First off, I must say – I have GOT to stop using my iPhone to take pictures of these test-driven vehicles.  While its camera is good, it surely isn’t good enough to do the job here at Road Reality.  With that in mind, look forward to future test drives being accompanied by better-quality photographs.

Next, I was genuinely impressed with the new Ford Explorer.  While it was the gussied-up Limited 4WD trim, dripping with several thousand dollar’s worth of extras, its basic setup is quite nice.

The new Explorer is big.  Blacked-out A and B-pillars try to hide the size, but from behind the wheel, or actually looking at it up close, it’s a big vehicle.  If you’re looking for something that’ll make you feel safe and carry a bunch of stuff or people, the Explorer will fit the bill.  While not quite as big as its predecessor, it has gained in the fuel economy area, by a matter or 2-4 MPGs.

Stepping up into the driver’s seat, you’re welcomed by heated and cooled front seats, as well as leather 2nd and 3rd row seating surfaces.  Grabbing the door handle to close it, a welcome thud accompanies the closing of this vault.  Yes, I said vault.  While entering the Explorer, I asked the salesman if a remote start system was offered, and he tossed me the Ford MyKey, which has a remote start button on it.  Pressing it twice caused the SUV to start its engine.  Upon entering, I realized I had to press the “Engine Start” button, upon which the instrument cluster lit up.  I asked the salesman if I had caused it to shut off the engine, but he informed me that it was indeed running, and a few seconds later, as the tachometer became visible on the dash, it indeed read somewhere between 750 and 850 RPMs.  That’s just how quiet and isolated the Explorer feels.

Out on the road, the light steering made it almost too easy to change lanes, except there was no unintentional drifting.  The BLIS (blind spot information system) kept me apprised of anybody entering or exiting my blind spots, and good, not great brakes kept me out of the trunk of any cars in front of me.  Add in the relatively high seating position, and it made for a confidence-inspiring highway drive.  While the new Explorer is loosely related to a smattering of other Ford products, including the Taurus, Flex, Edge and Lincoln MKS, MKT and MKX, this is the first time I’ve been impressed by the brakes on this platform – they’re no longer “big car brakes.”

I also opened the windows and sunroof while driving, and the sound levels didn’t really rise.  They were kept in check and proper air flow was felt.  While leaving the dealership, I noticed just how loud my Nissan Maxima is, even though it’s usually lauded for its quietness.  Road, exhaust and wind noise all seemed several decibels louder in the Maxima.

I only have two complaints about driving around in the Explorer.  The A-pillars, while blacked-out on the outside, seem huge from the inside.  Given my short time with the Explorer, I think a further test drive is warranted.  The other complaint is the driver’s foot well, which seemed to be missing during my drive.  While my wife had plenty of room in any of the other seats (and she tried them all!), I felt the Explorer was missing some room to stretch out my legs.  Again, a further test drive will either confirm or expunge this from the 2011 Explorer’s record.

In combination with some serious sound-deadening, the Explorer’s suspension was tuned to react to the driver’s input, while not bothering him or her with anything else.  Fairly large bumps, caused by construction, were noted by the suspension, but completely mitigated without any fuss.  Some of the bumps were jarring in a car like my Maxima, but never even felt underneath the 4,700+ pounds of the Explorer and its ultimately-compliant suspension.

So, what to do when you’re not being bothered by normal road noises or imperfections in the asphalt?  Tune into the 12-speaker Sony audio system, which is part of the upgraded MyFord Touch system.  I’ve read a lot of reviews of the MyFord Touch system, most of which panned it for its sluggishness, lack of response, and general fussiness.  My experience was quite different.  I found that after acclimating myself with the system for a few minutes, it was easy to use, almost intuitive.  And let’s not forget the steering-wheel mounted controls, which can be used to modify many system settings, as well as SYNC.  The voice-activation system is quite good and at this point in its evolution, can change the audio and climate controls in a few simple commands, letting the driver keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.

My suggestion to anyone who is apprehensive about the MyFord Touch system?  Tell the salesman to get you a user’s manual and spend a good hour playing around with it, all while sitting still.  Taking the driving out of the equation is the best way to get used to a high-technology system such as this.  Once you’re ready, get back out on the road and see if you like it or not.  While not for everyone, it provides a great many functions in a clean interface.

If I’ve glossed over anything at this point, it’s the space.  While my wife enjoyed sitting in all 3 rows of seats, I was busy seeing how much cargo space there was, for yard tools, mulch, luggage and whatever else my mind could dream up.  While it’s not the biggest cargo area in all of the SUV world, the power 3rd row seats were nifty, and when folded they had enough space to swallow enough groceries for a family of 7.  When the 3rd row seat was put back in its upright position, again a power maneuver, there was still enough room for our average grocery trip and a trip to get our favorite adult beverages.

