Satisfied with My Choice...but It's Not For Everyone
Written: May 31 '04 (Updated Dec 01 '04)
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Pros: Roomy, driving experiece superior to previous SUVs, lots of storage bins, standard tow package
Cons: Limited amenities compared to my expectations (that just about sums it up), unusual handling
The Bottom Line: The 2002 Explorer XLT is a decent modern vehicle for the person seeking a combination of utility, practicality, and comfort. Though lacking in areas, it seems good overall.
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| rainmayker's Full Review: 2002 Ford Explorer 4WD |
12/01/04 - Please scroll down to the bottom for my update. Thanks for reading! Comments always welcome.
Why the Explorer?
First of all a little background on my purchase. My previous SUVs have been, in this order: 94 Chevy S10 Blazer, 99 Chevy (S10) Blazer, 94 Ford Bronco XL (purchased at police auction for snow duty). I was shopping for a new vehicle with the right combination of features for my needs and I wanted to buy American. Of all of my past SUVs, I was never completely satisfied with one. Though my Blazers had been overall excellent vehicles, neither made me eager to purchase another Blazer, let alone the ghastly reviews that Blazers still get. This time around I was looking for a fairly modern used vehicle (still paying off my college loans and am shopping for a nice condo so funds are limited) with 4WD and some degree of off-road capability, yet enough interior bells and whistles to make me satisfied using it as a daily driver. I just got rid of my Monte Carlo (daily driver) and Bronco (snow vehicle) and decided that I'd rather go back to just owning one vehicle that could be both a summer vacation vehicle as well as something to get me to emergencies (due to the nature of my employment) in snowstorms.
To make a long story short, after months of consideration I narrowed my choices down to a late-model Explorer (2002 or 2003-- I wanted the independent suspension) and a handful of other vehicles. I chose the Explorer not fully for the vehicle itself, but also for the fact that I purchased it from a dealership with quite probably the best reputation in the world of Ford dealers, Sunnyside Ford in Holden, MA. I would not mention them by name if they had not treated me like a king. I knew I would be dealing with top-notch personnel and I felt that I could trust them to stand behind any vehicle they sold. The 2003s on the lot were just out of my price range, so I settled for a 2002 XLT.
Initial Impressions
I took delivery of my Explorer on 5/21/04. Thus, this review will only reflect my initial impressions of the experience. I plan to add to this review later this year.First of all, this vehicle was purchased brand new in 11/02 by the first and only previous owner, from the dealer where I bought it. I had read some things about early 02 Explorers having some problems that were not corrected until later in production, so I am assuming that this vehicle is one of the later models with all of the updates. The exterior and interior are cosmetically flawless and I like the plastic lower body cladding, which will hopefully mean less rust and dings from road debris.
I have decided to bring up a major point that is of continuing concern to me, as you will read, throughout the review. And that is the XLT trimline designation. According to Consumer Reports, it is above the Basic and Premier versions, yet below Limited and Eddie Bauer. This amazes me since the way that some features in this vehicle are executed, or the lack of some other features, makes me think of this as almost a base model. The letters XLT themselves convey a psychological impression of a well-appointed vehicle to me, and I am sure I am not alone.
Basically, I am just going to do a quick rundown of the pros and cons that I have developed so far. The shining positive point in this vehicle has to be the interior room. For cargo or for passengers, you will not be disappointed. The front and first-row rear seats provide adequate seating for most adults, though like most vehicles the rear has limited leg room-- admittedly far more than most, however. The rearmost row of seats...well, I can't imagine anyone being comfortable back there except for small children or family pets. In my vehicle they will be kept folded down anyhow, as I rarely carry rear seat passengers as things are. But at least there is a third row, a nice touch in case one needs to occasionally transport the entire family. I also commend Ford for their incredible variation of storage bins, pockets, spaces, and whatnot. The center-headliner area containers are a welcome use of extra space that most manufacturers (in my experience) waste. The door bins and center console hold all of your necessary basic gear, from cell phones to drinks and then some. The backside of each front seat has a generous map pocket, which in my case comes in extremely handy. Even the rearmost cargo area makes use of side space with netted pens and a snap-lid small cargo box, great for stowing spare road emergency items and whatnot.
