Ford Explorer Ecoboost = SUV fail

[565]

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/suvs/1108_ford_explorer_ecoboost_test/


I've never seen a vehicle get such a poor review... like ever.

[SVT666]

Me neither.  It can't be all bad, it's selling like crazy.  I see them everywhere.

[565]

Me neither.  It can't be all bad, it's selling like crazy.  I see them everywhere.

To be fair, the old Taurus sold well while they were crap as well, at least for a while.

[Soup DeVille]

Wow.

I don't know where to begin, but I did love this little gem: "Yes, my kneecaps are thankful Harry Bennett is dead."

You don't often see journalists willing to dig up the darker side of Ford history for such a casual remark.

[2o6]

I'm taking it with a grain of salt, since they slammed the non-Ecoboost model for no reason.


Seriously, they lambasted a preproduction mule for having fit and finish issues.  Then they said virtually nothing about the Mazda CX-9's interior space and packaging, but gave it the win because it was the most fun to drive.

[Eye of the Tiger]

How is that thing $42k. I don't get it.

[Soup DeVille]

How is that thing $42k. I don't get it.

Massive inflation and over regulation.

I blame Obama.

[2o6]

How is that thing $42k. I don't get it.

The GM Triplets can get that expensive...

[GoCougs]

Wow.

Brand management product develoment under Mulally has been poor.

[Soup DeVille]

Wow.

Brand management product develoment under Mulally has been poor.

Its unfair to base that conclusion on this vehicle alone. Ford has made some very good moves during his tenure as well.

[SVT_Power]

LOL at the amount of brutal remarks at the explorer. I didn't even think this level of criticism was possible for a 21st century car.

[Laconian]

F u motortrend!!! Not only did u rob the f150 of its truck of the year award but to talk all this crap on Ford??? Go love ur plastic nasty silverado bailed out garbage all u dumb asses hating on the only company that didn't take ur money and is putting better cars out than any car co in the us,  fools!!! That's y everything is the way it is GM got car and truck of the year, and the Cayman suv of the year??? That's why so many people are gonna go drive it for themselves cause their tired of all YOU DAM SELL OUTS HOW MUCH DID GM PAY U TO TRASH THIS TRUCK?? HOW DID THE NORTH AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW NAME THIS TRUCK OF THE YEAR??? I HOPE ALL THOSE PEOPLE THAT DON'T BELIEVE U AND GO DRIVE IT FOR THEMSELVES LIKE ME, WILL BUY IT!!!

[Soup DeVille]

F u motortrend!!! Not only did u rob the f150 of its truck of the year award but to talk all this crap on Ford??? Go love ur plastic nasty silverado bailed out garbage all u dumb asses hating on the only company that didn't take ur money and is putting better cars out than any car co in the us,  fools!!! That's y everything is the way it is GM got car and truck of the year, and the Cayman suv of the year??? That's why so many people are gonna go drive it for themselves cause their tired of all YOU DAM SELL OUTS HOW MUCH DID GM PAY U TO TRASH THIS TRUCK?? HOW DID THE NORTH AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW NAME THIS TRUCK OF THE YEAR??? I HOPE ALL THOSE PEOPLE THAT DON'T BELIEVE U AND GO DRIVE IT FOR THEMSELVES LIKE ME, WILL BUY IT!!!

Thus entereth the VOICE OF REASON.


(you are supposed to read the all caps part in a booming James Earl Jones voice with lots of reverb)

[Laconian]

Thus entereth the VOICE OF REASON.


(you are supposed to read the all caps part in a booming James Earl Jones voice with lots of reverb)

http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/12460375/historical-figurez-movie

[Submariner]

well...mytouch does suck a big one...

[Soup DeVille]

well...mytouch does suck a big one...

My opinion on all of those systems has a range that goes from annoyed to blase. 

[Atomic]

How is that thing $42k. I don't get it.

just check a few boxes, adding options, packages. i reference a buddy's ford SHO on occasion and he claims his loaded vehicle topped over $48,000.00. he is having many of the same issues the publishers have cited, plus it has a very unsettled ride. the "MYFORD" system never worked in his SHO. he has only owned fords and is baffled. he recently test drove a 2011 ford explorer limited with all options. he was disappointed, claiming that it was no better than the ford taurus x, more wagon than anything closely related to what he differentiates as a "crossover" or SUV.

