'06 Explorer Eddie Bauer Edition

kodos78 · 01-25-2006, 11:32 AM

So my wife and I had our second child 6 days ago, and the '04 Cadillac CTS just wasn't cutting it (couldn't fit a double stroller in it very easily, and then there's little space left for groceries/Costco runs). In addition, our in-laws are coming into town in a week or so, and we would have to drive both the cars around town which would be cumbersome to say the least.

So, we started to look at alternatives to the CTS, which we both just loved. It brought back two children from the hospital, and was the first vehicle my wife and I bought together. It was also hers and she loved it

. My wife was actually teary eyed when it was time to turn it in. This is in contrast to the '99 Honda Accord that was her first vehicle. We donated the POS to a charity, and she was almost dancing for joy when the tow truck came to haul it away.

We were going to start looking at the SRX, which had 7 passenger seating. But the MSRP was starting to get a little ridiculous, started basically at 40k with the 7 seating option. And it was a little *too* much like the CTS interior wise, which didn't quite work for us.

We noticed that Ford had redesigned the Explorer for '06. It took a lot of urging of my wife to go to the Ford dealership, and test drive one of them. We had looked at '04 Explorers when we were shopping for the CTS, and my wife loathed them. Horrible ride, ugly interior, you know the drill.

We were both pleasantly surprised by the new one. LOTS of room, and adults can actually sit in the 3rd row! The interior was fairly nice, the only drawback was that most of the surfaces weren't soft-touch. Otherwise a really cool interior (tough luxury).

Rides like a car, I was impressed by that. Having the IRS and the latest suspension tweaks to it makes this SUV a blast to drive around town. VERY quiet cabin, quieter to our ears than the CTS in fact.

Ford has $2,500 cash back, and would make your first car payment for you. That made it easy to get a low 30s EB Explorer for the mid 20s! That is minivan pricing. Speaking of minivans, we hate them. I wouldn't be caught dead driving one *shudder*.

So a few days later, what's the verdict? The new Explorer is a great vehicle. We love it. It's not quite as comfortable as the CTS (seats aren't as nicely bolstered either), but it's quite good for a truck. My parents have an older Lexus LX ('99), and it rides far better than it. Much quieter inside as well, in fact we are impressed with the lack of wind noise, or external noise at all. The turning radius is very good, subjectively it appears to be about the same as the CTS (which was very good). The 4.0 V6, while not exactly powerful appears well matched to the vehicle. It gets to speed very quickly, and without fuss. You never feel/hear the engine straining. The 292hp 4.6V8 is probably a better match to the vehicle, but we didn't care for the increase in MSRP and probable fuel economy loss. This is where Ford is completely outmatched by GM -- powertrain in these trucks.

Interior room is very good, each row has a very nice amount of space. The 3rd row is actually decent to sit in. I sat in it (I'm 5'8) and didn't feel uncomfortable at all. This is the best 3rd row in an SUV of this size to date. Sitting in the Commander and 4Runner was like being in the fetal position, and it seemed like they were tacked-on features. The folding seats are very easy to use, just a simple latch up and down. In fact, the power folding seats seem superfluous as options given how trivial it is to raise/lower these seats. My parents loved this feature, given how they have had to struggle with the removable seats on their LX!

The new SUVs come standard with AdvanceTrac (Ford's stability control) and RSC (Roll Stability Control). Ours came with the safety canopy airbag system as well, and the ultrasonic rear parking assist.

The downsides? Besides the aforementioned lack of oomph, the door handle pulls are very strange. There's a latch above that you pull down towards you to open the door, and then there's a door handle to shut the door *under* it. Ford claims this is due to some safety requirement. The interior looks *great*, hard to appretciate from photos, but few surfaces are soft touch, and the plastic wood is not entirely convincing. Fuel economy is also a problem for SUVs such as these, Ford/EPA claims 16/21 for this truck. We'll see what the real world mileage is after break-in. Fortunately I have a commuter vehicle (Dodge SRT-4 which gets close to 30mpg, and 25mpg mixed) or else I could feel the sting of the gas mileage on this beast. This truck is strictly for my wife and weekend family outings. I also didn't know how I was going to like the new VW "Chrome Grill" on the front-end, but it looks a little less goofy on a big truck than on a compact car like the Jetta. I've grown used to it. My only concern is how its going to age with rock chips and other debris flying at it. Most phony chrome like it isn't very durable!

