NickF1011 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 most of those are sync compatible no? tagging...sheesh NO I DONT NEED THAT....same with surround modes...not sold...shuffle and repeat on head unit...or, as per the Fiesta ( repeat ) a simple button on the wheel...still think the Mini system was the best Ive used So you want to remove functions from the touch screen and add even more buttons to the steering wheel? My steering wheel is crowded enough already. And yes, they are mostly Sync compatible. But as far as I'm concerned, ALL Sync voice functions should be redundant to buttons (which they are). Are mute people not allowed to enjoy the same benefits of a vehicle as those who can speak? And just because you don't use song tagging doesn't mean the rest of us don't. There are many other audio settings I don't even remember off the top of my head. You would have us go back to a dash like this: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Extreme4x4 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 So Motor Trend disagrees with well....everybody? Yeah, won't be renewing that subscription anytime soon....course, I hadn't since about 2002 anyway. So, in other words, they got caught with their pants down, and instead of stating they would retest a production version...................... like my 9-year-old would do....................... they whine that it wouldn't change the rankings anyway............................ so there, because we said so !!!! To that I say, "how do you know if you don't do it?" Final suspension tuning is one of the last things to happen. Final transmission programming is one of the last things to happen. Final calibrations on everything from the AWD system to the trans, to the engine tune are some of the last things done. Not to mention all of the fit and finish issues they went on about, and pieces falling off. BTW, they are lying through their teeth, as Scott Evans said at the beginning of the thread on MT, that it was an early pre-production unit, but Ford deserved what they got. They are in damage control mode, and are acting like little kids. It truly is pathetic. It makes me very glad I cancelled my login over there months ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 So you want to remove functions from the touch screen and add even more buttons to the steering wheel? My steering wheel is crowded enough already. And yes, they are mostly Sync compatible. But as far as I'm concerned, ALL Sync voice functions should be redundant to buttons (which they are). Are mute people not allowed to enjoy the same benefits of a vehicle as those who can speak? And just because you don't use song tagging doesn't mean the rest of us don't. There are many other audio settings I don't even remember off the top of my head. You would have us go back to a dash like this: LOL, never thought about mute people....what about the blind Nick....do they really need MFT, or the deaf...a volume control?.....lol....too many gimmicks.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 So you want to remove functions from the touch screen and add even more buttons to the steering wheel? My steering wheel is crowded enough already. And yes, they are mostly Sync compatible. But as far as I'm concerned, ALL Sync voice functions should be redundant to buttons (which they are). Are mute people not allowed to enjoy the same benefits of a vehicle as those who can speak? And just because you don't use song tagging doesn't mean the rest of us don't. There are many other audio settings I don't even remember off the top of my head. You would have us go back to a dash like this: and therein kinda underlines my point..if YOU dont remember them then how valid are they in the first place.....let the complexity and confusion continue I guess.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordmantpw Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 LOL, never thought about mute people....what about the blind Nick....do they really need MFT, or the deaf...a volume control?.....lol....too many gimmicks.... The screen really DOES need braille...of course, what happens when you put a screen protector on it to reduce glare? Hmmm... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 One of the editors has written a blog on why they tested the preproduction Explorer: Dear Motor Trend: Take a lesson from Henry Ford II: "Never complain. Never explain." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Dear Motor Trend: Take a lesson from Henry Ford II: "Never complain. Never explain." well, obviously he never blogged....lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 (edited) About the only change I really think it needs (assuming the response time issues are addressed -- but that's software, not hardware) are to make it easier to locate the buttons by feel. It doesn't necessarily need to be a physical button, but they should at least look into adding a bump or a depression in the location of the button so it can be felt before being selected. I can see maybe adding a dial for tuning, but really, once you have your presets programmed, how often do you manually tune the radio? Yes, I could agree with having some sort of depression or something for the buttons. *Update* One of the editors has written a blog on why they tested the preproduction Explorer: My link So Motor Trend disagrees with well....everybody? Yeah, won't be renewing that subscription anytime soon....course, I hadn't since about 2002 anyway. So, in other words, they got caught with their pants down, and instead of stating they would retest a production version...................... like my 9-year-old would do....................... they whine that it wouldn't change the rankings anyway............................ so there, because we said so !!!! To that I say, "how do you know if you don't do it?" Final suspension tuning is one of the last things to happen. Final transmission programming is one of the last things to happen. Final calibrations on everything from the AWD system to the trans, to the engine tune are some of the last things done. Not to mention all of the fit and finish issues they went on about, and pieces falling off. BTW, they are lying through their teeth, as Scott Evans said at the beginning of the thread on MT, that it was an early pre-production unit, but Ford deserved what they got. They are in damage control mode, and are acting like little kids. It truly is pathetic. It makes me very glad I cancelled my login over there months ago. I find it EXTREMELY hard to believe that the Explorer would not have placed 1st or 2nd had it not been for multiple issues that can ALL be chalked up to it being a pre-production version. Unless I missed a page of the comparison, everything I read said "we like this about it, we like that about it, oh and this, oh and that....etc. etc....." then came "oh this fell off, this did this" therefore LAST. So they love pretty much everything about it but because of it being a pre-production unit make it last? Ok, I suppose I can give them the "too many quality issues" excuse if they truly didn't know it was a pre-production vehicle when they tested the vehicle and wrote the article, but to then in this "explanation" blog post say that the last place finish the Explorer received absolutely WOULD NOT change if presented with a production version in which most of their complaints would not be present (not to mention going against basically every other review of it) is absolutely ridiculous. A "properly sorted production 2011 Ford Explorer....[is]....simply not as good as the competition" my @$. They're trying to tell me that a f***ing Chevy Traverse (rental queen) or Honda Pilot is better than the new Explorer - yeah ok....whatever. :rolleyes: I mean c'mon! Look at what their summation for each vehicle (in dark red) : 1st Place: 2011 Mazda CX-9 Mazda CX-9 AWD The best driver here, no questions asked. Mazda keeps the sport in sport/utility vehicle, and it's the best truck here. So because it's the sportiest, it wins? I like the CX-9, but the thing is, what? 3 model years old already with limited 3rd row space at best - not what I look for in a crossover of this type. 2nd Place: 2011 Dodge Durango AWD It's time for an eight-speed. The Durango would have claimed a victory but for an old five-speed slusher. Admittedly, I just got tired of reading the BS excuse of an article so I didn't make it this far, but this is all they can say about it? 3rd Place: Toyota Highlander 4WD It's small, but roomy . It has the smallest motor, but was fastest here. A wobbly ride means third place. So it's allowed to have a "wobbly ride" and win 3rd? 4th Place: Chevrolet Traverse LTZ AWD If the rest of the Traverse had been as good as the ride, it could have taken home first place. This one is pretty accurate, actually - in the rental we had a while back, the ride wasn't bad, but everything else (especially on the interior) sucked and seemed/was extremely cheap. 5th Place: Honda Pilot 4WD Touring Noisy and harsh are not good family-hauler traits. However, it offered great storage solutions. This summation to me says - this vehicle sucks but because of the "H" on the grille.......I mean "Great storage solutions," it escapes last place. 6th Place: Ford Explorer Limited 4WD The marshmallow of this soft-roading group, the Explorer had too many quality issues to really be a contender So it has the best ride of the group where 95% (if not more) of these vehicles will spend their time, but had quality issues as the "only" gripe, yet it's position would not AT ALL change if a production version with all the given faults fixed (including MFT, as I'd presume that version/model didn't have the recent upgrade that's fixing just about all the problems with it from what I've heard) were tested???? Sorry about my rant, I just think their story and "CYA" response is ludicrous. Edited March 31, 2011 by rmc523 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GT-Keith Posted April 1, 2011 Author Share Posted April 1, 2011 RMC, you make a good point about the pre-production debacle. Here's my response to the blog: Damage Control. To knowingly submit an article with a vehicle that you knew was pre-production is careless... But to say a vehicle would place no higher had it not been a pre-production version, despite the fact that the majority of your complaints could have been attributed to the fact it was a pre-production model, is pathetic and vindictive and it only shows the true motive of your careless actions once you learned that Ford didn't send you a top quality model like they did the other publications which all rated the Explorer as good, or better than the competition. I'm glad I let my MT subscription run its course because the quality of your reviews among the other publications are no better than you ranked the Explorer. The only difference is that I actually have justifiable provocations to rate you so low. