harddrive747

When I ordered my 2010 Explorer, it took 8 weeks before it arrived at the dealership. It was ordered on Jun 26 and it was built on the 10 of August and delivered on the 17th or 18th of August and I bought it on the 20th.

The difference is the 5 speed is matted to the Cologne 4.0L V-6 and the one that you and I have is the modular 4.6L V-8 with the 6 speed transmission. I drove the V-6 and it was "ok," but once I got behind the wheel of the V8 and I wasn't even out of the parking lot and it was like I knew what I wanted. I told my salesman that if they tried to sell me a V6, I was going to walk. I've driven all of the new ones and I'm glad that I purchased the truck that I got, but if I had to, I would go with the Sport, then the truck with the ecoboost 4 and then the V6. Even with the EcoBoost 6, I don't get the fun low end punch, there is torque steer and I saw it downshifting too much to keep it in the power zone. Also sorry for the long response. I don't read these forums that much. I will follow this topic.

I have the Eddie Bauer version of this truck. The HP of this engine is 292 @ 5700 and 315 Ft. Lb @ 4000 rpm. It is a great engine for the truck. I call it a detuned Mustang GT engine. Have fun with it.

The salesman that I purchased my 2010 Explorer says that he will be able to order in early summer, so he is expecting it to be on his lot around late August or September, but I would really expect around October.

That is fine, especially since I read a news report from Ford. It said that the Explorer is going to have a new model that is the sport model with an ecoboost 3.5 twin turbo. http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=87772&p=irol-newsArticle_print&ID=1677783&highlight= This is very promising for those of us who want to have the power again. I'm looking forward to the day that i can test drive it.

If your control panel for ventilation system is like my 2010, it is very easy to put it in manual mode. I tried to look up the owners manual for the truck, but I can't pull it up to look at it. On my dual climate control set up this is how the button are set up from left to right. auto, off, vents, vents/floor, floor, floor/def, defrost, rear window. If your is the same way then it is very easy to put it in manual mode, because the is the only way that I run. I don't like auto because it could be 50 degrees outside and I set it for 70 and it wants to turn the A/C on. Not good. To put the system into manual mode, you just select one of the buttons other than auto. Then you have full control over the temperature, the fan speed, A/C or anything else. It probably would also help to see what your climate controls look like and we can probably help you even more. Hope this helps.

Gary, I don't know how to do it on the 11, but on my 10, when I have it in reverse the display on the dash shows that the back up warning is on and I think I can either press setup or reset and it will change to off. There should be something like that in the 11, but I don't have a clue to how to turn it off.

Answer to question #1, I would say not more than 2000 lbs as that is what the Explorer is rated without the trailer towing package. Based on the rapid spec guide than can be found on this thread. the Ecoboost 4 doesn't come with trailer towing. Even then, I think that would be pushing the 4 banger to the limits. Like AKirby said, that is with the V6 Ecoboost not this little 4 banger that is only for gas mileag, because it even comes with Includes a unique P245/60R18 A/S BSW LRR tire, which I assume that LRR is low resistance rubber, but could be wrong. In this case it is only 3 mpg, front wheel drive and that is it.

I am too. I'm thinking about the next time I take my truck in for service to take it out for a drive. Since I don't like the current V6, I can pretty much be assured that I won't like the 4-banger.

My choice would be red candy and then the kona blue. I had a white truck for 8 years and it was ok, but I prefer some color. This is so that when it is cleaned, with a fresh coat of wax, I can see myself it in. I don't like the Bordeaux Red, it's too dark for me. The rest of the colors are ok. I had a 1994 Electric Red Explorer and I remember shortly after I got it, I was at a stop light and there was a car beside me and they occupants were admiring my Red Explorer. I like that feeling that I had something others liked to look at.

Thanks Nick, I hope it will be by the time I'm ready to replace my currently Explorer, but that will be a long time from now, especially since it is barely 2 years old and only has 26,000 on it.

I drove a new Explorer and it is a nice SUV. It had the 3.5 V6 under the hood and to me it was a good engine and adequate. However, I didn't like it. It made the SUV feel like the 4.0 that was in the 2010. That is why I went with the 4.6 V8. I would like to see Ford put the 3.5 EcoBoost engine with 365 horses and 420 lb-ft of torque in it or the one out of the Taurus SHO would be terrific. Anything to give it a bit more punch.

Thank Gary for the words. As I have reviewed this week of driving my truck compared to the 11, for me I made the right choice with going with the 2010 and the V8 engine, because it has the power that I prefer. I like to think that I got my Mustang GT, because of the engine, but in a truck body. Now if Ford adds a different engine to the Explorer, like the Ecoboots 3.5 twin turbo, then I will look at it again and then make a decision if it is still for me, or not. I will admit that I toyed with the idea of waiting for the 2011 Explorer, but I didn't want to purchase a truck that I never seen and never drove. I like to drive a vehicle before I purchase it, because I don't want a car/truck that I can't enjoy driving. I really enjoy driving. I also purchase a car/truck that will get out of its own shadow. For me that makes them fun to drive. If they aren't fun, then they stay on the lot. For me, the Explorer needs another choice of engine, beside a single V6 and the Ecoboost I4. For me the ride needs to be tighten up, which I believe Ford can improve. It just didn't feel that I had an overly solid SUV under me.

Ok, I don't like the current V6 engine that is in the current Explorer. I hope that Ford puts a better engine in it otherwise my days of purchasing an Explorer, which I have had for going on 20 years, are over. There I said it. PS, Happy now??????

V8-X, all I can say is AMEN, and thank you.

