Ford Decontenting Thread

[rmc523]

 

23 hours ago, rmc523 said:

 

For some reason, the auto-dimming rearview mirror is only specifically listed in the Outer Bank's Mid package.  I think it's an oversight and assume it'd be included in all Mid packages, but not even Raptor lists it.  Strange...

 

Sadly, this is actually true:  even Lux Badlands doesn't have the auto dimming rearview mirror.

 

 

 

They've also dropped the learther wrapped shift knob:

 

New:

 

 

Old:

 

And stitched dash:

 

 

 

 

The rampant cost cutting on touch points/features that people use literally every day while increasing prices is ridiculous.

[Sherminator98]

I thought the dash pad with stitching was an option? 

[rmc523]

17 minutes ago, Sherminator98 said:

I thought the dash pad with stitching was an option? 

 

Who knows, I can't find it in the 2025 order guide either, but I know they had it.

 

I thought it was part of lux......maybe it's part of the leather seating package, which the one in the photos doesn't seem to have (you can see the seat in one and it looks like the marine grade vinyl to me).

[tbone]

On 2/19/2026 at 7:42 AM, rmc523 said:

 

 

Sadly, this is actually true:  even Lux Badlands doesn't have the auto dimming rearview mirror.

 

 

 

They've also dropped the learther wrapped shift knob:

 

New:

 

 

Old:

 

And stitched dash:

 

 

 

 

The rampant cost cutting on touch points/features that people use literally every day while increasing prices is ridiculous.

Cheap motherf’rs! Damn this is so tiresome. It used to be you didn’t buy first year models (I know this isn’t a first year model), but with Ford you had better if you want to get all the nice touches they put into them to entice buyers, because it’s nearly guaranteed they’re gonna cut it.

 

I just cannot wrap my mind around this. Ford wants premium pricing for their vehicles, but they don’t want to give you premium content.  It would be different if the price of the vehicles went down as a result of Ford stripping content from them, but you know that never happens.  

[rmc523]

11 hours ago, tbone said:

Cheap motherf’rs! Damn this is so tiresome. It used to be you didn’t buy first year models (I know this isn’t a first year model), but with Ford you had better if you want to get all the nice touches they put into them to entice buyers, because it’s nearly guaranteed they’re gonna cut it.

 

I just cannot wrap my mind around this. Ford wants premium pricing for their vehicles, but they don’t want to give you premium content.  It would be different if the price of the vehicles went down as a result of Ford stripping content from them, but you know that never happens.  

agreed!

[ANTAUS]

Part of me appreciates how, at least with Ford and most automakers, like a cafeteria, you can pick your toys.  Then it's times like this where I appreciate Hondas DX LX EX simplicity. Want all the toys, EX...sadly, Honda has mediocre interiors that lack toys and details.

[Biker16]

What the Frunk? Ford Now Charging Buyers For 2026 Mustang Mach-E’s Front Trunk

 

The frunk used to be standard, but now it costs hundreds of dollars.

[akirby]

9 hours ago, ANTAUS said:

Part of me appreciates how, at least with Ford and most automakers, like a cafeteria, you can pick your toys.  Then it's times like this where I appreciate Hondas DX LX EX simplicity. Want all the toys, EX...sadly, Honda has mediocre interiors that lack toys and details.

Bought several Hondas around 1990 and it was so easy just pick dx, lx, ex.  When we tried to buy a 2016 mkx off the lot even though we picked a reserve there were 3 packages that weren't standard and nobodyhad one in stock with all 3.  So we did without adaptive cruise.

[twintornados]

15 hours ago, akirby said:

Bought several Hondas around 1990 and it was so easy just pick dx, lx, ex.  When we tried to buy a 2016 mkx off the lot even though we picked a reserve there were 3 packages that weren't standard and nobodyhad one in stock with all 3.  So we did without adaptive cruise.

 

In the early 90's before I got my NYS civil service job, I sold cars for a brief respite. First at a Toyota dealer and then a Lincoln/Mercury dealer...the Toyota dealership was super E-Z...."Oh, you want a Camry 4 door sedan LE trim package? This is how they build it...what color do you want? And don't pick Sapphire Green...that is the 'hot' choice right now..." At the L/M dealer...we never had the Sable in stock that the customer wanted and always had to find it via dealer trade... 

[BenKohnen]

On 2/19/2026 at 8:17 AM, rmc523 said:

 

Who knows, I can't find it in the 2025 order guide either, but I know they had it.

 

I thought it was part of lux......maybe it's part of the leather seating package, which the one in the photos doesn't seem to have (you can see the seat in one and it looks like the marine grade vinyl to me).

