U-Haul To Ford Explorer Owners: No Trailer For You!

The height of the Firestone-tire-failure-on-Ford-Explorers mess was 1998, when a class-action lawsuit was filed against Ford and Firestone. Since then, the Ford Explorer SUV has gone through three design revisions, including an all-new-from-the-ground-up redesign for the 2011 model year. Aside from the name, a 2011 Ford Explorer has virtually nothing in common with a pre-2000 Explorer, or even a 2010 Explorer. The new model is unibody construction, not body on frame construction. The new Explorer has a wider stance and a lower center of gravity, and drives more like a big sedan than it does a truck. Some critics have panned the new Explorer for losing its SUV credibility, but Ford did their research before building the latest version of their best-selling SUV. Like it or hate it, the latest Explorer is exactly what the bulk of their customers wanted, and new Explorer sales back that up.

The new Explorer does have one weakness, as Consumer Reports recently found out. If properly equipped, the Explorer can to up to 5,000 pounds, but it can’t tow a trailer, of any size, from U-Haul. It’s not that U-Haul uses a proprietary electrical connector or an off-sized hitch, it’s simply that U-Haul doesn’t want to defend a lawsuit involving a Ford Explorer. Even a brand-new-and-completely-redesigned Ford Explorer.

Joanne Fried, director of media and corporate relations with U-Haul, confirmed that this was indeed a corporate policy, and told Consumer Reports, “Every time we go to hire an attorney to defend a lawsuit, as soon as we say ‘Ford Explorer’ they charge us more money.” Their no-trailer-rental policy also extends to Jeep Wranglers, unless they’re equipped with a factory hard top.

If you’re in the market for a new Ford Explorer, factor this into your purchase decision. The new model is a big improvement in almost every way over the outgoing one, but it may not be fast enough to outrun all the ghosts of its past.

[Consumer Reports]

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Why We Tested a Preproduction Ford Explorer

The internet has caught fire! In case you missed it, today’s basic gripe goes a little something like this. Us hacks at Motor Trend did a six-way SUV comparison test and put the brand spankin’ new Ford Explorer dead last. And – are you sitting down – we (gasp!) tested a… I can hardly type, my hands refuse to cease trembling… we tested a PREPRODUCTION VEHICLE!!! Please retroactively cancel my subscription for the last decade. Jerks. That’s fair, but here’s the thing. We didn’t know the Explorer was preproduction until after we handed it back to Ford in pieces.

A couple of points if I may. It’s not like we pulled a fast one on Ford. We ordered up a car for this comparison on December 20, 2010, seven weeks before before we took delivery of the vehicle on February 14, 2011. One would assume that’s more than enough time to get us a production vehicle. Why, the Dodge Durango launch was a few weeks after the Explorer’s, yet somehow Dodge managed to get us an actual production truck for our test.

Which brings up another point – how long has Ford been launching new cars? Put another way, how long have the new products Ford launches been instantly thrown into comparison tests against competitive products? Again, maybe you prefer our buff book competitors, but it’s not exactly like Motor Trend just crawled out from under a rock. Not only that, Ford knows full well what we do with not only their cars and trucks, but with all the cars, trucks, vans and SUVs that we test. We beat the snot out of them, for a week straight. Especially when we do comparison tests. Which is exactly what our road test editor told Ford we’d be doing with the Explorer almost two full months before they delivered it.

Back to the original point, when we took delivery of the Explorer, Ford never said one word about it being a preproduction vehicle. Now, on occasion a manufacturer does hand you over a preproduction product. When they do, two things tend to happen. The first is that they tell you about it. A phone call or an email materializes from a PR person explaining that the car is preproduction, it’s about 90% complete, don’t worry about part X, it’s being addressed, etc. We didn’t get that message until after Ford had the Explorer back in their possession. The other thing that happens with preproduction cars is that they get a warning tag on the passenger sun visor that states, “Preproduction Vehicle.” Not on the Explorer we tested.

