18 Explorer Sport Review - If anyone is in the market

[Grabber]

Hi TCG,

Thought I'd offer some feedback on my recent road trip to Texas in a 2018 Explorer Sport in case anyone was in the market or thinking about picking one up.

It was a 2018 Sport loaded up we got from Enterprise as our rental, had about 4,000 miles on it. We brought it back with roughly 7,600 miles on it.

I've really liked the Sports since comparing one against a Durango before eventually buying a Durango over the Sport a couple of years ago.

The Sport is all around a decent "SUV".

Looks - What can I say, they look pretty awesome.

Interior - Somewhat comfortable. The seats, despite being adjusted many different wants, proved to be uncomfortable after hours of driving. The stereo system is pretty decent and the controls are simple and easy to use. The one thing that was cool was the glass roof.

Driving - It is quick for what it is. There is a bit of low-end lag, but, good mid-upper range, since it is a turbo model. Handling is a bit squishy to me and the Sport feels very light compared to my Durango. Sport mode is fun, but, nothing over the top. Slightly better throttle response, improved brake feel and higher revving. Gas mileage was good, as we average 20 MPG the entire trip

Overall, fun car.

Here's some things I do not like:

- Does not feel like an SUV. Feels more like a large sedan raised up and that's it.
- Handling - Being dimensionally the same size as my Durango and weighing hundreds of pounds less, it leaves more to be wanted out of it and you'd almost hope it would respond better around turns under load and what not. For what it is, it handles well enough to do the job of an SUV. I will say, it is smoother than my Durango hands down. My R/T has stiff suspension and you feel the road quite a bit in comparison.
- Power everything. The rear cargo bay is all power for the 3rd row, which, in its own right is great. However, you really cannot utilize the space under the seats as there are manual releases/adjustments. This is disappointing since we like to be able to make use of all compartments when traveling.
-Glove compartment - The compartment is huge. My problem is, when my wife would drive, even with the passenger seat ALL the way back, I could not fully open the glove box without it hitting my knees/top of my legs. I'm no giant at 6'1, so, this could be just a bad design.
-Key Fob - Overly sensitive buttons. In my pocket with anything else, I kept hitting the alarm accidentally or locking/unlocking the car randomly. This is convenient if you like that sort of thing, but, I do not.
-Back up camera - For some reason, maybe I am biased, but, the camera wasn't anything special. Seemed a bit blurry to me and I did not care for it.

This is not something I can see myself purchasing, but, if you or anyone you know is in the market, this would be a great choice. Really depends on your needs.

If you're hauling family and not looking to tow anything heavy and want better than average MPG compared to other Trucks/SUV's in its class and the fun factor of driving a turbo car, this would be great. The quality of the leather and finish of the car is pretty good, aside from a few things I've mentioned above. I'd say it is certainly hard to beat other trucks/SUV's for the money, depending on said needs and expectations out of a car.

-Chris

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[Chester Copperpot]

Did you travel so fast you actually made the odometer go backwards?

 

[10thSVT_03]

Hi TCG,

Thought I'd offer some feedback on my recent road trip to Texas in a 2018 Explorer Sport in case anyone was in the market or thinking about picking one up.

It was a 2018 Sport loaded up we got from Enterprise as our rental, had about 4,000 miles on it. We brought it back with roughly 3,600 miles on it.

I've really liked the Sports since comparing one against a Durango before eventually buying a Durango over the Sport a couple of years ago.

The Sport is all around a decent "SUV".

Looks - What can I say, they look pretty awesome.

Interior - Somewhat comfortable. The seats, despite being adjusted many different wants, proved to be uncomfortable after hours of driving. The stereo system is pretty decent and the controls are simple and easy to use. The one thing that was cool was the glass roof.

Driving - It is quick for what it is. There is a bit of low-end lag, but, good mid-upper range, since it is a turbo model. Handling is a bit squishy to me and the Sport feels very light compared to my Durango. Sport mode is fun, but, nothing over the top. Slightly better throttle response, improved brake feel and higher revving. Gas mileage was good, as we average 20 MPG the entire trip

Overall, fun car.