[Galaxy]

Poor handling, and the touch aside, it sounds like a small diesel engine would solve most of their compliants. They obvioulsly needed to ?force the 4 banger to high rpm to get a somewhat adequate performance, hence the poor fuel economy. A diesel would causually pull the thing forward, thanks to the torque at low rpm.

[Atomic]

ford car/truck/suv/crossover prices have seemed to shoot up considerably over the past few years. without mercury, i think FMC attempted to compensate with upgraded and costlier fords. not so certain the customer is aware and experiencing sticker shock, but i certainly have when checking out new fords recently.

[GoCougs]

Its unfair to base that conclusion on this vehicle alone. Ford has made some very good moves during his tenure as well.

Beyond the Explorer, the Taurus has been mediocre, the Fusion and Mustang are languishing, and there have been continued miscues and meh-ness - from the Flex to the whole of Lincoln. The only real product notables have been the trucks and maybe the new Focus.

[GoCougs]

Poor handling, and the touch aside, it sounds like a small diesel engine would solve most of their compliants. They obvioulsly needed to ?force the 4 banger to high rpm to get a somewhat adequate performance, hence the poor fuel economy. A diesel would causually pull the thing forward, thanks to the torque at low rpm.

That would make their complaints worse for the MPG complaint was relatively minor. A small diesel would be slower and throttle response would make it seem that much more so.

[Atomic]

the 2013 model year will see many changes:

- restyled Taurus, SHO, MKS
- restyled Flex, MKX, Expedition, Navigator (EL version likely terminated)
- new fusion, MKZ (moving to new global platform)
- all new interiors to all lincoln models to further differentiate the luxury division from that of ford, to begin with 2013 models (moving to all lincoln vehicles over a two year period)

that is all i recall from the annual automotive news report. according to this edition, the expedition and navigator redesigns were delayed due to its future's uncertainty. plans are back on, due to trucks and SUVs doing better than expected.

[Atomic]

That would make their complaints worse for the MPG complaint was relatively minor. A small diesel would be slower and throttle response would make it seem that much more so.

i think a diesel engine, even a hybrid would be a tough sell in this type of vehicle, due to its "lifestyle" and "family-type" image and likely increase in vehicle costs.

[ifcar]

Beyond the Explorer, the Taurus has been mediocre, the Fusion and Mustang are languishing, and there have been continued miscues and meh-ness - from the Flex to the whole of Lincoln. The only real product notables have been the trucks and maybe the new Focus.

The Fusion, Taurus, Edge and Explorer are all selling well. Not all of those products are especially strong -- the Taurus in particular -- but they're definitely selling.

[Atomic]

Massive inflation and over regulation.

I blame Obama.

lol!

[GoCougs]

And I forgot about the Edge - so where does that fit again in the Expedition/Flex/Explorer paradigm? (That's rhetorical.)

[ifcar]

And I forgot about the Edge - so where does that fit again in the Expedition/Flex/Explorer paradigm? (That's rhetorical.)

The answer to your rhetorical question is that it fits into the place in Ford's lineup in which it finds an extra 100k+ customers per year even while slotted between a strong-selling Explorer and even stronger-selling Escape.

[Galaxy]

That would make their complaints worse for the MPG complaint was relatively minor. A small diesel would be slower and throttle response would make it seem that much more so.

A small gasoline engine needs to be reved to pull, whereas a diesel can pull out of the basement. The gasoline engine might be faster 0-100kmh but that is largely irrelevant in day to day driving. 0-30, 80-120, is what matters in day to day driving.

[GoCougs]

The answer to your rhetorical question is that it fits into the place in Ford's lineup in which it finds an extra 100k+ customers per year even while slotted between a strong-selling Explorer and even stronger-selling Escape.

The answer to my rhetorical question is Ford should have cut down on lineup redundancy to bolster existing product; Mustang, Fusion, Ranger, Focus all languished whilst Ford spent time and money on redundancy such as the Edge (and Flex).

[GoCougs]

A small gasoline engine needs to be reved to pull, whereas a diesel can pull out of the basement. The gasoline engine might be faster 0-100kmh but that is largely irrelevant in day to day driving. 0-30, 80-120, is what matters in day to day driving.

One of the chief complaints in this write-up was poor acceleration. A small diesel would only make it worse. If an engine is slower 0 - 60 it'll be slower in day-to-day driving too; and diesel throttle lag will add perception to that.