I wrote the comparison and I’m the one making the excuses. I’m doing so because I feel a little hung out to dry. None of us here at Motor Trend had any notion that the Explorer was preproduction until after I’d turned in my story and the car was back in Ford’s hands. Once we were alerted to this, our entire editorial team went back and forth trying to figure out if we should even mention all the product defects we encountered. We felt we should, because not only were there so many of them, but because one in particular — MyFord Touch rebooting while the vehicle’s in motion — is affecting other Fords.

But let me be clear about one final point. A properly sorted production 2011 Ford Explorer still would have finished in last place. It’s simply not as good as the competition.

Jonny Lieberman on March 31 2011 2:00 PM

Tags : 2011 Ford, 2011 Ford Explorer, 2011 Ford Explorer 2011 Limited 4WD 4-Dr Sport Utility V6, Ford, Ford Explorer, Ford Explorer 2011 Limited 4WD 4-Dr Sport Utility V6, SUV, SUVs

View the original article here

Why We Tested a Preproduction Ford Explorer

The internet has caught fire! In case you missed it, today’s basic gripe goes a little something like this. Us hacks at Motor Trend did a six-way SUV comparison test and put the brand spankin’ new Ford Explorer dead last. And – are you sitting down – we (gasp!) tested a… I can hardly type, my hands refuse to cease trembling… we tested a PREPRODUCTION VEHICLE!!! Please retroactively cancel my subscription for the last decade. Jerks. That’s fair, but here’s the thing. We didn’t know the Explorer was preproduction until after we handed it back to Ford in pieces.

A couple of points if I may. It’s not like we pulled a fast one on Ford. We ordered up a car for this comparison on December 20, 2010, seven weeks before before we took delivery of the vehicle on February 14, 2011. One would assume that’s more than enough time to get us a production vehicle. Why, the Dodge Durango launch was a few weeks after the Explorer’s, yet somehow Dodge managed to get us an actual production truck for our test.

Which brings up another point – how long has Ford been launching new cars? Put another way, how long have the new products Ford launches been instantly thrown into comparison tests against competitive products? Again, maybe you prefer our buff book competitors, but it’s not exactly like Motor Trend just crawled out from under a rock. Not only that, Ford knows full well what we do with not only their cars and trucks, but with all the cars, trucks, vans and SUVs that we test. We beat the snot out of them, for a week straight. Especially when we do comparison tests. Which is exactly what our road test editor told Ford we’d be doing with the Explorer almost two full months before they delivered it.

Back to the original point, when we took delivery of the Explorer, Ford never said one word about it being a preproduction vehicle. Now, on occasion a manufacturer does hand you over a preproduction product. When they do, two things tend to happen. The first is that they tell you about it. A phone call or an email materializes from a PR person explaining that the car is preproduction, it’s about 90% complete, don’t worry about part X, it’s being addressed, etc. We didn’t get that message until after Ford had the Explorer back in their possession. The other thing that happens with preproduction cars is that they get a warning tag on the passenger sun visor that states, “Preproduction Vehicle.” Not on the Explorer we tested.

I wrote the comparison and I’m the one making the excuses. I’m doing so because I feel a little hung out to dry. None of us here at Motor Trend had any notion that the Explorer was preproduction until after I’d turned in my story and the car was back in Ford’s hands. Once we were alerted to this, our entire editorial team went back and forth trying to figure out if we should even mention all the product defects we encountered. We felt we should, because not only were there so many of them, but because one in particular — MyFord Touch rebooting while the vehicle’s in motion — is affecting other Fords.

But let me be clear about one final point. A properly sorted production 2011 Ford Explorer still would have finished in last place. It’s simply not as good as the competition.

Jonny Lieberman on March 30 2011 2:02 PM

Tags : 2011 Ford, 2011 Ford Explorer, 2011 Ford Explorer 2011 Limited 4WD 4-Dr Sport Utility V6, Ford, Ford Explorer, Ford Explorer 2011 Limited 4WD 4-Dr Sport Utility V6, SUV, SUVs

View the original article here