2014 Ford Explorer XLT 3.5L
Summary:
Great family car with a touch of panache
Faults:
Fuel inlet tube valve got stuck one direction - replaced at the dealer for $97 complete.
Some sensor under the car failed. Replaced myself after dealer diagnosis; $78 complete. That part was physically broken. A rock, a rake, ??? Perhaps a cover would be best or maybe I'm just unlucky.
Right RR wheel bearing started to fail ~58K. Replaced at 61K. $360 repair bill (covered under extended warranty).
From a design stand point, Ford did pretty good. The car feels less sophisticated when driven aggressively. The engine is loud, but moves the car along quickly. I have also felt the blind spots can be big. I'm uncertain I have found all nearby traffic when I need to know quickly. The cover for the spare donut will not stay in place. The opening to the front door can feel small depending on what is worn and the weather.
General Comments:
I really can't say this Ford has too much to complain about. There are little things. All the named items above did not require a tow. I let them all go for some time before I took it in.
The front seats are plenty comfortable. The 2nd row is fine and the 3rd, well, it works for an average woman or small man. Head and leg room are the minuses. There are no electric power points in the 3rd like some of the newer 3rd rows. The Ford has drink holder, general tray and the 3rd row light and HVAC overhead outlet (no controls). Second row gets less tray, more bin space, HVAC controls and vents, the ability to recline the 60/40 back rest, and 2 short drink holders. The 40% side has a track for a short slide forwards or backwards.
Room behind the 3rd row is reasonable. Can't complain, but can't rave either. The interior has held up right well, given the abuse of 4 kids and a driver that takes little care of the interior. I've gotten most everything off the leather and carpet to date! There are plenty of storage places for a family of 6. Radio and controls could be better. The fade, balance, treble, base, etc is a bit buried in menus. The power and clarity of the system is respectable, but nothing to brag about.
The other controls are usually pretty intuitive. The gauging is split between digital and analog, but there is never more information than coolant temp, fuel level and tachometer on the multi-display. I can scroll to other combinations of gauges. If you pick tach and fuel, there is a lot of "dead" space on the screen. I'm sure they are monitoring all sorts of things. Why not show one? Sometimes duplicates are good too. The center touch screen works well, but sometimes a bit slow. Seems the slowest is in the winter. The driving experience is generally hushed. There are no age related squeaks and rattles to my knowledge. With just the right combination of speed, wind direction and wind speed, the windshield will whistle. It is rare. The sunroofs have never been noisy.
It is the AWD/4WD version and it gets ~19 MPG for a years combined MPG. I think the city/highway are 17/24. We do 70/30 city/highway driving. It all seems to line up.
Final comment is I bought a Ford extended warranty and I'm not sure I'm as happy with it as I want to be. It's unlikely I will buy one from Ford again.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 3rd April, 2018