Jump to content

Explorer King Ranch


Recommended Posts

Geez what a half baked effort and they could of at least had some unique exterior trim elements. 
 

I’m in Birmingham Alabama for a few days and next door is a Ford dealer   They had two Explorers unlocked so i checked out the interiors and still see glaring quality issues which would drive me fucking insane if i to look at it everyday. 

Big panel gap around the center stack where the trim from both sides was misaligned and sticks out some. 

Glove box latch and rear seat fold down latches took an exceeding amount

of effort. I messed with them several times and was just perplexed by this type of oversight. 
 

The small bin in the center console is not only cheap but the carpeted trim doesn’t even closely fit into the bin. 
 

And one of these vehicles had a noise coming from back of the dash like a switch was opening /closing. Maybe that is corrected at PDI but not sure. In many ways I think the Explorer is a pretty good vehicle but was hoping some of these oversights would of been corrected by now. 

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, akirby said:

 

It does have a unique grille and wheels which is all the KR F150s have ever gotten on the exterior.   KR is all about the interior.

 

I can't see much different (on my 13" laptop) with either and you are correct that the KR"s big effort is inside....but I guess I was hoping for something more on the exterior given this is the first trim they've added since launch?  The inside looks great (besides that friggin massive tablet staring back at you) though. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, kyle said:

Geez what a half baked effort and they could of at least had some unique exterior trim elements. 
 

I’m in Birmingham Alabama for a few days and next door is a Ford dealer   They had two Explorers unlocked so i checked out the interiors and still see glaring quality issues which would drive me fucking insane if i to look at it everyday. 

Big panel gap around the center stack where the trim from both sides was misaligned and sticks out some. 

Glove box latch and rear seat fold down latches took an exceeding amount

of effort. I messed with them several times and was just perplexed by this type of oversight. 
 

The small bin in the center console is not only cheap but the carpeted trim doesn’t even closely fit into the bin. 
 

And one of these vehicles had a noise coming from back of the dash like a switch was opening /closing. Maybe that is corrected at PDI but not sure. In many ways I think the Explorer is a pretty good vehicle but was hoping some of these oversights would of been corrected by now. 

 

I watched a You Tube video that showed some of the ways Ford decontented the 2021 Explorer as they dropped the base price $2,000. Two areas were cheapening the console and glove box. I'm sure there were other areas.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, rmc523 said:

 

These aren't unique wheels, just the KR logo center cap.

 

 

Interior looks nice though!

 

The two tone seats are nice. One area Ford could improve interior wise is contrasting stitching that is eye popping that includes the dash board and door cards. My Crosstrek had orange stitching that popped on very affordable vehicle. The stitching on my Escape is barely noticeable and only on seats and steering wheel. Come on Ford!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

34 minutes ago, FordBuyer said:

I watched a You Tube video that showed some of the ways Ford decontented the 2021 Explorer as they dropped the base price $2,000. Two areas were cheapening the console and glove box. I'm sure there were other areas.

 

Ford Explorers have always had cheap interiors. The trick is to disguise at least some of the cheapness so that it doesn't look horrid and turn away prospective customers. Even with the decontenting, I think some of the refreshed elements for lower trim 2021 Explorer accomplish this goal, and the new 2021 Explorer King Ranch interior does a good job of that too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We considered  waiting on the King Ranch Explorer for the interior color (not black, not sandstone), but were disappointed to see that they maintained the same exterior look as the other Explorers.  It is too bad that Ford doesn't try to give the pricier Explorer models a cleaner/more upscale look like the Lincoln Aviator.  With the King Ranch Explorer off the list, we ended up buying a 2021 Aviator Reserve II with the Roast interior before it even hit the dealer's lot.

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, HotRunrGuy said:

 

except that KR F-150's offer an optional secondary color down low.

 

HRG

KR F-150 2-color.JPG

 

On F-150, KR is basically the "country" version of Platinum hence the two-tone option vs. Platinum's monochrome look.

 

On Explorer, even the ST and Platinum has basic black plastic molding so I guess KR has the same look as well. Only the interior theme is different.

 

MSRP for the various trim levels:

Base 2.3EB RWD $32,225

XLT 2.3EB RWD $34,000

Limited 2.3EB RWD $45,005

ST 3.0EB AWD $52,605

KR 3.0 EB RWD $52,350 / 3.0 EB AWD $54,350

Platinum 3.0 EB AWD $54,480 

 

So there is only $130 price difference between similarly equipped KR and Platinum. The only thing new here appears to be the availability of 3.0EB with RWD, which lowers the KR MSRP by roughly $2,000 compare to Platinum.

 

Would be interesting to see how the upcoming FX4/Timberline is positioned - if it will be sold as a new trim level or a package on the existing trim levels. 