Moving on to furthur comments about the interior (in no particular order)...I do not like how the seatback headrest is not adjustable on the front two seats. Why, Ford, why??? I can even remember a friend in high school who had an old 1980s Ford Escort that had adjustable headrests! And this is the XLT, mind you-- need I upgrade to the next trim level to get such a luxury? That's a question that has come to mind time and time again about other features in this vehicle...perhaps it is time to address those issues, all of which are features that appear in the manual so I imagine some Explorers must have them:
1) No radio or climate controls on the steering wheel
2) No "Info Center" feature
3) No adjustable pedals
4) No multi-disc CD changer
Let's talk more about the front seats. The driver's seat has a very limited up/down adjustment range, making it awkward for both myself (tall) and my fiance (short). A happy medium could have been either more up/down, or more tilt perhaps to compensate for that. On the positive side, the seats provide just perfect thigh support for everyday driving. Add any more and Ford had better redo the seat tilt range; take any away and the seats might feel cheap. I also love the adjustable range of the lumber support, in fact it's among the best of any vehicle I have owned. For me, small details matter a lot as you have probably guessed, so allow me to touch upon some more. In random order...the cup holders, while adequate, could be a little deeper and more tapered in order to accommodate more different sizes of cups. The factory tint is lighter than GM's is, and I for one prefer the darker tint, but then again that point is almost negligible. The placement of the odometer/information center is awkward and requires taking one's eyes far off the road while driving. The small hooks that keep the front carpets in place are a great idea I have never seen before. Those are complemented with fold-down hooks in the trunk area, where bungee cords or the like could be used to hold down cargo if needed. Almost all controls throughout the vehicle are well-placed for the driver. The steering wheel adjusts a good amount and does so smoothly, unlike the Blazer. The rear seat passengers have their own cup holders, power outlet, and ventilation port, which seems to blow air with surprising force for its location. I do wish the passengers' grab bars folded out of the way, though they are a nice touch for shorter people to assist in entry. And finally, I like the fact that most interior lights have their own independent controls.
The exterior styling of the Explorer pretty much speaks for itself. To me it is not attractive, but not entirely ugly...perhaps utilitarian is the perfect word. Like my decision to purchase this, the vehicle appeals more to fine function than to fine form. The black plastic pillars do seem to show pollen and dust accumulating much faster than elsewhere on the vehicle, though...making a truly "clean" vehicle appear dusty and dirty quickly. Another pet peeve of mine, speaking of cleaning, is that all of the little nooks and crannies in the wheels make cleaning difficult and time-consuming. I use a pointed foam brush for the task. The factory tow package appears to be well-made and sturdy, though I have not used it yet.
And finally, the driving experience. I have done more of a visual evaluation of this vehicle so far and have only put about 90 miles on it, so my driving comments are not yet set in stone. Thus far, I like versatility of the 5-speed automatic transmission versus GM's 4-speed. The 4.0L V6 seems to be stronger than GM's 4.3L Vortec, surprisingly. Acceleration is decent to good, if not very good, and will be improved on this vehicle with the installation of a glasspack muffler and AiRaid cold air intake system later this year. Highway merging is accomplished smoothly and the excellent field of view through the windows helps as well. I did notice that the transmission, even with OD disabled, sometimes seem not to shift until quite high on the tachometer...something I plan to ask a race mechanic buddy of mine about. The gas mileage in this vehicle seems to average around 17MPG for me, which is from a mix that is about 60/40 city/highway driving. This is better than my Bronco, but slightly worse than the seemingly-thirsty Blazer. I have used the 4WD system to a small extent on a muddy back road and it shifted and drove smoothly and I must say I was impressed. One comment I do have is that I would rather have a true floor shift, where I can feel the vehicle adjusting, than a little electric pushbutton. But alas, space is at a premium in the driver's leg area so the shift lever would perhaps be nothing more than an intrusion. The handling on this vehicle is odd, very odd. On moderate corners, even at relatively low speeds, the body has a lot of perceived "roll" to it. However on banked curves at high speeds, where a rear-wheel sports car I used to own felt like it had great understeer, the Explorer gripped like a tank and felt absolutely straight and solid. I would guess this could simply be due to the weight of the vehicle. The suspension is overall quite "mushy" for lack of a better term, and the body roll that I feel would make me think this vehicle would not be ideal to be driving when full of small children or loose cargo. Anything that can be flung about inside the interior probably will be if the vehicle is ever pushed to its limits, which of course can happen at any time with an emergency avoidance maneuver.
UPDATE 12/01/04
5500 miles later, I reviewed the above text and I still agree with most of it. About 3/4 of the miles driven have been highway. This vehicle is in use as a daily driver (only 15 minute commute) and has done one trip from MA to VA and back. I frequently make 1/2 hour highway trips to visit friends and family.
