CR-V #1 and Explorer #4

[FordSVT]

Hardly.? It's a great truck.

I agree. I think most people who hate on the Explorer have never actually driven one (or haven't since 1994 maybe) and instead hate on them "cuz theyr teh Exploderz!"

For a truck based SUV, they're comfortable, handsome, and ride nicely. My dad had an 06 V8 as a rental when his Pathfinder was in the shop for three months last year, and he actually thought very highly of it, moreso than he figured he would. I think it's better than the JGC (except off road), and while it might not quite equal the Pilot for on-road dynamics, it's better off-road and it's doesn't look like a wuss-truck. And I'd DEFINITELY take an Explorer over the Highlander, that thing's a bloated-looking Camry truck.

[The Pirate]

I got a ride in a fully loaded Edge yesterday and this time I really took the time to look around inside and check out the details and this is what I found:

1. The seats are very nice and very comfortable.  Far better then the seats in our Freestyle (which I like).
2. The windshield is raked so steep that you feel a long way away from the glass, yet really close at the same time.
3. The interior quality and design is top notch.
4. The roof pillars are VERY thick.  They make it feel like there is no way the roof is ever gonna cave in, even if someone dropped a Veyron on it, however they kind of get in the way.
5. The back seat feels fairly claustrophobic.  The beltline feels too high and the pillars are too thick for good over-the-shoulder checks to the passenger side.
6. The hatch hinges almost directly over the heads of the backseat passengers because the back rakes forward quite a bit.  It makes me wonder just how much luggage one could fit back there.
7. The ride and power is really nice.

Overall, I think it's a very good SUV and one worth considering.  From the B-pillars forward it's very impressive, but from the B-pillars back it's a compromise.  I would probably still buy an Explorer over the Edge if I was in the market, but if luggage space and third row seats are not important to you, the Edge is a good choice.

I've seen a couple on the road, and I like the way they look.  I, too, would buy an Explorer over one.  IIRC, the Edge isn't particularly fuel efficient (it's rather heavy), so if I'm going to deal with the mediocre fuel economy, I want to be able to go off road a bit and tow something.  Friends of my parent's have an 04 Explorer that I've driven, and it's a good truck.  I like 'em and were I shopping for a mid sized SUV, it'd be on the list.

[CMan]

Yes.  The Explorer is still a great SUV.  It's just not a crossover so people thik it sucks.  It doesn't.

Actually, having owned one, it does suck.

Ride
Comparable to my grandfathers F350 dually.

Power
0-60 in 10.2 seconds. That says it all.

Refinement
Very little wind noise compared to competitors, but there was road noise (it had new Conti tires) to the point that you had to raise your voice to talk to a passenger going down the road at 60.

Room
I'm 6'3". I wear 36 inseam pants, so I have a different perspective than most. There was absolutely no room in the back of the Explorer. My knees were in my chin. This will put it in perspective. The Chevy Aveo, Toyota Yaris and Honda Fit all have more room in the backseat than the Explorer.



The seat is angled so that you sit nearly on the floor, and your knees have nowhere to go but up. Everytime I rode in it, I wanted to get out and pound and pound and pound on the hood, and say, why do you torture me so?

The kicker was that it got 16 MPG, and it was so anemic. I think an Expedition 5.4 would've gotten better gas mileage. We traded off the Explorer only a year after we bought it. We've never done that with anything before. We usually keep our vehicles at least 5-6 years.

I will grant you this; I've spent a week in a Grand Cherokee, and several days in a Trailblazer. I've sat in a 4Runner, and it (the Trailblazer too) had LESS backseat room than the Explorer, which I thought was impossible. The Explorer is no worse than it's competition, so all I can say is this.

Midsized truck based SUV's; DIE YOU MOFOS!!!!! DIE!!!!!!!!!!!

[SVT666]

Actually, having owned one, it does suck.

Having had 2 of them, I disagree.  But I digress.

Ride
Comparable to my grandfathers F350 dually.

Bull----.

Power
0-60 in 10.2 seconds. That says it all.

What engine did you have and what year was it?  The new ones certainly aren't that slow.

[ifcar]

Current V6 is around that.

[Tave]

The Chevy Aveo, Toyota Yaris and Honda Fit all have more room in the backseat than the Explorer.

Ah----


























HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHa


Keep DREAMING!

I will grant you this; I've spent a week in a Grand Cherokee, and several days in a Trailblazer. I've sat in a 4Runner, and it (the Trailblazer too) had LESS backseat room than the Explorer, which I thought was impossible. The Explorer is no worse than it's competition, so all I can say is this.

Midsized truck based SUV's; DIE YOU MOFOS!!!!! DIE!!!!!!!!!!!

Actually a lot of fullsizers have just as little if not less rear legroom than the midsizers. That 3rd row has to go somewhere.

Midsize SUVs are the only kind I like.

[CMan]

Bull----

Have you ridden in an F350 dually lately?

What engine did you have and what year was it?  The new ones certainly aren't that slow.

2003 Ford Explorer 4.0 V6 4X4. Here's a link.

http://www.explorerforum.com/ntrprize/spec2002.htm

[CMan]

Ah----


























HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHa


Keep DREAMING!

Actually a lot of fullsizers have just as little if not less rear legroom than the midsizers. That 3rd row has to go somewhere.

Midsize SUVs are the only kind I like.

Ours didn't have a third row. And I'm not making up shit here, nor am I biased. If I was biased against Ford, I wouldn't want a 2000 Ford Ranger.

The Explorer has more visible room, but once you sit down (remember, I have a wierdly proportioned body) those cars have more legroom. Here's a view of the legroom in the Yaris with the seat in a normal position.



