Team-BHP - India to USA : Boss II to Boss III! My Ford Explorer
Team-BHP

Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)
-   Test-Drives & Initial Ownership Reports (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/)
-   -   India to USA : Boss II to Boss III! My Ford Explorer (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/119315-india-usa-boss-ii-boss-iii-my-ford-explorer.html)

:)
As the destiny seemed fit, I was offered an executive secondment to US for 3 years in the US bank I work for, from Hyderabad, India. This meant I had to obviously sell my loving BOSS II which was perfect for my family for both the city and long drives. It was very pain staking to see BOSS II go from my house (as with all other vehicles which get sold every 3 to 4 years for some good reason!)
We land in US of A and the car choices are already made! It had to be either an MB GL 550 or a Ford Explorer for reasons – MB: 7 seater, great brand value. Ford: Earlier lineage, 7 seater, new spruced up model.
So, off I go on 14th February (the earliest possible date of delivery) to get the Ford Explorer 4X4, Limited version in Tuxedo black into my garage. MB dealer could not deliver the GL 550 on the said date and had to be dropped from the options.
Ford has worked ground up on this age old name from its stable and the end product is worth aspiring. The car is fully loaded with safety features (including passenger seat belt air bags) and many other segment leading features (Lane change warning system, TOW, Sun and moon roof, Dual zone a/c, Ford Sync system, All terrain management options etc etc). It looks butch and the stance is awesome!
I have been trying to find time to put up a small write up and the pictures of my new ride in US.

All the alternatives that were considered MB GL550 and Acura MDX. I did not like the look of the front grill of Acura MDX and MB was ruled out due to the delay in the expected delivery dates.

Complete booking & delivery experience from the dealership: This area left a lot to be desired! I have gone to the local Ford Dealer- Dewey Ford in Des Moines ,Iowa and the experience is horrible. The booking and the paper work was managed by my office, however the delivery experience was very bad. I escalated this to FORD USA through a strong note and now the dealer responds more pro-actively.

On-road price, discounts etc.: The car costed me around ~48,000 USD on road price. This is the top end model available and dealer had $1000 cash back offer as a discount. Nothing other than that came my way!

Engine type & variant you opted for: Engine is a 290-hp, 3.5-liter V-6 (regular gas) and the variant is called as “Limited”.

The good and / or bad about its equipment levels: I personally found the car well equipped with all the equipment. The package options restricted one feature I missed carrying from my BOSS II to BOSS III – Rain sensing wipers of my Scorpio! Other than that everything else is awesome!

Miles completed at the time of writing this review: My car is around ~1450 miles on the odometer as I write this review.

Usage pattern: Daily drive is to and from office to home which is roughly around 10 miles (hardly a ‘drive’). Weekends is when I enjoy the BOSS III on the interstates, the car is bliss! The car has superb acceleration and stability with features like Traction control and Trailer Sway control. I am waiting for my first big drive in this car to Chicago/Minneapolis/Kansas etc to really enjoy the US ‘long drives’!

Comments on the exterior styling & design: The car has been really styled well. The butch stance and the imposing attitude is worth mentioning! The HL & TLs are very well designed with small careful touches thrown in to show the car migrating/competing with high end versions. Ex. Explorer name embossed inside the HL and the use of LED’s on the TL with thoughtful touches.

Overall build quality and fit & finish: The overall build quality is good; however Ford has a bad reputation of frequent workshop visits. I am sure Ford has sorted out the image issues with this model. The panel gaps and the engine bay is well executed, so is the roof set up.

Interior design & quality: The dash is better than the X5(my opinion) and has a soft feel to it. The ambient lighting with color setting options, rear seats a/c controls and sun & moon roof options gives it a very personalized feel inside the car. The door handles, power window rocker switch panels, plastics, bottle hold spaces, central console, central arm rest with space even for lipstick holder etc add lot of value for day to day comforts.

Interior space and comfort: It is a very spacious 7 seater and this was one of my primary reasons to select this SUV. The seats are well supported and the front two seats have multiple comfort settings with memory storage as well to suit each family member’s choice individually.

Air conditioner, seat support, ergonomics and other noteworthy interior points: Needless to mention that the A/C is powerful (so is the heater, which is much required), with the opted Luxury Seating Package the front seats have lumbar supports which can be adjusted and the rest of the seating package leaves less to be desired. The PowerFold 3rd Row Seat makes the last row a flat bed for luggage with the click of a button! The 3 driver memory seat settings (includes door mirrors, pedals,)upon engine start etc add a lot to the driver’s ergonomics. The Ford Sync system is good, however can be improved in its touch screen dynamics(blame Apple/Samsung etc for getting us used to the nice haptic touch pad phones and tablets and we now expect the same with any and every touch appliance!).

Engine performance & drivability in the city: V6 is quite responsive and moving from a diesel to petrol, obviously makes me feel the engine is lot peppier. The car is very responsive and zooms at the slightest provocation.

Engine performance & drivability on the highway: Good stability coupled with smooth transmission makes this a good long haul provider.

Gearshift / transmission quality, smoothness, response time etc.: Auto gear mechanism is smooth and the 6-Spd SelectShift Automatic leaves the choice of revving up without clutch hassles for the driver inside you!