I just checked the 2025 Outer Banks Mid we've got on the lot, as well as the 2025 Badlands and Badlands Sasquatch. OBX has the stitching, Badlands do not.

 

Have to wonder if the manual mirror thing on everything other than the OBX is deliberate. I've always thought the OBX is the perfect Bronco for someone who will absolutely never go off road, not even onto a gravel road, but wants all the off road look and pedigree and don't want to give up all the creature comforts of a nice Explorer (which is what they should have bought). Power seats, auto dimming mirrors, it's the perfect mall crawler. 

[rmc523]

55 minutes ago, BenKohnen said:

I just checked the 2025 Outer Banks Mid we've got on the lot, as well as the 2025 Badlands and Badlands Sasquatch. OBX has the stitching, Badlands do not.

 

Have to wonder if the manual mirror thing on everything other than the OBX is deliberate. I've always thought the OBX is the perfect Bronco for someone who will absolutely never go off road, not even onto a gravel road, but wants all the off road look and pedigree and don't want to give up all the creature comforts of a nice Explorer (which is what they should have bought). Power seats, auto dimming mirrors, it's the perfect mall crawler. 

 

So because I like the nice features and don't go offroad much means I should've bought an Explorer?  And/or that I can't have the nice features because it has the offroad ability?

[BenKohnen]

Not at all... stores I've been at have historically ordered the OBX as 2.3, non-Sasquatch, Lux packaged. It practically geared the vehicle to the targeted buyer, and it's been right on target for the market here. Stock orders had to be placed considering the 90%. We'd get a lot of customers who had two sticking points on getting the Bronco - fuel mileage and on road ride/noise. A lot of them were coming from an Explorer. Now, another Ford store 50 miles north kept a bigger Bronco inventory on hand, and did a mix of Big Bend Sasquatch and Outer Banks Sasquatch, and while it was available the Wildtrak. Very few Badlands. The customers there didn't seem to give a rip about any of the actual capabilities or comforts, it was all about the look. Totally different market.

Of course, not everyone is the 90%. The 10% that are specific and know exactly what they want are fun. Digging to the reasons WHY they want this or that sometimes leads to a totally different build. Had a guy build out a 2-door Badlands without Sasquatch, knowing he was going to swap the wheels and tires and Badlands was already coming with all the hero switches on the dash for off roading.

[tbone]

I picked this nice nugget up from my ST Facebook page and figured it was appropriate for this page. The 2026 Explorer ST has been detuned to 385hp. This was unbeknownst to me at the time of our purchase.  I could not find any reference to this prior to purchase and many web sites are still referencing 400hp. The 2025 model is still referencing 400hp on the Ford website.  I find it problematic unless they started this spec after ours was produced.
 

 

[fordmantpw]

I thought I saw somewhere that this was emissions related?

[tbone]

43 minutes ago, fordmantpw said:

I thought I saw somewhere that this was emissions related?

That may be, but on December 19, 2025, their website said 400hp.  I got a copy of our window sticker on January 06, 2026.   They were still claiming 400hp on their website as of February 10, 2026.  Their current Build and Price says 400hp.   It is unclear to me what our power rating is, but I believed it was 400hp at the time of purchase based on the info I had available to me at that time.  
 

Edited March 11 by tbone

[fordmantpw]

Maybe one was quoted with 93 octane, one with 87?  Both do say "max avail.", though, so not likely.

 

In the end, does it matter?  Would you have still purchased it if it had "only" 385 HP and you knew it?  Are you ever even going to use all 385 HP anyway, let alone 400 HP?  That's less than 4% difference, and you wouldn't notice that small amount unless you're running the 1/4" track regularly (and you can lose 4% based on weather conditions anyway).  It's splitting hairs and it's really not worth the added stress of worrying about it (IMHO of course).

 

I tow 12k+ lbs with my Super Duty, and I can never remember how many HP it has.  I think it's 475, but maybe its 450?  It doesn't matter, it does what I want it to do and then some, so I direct my worry to more important things in life.

[akirby]

[BenKohnen]

Son of a gun. Chalk up one more change Ford failed to convey to dealerships. Clicking on the "68" tag does say horsepower achieved with premium fuel.

I'll have to adjust one of my go-to quips with the ST. I like to joke about how they've got the same horsepower as the first Vipers, but with six seats and all the comfort goodies.

Hopefully this turns into something like what happened with the Maverick's 250hp, which dropped down to 238hp, then bounced back after whatever voodoo Ford did to bring it back to its proper HP.