 

 

Edited by bzcat
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The grille is the same as the xlt grille but just a different color. The wheels are the same as the limited’s wheels. If I saw this driving down the road, I’d guess it was a limited. I would have liked to see a bit more differentiation from the other models, but I guess you are paying for the interior and the bigger engine. The ST is a better value and looks different from the other trims.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, kyle said:

Geez what a half baked effort and they could of at least had some unique exterior trim elements.

 

The one really unique feature of the King Ranch, regarding the powertrain at least, is that rear wheel drive is offered with the 3.0L EB V6 engine. The engine was previously only offered with all wheel drive for the ST and Platinum.

 

3 hours ago, ice-capades said:

A lower two-tone paint treatment would have been a nice touch though and helped differentiate the King Ranch model... similar to the old Eddie Bauer model. 

 

Yes, I also think the brown/tan lower two-tone paint would have been nice for it.

But I do like the new Explorer King Ranch with how Ford has done with it. I'm not usually a fan of brown/tan interior but always liked how the King Ranch looked on the other Fords.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Seems

13 hours ago, kyle said:

Geez what a half baked effort and they could of at least had some unique exterior trim elements. 
 

I’m in Birmingham Alabama for a few days and next door is a Ford dealer   They had two Explorers unlocked so i checked out the interiors and still see glaring quality issues which would drive me fucking insane if i to look at it everyday. 

Big panel gap around the center stack where the trim from both sides was misaligned and sticks out some. 

Glove box latch and rear seat fold down latches took an exceeding amount

of effort. I messed with them several times and was just perplexed by this type of oversight. 
 

The small bin in the center console is not only cheap but the carpeted trim doesn’t even closely fit into the bin. 
 

And one of these vehicles had a noise coming from back of the dash like a switch was opening /closing. Maybe that is corrected at PDI but not sure. In many ways I think the Explorer is a pretty good vehicle but was hoping some of these oversights would of been corrected by now. 


Looks like a lot of hoopla for some dark, two tone leather and some squiggly lines.  
 

Shame about the quality issues you ran into.  It seems Ford isn’t interested in making the Explorer a quality vehicle.  I would have expected by now to see improvement but instead they cheapened the interior even more.  
 

It’s also a shame the tablet still looks like a complete after thought.  That should have been changed for 2021. Hopefully the next refresh is pushed up and we can finally put this one behind us. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, FordBuyer said:

 

I watched a You Tube video that showed some of the ways Ford decontented the 2021 Explorer as they dropped the base price $2,000. Two areas were cheapening the console and glove box. I'm sure there were other areas.


Do you have a link to that?  I’ve searched but can’t find one that matches your description.  I’m curious what else they found. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

28 minutes ago, FR739 said:


Do you have a link to that?  I’ve searched but can’t find one that matches your description.  I’m curious what else they found. 

 

Yeah, his comment is the first I've heard of that.

 

I do recall some "decontenting" on some of the upper trims, but it was in fact making something like the sunroof an option rather than standard, and lowering the price accordingly.

Edited by rmc523
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, Going_Going_Gone said:

We considered  waiting on the King Ranch Explorer for the interior color (not black, not sandstone), but were disappointed to see that they maintained the same exterior look as the other Explorers.  It is too bad that Ford doesn't try to give the pricier Explorer models a cleaner/more upscale look like the Lincoln Aviator.  With the King Ranch Explorer off the list, we ended up buying a 2021 Aviator Reserve II with the Roast interior before it even hit the dealer's lot.

Same interior color on our Aviator.  
 

Anyone looking at a high end Explorer should do themselves a favor and check out the Aviator.  At least Ford is differentiating the two.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, akirby said:

Don't forget Explorer has a ST model that F150 doesn't and the new Timberline model yet to be released.  It's also a slightly different market than F150.  Just pointing out why they may not have done the same differentiation as F150.

 

I think people were expecting too much for what amounts to a new interior color on the Explorer. Ford is not going to give Explorer King Ranch two-tone paint when ST and Platinum also have unpainted black plastic trim and lower bumper on the Explorer. This is actually something that Ford needs to rethink... like on the Escape, there is too much black unpainted plastic on upper level trim Explorer. It makes the vehicle look cheap.

 

If Ford gave Explorer King Ranch painted (contrasting color or otherwise) trim and lower bumpers, it probably need to do that for Platinum and ST too. Guessing that didn't pass the cost review committee.

 

May have to wait for mid cycle update to get them painted trim and lower bumpers...

 

1024px-2020_Ford_Explorer_ST,_front_8.242020-ford-explorer-platinum-4.jpg

2021-Ford-Explorer-King-Ranch-front-01.j

Edited by bzcat
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...