So, while the Explorer may no longer ride on a truck-based chassis, its underpinnings are quite good for on-road, and will suffice for most of what its buyers need off-road.  It won’t go rock crawling or spend a lot of time on the trails, but if your favorite destination is off the beaten path, you shouldn’t have any trouble getting you and several friends and their luggage there.  Meanwhile, you’ll be treated to comfortable seats, great-sounding tunes and a soft, worry-free ride.  The as-tested price of $47,000 will push some buyers away, but the 4WD Explorer starts at around $31,000.

by John Suit

Related posts:

1. Test Drive Frenzy – 6/6/2010
2. Test Drive: 2011 Infiniti FX 35 AWD
3. The 2011 Ford Explorer … in the snow! (w/Video!)

Driving Dynamics

A lot of manufacturers talk about “Driving Dynamics” when referring to their cars.  This usually refers to a car’s sportiness, or to an SUV or Crossover vehicle’s ability to drive more like a car.  The latter is the ability of a tall, boxy vehicle to handle tighter corners than its predecessors from 10 years ago.  The jargon may be confusing, so make sure you drive normally during your test drive(s), but remember to take into account weather and the size of a vehicle.

Options (favorites marked with ):

Listed below are a lot of today’s more popular (or ubiquitous) options, where you might find them, and what they do.

Adaptive Cruise Control – some luxury vehicles – Using sensors mounted in the front of the car, an on-board computer slows the car when necessary to keep a preset distance from the vehicle in front.  When the road ahead is clear, the system will accelerate the car back to the driver’s desired speed.

Adaptive Headlights – some luxury vehicles – Allows the headlights to swivel left and right with the steering wheel, lighting more of the road where you are headed instead of just straight in front of you.

Automatic Climate Control – optional on some vehicles under $35,000, standard on most luxury cars – The driver or passenger sets a temperature he or she feels is comfortable, and the car figures out how to use the fan speed, heat and air conditioning to attain that temperature.  Usually seen with two (dual) zones, the system works best when driver and passenger zones are within 5 degrees of each other.

Automatically Dimming Mirrors – optional on cars starting around $30,000 – Dims the rear-view and sometimes the driver’s side-view mirrors when headlights are detected in the rear-view mirror at night.

Automatic Headlights – optional on cars starting around $25,000 – Using sensors, the car detects the amount of ambient light outside the car and turns the headlights on when needed.  This usually also turns on the internal lights, illuminating the gauge panel and center console of the car.

Back-up Camera – optional on most cars starting around $25,000 – a great feature for family vehicles and anyone who’s ever run over a bicycle or other object which was not visible behind their car.  This feature usually comes bundled with GPS Satellite Navigation systems, as they share the screen.  Some cars and trucks build the backup camera into the rear-view mirror.  Some cars have lines delineating how far away an object is by green, yellow and red lines.

Backup / Forward Parking Sensors – optional on cars starting around $28,000 – Radar sensors in the rear and sometimes front bumper of the car are used to pick up objects which may not be visible to the driver.  Forward parking sensors are fairly rare still, but a lot of entry-level luxury cars are starting to feature the backup sensors.  A tone will sound inside the vehicle when objects get close, and usually the pitch or frequency of the tone increases as distance decreases.

Ford's BLIS on a 2010 Fusion Hybrid

Blind Spot / Traffic Detection – optional on cars starting around $30,000 – Ford calls it BLIS w/Cross-Traffic Alert, this system uses sensors to detect cars in your blind spots and traffic behind you when backing up.

BlueTooth Wireless – optional on most cars starting at $20,000; all Fords – By “pairing” your cell phone with your car, it allows you to use a built-in microphone and the car’s stereo to make and receive calls, all without taking your eyes and hands off of driving the car.

Dual-panel Sunroof – optional on cars starting around $35,000 – Adding to the traditional sunroof, the dual-panel sunroof or moonroof contains a traditional tilt/slide sunroof, as well as a fixed panel in the rear.  Some systems have manually-operated sunshades, while others have power-operated sunshades.

Easy Entry / Exit Seating – optional on some cars starting around $35,000 – Usually bundled with power steering columns, this system moves the seat back and tilts the steering column upwards when the car’s engine is turned off, allowing easier egress.  When starting the vehicle, the steering column and driver’s seat return to the last position you left them, or “memorized” seating positions, depending on the car.

Heated / Cooled Seats – optional on some cars starting around $30,000 – Heated seats are becomes ubiquitous on higher-end cars, and now cooled or ventilated seats are making their way onto more and more cars each model year.  Heated seats use elements built into the seat to heat it, and cooled seats pump some of the air conditioning through the seat onto the person sitting in it.