Here's some things I do not like:

- Does not feel like an SUV. Feels more like a large sedan raised up and that's it.
- Handling - Being dimensionally the same size as my Durango and weighing hundreds of pounds less, it leaves more to be wanted out of it and you'd almost hope it would respond better around turns under load and what not. For what it is, it handles well enough to do the job of an SUV. I will say, it is smoother than my Durango hands down. My R/T has stiff suspension and you feel the road quite a bit in comparison.
- Power everything. The rear cargo bay is all power for the 3rd row, which, in its own right is great. However, you really cannot utilize the space under the seats as there are manual releases/adjustments. This is disappointing since we like to be able to make use of all compartments when traveling.
-Glove compartment - The compartment is huge. My problem is, when my wife would drive, even with the passenger seat ALL the way back, I could not fully open the glove box without it hitting my knees/top of my legs. I'm no giant at 6'1, so, this could be just a bad design.
-Key Fob - Overly sensitive buttons. In my pocket with anything else, I kept hitting the alarm accidentally or locking/unlocking the car randomly. This is convenient if you like that sort of thing, but, I do not.
-Back up camera - For some reason, maybe I am biased, but, the camera wasn't anything special. Seemed a bit blurry to me and I did not care for it.

This is not something I can see myself purchasing, but, if you or anyone you know is in the market, this would be a great choice. Really depends on your needs.

If you're hauling family and not looking to tow anything heavy and want better than average MPG compared to other Trucks/SUV's in its class and the fun factor of driving a turbo car, this would be great. The quality of the leather and finish of the car is pretty good, aside from a few things I've mentioned above. I'd say it is certainly hard to beat other trucks/SUV's for the money, depending on said needs and expectations out of a car.

-Chris

How did you come back with 400 miles less than you started?

 

[Grabber]

Fixed, you bastards!!!!

Sorry, I did mean 7,600 miles, LMMFAO!

Oh boy, I need to proof read.

 

[Grabber]

How did you come back with 400 miles less than you started?

TREE'd!

Yeah, that was funny.

Fricken Derek man!

 

[jason05gt]

I recently test drove an 18 Explorer Sport. This is a pretty spot on review. The two things that I didn't like compared to my wife's Edge sport is that first the suspension feels a lot more soft. There's a lot of body roll and less feedback in the steering compared the Edge Sport.

Secondly, the interior looks a bit dates compared to Ford's lineup. The interior could use an overhaul with better quality materials, seats, etc. Ford is coming out with a new platform for the Explorer soon, so I am sure the new one will be a lot nicer inside.

 

[Jeffs FRC]

Wife and I love our Sport and I actually prefer the cushier suspension being in an SUV. We choose between the Sport, Grand Cherokee Altitude or Trailhawk, and the Durango RT and ultimately came away with the Sport. The one thing we both hated and that steered us away from the Durango was the 3rd row seating and how it utilized the space. The Sport has different options at the push of a button! After using both you prefer the Durango?

And yea I totally agree about the Sport being sluggish down low with the 3.5 Eco that supposedly has EXCELLENT low end grunt. Is it the way its tuned I wonder? You can tell the thing makes good power and gobs of torque, but when you put your foot to the floor from a stop, the damn thing takes a second to start pulling hard. The 3.5 Eco in my old Transit 350 was the same way. Floor the thing and nothing, nothing, nothing, then POW RIGHT IN THE KISSER it takes off like a bat outta hell. Its the reason I ordered my new work F150 with the 5.0 over the Eco.

 

[Kensington]

I've driven a few newer EcoBoost cars/SUV's. Versus my 2011 Flex, they feel downright sluggish off the line, like the Ford engineers, for later years, dialed a lot more torque management into 1st gear. My Flex will rip off the line, and has no issues getting the traction control going from a dead stop.

Had a '16 or '17 EcoBoost Flex loaner, and I couldn't believe how much more sluggish it felt, especially from a stop. My girlfriend even commented on how "slow" it felt. I also drove an '18 Fusion Sport, and it was the exact same thing. Tons of 1st gear torque management.

Now my dad's F150 3.5 EB is a completely different story. IDK if the drivetrain can just handle the power/abuse, but you can't stand on the throttle off the line...1st gear would be useless. Hell, it'll roast them meats from a 40 roll.

The EcoBoost's also like 25K miles or so to fully break in. I've read time and time again that guys won't see great gas mileage for a significant amount of time with these motors. Mine being at 115K feels great. Feed it premium gas and put good oil in it, and it'll reward you.