Gary, you have done more research than I have about this. I didn't even know about this. It may have had it. I can pretty much say that my '10 does not have this because it never feels like it loses power. I noticed today pulling a hill with my truck that I was holding 50 mph and my engine was turning 1250 RPM and it was a little bog down, but not so much that it couldn't continue to pull the truck up the small hill. It is just the fact going up hill at 50 to 55 mph, that it has to drop down a gear to maintain speed. That is my biggest complaint. I know that my '10 does every once in a while, but to me the engine should be strong enough with good power to maintain speed.

I'm not claiming it does it constantly. Just don't want it to do it more than it has to.

No, I would not want it to be "bogged down" all the time. I'm just saying something that small the car/truck shouldn't "have" to down shift to maintain speed. I also agree with you on your point about fuel economy in the power band. The V6 Mustang ran fine at 1250 RPMS at 55 I think and it was a bit higher at 65. My Explorer runs at 1750 RPM at 65 mph and 2000 at 75 mph. there is a point to making sure that the engine is in its power zone, but I don't like the idea of the car/truck searching for a gear all the time. I feel like that can put too much wear and tear on the transmission. As you know an engine at a steady RPM produces better gas mileage than one that is going up and down in RPMs. It is also, in my book, easier on the engine.

NickF1011, you are correct about that, but to me it depends on the situation and type of hill. For instance on Saturday when I was driving the Explorer I was on a road with a i would say about a 10 foot rise at a good angle for I would say 1,000 feet. I don't know the specifics. I was doing something like 50 to 55 mph and the Explorer and going up that, it had to downshift to keep it moving at that speed. I know that is about where 6th gear usually kicks in, but that small amount, in my book, shouldn't require a downshift. Now this is not the best contrast, but an hour later, I was driving a V6 Mustang on the same section of road doing about the same speed. I could tell that the engine was starting to bog down just before I got to the part where it started to level out, but it never downshifted. To me downshift will cause the fuel economy to drop because the engine RPM's go up and will use a lot more fuel. So in my book, if the RPMS' stay down and you don't have to increase the velocity of the vehicle, then you save more fuel.

I agree with the difference between the '02 and the '11. I rode in my '02, sold it to my sister and her family, a week ago and the difference between the two is very evident, however the difference between the '10 and the '11 are there, and with the newest of my current truck, it wasn't a stark contrast. I'm glad that you are having fun with it. Continue to enjoy.

NLPRacing, you are absolute correct in your assessment. I wasn't crazy about the new Explorer going away from a BOF and losing the V8 engine. It is a nice truck and Ford did a great job with it, but there are things that I do not like about it right now. My current truck has only 25,000 miles on it and I don't buy a new truck every two or three years. I keep them and when they get oh say 150,000 miles and eight years old, then I look at replacing what I'm driving. My perception and feelings may change in a few years, but time will tell. I will have to see what Ford does with the current Explorer and what they have on the drawing board. So I got a while before I have to decide.

Yes they are meant to downshift when you want the extra power, but not because you need it to climb certain hills or a rise in the road. What I'm saying is that a transmission shouldn't be constantly searching for a gear to keep the car moving at certain speeds, like highway. I will have to watch my 6-speed transmission to see how it does at certain times. Unfortunately your statement of the days of torque monster engines are over it totally true. For those of us "old schoolers" that like those monster engines and enjoy having them, we are being forced into small econobox 4 bangers and V6 with no good low end torque, which you need to get off the line. The rising generation wants the fuel efficiency cars and trucks, which forces those of us who have been driving for 20+ years to be in something that isn't that fun to drive. The new generation wants more technology and hasn't really found the beauty of just going out for a drive and enjoy the open road. I feel like have found driving to be a necessary evil instead of something to get out and enjoy. Another pet peeve that i have is that people don't want manual transmissions anymore and to me that takes all the fun out of driving. I have more control over a car with a manual than I do with an automatic. Just my two cents.

Under acceleration to me it is too noisy, but cruising along it is nice and quiet. The other reason that I felt it was too noisy, was because i had to get the RPM's up just to feel like I was moving. I like the feel of being pushed back in my seat. The body roll isn't worse than the 2010, in fact I felt like it was a bit better. When I drove it, as my original post pointed out, there were a few things that I discovered that I didn't like. I found that the distance between the door arm rest and the console, for me, was too wide. I didn't have a good place to rest my left arm and hold the steering wheel. I also finally had to move the pedals all the way forward, so that I could have leg room and not feel that the steering wheel was 20 miles away. I also felt that the brake pedal was too low for my foot and that I was actually using the arch of my foot to brake instead of the toe. All the technology was good, but it would take me a day with it sitting in my yard to figure it out and customized it. The seats were supportive, but I also felt like I was sitting in a hole. I feel like the bottom of the windows are too high for me to put my arm out the window comfortably. With the seat pretty much all the way back, as I raised the seat it got me closer to the steering wheel, but then I felt like it was too high for me to work the pedals comfortably. As I mentioned, it is a good SUV. Ford has done a great job with it, but for me, personally, it needs a few more years to "bake." It's not quite done and there are things that I hope that they put in to make it a much better truck.

For me for a car/truck should have enough power so that the engine doesn't bog down. It should not have to downshift going up a minor hill. The more torque for me means that the truck/car doesn't have to downshift to maintain speed. So for me more torque means a smoother ride because the transmission and engine aren't looking for the power to keep the truck/car moving. I prefer to have a bigger engine than needs to be in the car/truck because the engine doesn't have to work as hard and so that it makes it a smoother feel.

Gary, I compared the 2011 Ford Explorer to my 2010 Ford Eddie Bauer Explorer with the V8 engine. I haven't tried the others,so I will have to take your word on the other vehicles. But as I drove my 2010 today, I enjoyed it a lot more than the 2011 because I like the feel of the continuous power from the V8 and the extra 60 lbs of torque that can move a 4600 pound truck.