Ford Explorer Sport with ecoboost

[Melanie83103]

Hello -

I think we have finally decided on the Ford Explorer Sport with the 3.5L ecoboost as our next tow vehicle (an upgrade from our current tow vehicle, a minivan). Anyone have experience towing with this one? Any input? My mechanic has only good things to say about the Explorer, but this will be our first Ford and I'm a little nervous...

Thanks!

Melanie

[Lessmore]

Melanie83103 wrote:
Thanks for the info everyone.... now I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed with info here.... I'm not a car person but trying to make the best choice for a good all around town reliable car that will also tow our camper (long cross country trips) and boat....

Someone asked what I don't like about the minivan for towing, and it is hard to describe, but it basically feels like it's really dragging. No acceleration at all.... I feel like I just don't have enough power.

I gave up on the idea of the tahoe after speaking with my mechanic, who said they are not reliable. He said Ford and Toyota are best. I like the toyota sequoia a lot, but its MPG look terrible.....

Melanie

I question your mechanic, when he says the Chevy Tahoe is not reliable. Haven't heard that before.

Also when he says Toyota is among the best ....can't agree there either. We just traded in a Toyota, bought new in 2007, all sorts of electronic problems and we only put a little over 50,000 miles on it...all easy.

As far as Ford goes in reliability, I think it should be fine.

[squidnapper]

I have a 2014 explorer sport. It has the power to pull a trailer. That said I think it's an awful tow rig. I pulled a 14' enclosed trailer with a Polaris rzr4 in it. Total of about 3000 pounds. It had plenty of power. The problem was this: 1. It got horrible mileage towing, like 8mpg at 60mph. 2. It has a tiny fuel tank. We towed from Provo to Vegas and had to stop in Fillmore, then cedar, then mesquite. It was miserable on fuel range. 3. Lastly it smelled "hot". Never leaked or anything, but when we stopped I could smell boiled antifreeze. Wasn't very comforting.

IMO the explorer should not pull a box style trailer. Open style flatbed sure, but I'm not interested in using it as a serious tow rig. That said it is a pleasure to drive as a commuter. Fast, refined and efficient. Just not a serious tow vehicle.

My .02 cents...

[Bamaman11]

We were looking for a people hauler last Summer, and we settled on the Ford Explorer XLT with leather and navigation. I've had over 100 new cars, and previous vehicles included Ford Escapes, old generation Explorers and Expeditions. Our other vehicles are a Honda Civic, Lexus and F250 diesel.

We absolutely love this Explorer. On the interstate highway, we're seeing 25 mpg at 75 mph. The 3.5 290 hp engine runs fine, but it and all modern gas engines must be run at high rpm's to get the horsepower and speed out of them.

They do just fine hauling trailers, but try to stay under 5K lbs. total weight. The V-6 Ecoboost engine must be a hoss performance wise.

These vehicles have the same engine as a Taurus, and there's nothing wrong with that. But they have no commonality with mini-vans--bastard vehicles of the car industry. All of these vehicles must be very structurally sound to keep interior noise down and avoid flexing frames/creaking noises. SUV's must be heavily built to maintain their structural integrity.

Just about all modern SUV's are great vehicles. We paid $32K for the Explorer which was substantially less than the Enclave/Traverse/Acadia. It was also much cheaper than the Nissan Pathfinder and the Toyota Highlander as their dealers locally are high gross profit operations.

[carringb]

The EcoBoost is now one of the most popular power plants being sold today. That wouldn't happen if it were a lemon.

The Explorer is a far better daily driver vs the Tahoe (or Expedition), in every way.

[APT]

Melanie83103 wrote:

I gave up on the idea of the tahoe after speaking with my mechanic, who said they are not reliable. He said Ford and Toyota are best. I like the toyota sequoia a lot, but its MPG look terrible.....

Tahoe/Suburban, Sequoia, Expedition are quite similar in fuel consumption with exception of the hybrid Tahoe. If you like the Sequoia the best, no reason to exclude it. I expect them to use about 10% more fuel than Ecoboost Explorer.

