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2021 Explorer XLT plus


edselford

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To compete head to head with the Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade Ford needs to up the game on the Explorer!

The pricing is too high on current Explorer for what you get in the XLT

Four cylinder, non leather seats, strut front suspension.

I had a 2011 Ford Explorer XLT with leather seats, first generation 3.5 V6.  It was a great car. Only one problem, overheating because the radiator fan seized and engine went into limp home mode!

maybe Ford management need to think about offering an XLT plus which would include the following:

leather heated seats

3.3 naturally aspirated V6 current generation with dual fuel injection and roller finger followers for hydraulic cam

sport appearance package, 20” wheels

double wishbone front suspension from the Aviator

ford could of hit it out of he ballpark with the 2020 Explorer but probably didn’t.

 

edselford

 

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1 hour ago, akirby said:

Maybe those other vehicles are underpriced?  Ford doesn’t need to sell Explorers at a 2% profit.  

 

I hear you akirby, but the Explorer has been getting pretty hammered in a number of reviews/comparisons.  I know that isn’t the be all end all of info a consumer reviews, however if it does raise enough red flags for a consumer to go check the competition there is a good chance it sounds that Ford could lose those sales.  I feel they will need to make a few tweaks to the new Explorer to address the competition a little more effectively. It shouldn’t take much to do that it doesn’t seems.

 

I test drove an ST yesterday and thought the interior was fine, but I wouldn’t say outstanding.  The front cabin area was better than the Expedition we are comparing against, but that isn't  difficult considering the Expy has my F150 interior. The Expedition needs to up its game as well and have better differentiation from the F150. 

 

On a side note, does anyone know if the plastic cup holder between the two rear buckets in the 2020 Explorer are removable?  I don’t care for that at all. 

Edited by tbone
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I think the XLT is priced reasonably but the higher trims might be a bit too high but we’ll have to see how actual buyers feel.  If they get enough takers then maybe they’re right.

 

As for losing sales to Kia or Hyundai, if they’re underpricing their vehicles then the last thing you want to do is match them with big rebates.  It’s not worth it.  Better to lose a sale than lose money.  There will always be some who want to buy market share.

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14 minutes ago, akirby said:

As for losing sales to Kia or Hyundai, if they’re underpricing their vehicles then the last thing you want to do is match them with big rebates. 

 

It's not that Kia or Hyundai are underpricing their vehicles, but that Ford overprices theirs. Ford is very likely to lose market share with such stiff competition for the new Explorer.

 

I hope Ford does not continue past traditions of huge rebates and fleet dumping as a remedy for inflated MSRP on the new Explorer. Hopefully, any "value" adjustments that are applied to Explorer later in the 2020 model year and into 2021 are based on improving quality and features (like what Edselford suggested with an XLT Plus model) while keeping pricing similar to where it is now.

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By all accounts the Kia/Hyundai interior is closer to Lexus, Lincoln and Caddy at $20k higher price points than to other non luxury models yet it’s the same price.  Either they’re cutting costs dramatically where you can’t see it or they’re underpricing.

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edselford sir, Motor Trend shared all of your concerns with 2020 Explorer in its SUV of the Year competition. https://www.motortrend.com/cars/ford/explorer/2020/2020-ford-explorer-pros-and-cons-review/

 

"Our advice? To Ford: Step up your quality game or lower your prices. To consumers whose boxes are understandably otherwise ticked by the Explorer: Don't pay sticker. As for us, well, as MotorTrend en Español managing editor Miguel Cortina said, "Is this really what we've been waiting for, Ford?"

 

Hopefully Ford executives are paying attention. Who knows, Ford may apply an emergency refresh and realign the feature set for Explorer in 2021 to address the 2020 model's poor quality and value. 

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rperez817

thanks for your inputs. I had not read the MT article but based my comments on looking at the 2020 Explorers on the dealer lot.

The 2019 Explorer Sport was a bargain but the 2020 ST is not!

Also a 3.5 NA V6 would probably get better fuel economy than the 3.3 V6 if it were direct and port injected with roller followers for valve actuation. Basically the 3.5 ecoboost engine out of the Ford F-150 but without the turbos!

The increased torque would allow using a faster final drive ratio, say a 3.27 versus a 3.73!

edselford

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