2011 Explorer On Order

[GaryG]

I ordered the 2011 Explorer Limited FWD V6 today and the dealer said he does not need the XPlan PIN until it arrives. I got the Limited $37190, Rapid Spec 301A $2,000, WHITE PLAT TRI color $495, and TRAILER TOW $570. Retail was $41060, DLR INV was $38626 and X PLAN was $38748.78. After all fees of taxes and tags, retail would have been $43850 and X Plan was $41400. The dealer gave me a $500 credit for ordering and I put down $1000 for an out the door balance of $39900. Hopefully, Ford will offer other incentives by the time it gets here which they estimate about 10 weeks.

I know Wayne, it's a FSP, but don't under estimate Ford. That's a lot of money also, but I work hard to enjoy life when I can. If it helps jobs in the USA, I'm all for that also.

I called Rhonda this afternoon and told her I ordered her a new Explorer and she didn't get mad to my thinking and didn't know my plan today. She said we should have talked it over more, but I could tell this is what she needed and wanted.

We made it to the Keys and back with our '02 Explorer this past week with our entire family and the boat. My oldest son caught the most lobster and we had a fresh family lobster feast at the vacation rental home. Life is good!

GaryG

[Right Lane Cruiser]

I hope the vehicle is everything you expect it to be, Gary! Be sure to take pictures and see what you can pull from that monster with a ScanGauge attached.

[PaleMelanesian]

What is the epa rating for the V6?

[seftonm]

Hi Gary, what made you go for the V6 instead of the I4? Towing?

[GaryG]

Originally Posted by Right Lane Cruiser

I hope the vehicle is everything you expect it to be, Gary! Be sure to take pictures and see what you can pull from that monster with a ScanGauge attached.

Thanks Sean

After the 500 mile round trip to the Keys towing my boat loaded down, I realized I needed this monster. Anything smaller with less power would be dangerous to handle and stop fast if needed with my boat. We went through some unexpected bad storms with street flooding on the way home Sunday afternoon which is typical of how things can change fast in the Florida weather. Turns out, a tropical depression was forming near the Keys and is near the BP rigs now. This was one reason I purchased my FEH's because of hurricanes and flooding. I needed the ground clearance to get around and even home at times.

I'll be doing the same thing I've done for years which is trying to recover the MPG loss Rhonda gets during the week driving to work. Her Law Office moved within 5 miles from our home so that's a mileage killer without FAS no matter how you cut it. I'll takes some pictures of the vehicle and the SG readings I get out of her ASAP. Also, I'll try to do all the fill-ups and keep a LMPG log here from the first mile from the factory. I did this with my '09 FEH so the LMPG starts at 0 miles on the lifetime OD reading and each tank goes from there. This time, I'm going to add to the log all maintenance and repair records between tanks for a complete history of the '11 Explorer. Do you guys have a back-up of that data or do I need to copy it every so often?

GaryG

[GaryG]

Originally Posted by seftonm

Hi Gary, what made you go for the V6 instead of the I4? Towing?

Hi Andrew and seftonm

The EPA has not certified the MPG of the '11 Explorer yet but I've seen estimates of 28hwy for the EcoBoost 235hp I-4 and 25hwy for the V6. The main reason I went with the new 290hp V6 was towing a max of 5,000 pounds. The EcoBoost I4 is only rated at 2,000 pounds towing and requires premium fuel. They both have a flat tow 6 speed auto but the Limited V6 has the Selectshift manual with the tow package. They both come with a new low drag A/C compressor and electric power steering. I've read articles that claim the new 3.5L V6 is 20 - 25% more efficient than the old 4.0 V6 it is replacing and it might get a 26mpg Hwy EPA rating. I read and posted an article that said the V6 was direct injected but I think that was wrong because specs say it is port injected. Both engines and transaxles have aggressive fuel-cut or DFSO. The V6 is also a ULEV running on 87 octane and I'm betting it has the broadband HO2 sensors to handle E10 like my '09 FEH. Information is still being slowly released from Ford about the 2011 Explorer I think because they want to sell the 2010 models.

GaryG

[PaleMelanesian]

Originally Posted by GaryG

V6 was towing a max of 5,000 pounds. The EcoBoost I4 is only rated at 2,000 pounds towing and requires premium fuel.

Premium is definitely an item to consider. That 2000 lb rating is troubling me, though. The new 1.6 ecoboost focus, in Europe, is being tested with 3000 lb.

They both have a flat tow 6 speed auto but the Limited V6 has the Selectshift manual with the tow package. They both come with a new low drag A/C compressor and electric power steering. I've read articles that claim the new 3.5L V6 is 20 - 25% more efficient than the old 4.0 V6 it is replacing and it might get a 26mpg Hwy EPA rating. I read and posted an article that said the V6 was direct injected but I think that was wrong because specs say it is port injected. Both engines and transaxles have aggressive fuel-cut or DFSO. The V6 is also a ULEV running on 87 octane and I'm betting it has the broadband HO2 sensors to handle E10 like my '09 FEH.

Some nice specs and features. If it's in the FE range of a minivan, that's a welcome departure from the old Explorer. I don't care who makes it or what category they put it in, if it's a more efficient hauler, that's a good thing.

Information is still being slowly released from Ford about the 2011 Explorer I think because they want to sell the 2010 models.

Hyundai had that problem with the Sonata - $2500 cash on the 2010 and people still buy the 2011 model.

[Right Lane Cruiser]

Gary, the logs are being backed up nightly.

[seftonm]

Wow, I didn't realize the Ecoboost would require premium. I thought most of them were tuned to run on regular.

Andrew, many vehicles in Europe have higher tow ratings than here. But 2000 lbs is still ridiculously low for a mid-sized SUV. My car is rated to tow that much, although it obviously won't do as good of a job as an Explorer.

[PaleMelanesian]

Many vehicles in Europe actually have a tow rating, while towing with the identical model here will void your warranty.