Heated Steering Wheel – optional on few cars starting at $35,000 – I haven’t seen this feature on a lot of cars, but it’s seen on some luxury cars and the 2009-2010 Nissan Maxima.  Ford also announced recently that it would start adding it to Lincolns starting in 2011.

iPod Integration / USB Port – just about mainstream – A lot of manufacturers are adding iPod integration, and because of that, USB integration, to their vehicles.  With millions of iPods and USB drives floating around, this feature is used to sway younger buyers, and most of them are pretty good now.  The better ones allow full control of the iPod through the steering wheel or regular audio system controls.

Keyless entry / Push-Button Starting – optional on some cars starting around $30,000 – Building upon the keyless entry which is standard on probably 90% of cars sold these days, this system detects a keyfob being close to the car and allows the driver to unlock the doors.  Once in the vehicle, some systems allow the driver to put their foot on the brake and press a button to start the car, and most of these also allow the driver to keep the key in their pocket, and on some cars, does away with the key completely.

Manual mode for automatic transmissions, including paddle shifters – optional on cars starting about $25,000 – With a myriad of names, this feature allows so-called manual control of the car’s automatic transmission, either through pushing and pulling the gear shift lever or paddle shifters.  This adds a little more sportiness to cars, and is most popular in urban areas and cars where a driver may want more control sometimes, but doesn’t want to deal with a clutch.  Manual mode comes in quite handy when traversing steep hills, as you can ensure that your engine isn’t working too hard, by downshifting.

Memory Seating – usually found in luxury cars – Gives the driver two or three positions they can set, which includes seat adjustment settings, mirror position, as well as steering column position on some cars.  This allows two or three drivers to set up the car they want, and to be able to recall those settings whenever they drive.

One-Touch Up / Down on all windows – usually found on luxury cars – Most cars these days will allow the driver to press or pull their window switch to raise and lower their own window, while the other windows require the window control to be held.  With luxury cars, the manufacturer puts the sensors and controls in for all side windows.

Power tilt/telescope Steering Column – usually found on luxury cars – Replaces traditional levers that tilt and telescope the steering wheel with a button that does the same thing.  It’s usually paired with memory seats and entry/exit systems.

Reverse Tilt-Down Mirrors – usually found on luxury cars – When the car’s transmission is put into Reverse, the driver and passenger side-view mirrors tilt down to show curbs and other obstacles.  This helps to prevent hitting the curb while parallel parking.

Satellite Navigation – optional on cars starting around $30,000 – Instead of using a hand-held GPS system, it’s built into the car.  Since it’s built in, the chance of break-in is lessened somewhat, and the screens on built-in units is usually larger than hand-held versions.  The downside is expense, as the option package which includes navigation usually costs $2,000 or more, although those prices are coming down each year.  Furthermore, map updates are usually more costly and harder to do.

Rain-Sensing Wipers – usually found on higher-end luxury cars – Some luxury cars have an extra sensor built into the windshield that detects rain and changes the wiper interval based on this.  A great feature when the weather changes from misting to heavy downpours.

Satellite Radio – optional on most cars – Receives an audio signal from satellites instead of local radio stations, which allows drivers and passengers to listen to a multitude of stations continuously across the continental US.  When driving under bridges and overpasses or through canyons and tree-covered streets, however, the signal may disappear, which can become highly frustrating, since the station doesn’t “fade” at all, like an AM or FM station would.

Difference between “Dealer Installed” and “Factory Installed”

Oftentimes, the features listed above (and others) will be installed when the car is built, at the factory.  On some cars, however, they are installed at the dealer, as part of a customer buying the car and requesting such features.  Drop-down DVD players, iPod connectors, even backup cameras are sold to customers at the time of purchase.  Unless otherwise stated, these features are “aftermarket,” meaning the hardware which is added to your vehicle wasn’t created by the manufacturer of the car.  This is especially true with backup cameras and DVD players.  If the feature wasn’t on your car when you took your test drive(s), ask about who created the item and who will be doing the installation.  Sometimes, a dealer will go so far as to have an outside company install features on your car for you.  You may be able to save money if you go to an outside shop directly, if you still want the feature.  Many aftermarket radio installers have diversified their knowledge and product lines so they can install anything that doesn’t require heavy modification to your car.

Conclusions

Option packages are a very profitable part of the new-car sale, so a lot of manufacturers bundle them together.  For instance, a lot of cars include a moonroof/sunroof and an upgraded stereo as part of one package.  If an option package includes things you don’t want, make sure that you think long and hard before buying a car without the option you want, as you may kick yourself after the purchase for not getting everything you wanted in the first place.  It may require slightly larger monthly payments to get the option package that includes your desired features, but your happiness may be worth more in the long run.  If you find that the car then costs more than you want or can afford, take extra time to save for a bigger down payment to offset the extra cost, or consider buying a used version of the car, if you can find one optioned the way you want it.

by John Suit

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1. PSA: Got a dead battery?
2. Buying a Car, the Easy way; Step 2