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My quick reviews of the '14 Explorer Sport vs. '14 Acadia Denali


MikeyD

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So as you can see right off the bat it's already not a fair review due to the ecoboost engine in the Explorer Sport.

However there are some points I want to bring up and some questions that I have after driving both yesterday.

 

So I'm going from a 2011 GMC Sierra Crew Cab 4x4 to a crossover as it seems to make more sense when you have 2 small children, a wife and 2 grandparents that sometimes go places with the family.

 

On the 2014 Acadia Denali we found the seats to be as comfortable as the Ford. However we seemed to have much more leg room in the 3rd row compared to the Explorer. We already know that the Acadia has more shoulder room due to the 3rd seat in the back however despite what the specs shows (Both having the same leg room in the 3rd row) the wife thinks the Acadia had a good 4-5 inches more! I'd have to look again and take a good measurement. We liked how the 2nd row in the Acadia folded vs. the Explorer as there seemed to be a wider opening to get to the back. The 3rd row in the Acadia was more comfortable than the Explorer as it had a lot more cushion. We did like the fact that the Acadia seats 8 somewhat comfortably and 7 with the captains chairs.

The 2014 Explorer Sport was great also. What obviously made it stand out was the V6 Ecoboost engine which made it a really fun suv to drive and made it much more nimble than the acadia with the sport suspension. The Explorer seems to come better equipped with all the cool gadgets that otherwise the Acadia doesn't have or cost more to get. The Panorama Sunroof in the Explorer is MUCH nice than the dual moonroofs in the acadia since it is much larger in the Explorer so the space feels larger. What we liked most regarding the moonroof is the electric shade in the Explorer especially since you can stop it wherever you want vs. the Acadia Denali you would think the denali version would have electric too but NOT you have to reach for each one and manually close it and the same thing in the back, so if you have small children who can't reach it in carseats and they are getting to much sun and you want to close it on the Acadia you'd have to pull over to manually close it....kind of sucks ehh..

One of the big issues we had was the fact that if we get captains chairs on our Explorer Sport then we go from 7 seats to 6.....which kind of sucks since when you do this on the Acadia your at 7 ....so in a way it's like going back to my 6 seater truck but more comfortable.

 

So I have a question for all of you .....please be honest......not just cost concious......especially since we are getting the X-plan pricing on the Explorer Sport.

 

1.) Do you think the resale value will hold as good with Captains Chairs vs. Bench in the 2nd row?

 

2.) Will the Explorer Sport really be a higher in demand vehicle in the resale market vs. Acadia Denali or SLT?

 

3.) Are the extras such as BLIS or Adaptive Cruise control really worth it and do they add and more value when selling it?

 

4.) Is there any way when using a X-plan that a dealer would be willing to give you 2-years of maintenance to match what GM is doing on all their vehicles or is that dreaming?

 

If I think of anymore I will post.

Thanks all for reading and helping me make up my mind before I go down to purchase.

Mike

 

 

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Why the obsession with resale value? How long do you plan to keep it? If you're planning to keep it 3 years or less then you should probably lease unless you're planning to pay cash. After 4-5 years there won't be a huge difference in resale value so I wouldn't worry about it - get what you want now.

 

Adaptive cruise is nice. I didn't think I would use it but I do. BLIS is also nice.

 

2 years of maintenance on a modern vehicle is basically just 4 oil changes - less than $100. Don't worry about it.

Edited by akirby
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My bad....yes I should have mention that I lease my vehicles usually 3 years/10k or 12k.

I ask this and somewhat obsess over it because I just sold my 2011 GMC truck with 32,000 miles on it and was able to make a $6500 profit after buying my lease out. I would hate to get into a lease where I lose money since that has never happened with all the GM's I've leased car or truck.

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My bad....yes I should have mention that I lease my vehicles usually 3 years/10k or 12k.

I ask this and somewhat obsess over it because I just sold my 2011 GMC truck with 32,000 miles on it and was able to make a $6500 profit after buying my lease out. I would hate to get into a lease where I lose money since that has never happened with all the GM's I've leased car or truck.

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Umm when you figure I put nothing down on the truck and sticker was $40+ and I paid $33k Otd......I highly doubt that I paid to much especially when you take my payment which was $360 and divide that into the months I had the truck I came out waaaay ahead.

Edited by MikeyD
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Umm when you figure I put nothing down on the truck and sticker was $40+ and I paid $33k Otd......I highly doubt that I paid to much especially when you take my payment which was $360 and divide that into the months I had the truck I came out waaaay ahead.

 

If they had given you the correct residual value on the lease it would have been $6500 higher thus reducing your lease payments.

 

Let's say you paid $33K and the residual was $18K. You paid $15K plus interest. If you sold it for $24.5K then it only cost you $8.5K ($15K minus $6.5K). If they had given you an accurate residual of $24.5K then you would have only paid $8.5K for the lease.

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See if you can find someone at a dealership to run the specs on each using ALG.

 

And I doubt that you'd get 2 years free maintenance w/X-Plan, because, well, it's an X-Plan deal. They're not going to be making much off the sale itself.

