2nd Apr 2021, 16:00

This is the original reviewer, posting an approximate 1-year update for my 2017 Ford Explorer XLT. The actual purchase date was April 19, 2017 but owing to the pandemic, it is unlikely that I will add significant miles to the vehicle in the next three weeks. In fact, since my last update on May 4, 2020, I have only added 3,259 miles to the Explorer, again because of working remotely for the past year with no travel to the office, and no opportunity for vacation drives. The bulk of that mileage can be attributed to a run to a vacation home in October 2020, located just under 1,000 miles away. I made the drive in one day, which I think reinforces my previous assessment of the comfort of this vehicle. This was done in order to avoid a hotel stay in any area with a pandemic hot spot, and the fact that I was able to sit in the car for 15 hours attests to the comfort of the vehicle.

The Explorer currently has 40,320 miles. During the past year, I had the oil changed as part of routine maintenance. Nothing has broken, and it still feels like a new car. I've been driving my 2010 Cadillac DTS about 60% of the time, so with the overall low miles being driven, the Explorer often feels unfamiliar after having sat unused in the garage for a couple of weeks. It's like experiencing a new car all over again, and I would still say it's as smooth, quiet, and comfortable as when I bought it four years ago.

In February I finally had a chance to experience the traction control in winter driving. I live at the top of a steep hill, and have commented on how I miss having a true 4x4 with a low range transfer case to creep down icy hills and not touch the brakes. That was still the case. Attempting to hit the brakes just caused the anti- lock to engage, and I had to put the transmission in neutral and lightly pump the brakes until I got slowed down and under control. On the return trip back up the hill, I failed to take enough speed and the wheels started spinning at a locally steep spot at a curve near the top. Even after sliding backwards a few feet, the Intelligent AWD seemed to do its job by distributing power to the wheels and the Explorer clawed its way up from a dead stop, after slipping backwards, on this extremely slippery stretch. I would have to say it actually did a better job than my previous 4x4 Dodge Ramcharger and 2002 Ford Explorer Sport. On those vehicles, the front and rear axle had one drive wheel, and once they lost traction, you were done. So, I think this was a case where the substitution of technology for old school 4x4 really was an improvement because I don't believe my two previous 4x4s would have recovered and made it up that hill from a dead stop.

With my dwelling on the lack of a 2-speed transfer case, I might mention that in addition to the GLK350, Grand Cherokee, and Lincoln MKC, I had early on been ready to buy a Toyota Tacoma, which is still a true 4x4. However, around that time, my wife bought her 1979 Chevy C-10 with an 8-foot bed and so the Tacoma would have been a redundancy--an uncomfortable pickup too small to haul a sheet of drywall or an honest load of trash to the dump (we were refurbishing a vacated house at the time), but that still costs around $35,000 for anything but a base model. That was the other thing about the Tacoma: you could get a base model for about $21,000 (at the time), but in order to get the things I'd expect to be standard on a vehicle after owning my 2002 Explorer Sport, like variable wipers, fog lights, adjustable bucket seats, cruise control, a place to secure a suitcase or toolbox, you had to get the extended cab version, which quickly got into the $35,000 range. I paid only $31,000 for my Explorer and consider it to be "more car for the money." True, I might have considered a 4Runner, but I was tired of "truck rides" and the 4Runner is a smaller vehicle and I never really even considered them because, at least by my standards, price is too high.

For my closing paragraph, let me offer this. We have a subscription to Consumer Reports, and of course the automobile ratings are always of interest. My own assessment of my Explorer is obvious; I love it. After 4 years and 40,000 miles, I have zero regrets, no breakdowns, all happy. Let me quote some excerpts from CR's description of the Explorer: driving experience is marred by a clunky transmission, noisy engine, and stiff-edged ride; the 2.3L turbocharged engine is raspy; transmission has rough shifts; the reliability rating has a red "two arrows down" symbol. Wow. Just, wow. I feel like I'm reading a description of my high school friend's 1983 Chevy Chevette. Suffice it to say, I strenuously disagree with every one of these comments, as it has not been my experience at all. I disagree so strenuously that it would stray into non-polite speech. I will say that my mother-in-law is a true believer in CR; around the same time I bought my Explorer, she bought a Toyota Highlander, which appears to be a darling of CR. However, it turns out that she dislikes the Highlander so much that it sits unused in the garage and she can't stand to drive it. I think that goes to show that research in established sources can be useful and can assist in making an informed decision about a car purchase, but in the end, you have to do a thorough test drive and make sure it's the right vehicle for you, and also make an honest assessment of what you need and what you intend to use the vehicle for.