by "Panther Brown Tdi Volvo Shooting Brake Manual Miata RWD Wagon Stole HondaBro's Accord." (ningaboss)
Published 05/15/2017 at 15:56
by "Panther Brown Tdi Volvo Shooting Brake Manual Miata RWD Wagon Stole HondaBro's Accord." (ningaboss)
Published 05/15/2017 at 15:56
No Tags
STARS: 2
Anyone starting to notice there have been a fuckton of Explorers lately? At least that’s how it is in my area.
It’s getting really hard to tell the difference between the civilian version and the police interceptor utility.
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
05/15/2017 at 16:00, STARS: 2
The Explorer Sport has been irritatingly similar to the cop version since before the facelift.
"For Sweden" (rallybeetle)
05/15/2017 at 16:00, STARS: 11
Maybe you’re just being followed by many police cars.
"TheTurbochargedSquirrel" (thatsquirrel)
05/15/2017 at 16:02, STARS: 2
Interceptors don’t have roof rails while all civilian models do.
"404 - User No Longer Available" (toni-cipriani)
05/15/2017 at 16:02, STARS: 0
I see one everyday. Sitting idle at the stop sign.
"Ash78, voting early and often" (ash78)
05/15/2017 at 16:04, STARS: 1
Around here, they took off really quickly and have stabilized. They
’
re still nowhere near as popular as proper minivans or, say, the Toyota Highlander or Chevy Tahoe for family haulers. But definitely up there. (FWIW, all our cops drive Tahoes in all the adjacent towns, so very little confusion).
"SteveLehto" (stevelehto)
05/15/2017 at 16:07, STARS: 10
This is largely due to my preaching the wonders of said Explorers.
"Discerning" (discerning2003c5z)
05/15/2017 at 16:10, STARS: 1
Sales have been relatively strong the last few years. 2017 appears to be no different.
http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2011/01/ford-explorer-sales-figures.html
It was also number 14 on the list of highest sales volume for 2016:
"Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer" (smallbear94)
05/15/2017 at 16:13, STARS: 2
Largely true, but I’ve seen both. Another thing, the Tahoes are supposed to be like this too—but the Hybrid models don’t have roof rails either. And the Hybrid Yukons have Tahoe taillights, so it can get confusing.
It’s a good thing to know about, but you really need to see a variety of features before assuming one way or the other. Such as a lack of chrome, or a cage inside, etc.
"HammerheadFistpunch" (hammerheadfistpunch)
05/15/2017 at 16:19, STARS: 8
A wild Lehto appears.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
05/15/2017 at 16:21, STARS: 0
I’ve seen some police departments buy civilian models and kit them out with lights for their unmarked units, so that’s not full-proof.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
05/15/2017 at 16:24, STARS: 3
Yes, I have noticed this. Civilian Explorers are everywhere, and roughly 80% of squad cars in this area is are Explorers as well. I’ve become much more paranoid of Explorers than I ever was around Crown Vics. While I have learned the difference between the civilian and the police interceptor models (no roof rails), some departments around here bought civilian models and kitted them out with lights for their unmarked units. So even when I know it’s a civilian model ... I’m not REALLY sure anymore.
"CRider" (crider)
05/15/2017 at 16:26, STARS: 1
Did I miss your article on how closely you can mimic a police car without breaking any laws?
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
05/15/2017 at 16:26, STARS: 1
They actually quoted you at a recent village board meeting where tey approved the purchase of four new Police Interceptor Explorers*
*I may definitely be lying.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
05/15/2017 at 16:27, STARS: 2
Interesting. Around here most of the “regular” cops have Explorers, but the watch commanders and sometimes the K9 units have Tahoes.
"benjrblant" (benjblant)
05/15/2017 at 16:45, STARS: 1
Hi Steve!
"benjrblant" (benjblant)
05/15/2017 at 16:54, STARS: 0
I think I’ve seen 4 or 5 here in the past year.
Then again, the state car is a Subaru.
"Panther Brown Tdi Volvo Shooting Brake Manual Miata RWD Wagon Stole HondaBro's Accord." (ningaboss)
05/15/2017 at 18:05, STARS: 0
Don’t make me worried...
‘looks left, looks right’
"Manwich - now Keto-Friendly" (manwich)
05/15/2017 at 18:15, STARS: 1
And preaching the benefits of *transverse* V6 engines as well...
/jk
"Manwich - now Keto-Friendly" (manwich)
05/15/2017 at 18:16, STARS: 1
I bet it isn’t empty-proof either!
/jk
"wafflesnfalafel" (wafflesnfalafel1)
05/15/2017 at 20:01, STARS: 0
Our state patrol has started picking those up - neat rigs. I did notice something - I was sitting at an off ramp next to a couple waiting to pick off speeders and diamond lane violators last week and they seem to have a much larger, black, rear spoiler than the civilian ones do. I was thinking maybe better aero to reduce higher speed drag? Honestly, I really like our state patrol - a very professional organization and I’m glad they keep an eye on all the crazies running up 405.
"mazda616" (mazda616)
05/15/2017 at 21:05, STARS: 0
They’re EVERYWHERE around here. And white and black seem to be the most popular colors. So, I often think they’re cops when they’re really just inattentive soccer moms.
"FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com" (alphaass)
05/15/2017 at 21:57, STARS: 0
I’ve also noticed a bajillion of them since the facelift. I really don’t understand it, but yeah they seem to have been selling really well for the last year or so after beig somewhat of an also-ran. The sales don’t lie. Since the current gen went on sale in 2011: 135k, 164k, 192k, 210k, 250k, 249k. Sales this year are on pace for another 250k. This kind of thing rarely happens.
"touring the brook - now with ZHP!" (touringthebrook)
05/15/2017 at 22:41, STARS: 1
Every time I see one with the black grille I instinctively check my speed, even though all the cops around here drive Tahoes.
"Sam" (samwellington)
05/16/2017 at 02:28, STARS: 0
Our PD got in on the Explorer bandwagon before it was cool, so they are still rolling in the pre-facelift -
"Sam" (samwellington)
05/16/2017 at 02:29, STARS: 1
Down in Indy, the regular cops drive Chargers (most are still in Crown Vics though), and the K9s are in the Explorers. I’ve never seen any IMPD Tahoes, so they may not exist.
"JDMatt" (JDMatt)
05/16/2017 at 02:48, STARS: 1
Between Soccer moms, family guys that wanna pretend to be cops, limo drivers, undercover cops, and cop cars, I can’t trust ford explorers anymore
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
05/16/2017 at 03:58, STARS: 0
Hey Sam! You going to the 500 this year?
"RT" (rt-p)
05/16/2017 at 04:39, STARS: 0
Last time I saw an Explorer IRL, I was on holiday.
"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
05/16/2017 at 06:24, STARS: 0
The local dealer got a bunch of white ones with identical chrome wheels. There must be ten of them running around. Guess which one my wife bought. The only way I can tell hers from the others is the pinstripe we added. The other day, I spotted a second one with the same pinstripe.
Time to add some flames.
"LongbowMkII" (longbowmkii)
05/16/2017 at 07:12, STARS: 1
Back in my day, you couldn’t trust them either. #pop
"E92M3" (E46M3)
05/16/2017 at 08:54, STARS: 1
They are literally everywhere here. I guess this is the point in the lifecycle, where incentives are strong.
"SteveLehto" (stevelehto)
05/16/2017 at 09:20, STARS: 0
Haven’t looked into that . . . yet.
"MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner" (montegoman562)
05/16/2017 at 11:29, STARS: 0
Been that way for a while here in metro-detroit.
"Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs" (yowen)
05/16/2017 at 12:33, STARS: 0
“This kind of thing rarely happens.”
Exactly what do you refer too?
“I really don’t understand it”
Why not? It’s a good looking SUV, made in America with a very well ingrained nameplate.
"Sam" (samwellington)
05/16/2017 at 16:39, STARS: 0
Unfortunately no. I’m going on a cruise this coming week, so funds are allocated to that. :(
If you’re going to be in town, I’d be more than happy to meet up for a beer or something though.
"Under_Score" (tomtheatum)
05/16/2017 at 16:54, STARS: 1
They’re expensive, painfully outdated, have low reliability marks, and have very little interior space. I don’t know why they’ve been so popular since the start.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
05/16/2017 at 17:41, STARS: 0
I’ll post on Oppo that Saturday. I’ll be camping in the neighborhood west of the track.
"Eric @ opposite-lock.com" (theyrerolling)
05/16/2017 at 17:48, STARS: 1
Police are getting showered in so much money these days and running such difficult-to-distinguish-from-civilian-cars that I’m constantly paranoid when driving. At any moment some random car around you could turn out to be a cop. It’s not like the good old days when you could spot a police Crown Vic or Caprice at a long distance away day or night.
I feel that this both makes us more nervous and makes pulling over for the police that much more dangerous because it’s so much harder to identify a legitimate one in your rearview mirror.
"Eric @ opposite-lock.com" (theyrerolling)
05/16/2017 at 17:52, STARS: 1
The vast majority of cars have the exact opposite sales pattern. First year is big sales, gen it tapers down over time. By this many years into a design/cycle, they should be seeing a pretty solid decrease in sales, not annual increases for the last 6 years.
"Sam" (samwellington)
05/16/2017 at 18:00, STARS: 1
Oh cool, my dad has a co-worker that lives over there. We can definitely figure something out. There are plenty of cool spots around there.
"FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com" (alphaass)
05/16/2017 at 18:38, STARS: 0
What Eric said - most vehicles sell best in years 1-2 then taper off until a redesign. It’s not that I expect it to sell bad - you’re right that it is a well-regarded nameplate and a good looking vehicle, also seems like a solid value - it’s just that this generation has been around forever selling around the same as the Traverse, Santa Fe, and Highlander and then boom all of a sudden its outselling them by a wide margin even though it’s the same car.
"rockingthe2" (unpredictable-swerve)
05/16/2017 at 21:57, STARS: 0
I have an odd desire for one of the ecoboost explorer interceptors, with the Level IIIA door panels and the push bar, in gray.
"Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs" (yowen)
05/17/2017 at 08:26, STARS: 0
I personally think the refresh helped out its looks a ton. It made the styling much more refined and well-defined. I do agree it’s still an odd pattern now that you explain it. There has to be an explanation, but not sure what it is, lol.
"Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs" (yowen)
05/17/2017 at 08:28, STARS: 0
That is interesting now that you contrast it with typical sales patterns. I do firmly believe that the refresh did the Explorer a huge favor, I like it a lot more. It just seems more refined and grown up.