 

Both vehicles are a bit long-in-the-tooth, which is going to impact resale, as both should be replaced with newer designs by the time you sell (the Acadia possibly, but not necessarily, on a new platform).

 

From what I'm hearing, I'd go with the Acadia if I were you. If you're going to be cramped with only 2 seats in the 3rd row, then go with the Acadia. Why compromise on something that'll be a frequent irritation throughout the ownership experience?

Edited by RichardJensen
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From what I'm hearing, I'd go with the Acadia if I were you. If you're going to be cramped with only 2 seats in the 3rd row, then go with the Acadia. Why compromise on something that'll be a frequent irritation throughout the ownership experience?

I agree with Richard on this. The fact that the Explorer's seating hold one less person than the Acadia seems to be a sticking point for you. If that's the case, you would definitely be happier with the Acadia.

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I tried to talk my wife into an Explorer but she just did not like driving it. After reading up on the Flex I found the two vehicles very similar in capability and specs. I asked the wife to take a look at one and her first reaction was that it was ugly. I told her to check it out, no pressure, and once she got inside she liked it much better than the Explorer. Once she drove it the decision was made.

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I tried to talk my wife into an Explorer but she just did not like driving it. After reading up on the Flex I found the two vehicles very similar in capability and specs. I asked the wife to take a look at one and her first reaction was that it was ugly. I told her to check it out, no pressure, and once she got inside she liked it much better than the Explorer. Once she drove it the decision was made.

 

Same thing happened to my wife. This was back in '08 when the old BOF Explorer was still around though.

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Let me ask you guys something real quick....since this is the first FORD vehicle I'm getting and the 3rd Vehicle I've leased, do you know if we're able to negotiate the residual value? When I asked the dealer (Who is a very good respectable dealer that is family owned), they said the residual is not negotiable and is set by Ford Motor Credit. So for instance the Explorer Sport after a 36-month lease @ 12k/year is had something like a 54% residual value? Does this sound right? Also is the dealer correct on saying that the residual is NOT negotiable? So that really only leaves me the price of the vehicle which with X-plan doesn't leave me to much especially after incentives etc...am I correct in thinking this and the interest rate that Ford MC is willing to give me?

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Yes, you're correct. The residual is nonnegotiable. However, I believe the money factor can be negotiated, as----based on my memory from a few years back----the dealer's holdback (their cut of the cumulative interest income from financing) is based on the money factor.

 

That is, if the money factor corresponds to, say 2%, and the dealer's holdback is typically .5%, they may be able to do a .25% holdback and set the money factor to 1.75% (please note: The money factor is seldom--if ever--expressed as an APR, even though it is interest).

 

However, I can assure you that if you want the dealer to give you price breaks, especially on an X-Plan deal, you need to make the deal as painless and as quick as possible for their sales staff. If you're prepared to write a check for the full amount due at signing on the spot, know exactly which (if any) additional items you want included at the sale, and know exactly which vehicle on the lot you want, you're more likely to get a deal. If you hem and haw and drag the sale process out over multiple visits, it's more likely that the dealer will stop seeing the point of doing business with you.

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Richard/All,

 

I do have a question....we are going to the dealer tmrw evening to order our explorer sport....they don't have what we want in stock and other dealer don't want to give up their stock......so I called the dealership and told the guy I was working with that I have a x-plan pricing now........after I built the explorer the way we wanted on the x-plan site, he told me that he can beat that x-plan price by $600-700??? And then any available incentives on top of that.

 

So my question is.......how? All,of a sudden he can beat that price? Is there something I'm missing or are they going to make it up elsewhere??

 

Also he said with a credit score around 700 on a lease the money market may be around a 2.5% apr....or whatever that translates to in money market percentage???which I forget the math without looking it up. Doesn't ford motor credit consider 700 a tier 1 credit?

 

So does this sound right or isn't that APR high for a 36month/12k year lease?

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That sounds about right. Money factors don't move much on leases, and you don't pay much interest over the course of a 37mo. lease anyway.

 

Regarding the price movement, it sounds like there is now some dealer cash available for the sale. Manufacturers have been giving out dealer cash for years as a way to basically lower the invoice price of the vehicle.

 

For instance, the invoice price for a vehicle might be $24k. But the dealer might have $1000 in dealer cash available for that vehicle. The dealer can split that $1k between themselves and the customer allowing them to sell the vehicle for $500 under invoice while still turning a $500 profit.

 

Of course the dealer may be giving you all the dealer cash because they're making a nice holdback on the lease.

 

Bottom line, the dealer is going to turn a profit on this sale one way or another. For originating the lease, on the sale itself, or some other combination. It's not fair to expect the dealer to take a loss. But it is fair to expect savings for wrapping up a deal quickly and without hassle/haggling.

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Be aware that IF there is dealer cash available then that usually shows up as an additional X plan rebate that isn't available without X plan.

 

Is it possible to get $600 below X plan? Sure, but I'd be very careful with add-on fees and other things that they might be adding in. That's about $450 below dealer invoice so you're dipping into a lot of the holdback unless they make it up elsewhere.

 

My advice is to get another dealer to quote X plan on the same order using Vincent to see what incentives are actually available with X plan just to make sure you aren't missing a rebate.

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