The other downside is more personal, and doesn't have anything to do with the Explorer per-se. It's the first time in over 8 years that I haven't had a GM vehicle in the driveway. And the next time I'll probably get a chance to shop for a new vehicle will be over 3 years from now. We currently have an '05 SRT-4 and now the '06 Explorer.

Other vehicles we considered were the aforementioned SRX, the Toyota 4Runner (too claustrophobic and small inside), the TrailBlazer (nice powertrain, terrible mid 90s Pontiac style interior), and Jeep Commander (too small third row, too expensive the way we'd want it and my wife doesn't like the styling on it).

I would have really liked the new Tahoe, but I think it is a little large for my wife to be comfortable with. The new Explorer is just at the cusp of her comfort zone.

Here are some pictures of our new truck. These were just snapshots taken the day it hit our driveway, so they aren't very good

Arizona Slim · 01-25-2006, 11:46 AM

Congrats on the new baby, and the new kid! I just recently test drove the new Explorer and had many of the same thoughts about the smooth ride, quiet interior, and stupid door handles. The 3rd row seating is very good, and like you say the power fold option is totally pointless. It's faster to fold them without the power option. Anyway, its a nice looking truck, I hope you enjoy it.

**TaHoE** · 01-25-2006, 12:07 PM

Excellent choice with that grille. Overall I like the new Explorer, but it's the powertrain and IRS that hold me back from loving it.

autofan · 01-25-2006, 01:02 PM

Congrats... I will say the new Explorer certainly stands out more than the 2002-2005 models. The only thing I don't like is the busy front end treatment. But that's easily solved by getting the "cleaner" looking Mercury Mountaineer. I also like Mercury's interior trim and color combinations better. Either way, with the possible exception of the powertrain, why would anyone still buy a TrailBlazer over this??!

Arizona Slim · 01-25-2006, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TaHoE

Excellent choice with that grille. Overall I like the new Explorer, but it's the powertrain and IRS that hold me back from loving it.

What is it about the powertrain that you don't like?

kodos78 · 01-25-2006, 01:53 PM

That was my thought precisely. I always wanted to like the TrailBlazer (I remember that the Blazer was the first "SUV" that my folks had back when I was a kid), but it just never felt well put together enough on the inside, and the outside is kind of a jumble of organic shapes. I might be tempted by the new SS though, other than that interior!

I've not had a Ford since my old '95 Mustang GT (T-Boned sadly, then I moved to F-Bodies so it was kind of a blessing in disguise I guess!) but this new Explorer impresses me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by autofan

Congrats... I will say the new Explorer certainly stands out more than the 2002-2005 models. The only thing I don't like is the busy front end treatment. But that's easily solved by getting the "cleaner" looking Mercury Mountaineer. I also like Mercury's interior trim and color combinations better. Either way, with the possible exception of the powertrain, why would anyone still buy a TrailBlazer over this??!

91z4me · 01-25-2006, 02:14 PM

Great choice. Looks like Buick is a few years late on the Enclave for you. I hope you enjoy great build quality, it is assembled in Louisville, KY and I probably know a few people that helped put it together.

kodos78 · 01-25-2006, 02:23 PM

I would have loved an Enclave, but unfortunately I needed something in the next few weeks. Hopefully there will be a compelling product like Enclave in the next 4-5 years when we turn in the Explorer

pagemaster · 01-25-2006, 02:46 PM

Those are the dumbest door handles I have ever seen. Other than that. Nice write up. I wouldl of opted for the V8.

doh · 01-25-2006, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pagemaster

Those are the dumbest door handles I have ever seen. Other than that. Nice write up. I wouldl of opted for the V8.

