Explorer ST

[BlkGS]

Anyone got one? I test drove over the weekend and came away very impressed, other than a few things (infotainment and engine sound mainly). Chassis was pretty good though, wouldn't hurt with a bit beefier sways and lowering springs though...

 

[djetok]

Anyone got one? I test drove over the weekend and came away very impressed, other than a few things (infotainment and engine sound mainly). Chassis was pretty good though, wouldn't hurt with a bit beefier sways and lowering springs though...

Not the explorer but a mkz with the 3.0 nano engine. Runs awesome with 400 ft lbs of torque.

 

[919Cummins]

Not the new one, but we had the last body ST. It would pull great, in a straight line. I will never tow with body on frame again. Otherwise we enjoyed it.

 

[BlkGS]

Not the new one, but we had the last body ST. It would pull great, in a straight line. I will never tow with body on frame again. Otherwise we enjoyed it.

My parents had a like 2015 or 16 explorer sport. I think the whole family hated that thing, which is weird because on paper it was nice. It got shit fuel economy, never felt that quick, and just felt big and heavy. What was the most amazing part was how little space it had for how big it was.

They had constant weird little issues too. A pillar trim, suspension parts, I feel like something with the windows. For all its flaws though, it was comfortable at least. Seats were soft and it looked good. Those are probably going to be a really good deal, when they sold it I was stunner how little it was worth, only had like 50k miles on it and traded it in for like 16k.

 

[white2kstang]

I love my 2017 Sport. I've had plenty of fun with it on the curvy backroads at speed and it handles better than most other mid sized SUVs I've driven. I watched another 2017 sport pull a newer Malibu 23lsv out of the lake last summer on a steep ramp. Im pretty sure that boat was well over the Explorers stated capacity. Pulls our 195 fine. Still prefer non-unibody tow vehicles like our F150 which gets the majority of the tow duty anyway but been happy so far with the Explorer. We had it in the mud and snow in CO during the winter and it did well.

Might upgrade to an ST in a few years when this Sport gets passed down to my daughter. The 2020 MY was the first year on the new underpinnings with the new RWD platform and the first year of the ST upgrade for the Explorer. I like to give them a couple years to get the kinks worked out. That is also assuming I'm not ready to give up the sportiness for comfort and step into an Aviator.

 

[BlkGS]

The old explorer just never clicked for us. I dunno if it was just we were too nitpick or something.

I agree on giving them a few years. The new 3.0t engine worries me, it's its first outing. I figure they will have a few other upgrades over the next few years too, like real performance calipers that aren't big cheap sliders. It's bad enough that ford likes to forget mono lock calipers on the rear, but unaccessible for a performance vehicle to be missing mono locks completely.

The funny part is we started looking at explorer because we kept saying how nice the aviator looked when we saw them.

 

[seanmclean]

We had a 17 Sport, and just picked up a 2020 ST about six weeks ago (wife's ride). I absolutely love it. I haven't driven my truck since unless I needed to do a truck thing.

 

[djetok]

The 3.0 t nano has been out for since 2016. The 1st series had a head gasket issue in very few motors. My 3.0 is a 2017 , the only thing is I wish it would received the 10 spd auto instead of the 6 spd

 

[adrianp89]

They look good, and I generally don't like Ford. However for their price point there is a significant number of cars I'd rather buy.

 

[anmut]

I've been told by a guy with a 25' Yamaha that he'd never tow with an independent rear suspension again - too spongy in the wind at highway speeds. They look nice though.

 

[seanmclean]

They look good, and I generally don't like Ford. However for their price point there is a significant number of cars I'd rather buy.

There aren't many worth buying, with the exception of the Audi Q7/8, IMO.

We spent about a month test driving just about anything in its price range, +/-15K. They all sucked in one way or another. The Audi was very, very good - but considering it as a long-term purchase the reliability and eventual maintenance costs were the only reasons we decided to get another Ford. The one car the surprised the hell out of us was the VW Atlas, with the caveat that it is extremely slow - like, dangerously slow. Everything else about it was top notch.

 

[BlkGS]

The atlas looks nice I wish it was a TDI.

 

[adrianp89]

There aren't many worth buying, with the exception of the Audi Q7/8, IMO.