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 and therein kinda underlines my point..if YOU dont remember them then how valid are they in the first place.....let the complexity and confusion continue I guess.... I don't remember them because they are mostly set-it-and-forget-it features, like enabling Gracenote music info. You can bury those features inside a sub menu, set them to your liking, and then never look at them again instead of having a button for it reminding you it's there every time you look at your center stack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I don't remember them because they are mostly set-it-and-forget-it features, like enabling Gracenote music info. You can bury those features inside a sub menu, set them to your liking, and then never look at them again instead of having a button for it reminding you it's there every time you look at your center stack. funny, shows my interest...I dont even know what Gracenote is...didnt Elvis reside there...lol! I was chuckling last night about our banter, I was reminded when watching Direct-TV, and going through 600 channels of crap to get to the one of 5 or six I actually do watch....heh heh heh... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 funny, shows my interest...I dont even know what Gracenote is...didnt Elvis reside there...lol! I was chuckling last night about our banter, I was reminded when watching Direct-TV, and going through 600 channels of crap to get to the one of 5 or six I actually do watch....heh heh heh... Gracenote pulls info about the music you are listening to -- artist, track name, sometimes album covers, etc. It's useful if you have a music library that's not organized very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GT-Keith Posted April 2, 2011 Author Share Posted April 2, 2011 I updated the OP with some new info... Its almost as if they're mocking what they did and are shocked... I wouldn't be surprised if they had an agenda. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Whether it (or the quality issues we encountered) will have any effect on the Explorer’s April numbers is anyone’s guess It won't. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AR Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 I don't know if anybody noticed but the Ford Explorer outsold the following list of competitors in March: Ford Explorer*: 12,482 Chevrolet Traverse: 8,230 Honda Pilot: 9,608 Toyota Highlander: 9,828 Dodge Durango: 4,392 Jeep Grand Cherokee: 9,836 * I'm not sure if this number includes any 2010 models, but I would think there are hardly any left to "inflate" the new Explorers sales numbers. Sure one month does not make a trend, but I do like the fact that the 2011 Explorer continues its growth spurt for Ford. With an 11 day supply, Ford can't seem to keep up with demand. If the Explorer continues to be this hot, it should take over the sales crown of the SUV segment. Reading through the Motor Trend article was pretty depressing. On one hand, Ford should never have allowed a pre-production Explorer to get in the hands of the journalists. Ford should have told Motor Trend to wait for an Explorer until it was ready for production. That said, Motor Trend's assurance that the production-ready Explorer would still finish last is nonsense. I have to wonder what Motor Trend didn't see that the auto industry panelists for the North American International Auto Show did see when they gave the Explorer its 2011 North American Truck of the Year award. According to the scoring I saw on Edmunds.com at the time, there was a big gap in total points between the Explorer and Grand Cherokee, not to mention the Durango coming in a distant third. Other publications (both in print and video) seem to really like the Explorer as well. My only guess is that the Explorer is not what Motor Trend expects out of an SUV(?). It isn't designed for serious off-roading, there is no more V-8 (instead a little 2.0 turbo will be the optional engine!!!!!), and it isn't built on a truck platform anymore. What people don’t realize (including Motor Trend) is that the new Explorer was designed for the mainstream consumer market - Tom and Jane with their 2 kids down the block - not the Rubicon. This is what Honda and Toyota have been so successful with for years. These companies don't care if their SUVs aren't "Trail rated", and I highly doubt Ford cares that much as well. The Explorer isn't the fastest, most powerful SUV out there, but in my opinion, I think it hits the sweet spot of the segment, and it appears sales numbers are starting to show that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BORG Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Just cancelled my subscriptions to all car rags, including Motor Trend....this is why. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANTAUS Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 I haven't paid for MT subscription in years...they still send it to me, I guess they have to brag that they get "this much" circulation to get advertiser's to sign up with them, so they'll just print it and send. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atomcat68 Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 I haven't paid for MT subscription in years...they still send it to me, I guess they have to brag that they get "this much" circulation to get advertiser's to sign up with them, so they'll just print it and send. I know what you mean. 4 years ago I signed up for motortrend for I year and they still send them. C&D took 5 years(!) to figurre out I'm not paying them anymore! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GT-Keith Posted April 3, 2011 Author Share Posted April 3, 2011 I don't know if anybody noticed but the Ford Explorer outsold the following list of competitors in March: Ford Explorer*: 12,482 Chevrolet Traverse: 8,230 Honda Pilot: 9,608 Toyota Highlander: 9,828 Dodge Durango: 4,392 Jeep Grand Cherokee: 9,836 * I'm not sure if this number includes any 2010 models, but I would think there are hardly any left to "inflate" the new Explorers sales numbers. Sure one month does not make a trend, but I do like the fact that the 2011 Explorer continues its growth spurt for Ford. With an 11 day supply, Ford can't seem to keep up with demand. If the Explorer continues to be this hot, it should take over the sales crown of the SUV segment. Reading through the Motor Trend article was pretty depressing. On one hand, Ford should never have allowed a pre-production Explorer to get in the hands of the journalists. Ford should have told Motor Trend to wait for an Explorer until it was ready for production. That said, Motor Trend's assurance that the production-ready Explorer would still finish last is nonsense. I have to wonder what Motor Trend didn't see that the auto industry panelists for the North American International Auto Show did see when they gave the Explorer its 2011 North American Truck of the Year award. According to the scoring I saw on Edmunds.com at the time, there was a big gap in total points between the Explorer and Grand Cherokee, not to mention the Durango coming in a distant third. Other publications (both in print and video) seem to really like the Explorer as well. My only guess is that the Explorer is not what Motor Trend expects out of an SUV(?). It isn't designed for serious off-roading, there is no more V-8 (instead a little 2.0 turbo will be the optional engine!!!!!), and it isn't built on a truck platform anymore. What people don’t realize (including Motor Trend) is that the new Explorer was designed for the mainstream consumer market - Tom and Jane with their 2 kids down the block - not the Rubicon. This is what Honda and Toyota have been so successful with for years. These companies don't care if their SUVs aren't "Trail rated", and I highly doubt Ford cares that much as well. The Explorer isn't the fastest, most powerful SUV out there, but in my opinion, I think it hits the sweet spot of the segment, and it appears sales numbers are starting to show that. The new Explorer sold at least 6.2k units, which puts it ahead of the new Durango, as 110% of 12.4k is ~6.2k. It could be more as I'm not sure if they are counting '10 Explorers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 110% of 12.4k is ~6.2k. New math? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmm55 Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 I won't be satisfied til MT does a redo of the comparison. It's BS to say it wouldn't do better than the preproduction unit either (as stated on the MT blog). There's no way of knowing that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 There's no way of knowing that. ...............unless they had their minds made up before the comparo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmm55 Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 ...............unless they had their minds made up before the comparo. I don't think so (just an opinion) I think they found themselves in a quandry, and rather than back out of their stance, they dug in their heels as the FINAL AUTHORITY. As I said on the MT blog: I had some sympathy for MT, you were between a rock and a hard place in dealing with the preproduction issue. But then you buried yourself with a statement like this:”But let me be clear about one final point. A properly sorted production 2011 Ford Explorer still would have finished in last place. It’s simply not as good as the competition.” There is no way you can know that as a FACT. It proves bias. You can not be objective as stated. Even if MT did a redo comparo it couldn’t be trusted. You’ve placed your integrity on the line……….and lost. Read more: http://blogs.motortrend.com/tested-preproduction-ford-explorer-13787.html#ixzz1IVGh2Tay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FordBuyer Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 I won't be satisfied til MT does a redo of the comparison. It's BS to say it wouldn't do better than the preproduction unit either (as stated on the MT blog). There's no way of knowing that. Didn't the Explorer become the truck of year at DAS? And automotive writers from around the world who come to this auto show voted it truck of the year. MT hates the Edge also and that has never hurt Edge sales. I wouldn't worry about MT. Ford just needs to keep sharp eye on anymore holds and resulting recalls so that doesn't get out of hand. I do remember all the recalls on the 2000 Focus and first year Escape and we don't need a repeat of that. I don't expect it, because Ford as of late has pulled off so many good launches, but bringing out new Explorer and Focus during pretty much same time period was probably a challenge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Extreme4x4 Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 What, in heavens name, made you bring up the launch of the 2000 Focus?? (I know, I shouldn't ask) In what way, short of a blue oval, does modern Ford resemble Ford from 12 years ago?? You are pretty pathetic, if you have to drag out the launch of a vehicle 12 years ago, to cast doubt on current launches. Good God man, you really need to get laid, get a life, or both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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