Ya, I think the designer of them should be canned. Has anyone seen pics of the redesigned ones?

kodos78 · 01-25-2006, 07:06 PM

It's not just the designer's fault. It evidently got through Ford QA and any internal testing done by them. It's quite honestly Ford's fault, and I don't know what they were thinking.

**ChevroletRevived** · 01-25-2006, 08:24 PM

Good decision! I have personally checked out the new Explorer and I love it. Nice, upscale looks, luxurious high quality interior. I love GM, but I would much rather have the Explorer then the TB. Nice looking truck too..I like the color. Ford did really good on this re-design....it shows when you don't like the one before the re-design, but you do like it after! I think the powerfold option is neat, but I can agree...it's kind of pointless. Maybe if you have stuff in your hands though?

**ChevroletRevived** · 01-25-2006, 08:25 PM

Oh, and I'm glad you stayed American. American is the way to go!

TiburonJT · 01-25-2006, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pagemaster

Those are the dumbest door handles I have ever seen.

I don't understand why Ford didn't do something like putting the handle in the door armrest like on the 91-01 Explorer and 93-current Rangers.

CRBoyd91 · 01-25-2006, 08:48 PM

I think the new Explorer is at the head of its class, and rightfully so. Hopefully the rediesigned GMT-360's will be an improvement, even though they really aren't that bad.