Fuel efficiency- City and Highway: This is one area which is slightly a concern as of now! MPG (Miles per Gallon)- city:15, Highway:19 is the average range. Need to watch this and measure as I drive more miles.

Suspension & ride quality: The suspension set up gives the car a very comfortable ride though being an SUV- certain degree of minor roll can be felt sometimes. The ‘crossover’ dynamics helps the ride quality over the body on chassis comfort.

Handling, on-road behavior and grip levels: The car handles very apt and gives a ‘pointed’ feel to the steering inputs. The confidence is high and braking comfort is good. The Hankook’s(OEM) do the job well.

Any particular likes: The music system(SIRIUS AM/FM/HD/Satellite with seek-scan, single in-dash CD player, MP3 decoder, Amplifier, Digital signal processor, Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound, Voice activated radio, Speed-sensitive volume, 12 Sony speakers, woofer etc) is AWESOME! I never thought I will be happy with a Sony car audio system based upon my earlier experiences, but this one beats me hollow! The SYNC system can take two USB, one RCA, three Bluetooth inputs and that is like having a whole home theater on the move! BLIS- Blind spot information system is a blessing when you change lanes and is very effective.

Any particular dislikes: The age old yellow bulbs everywhere for interior and license plate lightings etc are bad.

Review on overall practicality: (luggage room, ease of ingress/egress, cubby holes etc.): The luggage room is practical and is sufficient for weekend shopping trips with all seven seats up. If we fold the last row seats, there is plenty of luggage room that open up for long trips. The ingress/egress is comfortable and has seen no issues on that front even for my children. There are more than sufficient cubby holes all over the car to carry various things.

Any niggles, problems or part replacements faced: A small story: I clear my knowledge test for DL and am waiting for the Driving test at the scheduled time. The DoT officer comes and starts checking my car for all the equipment to function correctly. Guess what does not work? - The HORN!! It was two weeks I had the car with me and never used the horn once! So, I had to go to the Ford workshop to check on what is the issue as without a working horn, I would not be able to take the Driving test for my DL. The issue was rooted to a faulty horn relay which was replaced promptly (FOC) and the BOSS III was returned washed and cleaned! To complete the DL story, I had a later appointment and cleared my DL test.

Quality of after-sales service (if experienced): Very good! After sales service is in fact much better than sales experience.

Cost of upkeep & maintenance: Need to watch this space as add more miles in the days to come and will keep it posted.

I will now let the pictures do the talking!

Continuing with some Pictures- Part 2!

Continuing with pictures- part 3.

Continuing with pictures-part 4.

Hey Surya,

hearty congratulations on acquiring Ford explorer. It looks marvelous in Black. Wish you many more happy miles on it.

Could you please share the details of the buying experience ( deals, offers etc). It would be helpful for the people in north america evaluating their buying options

Congratulations on the super purchase. I love Explorer a lot. Its a great buy. How was your buying experience? How much did it cost you? Any updates on FE, Performance and features?

Thanks

Congratulations on the Explorer! Woha what an SUV. Love the macho and butch looks. Looks great in black, its my favorite color.
Dont know why manufacturers in India in the 20L segment launch SUV's that have been derived from pickup's (Fortuner, PajeroSp, Endeavour) its high time someone launches an SUV which has macho and butch looks but has been developed keeping in mind its an SUV.
Thanks!

Congrats Surya, make it two counts. The monstrous Explorer is leagues ahead in-comparo to our desi Scorp, look at those interiors plush and neat. Has all the bells and whistles in terms of safety too, damn the 20 inchers also look small for this.

Missing the Scorpio, I cant buy that LOL.

Drive Safe man.

Lovely vehicle man, always wanted to see this on Indian roads. Do write few words about the driving experience of this beast.

The temple in the 5th pic is it somewhere at California ?

Woah! That looks humongous! Awesome road presence and the interiors do not disappoint either. Though I personally wouldnt love the roof mounted AC vents blowing cold air on top of my head. But the safety features, interior gadgets and comfort looks too good to be true.

Hope you literally "crunch" miles in it :)

I have two words: "Simply Awesome"

Thanks for the beautiful pics, and congrats! Do keep us posted with updates.

The intimidating looks of the front grill and the black shine on the exterior are mind-boggling.

By the way, the temple looks a lot like the one in Livermore, CA.

Hey Surya,

Congratulations on the beautiful beast (if there is something worth calling a BB then this is it).

Please update us on the drive characteristics and living with this fab looking SUV.

Drive safe.

Cheers

Congrats on the purchase Surya. Looks awesome and if Ford had launched this in India at the right price in place of the ageing Endy, things would have been waaay different.

Can you share the technical specifications of the beast you purchased please?

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

Congrats on the Explorer, and welcome to the Ford family. It is a handsome vehicle.

Your MPG is in line with what most others are getting. Feel blessed if you get more than what you are getting right now.

As for the horn, you probably won't need it ever. I have used mine twice in 15 years here :)

I notice you performed the typically desi "lemoncrush-under-the-wheels" ceremony with your vehicle :) btw, is Rajgopalan - the priest - still around at the temple at Madrid?


All times are GMT +5.5. The time now is 19:35.