2013 Ford Explorer Sport Extended Test Drive Feedback

Here is some feedback from a recent (last weekend) extended test drive
(1 day - 200 miles) test drive of a White Platinum Metallic Tri-Coat
2013 Ford Explorer Sport - VIN 1FM5K8GT8DGC13608.

We both liked the Explorer Sport but there were some things that we
found during our demo that we have concerns about - especially when
found on a $50k truck

Ford Sync randomly rebooted several times during our drive. It
would then take several minutes to come back up.
Reading on the internet, it seems that other Explorer buyers
with this system have consistently reported this same problem. The
salesman mentioned there "might" be an update but judging
from the quickness and vagueness of his response, I'm assuming that he
was not 100% positive of this.

Rattle in driver's door
During our drive there was a rattling noise in the driver's
door. You could also hear this same noise by tapping on the door
panel (center just below the glass). I'm assuming that the dealer's
service department will have a look at this.

When I picked up the vehicle it was just about empty on gas (gauge
said about 10 miles to empty) I put 13 gallons of premium fuel in for
our trip (12.003 prior to leaving and 1.004 just before returning to
the dealership which brought the level back to what it was when I
picked it up). Per the odometer, we traveled just over 200 miles.
This means the gas mileage we observed was about 15.38 MPG for mostly
(99%) what were highway miles during the trip. This seems to be a bit
on the low side of what I would expect, again considering 99% were
highway miles under normal highway driving conditions. I guess I
would just expect to have observed something more consistent with the
16/22 MPG that is advertised on the window sticker.

I took some time during the afternoon to look over the vehicle in
detail and a few other things I found were disappointing considering
the price of this vehicle. Again these are not necessarily make it or
break it items - just observations that can be compared to other
vehicles in the same class.

No USB ports available for 2nd or 3rd row passengers
True there is a Cigarette Lighter and AC port for the
second row and a Cigarette lighter port in back behind the 3rd row, I
am surprised there are no USB ports for rear passengers. There are
two USB ports for the front passengers but it seems that there should
have been some put in the back where devices requiring these ports are
more likely to be used. True, a Cigarette lighter adapter could be
used but then that sticks out and doesn't have the integrated finish
one would expect on a $50k vehicle.

Alot of the interior trim on the secondary surfaces (not
immediately touched) such as in the back behind the rear seats, along
the door openings, etc had a rather cheap plastic appearance and feel.
Some places the plastic molding trimmings were still attached and
when compared to the plastic trim on the same areas of a 19 year old
1st generation Explorer seemed to be the same quality. I would expect
the fit, finish, feel and appearance of these items (even though they
are secondary surfaces) to be a bit more refined on a $50k vehicle.
Again, not a make it break it thing but perhaps an observation that
could be passed on if there were anyone concerned with genuine
potential customer feedback.

The platinum white paint is really nice on the exterior of
the vehicle but it seemed that the paint finish changed from the
exterior with metallic flake to the door jams where it appears to be
only plain white. If my observation is correct this would be the 1st
time I've seen a vehicle that was not painted consistently throughout
(with the exception of paint found under the hood.)

Door Sill Scuff Plates

I noticed during the trip that just after a short time there were
small pebbles and debris all over the "lighted" metallic
Explorer door sill scuff plates. I'm not sure if there is just not
enough seal material to keep this debris away during normal driving
but judging from the look of it, this area could be looking quite worn
and scratched after just a short time of ownership.

Even with these concerns, we did both enjoy the vehicle considerably.
The ride was great and the power much better than other Explorer
models I have driven in the past.

View the attachments for this post at:
http://www.jlaforums.com/viewtopic.p...0160#214840160