 

Edited March 12 by BenKohnen

[Trader 10]

34 minutes ago, BenKohnen said:

Son of a gun. Chalk up one more change Ford failed to convey to dealerships. Clicking on the "68" tag does say horsepower achieved with premium fuel.

I'll have to adjust one of my go-to quips with the ST. I like to joke about how they've got the same horsepower as the first Vipers, but with six seats and all the comfort goodies.

Hopefully this turns into something like what happened with the Maverick's 250hp, which dropped down to 238hp, then bounced back after whatever voodoo Ford did to bring it back to its proper HP.

 

maverick’s horsepower dropped when the new 2.0 ecoboost engine was introduced for the 2025 model year. 

[ANTAUS]

Just like Nautilus... optional engine dropped from 310 to 285, sadly all that vehicle is missing is a good 70-80HP. Going down from it's glory days of 355HP in it's previous generation.  I feel like saying "Look ship the vehicle from China and keep the "adequate" engine overthere, and let us put a serious 2.3L tuned to 355HP" (like you can opt in the Ranger)

[akirby]

I thought they should have used the 2.3L in the Nautilus from day one to differentiate it from Edge.

[T hawker]

Just checked the Lincoln website, the 2026 Aviator is listed as 400 hp with 91 octane.

[tbone]

On 3/11/2026 at 3:06 PM, fordmantpw said:

Maybe one was quoted with 93 octane, one with 87?  Both do say "max avail.", though, so not likely.

 

In the end, does it matter?  Would you have still purchased it if it had "only" 385 HP and you knew it?  Are you ever even going to use all 385 HP anyway, let alone 400 HP?  That's less than 4% difference, and you wouldn't notice that small amount unless you're running the 1/4" track regularly (and you can lose 4% based on weather conditions anyway).  It's splitting hairs and it's really not worth the added stress of worrying about it (IMHO of course).

 

I tow 12k+ lbs with my Super Duty, and I can never remember how many HP it has.  I think it's 475, but maybe it’s 450?  It doesn't matter, it does what I want it to do and then some, so I direct my worry to more important things in life.

Can I tell the difference between 385 and 400 by the seat of the pants, probably not, but that really isn’t the point.  I can’t find any information in the order guide and the dealer didn’t know anything about the power change. I’ve shown examples of the information Ford was providing at the time of the purchase.  Would I still have bought the vehicle, I personally would not have, but my wife bought the vehicle so I can’t speak for her. This is not the only reason I wouldn’t have bought it, I just believe they decontented it too much to justify the purchase and I wouldn’t recommend it to others unless they could get an amazing deal on it. 
 

I am going to email Ford customer service to ask them if they can tell me how to determine what my power rating is. Mostly out of curiosity at this point.  
 

I don’t know if you recall the 99 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra lawsuit regarding the power rating  not being what was stated on their documentation. It does seem there are many in the forums that were not aware of this change.  I mention this for the sake of discussion. 

[fordmantpw]

If the decrease is indeed due to the added GPF (which I imagine it is), you can likely look underneath and if you have a GPF, know you've got 385.  If not, you've got 400.

 

The 99 Cobra came to mind when you mentioned that, but that's a whole different ballgame.  Yes, it's the same concept, but it's meant for all-out performance, where the Explorer is not.  I see your point, but I'm pretty sure in the Ford literature it says (in fine print none-the-less) that specifications are subject to change.

 

It sucks, mostly in principle, but at the end of the day, it's minor compared to most of the cost cutting Ford is doing (and this isn't a cost-cutting or de-contenting issue, it's trying to keep up with emissions).  You won't notice 15 less HP, but you'll damn sure notice that missing Homelink opener on the visor, or the now-gone keypad on the door.

[akirby]

1 hour ago, fordmantpw said:

If the decrease is indeed due to the added GPF (which I imagine it is), you can likely look underneath and if you have a GPF, know you've got 385.  If not, you've got 400.

 

The 99 Cobra came to mind when you mentioned that, but that's a whole different ballgame.  Yes, it's the same concept, but it's meant for all-out performance, where the Explorer is not.  I see your point, but I'm pretty sure in the Ford literature it says (in fine print none-the-less) that specifications are subject to change.

 

It sucks, mostly in principle, but at the end of the day, it's minor compared to most of the cost cutting Ford is doing (and this isn't a cost-cutting or de-contenting issue, it's trying to keep up with emissions).  You won't notice 15 less HP, but you'll damn sure notice that missing Homelink opener on the visor, or the now-gone keypad on the door.

Remember you're talking to a guy that said the 2025 Expedition would flop because they didn't change the side profile or body line.   For 2025 Expedition sales were actually up 10%.