Nice looking oustde, interior well done.

Braking, Reliability, Rear seat uncomfortable

Purchased with 20000 miles and did fine up
until 2 months ago. Now with 35000 miles has a
start up problem and dealer says he can't fix it.
Ford service sucks and I will never purchase
another Ford product.

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none

Fit, finish, looks, ride, handling

Power, gas consumption

Great truck. Runs well so far (7K miles)with no problems except for the phantom windshield wipers. Gas milage not as good as I had hoped, but not terrible. Got it for $25,500 w/everything I wanted. Good bang for the buck!

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None

-comfort
-drive
-interior room
-sound system
-looks

-gas mileage (it's an SUV)

This car handles much better and feels more solid than any ohter SUV I have driven. The looks and the sound system are great.... My dogs love it too.

Similar Products Used:

older Explorer; 4-Runner

Strong SOHC V6
Great Looks
Low Cost! (see below!)

Stopping Distance

You are not going to belive this, but I won this truck off the internet! I was the Grand Prize winner in a internet contest by Rainsoft. I have had the SUV for about 4 months now and love it! The people at Rainsoft really went all out with the Explorer. It's a '99 XLT 4-Door with all the options including, Leather, CD, Moonroof, Upper Line SOHC V6, Trim Package, Towing Package, etc...

I love this truck, and for the price who wouldn't? If I had of paid full price I believe I would still like it just as much.

The only thing I would consider not giving a rave review on would be the braking. The braking distance is a bit further than I expected, (NOT BY CHOICE!) I bumped a car on the highway and 3 weeks ago. A deer was hit by the second car in front of me and went flying through the air. As I watched in amazement a deer body was flying through the air about 20 - 25ft. I didn't see the deer untill it was in the air. I was in shock and dis-belief, (It's not everyday a deer literally flys in front of you travling down the highway!) Of course the car it hit slammed on the brakes, the car behind them slammed on their brakes, and I, as I reacted to what was happening, slammed on my brakes. The car in front of me stopped in time, I did not! We didn't hit hard, but we did hit. Hardly any damage was done to the Explorer, (some scuffs on the front bumper). It messed up the Cherolet Malibu I hit though! (grin) The trunk flew up and bent, it would not shut. The bumper was also bent. (I guess this gives a new meaning to Build Ford Tough!) Luckily no one was hurt, (except the deer). The insurance took care of everything and all is well now.

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First SUV

Rides well for an SUV (after replacing stock tires), Improved interior over previous models, powerful engine for the V6 model, roomy front and back seat areas

The ABS breaks take longer than they should to stop.
Gas mileage is low.

I started out with a 92' model Explorer and was fairly happy except that its transmission went out in the first 6 months. Now, after driving the 97 and I see a vast improvement. From the outside the new explorers have curves instead of being a boxed in truck. Other major improvements revolve around durability in the center arm rest(broke more than my fair share in the 92' model) and interior buttons and nobs. However, I have had problems with the lumbar support losing air spontaneously and rear door locks not always unlocking when they should. Stock tires give a rough ride and should be replaced as soon as possible. Also, alarm system went haywire in its first two years. Overall, I have been happy with the purchase and would recommend it to others for purchase.

Similar Products Used:

1992 Explorer

great versatility
great on snow and ice
lots of interior room, but see below
good sound system
gas mileage seems to be getting better

with two child seats in back, no room for anything or anyone else
poor power for the V6

We've owned this for three years with only one problem: kept losing antifreeze/coolant. Ford replaced the radiator two years ago and no problems since then.
Have had absolutely no mechanical problems with it since then (or any others before).
We have two children

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none

- Great looks
- Comfortable ride
- Good features for the $$$
- Good speed/power with manual tranny

- Bad gas mileage (I drive mostly on the highway and have yet to break 20mpg!)
- Slow to warm the heater up
- Tough finding a spot to mount a Mag-Lite (see below...)
- Need to hit the "on" button to turn the speed control on (see below...)

Well, after blowing ~$600-800/month on repairs for my Jeep, I decided to bite the bullet and just buy a new truck. After a lengthy comparison and debate with myself, I bought the Explorer Sport. I'm glad I did.

I could go into the reasons that I bought the Explorer over another Cherokee, but I'm not going to. Basically, compare what the Jeep doesn't have to what the Explorer does, and you know why I bought this. Unfortunately, the rustic prestige that comes with owning a Jeep doesn't come with owning an Explorer. Sigh. I loved saying "I own a Jeep."

The "Premium" sound system is definitely premium. Not as good as the Blau/Alpine/Boston Acoustics combo I had in my Jeep, but still quite good.

In this 4-passenger truck, I have 5 cupholders. 2 in back, 3 in front. I don't know why.

Why do I have to hit the "on" button to turn the speed control on? (To turn it on, not to set the speed.) Why can't it automatically turn on when I start the truck? If anybody can explain this to me, I would be most appreciative. I'm sure I will have to eventually re-wire it; it's that annoying to me.

You sit several inches higher in an Explorer than you do a Cherokee, which I like. As well, the Explorer turns tighter and is more stable under high-speed conditions.

Note: Ford does really stupid things if you want a manual transmission. Many features that--for some reason unbeknownst to me--are available with an automatic aren't available with the manual. For example, you can't get Remote Keyless Entry, a moonroof, or power leather seats with a manual transmission. Why? It's beyond me.

As mentioned above, I had trouble finding a spot to mount my Mag-Lite. In my Cherokee, I had 2 Mag-Lite mounts attached to the floor of the truck, between the driver's-side door and driver's seat. It was useful and convenient there. But there isn't any space to mount the Mag-Lite on the floor of the Explorer. Eventually I mounted it to the side of the driver's seat, on the little plastic bezel. Not as convenient as the Jeep was, but it still works.

Similar Products Used:

Jeep Cherokee
Chevrolet Suburban

Agile, strong, powerful, reliability, tough

high price and gas

A great truck....better then durango, jeep, jimmy/blazer.

The one to buy!!!!!

Big power plant, longer wheel base, great package prices, very refined interior

Gas hog, lower stance than most SUVs, handles like a yak, but is built like an ox.

A good vehicle for towing and a luxury SUV. Dont do a whole bunch of off-roading because you might run out of gas or get stuck.

good looking, handling, winter, capable off-roader, great engine, performance!!!

hard on the gas

Great truck....better than jimmy/blazer, pathfinder, 4runner and all the others!!!!!

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GMC Jimmy.......(piece a sh*t)