In the explorer, the lack of footroom combined with the low seat pushes your knees up. Probably a few inches higher than they are in the Yaris.

[Tave]

Ours didn't have a third row. And I'm not making up shit here, nor am I biased. If I was biased against Ford, I wouldn't want a 2000 Ford Ranger.

I'm talking about fullsizers. Often, a fullsize SUV doesn't have more legroom than a Midsize SUV because the 3rd row in the fullsize eats up space, either storage or seating.

In the explorer, the lack of footroom combined with the low seat pushes your knees up. Probably a few inches higher than they are in the Yaris.

You can tell from that picture the front passenger seat is moved and leaning forward slightly.

Dude, I HAVE an Aveo. The picture of your Explorer's rear seats make mine look like a hamster cage.

[SVT666]

Have you ridden in an F350 dually lately?

Yes.  Several in fact.  I still say bullshit.

2003 Ford Explorer 4.0 V6 4X4.

That's your problem right there.  Wrong engine.  The 4.6L V8 gets 1 mpg worse mileage and gives you plenty more power.

[ifcar]

"Dude, I HAVE an Aveo. The picture of your Explorer's rear seats make mine look like a hamster cage."

It's not a question of how they look. The Aveo, too, has less physical space, but the higher seat prevents a knees-up position.

[CMan]

Iffy's got it.

Another prime example; the Impala. It's like they threw the rear seat in as an afterthought; it's so low to the floor...your knees are raised up to the point that it's almost painful.

[Tave]

"Dude, I HAVE an Aveo. The picture of your Explorer's rear seats make mine look like a hamster cage."

It's not a question of how they look. The Aveo, too, has less physical space, but the higher seat prevents a knees-up position.

Which is mitigated by the extra 6+ inches of space. I've sat in both.

[ifcar]

It doesn't matter how much space you have if the seat is too low. Would you rather sit on a chair-high seat with six inches between the cushion and the front seatback, or on the floor of a room?

[Tave]

I've SAT IN BOTH. The Explorer's is low, but not rediculously low, and the Aveo's is a bit higher, but not by much.

The Explorer's easily has more room. Even my old 4runner had more than my Aveo, and he already said he found the 4runner more cramped than the Explorer.

[ifcar]

I never said that the Explorer's seat was ridiculously low. I don't personally have a problem with it, though I do favor shape and height over space except in extreme circumstances.

However, it is not inconceivable for someone to find a lower seat much less comfortable. You're essentially telling CMan that he's not actually uncomfortable in certain seats, despite how he feels when he sits in them.

[CJ]

I remember my uncles old Explorer--2004 Explorer that was traded on the 2007 Tahoe--was a comfortable vehicle.  Although, I was still under 5 feet tall. 

[Tave]

However, it is not inconceivable for someone to find a lower seat much less comfortable. You're essentially telling CMan that he's not actually uncomfortable in certain seats, despite how he feels when he sits in them.

No, I'm saying there's more room in the Explorer. Much more. So much more that it should offset any advantage in ergonomics the Aveo has (which is debateable, considering there's not much of a difference, if any, between the rear seat hights of the two cars). If he finds low seats uncomfortable, good for him, but that's not what he said:

The Chevy Aveo, Toyota Yaris and Honda Fit all have more room in the backseat than the Explorer.

That's simply not true.

[CJ]

It very well could be.  More room OVERALL.

[Tave]

Have you ever sat in the back of an Aveo? I'll try to take a picture tonight with my seat in driving position. We'll see if there's any room period in the little fucker.

[CJ]

But aren't you a freaking giant? 

[Tave]

I've had friends sit behind me in my 4runner and Aveo. Guess which one has gotten more complaints (hint, it's the one I've been driving less than half as long and starts with an 'A').

[Tave]

But aren't you a freaking giant??

Shouldn't that qualify me as an expert on interior legroom? I'm the person to whom it matters the most.

[CMan]

No, I'm saying there's more room in the Explorer. Much more. So much more that it should offset any advantage in ergonomics the Aveo has (which is debateable, considering there's not much of a difference, if any, between the rear seat hights of the two cars). If he finds low seats uncomfortable, good for him, but that's not what he said:

The Chevy Aveo, Toyota Yaris and Honda Fit all have more room in the backseat than the Explorer.

That's simply not true.

Fine. The Chevy Aveo, Honda Fit, and Toyota Yaris are more comfortable than the Explorer.

BTW, I usually sit behind my mom, who is 5' 7". So your picture would not be an apt representation of how it is for me.

[ifcar]

I've had friends sit behind me in my 4runner and Aveo. Guess which one has gotten more complaints (hint, it's the one I've been driving less than half as long and starts with an 'A').

You're talking about different 4Runners anyway, AFAIK.

[Tave]

You're talking about different 4Runners anyway, AFAIK.

Yeah, the one he's talking about has more room.

[TheIntrepid]

I never said that the Explorer's seat was ridiculously low. I don't personally have a problem with it, though I do favor shape and height over space except in extreme circumstances.

How tall are you? Generally, I'd rather have the space. The backseat in the Intrepid is pretty uncomfortable... I was back there with a date a while ago. I wouldn't want to sit in it on a road trip... but it's CAVERNOUS back there. I drive with my seat all the way back, and the passenger seat is always set all the way back too, and my dad, at 6'4, can sit behind me with no problems.

[CMan]

Yeah, the one he's talking about has more room.

I looked it up; there's about three inches difference in rear legroom between the Explorer, and the Yaris/Fit. Don't you think that perhaps the seating position can make a bigger difference than three inches?

And I've got size 13 shoes, so footroom is a big part of it for me too. That's another thing in the Explorer; it has a low seat as discussed, so my knees are up, but there's no room to put my feet under the seat to try to compensate.