01-25-2006, 11:32 AM	#1 (permalink)
kodos78 2.4 Liter SIDI ECOTEC Join Date: Jan 2006 Drives: '08 HHR SS '07 SC'd Mustang GT Posts: 487	'06 Explorer Eddie Bauer Edition So my wife and I had our second child 6 days ago, and the '04 Cadillac CTS just wasn't cutting it (couldn't fit a double stroller in it very easily, and then there's little space left for groceries/Costco runs). In addition, our in-laws are coming into town in a week or so, and we would have to drive both the cars around town which would be cumbersome to say the least. So, we started to look at alternatives to the CTS, which we both just loved. It brought back two children from the hospital, and was the first vehicle my wife and I bought together. It was also hers and she loved it . My wife was actually teary eyed when it was time to turn it in. This is in contrast to the '99 Honda Accord that was her first vehicle. We donated the POS to a charity, and she was almost dancing for joy when the tow truck came to haul it away. We were going to start looking at the SRX, which had 7 passenger seating. But the MSRP was starting to get a little ridiculous, started basically at 40k with the 7 seating option. And it was a little too much like the CTS interior wise, which didn't quite work for us. We noticed that Ford had redesigned the Explorer for '06. It took a lot of urging of my wife to go to the Ford dealership, and test drive one of them. We had looked at '04 Explorers when we were shopping for the CTS, and my wife loathed them. Horrible ride, ugly interior, you know the drill. We were both pleasantly surprised by the new one. LOTS of room, and adults can actually sit in the 3rd row! The interior was fairly nice, the only drawback was that most of the surfaces weren't soft-touch. Otherwise a really cool interior (tough luxury). Rides like a car, I was impressed by that. Having the IRS and the latest suspension tweaks to it makes this SUV a blast to drive around town. VERY quiet cabin, quieter to our ears than the CTS in fact. Ford has $2,500 cash back, and would make your first car payment for you. That made it easy to get a low 30s EB Explorer for the mid 20s! That is minivan pricing. Speaking of minivans, we hate them. I wouldn't be caught dead driving one shudder. So a few days later, what's the verdict? The new Explorer is a great vehicle. We love it. It's not quite as comfortable as the CTS (seats aren't as nicely bolstered either), but it's quite good for a truck. My parents have an older Lexus LX ('99), and it rides far better than it. Much quieter inside as well, in fact we are impressed with the lack of wind noise, or external noise at all. The turning radius is very good, subjectively it appears to be about the same as the CTS (which was very good). The 4.0 V6, while not exactly powerful appears well matched to the vehicle. It gets to speed very quickly, and without fuss. You never feel/hear the engine straining. The 292hp 4.6V8 is probably a better match to the vehicle, but we didn't care for the increase in MSRP and probable fuel economy loss. This is where Ford is completely outmatched by GM -- powertrain in these trucks. Interior room is very good, each row has a very nice amount of space. The 3rd row is actually decent to sit in. I sat in it (I'm 5'8) and didn't feel uncomfortable at all. This is the best 3rd row in an SUV of this size to date. Sitting in the Commander and 4Runner was like being in the fetal position, and it seemed like they were tacked-on features. The folding seats are very easy to use, just a simple latch up and down. In fact, the power folding seats seem superfluous as options given how trivial it is to raise/lower these seats. My parents loved this feature, given how they have had to struggle with the removable seats on their LX! The new SUVs come standard with AdvanceTrac (Ford's stability control) and RSC (Roll Stability Control). Ours came with the safety canopy airbag system as well, and the ultrasonic rear parking assist. The downsides? Besides the aforementioned lack of oomph, the door handle pulls are very strange. There's a latch above that you pull down towards you to open the door, and then there's a door handle to shut the door under it. Ford claims this is due to some safety requirement. The interior looks great, hard to appretciate from photos, but few surfaces are soft touch, and the plastic wood is not entirely convincing. Fuel economy is also a problem for SUVs such as these, Ford/EPA claims 16/21 for this truck. We'll see what the real world mileage is after break-in. Fortunately I have a commuter vehicle (Dodge SRT-4 which gets close to 30mpg, and 25mpg mixed) or else I could feel the sting of the gas mileage on this beast. This truck is strictly for my wife and weekend family outings. I also didn't know how I was going to like the new VW "Chrome Grill" on the front-end, but it looks a little less goofy on a big truck than on a compact car like the Jetta. I've grown used to it. My only concern is how its going to age with rock chips and other debris flying at it. Most phony chrome like it isn't very durable! The other downside is more personal, and doesn't have anything to do with the Explorer per-se. It's the first time in over 8 years that I haven't had a GM vehicle in the driveway. And the next time I'll probably get a chance to shop for a new vehicle will be over 3 years from now. We currently have an '05 SRT-4 and now the '06 Explorer. Other vehicles we considered were the aforementioned SRX, the Toyota 4Runner (too claustrophobic and small inside), the TrailBlazer (nice powertrain, terrible mid 90s Pontiac style interior), and Jeep Commander (too small third row, too expensive the way we'd want it and my wife doesn't like the styling on it). I would have really liked the new Tahoe, but I think it is a little large for my wife to be comfortable with. The new Explorer is just at the cusp of her comfort zone. Here are some pictures of our new truck. These were just snapshots taken the day it hit our driveway, so they aren't very good

01-25-2006, 11:46 AM	#2 (permalink)
Arizona Slim 4.6 Liter Northstar V8 Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: The Lonesome Crowded West Drives: 04 GMC Sierra 06 Dodge Magnum Posts: 1,508	Re: '06 Explorer Eddie Bauer Edition Congrats on the new baby, and the new kid! I just recently test drove the new Explorer and had many of the same thoughts about the smooth ride, quiet interior, and stupid door handles. The 3rd row seating is very good, and like you say the power fold option is totally pointless. It's faster to fold them without the power option. Anyway, its a nice looking truck, I hope you enjoy it.