Your mechanic may be misleading you. GM sells more full sized SUVs than anyone else combined. In fact, they have about 75% of the market share of full sized SUVs. That would not happen if they were not very good and very reliable. That doesn't mean they are the best for everyone for all needs, but they clearly offer the best compromise for the $ in that market and should not be excluded. Your mechanic probably see more GM SUVs than Sequoias, but GM sells 20x as many!

Ford sells a lot more of the 3.5L Ecoboosts in F-150s and is the exclusive engine for 2015 Expedition/Navigator. While it is a little different than the one used in the Explorer Sport, there have not been many reported issues either.

[Melanie83103]

My husband test drove the Explorer Sport, and absolutely loved it. But how do we know it will do well towing? And I still have a few worries about that turbo engine.....

Melanie

[Fast_Mopar]

Take a test drive in an Ecoboost Explorer Sport. I think you will really like it. No shortage of power.

[Melanie83103]

Thanks for the info everyone.... now I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed with info here.... I'm not a car person but trying to make the best choice for a good all around town reliable car that will also tow our camper (long cross country trips) and boat....

Someone asked what I don't like about the minivan for towing, and it is hard to describe, but it basically feels like it's really dragging. No acceleration at all.... I feel like I just don't have enough power.

I gave up on the idea of the tahoe after speaking with my mechanic, who said they are not reliable. He said Ford and Toyota are best. I like the toyota sequoia a lot, but its MPG look terrible.....

Melanie

[gijoecam]

Something else to note: If the minivan felt under-powered, anything without an Ecoboost will feel about the same performance-wise:
The current Nissan Quest minivan makes 260HP/240lb*ft in a 118.1" wheelbase.
The current Chrysler product makes 283HP/260 lb*ft in a 121.2" wheelbase.
THe Explorer (Naturally-aspirated) makes 290hp/255 lb*ft in a 112" wheelbase.
The ecoboost Explorer makes 365hp/350lb*ft in the same 112" wheelbase.

[APT]

She said she is looking for a minivan replacement. My opinion is the 2015 Explorer platform and competitive 3-row mid sized SUVs are essentially minivans with rear hinged doors and optional AWD for $10k more. Our last minivan (2008 Town and Country) had less than 1200 pounds of payload, but to Mike's point the wheelbase was longer. And I agree towing 4000+ pound TT with one of those mid-sized crossovers is not recommended.

[Fordlover]

APT wrote:
Did the first two responses even read the whole post? I cannot think of any way in which the Explorer Sport would be a downgrade from a minivan except fuel consumption. Should be a great match for any single axle 3500GVWR trailer.

Her prior posts for backgroud.

Thanks for posting that. I've brought her quote over from another thread:

Melanie83103 wrote:
Hello - We have a small camper - the 16 foot Amerilite, which only weighs 2300 pounds. We are currently towing with our 2011 Nissan Quest minivan (which is a v6).

We have always felt that the minivan is really dragging when we are towing the camper. We only drive about 60 mph, but it still doesn't feel right. We do have a weight distribution hitch and sway bar too.

We are considering trading in the minivan on a smaller V8 SUV, like the Chevy Tahoe. Does anyone have any input on this? We chatted with another couple at a campground recently, and they said that upgrading to a V8 will make a big difference with towing. Anyone know if this is true? We are planning a cross country trip with summer, which would involve some mountain travel, and I'm worried that the minivan won't be able to handle it....

Thanks!!

Melanie

And with that information, the Mini van has felt underpowered ('dragging')
I would expect that a new Explorer Sport with the substantial increase in power and torque will provide a much more relaxed tow.

[6_7_tow_rig]

APT wrote:
Did the first two responses even read the whole post? I cannot think of any way in which the Explorer Sport would be a downgrade from a minivan except fuel consumption. Should be a great match for any single axle 3500GVWR trailer.

Her prior posts for backgroud.

Since I was the first response I assume you are talking about me? What is it that I didn't read? There was no mention of any size trailer and she asked for advice.

[gijoecam]

I don't think fuel economy would be any worse than a minivan towing the same weight... my non-towing economy usually averaged around 28-30 on the freeway between Dearborn and Chicago, 24-26 around town...that's almost double what I got with my 98 Explorer which weighed about a thousand pounds less.

[ib516]

That would make a fine tow vehicle for the RV you mention. I think you will find it has all kinds of power for that load.