owners have no need for 4WD 90, maybe even 98% of the time, and somewhere around maybe only .0001% of the time only, ONLY, as a life saving measure.
Pay attention to the sales of tire studs, for instance, useless and even harmful (to the roadbed) alsmost 100% of the time, but a life saving measure 0.00001% of the time.
Why...tire studs are really inexpensive life insurance.
Why so, the previous versions, the Ford FreeStyle and the Taurus X, quite clearly failed in the marketplace, COMPLETELY failed.
Loyalty of historical Ford Explorer owners....look at last years sales for the answer to that.
This new 2011 Ford Explorer is simply, and only, a Ford Edge with enough room for a third seat.
The 2011 has the name to rebuild upon, lots better fuel efficiency and it'll still handle parking in a muddy field if a deluge happens during the soccer game. Standard 3rd road seats means even more appeal to families who don't want a minivan.
For the heavy towing or off-road users, there's the Grand Cherokee. But that'll cost you more. And that "truck" is a unibody as well.
2011 Ford Explorer (sacbee.com)
Meanwhile, maybe some people actually interested in buying one will weigh in here.
I'm interested to try the My Ford Touch system, I saw it in an Edge but didn't have much time to try it out.
I don't need serious off roading capabilities or a third row seat, so it's kind of a toss up between the two. It will ultimately come down to a combination of price (I'm leasing) and which one I like best.
One of them has a Sterling Gray, so I will take a look tomorrow.
Expedition based on the same platform? Bad dream. Makes no sense. Not happening.
Seems like someone isn't measuring right...
Also, when will crash tests be out on the the new body?
EPA ratings are like that, only an estimate, not exactly "real worldish".
Crash tests will likely be better for the new unibody than the old frame rail since more of the weight can be put into body structure, as clearly they have done.
The 2 Explorers listed in their inventory were parked out front.
1 XLT and 1 Limited.
They look better in real life than the pictures I have seen.
Each had a good size touch screen in the dash, although only 1 had NAV listed on the sticker.
C & D's own long term test left you dangling in the wind
IIHS are already out - scored Good (the highest they give) in all three tests.