We spent about a month test driving just about anything in its price range, +/-15K. They all sucked in one way or another. The Audi was very, very good - but considering it as a long-term purchase the reliability and eventual maintenance costs were the only reasons we decided to get another Ford. The one car the surprised the hell out of us was the VW Atlas, with the caveat that it is extremely slow - like, dangerously slow. Everything else about it was top notch.

I guess it depends on your needs, I forgot this is a boat forum for a minute lol. If you need an SUV then your choices are limited. In that price range I'd take a truck over an SUV (if towing is no concern, then quite a few cars) The only down side is 5/6 seating vs 7.

I'm surprised the Atlas was so slow, you can get it with 275/360... really shouldn't be a slouch. I really like their gauge cluster and the overall car is done nicely. Though, I'd personally never buy a German car for long term, I don't want my car to smell like crayons at year 3/4 lol. Taking away speed - the new Toyota Highlander looks really good, and is cheaper. We all know Toyota quality. The Hyundai Pallaside looks nice as well - zero experience with them but have heard they can't build enough to sell.

If speed was a factor - the SRT Durango would be my choice in the price range. If your giving me 15k on top of a loaded ST - The Tesla Model X would be a no brainer IMO.

Curious what you didn't like about the cars mentioned above.

 

[adrianp89]

I've been told by a guy with a 25' Yamaha that he'd never tow with an independent rear suspension again - too spongy in the wind at highway speeds. They look nice though.

Every single Ram owner will tell you otherwise lol.

 

[BlkGS]

I couldn't bring myself to do a Tesla. I don't like vehicles with short lifespans and those batteries... Just ugh. I get people think they're green, but I don't buy it. I've seen what lithium mining looks like, I don't want to be a part of that more than I have to.

Durango or jeep srt are very strong contenders. Just pricey for what they are, especially Durango. A new explorer St is roughly the same price as a 3 year old 20k Mile srt, and they're closer In performance than I expected at first. Almost 1000 extra pounds will do that I guess.

 

[adrianp89]

I couldn't bring myself to do a Tesla. I don't like vehicles with short lifespans and those batteries... Just ugh. I get people think they're green, but I don't buy it. I've seen what lithium mining looks like, I don't want to be a part of that more than I have to.

Durango or jeep srt are very strong contenders. Just pricey for what they are, especially Durango. A new explorer St is roughly the same price as a 3 year old 20k Mile srt, and they're closer In performance than I expected at first. Almost 1000 extra pounds will do that I guess.

I get it. I don't care about the environment (arguments can go either way) and we don't keep cars longer than 5-6 years, so our Model 3 works well for us. The driving experience is unmatched, and its the quickest car under $100,000 (last time I checked). My wife gets re-imbursed for mileage so it's almost dumb not to own one. The battery has an 8 year warranty, but if you plan on 10+ years, I wouldn't buy one.

If you are seriously considering Jeep or Dodge, I think both are getting a re-model very soon. A loaded ST is a little bit more than a standard (albeit still pretty loaded) SRT Durango, no? Not sure what discounts are Ford - I know at minimum You can get almost 4k off the Durango due to the HP incentive deal thing they have.

I think the most serious item here may be tow capacity. I think the Durango is nearly 3,000lb more than the Jeep and Ford.

 

[anmut]

Every single Ram owner will tell you otherwise lol.

Why? My 2019 Ram Limited has a straight axle in the rear with air bags. Sweet setup.

 

[adrianp89]

Why? My 2019 Ram Limited has a straight axle in the rear with air bags. Sweet setup.

Sorry I was confused there. Rams are independent front and coil link rear. In any case, yes they tow amazing.

 

[1WetBoat]

I will be towing with my Durango whenever the heck my boat comes in. It's not an SRT just an RT. I have towed other heavy loads and have had no issues with them. When I lived in S.Fl I towed my sons Boy Scout troops trailer and that sucker was heavy. Never knew the weight, but it was heavy. Towed it to several camping sites in Florida and never had an issue.

 

[OCMD]

It's a Ford. Enough said. I drove many a Ford police car over the years - would never own a Ford, unless it was provided free.and even then, it would be in the shop more often than other makes. After 30 years of Silverados, I can honestyy say my 2019 Ram blows the Sllverados away. Best truck I ever owned.