Picked up the new rental today. It is Big. [Update]

"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck) 01/09/2019 at 09:09 • Filed to: None

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I received a free upgrade but they didn’t have any sports cars or premium cars on the lot, so they bumped me up to a premium SUV. It’s amazing how little has changed between our 2013 Explorer (RIP) and this 2018. The differences are in the details, like real buttons for the HVAC controls (yay!). This one is a Premium (coincidence, no?), so it has all the bells and whistles. My favorite so far is the self-folding third row. Sure, doing it by hand is easy, but watching it do it by itself is fun.

I’ll can put together a quick review if anyone is interested.

[Update]

I’ve noticed that this thing guzzles gas and is a big pig on the road. What do I mean by big pig? It’s slow and ungainly. The transmission shifts slowly, making the response to requests for acceleration somewhat ponderous.

After voicing these complaints in the comments, Gerry197 provided a helpful hint - put it in Sport Mode.

I’ll admit, I had a hell of a time figuring out how to put it in Sport Mode. I searched for a button and dug through every Sync menu, to no avail. I finally resorted to Google. Sport Mode? No Problem! It’s just one click of the lever past Drive.

What?

In our 2013 Explorer, one click past D was M, or Manual Mode. That activated a little rocker switch on the side of the shifter which just happens to be the least satisfying way to shift a transmission.

Really, who wants to shift with this?

So what does the Sport Mode Get you? The new Sport Mode still lets you shift with these goofy buttons, but unlike its predecessor, it will do all the shifting for you if you just leave it alone to do its thing. It’s supposed to hold gears longer, shift faster, and keep the revs up so the engine is closer to the power band. Does it work? You bet!

I found that Sport Mode completely changed the character of the big pig. Now instead of being big and ponderous, it is big and somewhat sprightly. It’s like the mass is all shifted upward and now the weight is being carried on the balls of its feet. It’s like a lineman who put on some new shoes and is now playing running back. Yeah, it’s that different.

The downside? Fuel economy. I reset the meter just to see. It managed a solid 15.5 mpg in morning downtown Houston traffic. It was hanging around 16.6 mpg, so the loss isn’t too bad. I’ll have to get it on the highway to see how far it drops from the 22 mpg it managed on the way over from Baton Rouge .

Until then, thanks Gerry197! You’ve put a grin on my face again, but a bigger hole in my wallet.

Just Jeepin' > TheRealBicycleBuck 01/06/2019 at 13:51

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Back when gas was going approaching $4 , and I still drove my ~35 mpg del Sol, I took a business trip to Baltimore. They didn’t have the economy sized car I reserved so they kept offering me a SUV. I refused repeatedly: not only did I not want to deal with crappy gas mileage, but I hadn’t driven a large vehicle in nearly 20 years and I didn’t want to relearn how to drive one in DC-area traffic.

They finally gave me a really nice Infiniti. Quite possibly the quietest car I’ve ever driven (which isn’t saying a lot, given that I like Honda s and Jeeps).

TheRealBicycleBuck > Just Jeepin' 01/06/2019 at 22:30

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This bigly machine is supposed to get up to 27 mpg, but that’s at reasonable speeds. Back of the envelope calculations put it around 20 mpg while cruising at 80. Not so good.

Parking downtown tomorrow should be interesting. 

Gerry197 > TheRealBicycleBuck 01/08/2019 at 01:20

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Turbo motors, same with my VW CC 2.0T, I only go t 25 mpg on the highway at speed even though rated at 30+ mpg. I was driving it like a NA car. Luckily a friend who drives turbos gave me a good tip.

For turbo motors, take it down a notch, you can still go over the speed limit on the highway, but take it down enough to stay off booast, your mpg will soar.

My mpg shot to almost 30 mpg once I adjust my driving just a little bit.  

TheRealBicycleBuck > Gerry197 01/08/2019 at 08:45

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Our previous Explorer was a 3.5L, but wasn’t turbo. I’m used to driving turbos, so I know what you mean. I just didn’t realize that this one is a turbo! It’s quiet enough that I can’t hear it.

That explains a lot of its odd behavior. I expected it to act like our old NA version and it definitely does not.

Gerry197 > TheRealBicycleBuck 01/08/2019 at 11:18

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I’m assuming a turbo if it’s rated at 27 mpg. 3 engines are available, the 2.3L Ecoboost, 3.5L NA and 3.5 Ecoboost.

The 3.5L NA and Ecoboost are rated at 24 mpg highway, the 2.3L is 27 mpg. These are 2wd ratings, they drop another 1-2 mpg for 4wd.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Gerry197 01/08/2019 at 11:29

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I’m pretty sure it’s a Platinum model which comes standard with the 3.5 Ecoboost. I’ll have to take a look under the hood to be sure.

Gerry197 > TheRealBicycleBuck 01/08/2019 at 11:49

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Gotcha, if you have the 3.5L Eco, its actually rated at 24 mpg highway with 2wd , 4wd will be 22 mpg highway.  

