Well, the time came this week to say bye, bye to my 2014Sport. Traded it in on a 2017 F150 Lariat and I can honestly say I won’t miss it. Just a random listing of my reasons for switching:

For the last 30 years I always drove pickups or full sized SUV’s but before that I was good old fashioned street racer – generally referred to as an a**hole. I thought the Sport might bring back some of the thrill after driving an F350 diesel for 8 years. But…

The seats were just plain uncomfortable.

The ride was less than spectacular. It IS possible to make a car that handles well but doesn’t ride like stage coach. The F150 rides sooo much better. Of course, it doesn’t handle as well but I can live with that.

For the first year or so, the phony piped-in through the sound system snarly exhaust and engine sounds seemed cool. After a while they were just annoying. The F150 is 1000% quieter inside. I can enjoy the sound system.

Full throttle passing maneuvers could induce a severe case of pucker as torque steer took over and you waited for the stability control to kick in. Doing it on anything but a dry road could put you in the ditch.

A front air dam that wouldn’t clear a parking lot tire stop was just ridiculous. As you back out you get to hear a $230 noise.

I finally concluded that the Sport was a vehicle that just couldn’t decide what it wanted to be. It had a **** to select various off road drive train modes and a hill descent control but there was really no way you were going to take it off road. It had paddle shifters on the steering wheel that controlled a torque converter trans that just mushed from gear to gear when you used them and virtually non-existent engine braking on downshifts. And in the overall scheme of things it really just wasn’t that quick.

It was a learning experience and the dealer I bought it from gave me a good deal on the trade-in.

Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want.

 

Interesting thoughts. I don't really miss my '13 Explorer either, but for other reasons. It was a good car overall. But I often wondered if I should have waited 4-5 months before buying it so I could get the Sport. They were just starting to hit the lots when I bought my Explorer and I wasn't in the mood to argue the 2nd dicker sticker.

I think I would have complained of the same issues...

 

Sorry it didn't work out for you...

We liked our 2013 leased Sport, we bought it at end of lease and still love it...

But it is 'her' car, so it's quick enough (she tests it's performance every day )
mpg is not even in the equation for her - but I looked at the tripmeters yesterday and the last 87k miles, she's averaged 18.7 mpg in DFW traffic.

Good luck on your next one !

 

I wife loves her 2016 explorer. Personally I hate the ************ but I don't drive it. Thats why I drive my F250. The explorer is great for the kids but can't tow anything and gets crappy milage.

 

The Sport is exactly what it was designed to be. A performance mid-sized sport utility. It has lower profile tires and stiffer suspension to give you better handling. A twin turbo v-6 to give you surprisingly quick acceleration and the good looks you would expect from a sport vehicle. But of course it does have a lower front airdam for performance and mileage, paddle shifters so you can play, but remember it is an automatic trying to keep mileage up, so you don't really get engine braking. It's not really designed to tow, but will if you have to. The F150 with the same engine gets terrible mileage when towing. I had a Saleen Mustang years back and didn't hook it trailer to it either. So it seems funny to me to hear people complain about a stiff ride or a low front airdam, or hitting the gas and about ending up in the ditch from torque steer on a vehicle they specifically bought as a sport performance vehicle. And for you to trade it in on a pick up it doesn't sound like that's really what you wanted to begin with. The Explorer Sport is not a Jeep, a Mustang and a pick up all at the same time. And it never pretended to be. I have a lifted/lockered Jeep for off roading and and I have an F350 for towing and camping etc. Neither of those vehicles are as comfortable or handle as well as the Sport, but I didn't buy them too. Hope you enjoy your pick up.

 

I sure do enjoy the pickup!
It does NOT handle as well as the Explorer but...
It's quicker (3.5 EB + 10 speed and 3.55's)
It rides much better
It's more comfortable
It gets 22 mpg on the highway at 70 mph - something the Explorer NEVER did!
I agree. For me the Sport was a mistake.

 

That's interesting - Both my 2013 and 2016 Taurus SHO's (same engine, a little lighter) go/went perfectly straight on high-acceleration, except if I think a bump or blip in the road, even when the road's wet.

Wonder if it was the tires.

Glad you like the F150 though - I'm tempted

 

I have to admit, the Explorer was an expensive mistake for me. I came from an F350 which I had to give up after a spinal operation. I just couldn't take the pounding anymore.
The Explorer was fun for the first year or so. Then the crappy seats, the piped in, fake engine sounds and the rough ride (50 series tires) on city streets coupled with less than 6" of ground clearance finally got to me. The 13 mpg city didn't help.
I believe the full throttle handling problems were the result of a slow-to-engage stability control that didn't reduce engine power but relied on wheel braking.
I love the F150! It has comfortable seats and a much more comfortable ride. It's quiet. In normal mode, it gets 16 mpg city and 22 highway with the cruise on 70. In normal mode the stability and traction controls work well - even in snow. Put it in Sport mode with Advanced Trac Mode active and it is quicker than the Explorer and will get you in just as much trouble. But then that's your choice.

If you're tempted, go take one for a test drive. But bring your check book.