 

[Grabber]

Wife and I love our Sport and I actually prefer the cushier suspension being in an SUV. We choose between the Sport, Grand Cherokee Altitude or Trailhawk, and the Durango RT and ultimately came away with the Sport. The one thing we both hated and that steered us away from the Durango was the 3rd row seating and how it utilized the space. The Sport has different options at the push of a button! After using both you prefer the Durango?

And yea I totally agree about the Sport being sluggish down low with the 3.5 Eco that supposedly has EXCELLENT low end grunt. Is it the way its tuned I wonder? You can tell the thing makes good power and gobs of torque, but when you put your foot to the floor from a stop, the damn thing takes a second to start pulling hard. The 3.5 Eco in my old Transit 350 was the same way. Floor the thing and nothing, nothing, nothing, then POW RIGHT IN THE KISSER it takes off like a bat outta hell. Its the reason I ordered my new work F150 with the 5.0 over the Eco.

Glad you guys like it man!

To me, the Captain's chairs instead of bench seating are awesome. There seems to be more room in the Durango (cargo compartment is sizable under the 3rd row seating) and when I sit in the 3rd row, I don't hit my head on the car, like I did in the Sport.

To me, being that the Sport weighs under 5,000LBS, I'd hope it would handle much better, but, alas, the Durango I have is over 5,500LBS with me in it and feels much more nimble and responsive being such a refrigerator.

I still like certain aspects of the Sport over the Durango, one being that once you tune the Sport it is a beast without a warranty, though.

 

[jason05gt]

I've driven a few newer EcoBoost cars/SUV's. Versus my 2011 Flex, they feel downright sluggish off the line, like the Ford engineers, for later years, dialed a lot more torque management into 1st gear. My Flex will rip off the line, and has no issues getting the traction control going from a dead stop.

Had a '16 or '17 EcoBoost Flex loaner, and I couldn't believe how much more sluggish it felt, especially from a stop. My girlfriend even commented on how "slow" it felt. I also drove an '18 Fusion Sport, and it was the exact same thing. Tons of 1st gear torque management.

Now my dad's F150 3.5 EB is a completely different story. IDK if the drivetrain can just handle the power/abuse, but you can't stand on the throttle off the line...1st gear would be useless. Hell, it'll roast them meats from a 40 roll.

The EcoBoost's also like 25K miles or so to fully break in. I've read time and time again that guys won't see great gas mileage for a significant amount of time with these motors. Mine being at 115K feels great. Feed it premium gas and put good oil in it, and it'll reward you.

It also depends heavily on what the transmission is in. Drive seems sluggish and Sport wakes the car up. I always drive in Sport.

 

[Kensington]

Mine doesn't have a "Sport" button. It has a hill assist button, that'll hold gears longer for going up and down grades, for some weird reason.

 

[Chet Donnelly]

No point in buying a 2018 Explorer with the new one coming out right around the corner. New interior blows the current one away, and I'm relatively happy with the current interior considering the price range of the car.

 

[Jeffs FRC]

Glad you guys like it man!

To me, the Captain's chairs instead of bench seating are awesome. There seems to be more room in the Durango (cargo compartment is sizable under the 3rd row seating) and when I sit in the 3rd row, I don't hit my head on the car, like I did in the Sport.

To me, being that the Sport weighs under 5,000LBS, I'd hope it would handle much better, but, alas, the Durango I have is over 5,500LBS with me in it and feels much more nimble and responsive being such a refrigerator.

I still like certain aspects of the Sport over the Durango, one being that once you tune the Sport it is a beast without a warranty, though.

I was more or less talking about the utility of behind the third row and when you told the third row flat in the Sport it's a nice even surface where the Durango is not when the seats are folded. I'd NEVER put an adult in the third row in either vehicle! Lol

 

[Grabber]

I was more or less talking about the utility of behind the third row and when you told the third row flat in the Sport it's a nice even surface where the Durango is not when the seats are folded. I'd NEVER put an adult in the third row in either vehicle! Lol

True, it’s not an even surface, but, I like the fact that it has a “stow” compartment under the seats. I keep some emergency stuff there just in case. I just put the middle row down and it levels out if in ever have to haul anything large.