TheRealBicycleBuck > Gerry197 01/08/2019 at 13:53

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Well, I was wrong on both counts . I went to check over lunch. It’s a Limited with a standard 3.5L. I may keep it for a couple of weeks, then swap it for something more interesting and more fuel efficient.

Gerry197 > TheRealBicycleBuck 01/08/2019 at 13:54

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Gotcha, the 3.5L is the least powerful and the worst mpg.  Oh well, at least it’s convenient right :)  

TheRealBicycleBuck > Gerry197 01/08/2019 at 13:58

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The thing I really don’t like is t he loooonnnnnngg hesitation as it downshifts to get to the “ right” gear when I get on the gas. I admit, I have a lead foot and I’ve discovered that the Explorer and I aren’t going to get along very well. I don’t remember it being this bad in my wife’s Explorer.

Gerry197 > TheRealBicycleBuck 01/08/2019 at 14:29

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Did you put it in sport mode?  Besides better shifts, the throttle response is also improved.  It’s worth the drop in mpg.  

TheRealBicycleBuck > Gerry197 01/08/2019 at 15:01

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I’ll have to give it a try!

Gerry197 > TheRealBicycleBuck 01/08/2019 at 15:10

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It can make a huge difference. Stock mode is about mpg savings, slowest shifts possible. The shifting but especially the  throttle response was a big surprise to me, especially on Ecoboost models.  

E90M3 > TheRealBicycleBuck 01/09/2019 at 09:30

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Gets about the same milea ge my 1997 Explorer got.

On the whole sport mode, I had a Hyundai rental one time that was in eco mode and it was slow as shit. It took me 30 minutes to find where the damn button was to take it out of eco mode, that made a world of difference. It went from barely being able to get out of its own way to acceptable acceleration.

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > TheRealBicycleBuck 01/09/2019 at 09:31

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Of all of the modern SUVs I drove before my latest purchase, I couldn’t get over how the Explorer felt on the road. Like 95% FWD in a vehicle far too heavy to accommodate it (it was a AWD ecoboost). By far the worst I drove, which is a shame because I still really like the old pre-D3 ones. 

jimz > TheRealBicycleBuck 01/09/2019 at 09:41

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Audi does the same thing.  I thought the A4, Q5, and Q7 I drove were sluggish pigs until someone told me to put it in “S.”

TheRealBicycleBuck > E90M3 01/09/2019 at 09:51

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I’ve driven several rentals with a Sport mode, but I found them too harsh for every day driving. I think it makes little engines act big where big engines are just fine.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > E90M3 01/09/2019 at 10:14

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Gets about the same mileage my 1997 Explorer got.

There’s only so much you can do to overcome drag and ICEs are at the point of diminishing returns on investments. The next wave is going to be plug in hybrids or maybe, if Mazda gets it right, the gasoline compression ignition engine. But even then eventually you’ll see plug in hybrids or even just a jump to full electric.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > TheRealBicycleBuck 01/09/2019 at 10:15

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Gets significantly worse mileage than my 1994 Voyager, while being much larger to try to drive, with less room inside, and while running the same 15.2 sec in the quarter.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 01/09/2019 at 10:27

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How’s the towing on the Voyager?

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > TheRealBicycleBuck 01/09/2019 at 11:24

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I suppose the coolest thing about an ‘18 is that you can apple carplay / android auto. I do also like the exterior styling a bit better. But given that for the next model we’ll get RWD back, that’s when I’ll be considering Explorers again.

I was however considering the current gen for a replacement car, till i heard that. So I decided on another sedan until I see what happens with Bronco/Explorer.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > TheRealBicycleBuck 01/09/2019 at 12:15

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3500 lbs as rated from factory.

I’ve had 6k behind it since I put the 3.8 in and upgraded the brakes . I still need to add a leaf to the rear so it sags less, but it handled it without issue.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 01/09/2019 at 13:13

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My wife was pretty happy with our ‘13. I used it to tow several times a year and there were never any issues even with it being FWD. I just wouldn’t want to drive it every day.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 01/09/2019 at 13:14

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I liked towing with our Explorer. It was so big that even fairly large trailers just sort of disappeared behind it.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > TheRealBicycleBuck 01/09/2019 at 13:23

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Yeah, most people probably wouldn’t even know the difference. I probably wouldn’t very much either on a daily basis.

But for us enthusiasts simply knowing that it’s the “correct” layout means something. It also opens up more possibilities with it being a technically more capable platform. Perhaps overlanding becomes a possibility with the new Explorer. That’s really the big thing for me, it’s something I’d really like to try.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 01/09/2019 at 13:57

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Overlanders look for body-on-frame layouts for a variety of reasons, but usually because it makes them easier to lift . Even going to RWD, I doubt the new one will be body on frame.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > TheRealBicycleBuck 01/09/2019 at 15:22

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The 6k was a small car trailer with a car on it. I could tell it was there, but I had no issue pulling it, stopping it, and had no issues with it pushing me around. Even had enough grunt left over to be able to pass a couple people on the way home without “planning”.

I had to test it before we sold our truck as I needed something to be able to tow my daughter’s race car, so I had to make sure it would do it.