01-25-2006, 12:07 PM	#3 (permalink)
TaHoE GMI Staff Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: South Central NC Drives: 2009 Pontiac G6 Convertible 2008 Chevrolet Malibu Posts: 10,006	Re: '06 Explorer Eddie Bauer Edition Excellent choice with that grille. Overall I like the new Explorer, but it's the powertrain and IRS that hold me back from loving it. __________________

01-25-2006, 01:02 PM	#4 (permalink)
autofan 3.6 Liter SIDI V6 Join Date: May 2005 Drives: 2007 Saab 9-3 SportCombi 2009 Ford Flex SEL Posts: 1,054	Re: '06 Explorer Eddie Bauer Edition Congrats... I will say the new Explorer certainly stands out more than the 2002-2005 models. The only thing I don't like is the busy front end treatment. But that's easily solved by getting the "cleaner" looking Mercury Mountaineer. I also like Mercury's interior trim and color combinations better. Either way, with the possible exception of the powertrain, why would anyone still buy a TrailBlazer over this??!

01-25-2006, 02:14 PM	#7 (permalink)
91z4me 6.0 Liter L76 V8 Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 2,094	Re: '06 Explorer Eddie Bauer Edition Great choice. Looks like Buick is a few years late on the Enclave for you. I hope you enjoy great build quality, it is assembled in Louisville, KY and I probably know a few people that helped put it together.

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01-25-2006, 02:23 PM	#8 (permalink)
kodos78 2.4 Liter SIDI ECOTEC Join Date: Jan 2006 Drives: '08 HHR SS '07 SC'd Mustang GT Posts: 487	Re: '06 Explorer Eddie Bauer Edition I would have loved an Enclave, but unfortunately I needed something in the next few weeks. Hopefully there will be a compelling product like Enclave in the next 4-5 years when we turn in the Explorer

01-25-2006, 02:46 PM	#9 (permalink)
pagemaster Level I Members Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ontario, Canada Drives: 2003 Toyota Tundra 4x4 Limited Posts: 1,509	Re: '06 Explorer Eddie Bauer Edition Those are the dumbest door handles I have ever seen. Other than that. Nice write up. I wouldl of opted for the V8.

01-25-2006, 07:06 PM	#11 (permalink)
kodos78 2.4 Liter SIDI ECOTEC Join Date: Jan 2006 Drives: '08 HHR SS '07 SC'd Mustang GT Posts: 487	Re: '06 Explorer Eddie Bauer Edition It's not just the designer's fault. It evidently got through Ford QA and any internal testing done by them. It's quite honestly Ford's fault, and I don't know what they were thinking.

01-25-2006, 08:24 PM	#12 (permalink)
ChevroletRevived GMI Staff Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: The Good Ol United States of America Posts: 9,082	Re: '06 Explorer Eddie Bauer Edition Good decision! I have personally checked out the new Explorer and I love it. Nice, upscale looks, luxurious high quality interior. I love GM, but I would much rather have the Explorer then the TB. Nice looking truck too..I like the color. Ford did really good on this re-design....it shows when you don't like the one before the re-design, but you do like it after! I think the powerfold option is neat, but I can agree...it's kind of pointless. Maybe if you have stuff in your hands though? __________________ GMI's Revitalization in Action Director Check out our latest lineup by Clicking Here If you've got inside news and would like to be a GMInsider, send me a private message or email me HERE.

01-25-2006, 08:25 PM	#13 (permalink)
ChevroletRevived GMI Staff Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: The Good Ol United States of America Posts: 9,082	Re: '06 Explorer Eddie Bauer Edition Oh, and I'm glad you stayed American. American is the way to go! __________________ GMI's Revitalization in Action Director Check out our latest lineup by Clicking Here If you've got inside news and would like to be a GMInsider, send me a private message or email me HERE.

01-25-2006, 08:48 PM	#15 (permalink)
CRBoyd91 6.2 Liter LS3 V8 Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Houston, TX (Katy Area) Drives: 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix GT Posts: 3,957	Re: '06 Explorer Eddie Bauer Edition I think the new Explorer is at the head of its class, and rightfully so. Hopefully the rediesigned GMT-360's will be an improvement, even though they really aren't that bad. __________________ 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix GT - 112,000 mi.

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