KevinMD

2014 Ford Explorer Limited
SFAR

Standard Features
3.5 L V 6
6-speed Automatic
17/23 mpg
290 hp
Flex Fuel capable
7 Passenger
8 way power driver seat heated
6 way power passenger seat heated
Leather
2nd row outboard seats heated
3rd row folds flat
Power adjustable pedals
Rear view camera/ rear parking sensors
3 Zone automatic climate control
AM/FM CD with USB, Bluetooth, AUX and memory card
Sony branded with 12 speakers and subwoofer
390 watts stereo output
6 Months SXM
Cargo Capacity all seats up 21 cubic feet
Cargo capacity 3rd row down 43.8 cubic feet
Cargo Capacity 2nd and 3rd row down 80.7 cubic feet

Pros
Nicely equipped
Great handling
Comfortable ride
Shares many features of other Ford vehicles

Cons
Large blind spots
Engine felt weak, noisy, and poky
Could not get above 20 mpg

Summary
Another great 7 passenger SUV to choose from



Before I jump into the review, I wanted to mention a few things. There are two different Explorers in the pictures. The first one I was given was the SRAR version, and most of the pictures are of it. The next day I had to trade it in due to heavy smoke smell. This one had the double moonroof, and was AWD. Since they were almost identical I did not retake the pictures, and just added the moonroof.

I had been wanting to try out the new Explorer for some time, as I could tell it was nicely equipped. After driving it for 400 miles, I must say I am a tad disappointed. Most of the disappointment was in the engine, and the fuel economy.



The default engine for the Explorer is a 3.5L V6. There is also a 2.0L turbo four that is the same engine found in the many of the Fusions and Escapes. The simplest way to tell the difference is to look at the rear badging. The 3.5L will have the flex fuel badge on it, while the 2.0L will have the ecoboost badge on it.

The V6 is very similar in size and HP that is found on other similar size vehicles. I was a little disappointed in this one, as it felt a little slow to accelerate, and was noisier then others. After 400 miles of mostly highway, I only averaged 19.5 MPG. It is possible that the last person had pit E85 in the tank, so that would explain many of the issues. The FWD version I had did considerably better, so that is something to consider.



The Explorer shares the same gauges and touchscreen that is found on the Fusion, Escape, and Taurus. Anyone who has spent much time in those vehicles will find it easy to change the settings, and customize the car.

Like other high end Ford's, the Explorer was filled with high quality materials. The steering wheel was covered with leather, and there was lots of soft material on the dash, with plood trim. The front seats were also soft, unfortunately the headrests were hard, and not the soft ones from the Fusion Titanium. The passengers in the 2nd row had lots of legroom, and were comfortable for the 3 1/2 hour trip.



The Explorer comes with a nice variety of ways to listen to your music. It has USB, SD memory card, AUX, Bluetooth and CD. It also comes with six months of SXM. The 12 speakers plus subwoofer pumping out 390 watts of sound, will make sure however you are listening to your music, that it sounds good. The sound quality is what you'd expect from a high end Sony system.

On our way to the lake, we took the back roads with winding roads, like I have never seen before. Some of the twists and turns were so severe, the speed limit dropped to 15mph. The road was more suitable for a roller coaster. The Explorer handled the turns with ease, and there was great feedback in the steering. On the highway it handled great and was a smooth ride.



The Explorer Limited starts at $38,745 for the AWD. This one added the two panel moonroof ($1,595) for an as driven price of $40,340.

There were a few drawbacks besides the engine. There are thick rear pillars that create large blind spots. There is no blind spot monitoring system to compensate. Around town the car feels bigger then it is.

If I had my choice on a seven passenger suv/ crossover, I would pick the Durango Limited as my first choice, with the Enclave 2nd and the Explorer 3rd. The Explorer and Durango were very similar equipped, with the Durango having an 8 speed transmission giving it better MPG's, larger fuel tank for longer cruise periods, and a more powerful sound system. The Enclave has a few more features such as blind spot monitoring. If given the Explorer, it is a nice vehicle, but not my favorite.

Redwood839

I just had one as well with little less than 1000 miles on a one way from FLL-JFK.

I think I got the best car I could for that long trip, it was comfortable, handled well and with the equipment on the Limited, rather easy to park in tight spaces.

The only con is the economy, the most I got was 21MPG, on all highway driving.

Other than that, I was happy with it. Twice did we enter storms near NC, and the heated seats were wonderful, they were REALLY hot.

xienon

Picked up a black Limited 2WD with Sunroof at MSY last weekend off the ES.

It was great for my 400 mile weekend trip where I averaged 24 mpg mostly sticking to US highways with a little bit of interstate so I managed to got the EPA highway number.

The sound system was probably the best I've tried in recent memory and the front seat was exceptionally comfortable. Power folding mirrors, heated rear seats, and remote start were features I'm not used to with cars on ES. Biggest gripe was the large blind spots created by the base of the A pillar. They should have make it like a fusion the side view mirror mounted below the window and putting a spotter window in. Those blind spots can easily hide a pedestrian.

Those 20" wheels looked great too. Although I was surprised they were 20's because they looked smaller than that to me.

drzoidberg

The Explorer Limited is definitely one of my favorite roadtrip vehicles, but a little underpowered when laden with luggage and 3 other passengers. Would be nice to have the 3.5L EcoBoost under the hood...cmon National!

seawolf

I actually own a 2014 Explorer Limited AWD.

MPG is a weak spot but better than my old 5 year old MDX. Explorer takes regular (87) while MDX insist in premium (93).

Blind Spot Monitoring is an option but it is nothing more than an orange dot that lights up on the side mirror. I don't really use it and check my blind spot the same way I was taught to drive before all this technology came into the picture.

The options that the Explorer offers and might not have been equipped in the rental fleet is adaptive cruise control (ACC) as well as parking assist.

ACC and parking assist is usually found in luxury manufacturers. ACC is by far the most useful feature especially on road trips. Parking assist does a fairly good job of parallel parking. I also don't really use it being old-school. Parking assist does get you the rear-view camera dynamic turning lines that project the direction of the vehicle in reverse. That is a great feature to have as well.

piper28

Rear-view cameras have done wonders for my ability to parallel park a vehicle . (That said, I've still been known to make it pretty ugly looking.)

wooward

I've rented a 2014 Explorer Limited AWD twice now in the past year. First one smelled like cigarettes but I needed the AWD at LAX and the second at STL. The best SUV I have rented so far (over Edge, Armada, Touareg). Very comfortable and feels nice. I would recommend it for a long drive.

Coastercameron

I just took one for an 1,800 mile road trip with 3 other people. GREAT road trip car with comfortable reclining 2nd row seats, separate rear seat climate with lots of vents, and the huge sunroof. Gas milage could be better, but other than that it was perfect!