I have raised the "handling" rating on the scale by one point, because while this vehicle takes some getting used to, its overall handling experience is actually quite superior to other SUVs I have owned.
"Issues"
So far the vehicle has had a few quirks. About a month after I got it, the engine "ran rough", which to me brought back memories of Chevy engines telling me that the O2 sensor needs attention. Alas, some computer module needed to be reprogrammed. That was covered under warranty and a label was affixed under the hood with the details of the service (which I would gladly share if someone out there is interested).
With the colder weather lately, things have been getting more interesting. Somewhere on the vehicle, evidently, some kind of door sensor or something is sticking and occasionally on very cold mornings, the "door ajar" light will blink on and off and a chime will sound for the first few miles of driving. After that, even without tugging on a door or doing anything, the problem simply disappears. I have not had that diagnosed.
And I know that 4WD systems should be used occasionally just to keep them in good order, and it had been about six weeks since I last used mine (always on loose gravel off road, never on snow), when finally on 11/13/04 we received our first snowfall. In about four inches of snow, the stock Michelin tires seemed to be performing great. Then I came to a hill where the going was slow, and I decided to try the 4WD. Pushed the button...nothing. No reassuring feel of the axle receiving more power, no change in handling...nothing. No warning lights blinking, no bells or whistles, just nothing. Got home and got out the manual. Sure, Ford tells us that the transmission will show the OD Off light if it has trouble, but what about 4WD? Nothing! A mystery! So I brought it down to the dealer and it turned out to be some defective and/or corroded sensor, which I worked out with them so I only paid for the part and they covered the labor...which was nice since it took them the better part of three days to diagnose the darn thing. The vehicle was no longer under warranty, so I was glad I did not get hit with a huge bill. I do plan on getting out the receipt and posting exactly what it is that was fixed so people out there can see.
Perfomance
The low-end power in this vehicle, from a standing stop or accelerating between about 10-30MPH, has always been terrific. Other than that, acceleration and throttle response were noticeably poorer at higher speeds. I have added a K&N Generation II high-performance air intake/filter kit and have found the overall power of the vehicle to have improved, most notably in the higher end range. Highway passing is accomplished more smoothly and with less strain on the vehicle. I do have a friend who works in racing and I plan on putting this vehicle on a dynamometer as soon as I can get to his shop...that ought to be interesting. I know the stock figures for the vehicle are approximately a peak of 212HP at 5500RPM. Not sure of the ft/lb of torque. I'd say the filter mod has retained, if not improved, the impressive low end power while adding some much-needed high range power. When the time comes for new exhaust components, I plan to bump up the entire system diameter by 1/2" and use a high-flow muffler...maybe not a glasspack, but at least a Flowmaster Turbo Delta. I consider myself a conservative person when it comes to vehicle mods; I will do things to improve performance and mileage, but I could care less about the appearance or audio/entertainment systems.
Handling is still the same unusual experience that I wrote about above, but I have come to love the way this vehicle gently "glides" over small road surface imperfections. It reminds me of my grandfather's giant Lincoln Continentals of 20 years ago. It is the opposite of the harsh, MacPherson-strut-to-blame, bone-jolting ride of my old Monte Carlo. Even with new suspension all around, that car was never as smooth as the Explorer is. That said, the stance (taking into consideration suspension, wheelbase, and track) of the Explorer still makes one very cautious of speed when taking sharp curves or highway ramps. I have yet to push this to its limits, but the Explorer has told me several times that I was coming close...oversteer or understeer would never sneak up on you in this vehicle, the sensations just build as you push it, so the driver should have time to correct before losing it.
One last "con"
One complaint I am going to add is the limited sideward vision. Looking back at my original text above, I can see that I enjoyed the driving stance of the Explorer more than the Bronco, and at the beginning of my ownership of the Explorer I had the illusion that the overall visibility was better...truthfully, it is, except for the sides. The pillars, both in location and in thickness, are in just the wrong spots to hamper visibility when merging onto a highway or negotiating a tight parking space. Ford could not have made them any worse, in my opinion. I realize they have a safety/structural function, but perhaps something could have been done to address how much they cut down on side visibility. I would feel kind of cheesy adding one of those $2 WalMart stick-on "blind spot mirrors" to my side mirrors, but that is just what I may do to try to alleviate the issue.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 15495
Condition: Used
Model Year: 2002
Model and Options: EXT, Automatic
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Epinions.com ID:
rainmayker
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Reviews written: 5
Trusted by: 1 member
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