Anyone own both these models? Which do you like better. My wife has an Aerostar with a 3.0 V6 and I am thinking about the possiblilty of selling it and getting a 2WD V8 Explorer, mainly for more power of the V8. I assume only the 302 V8 was offered (or was also the 351?) Seems that another advantage would be getting rid of the cumbersome sliding door of the Aerostar.

 

I have both an 89 reg. 3.0 & a 95 extended 4.0 Aerostar. The 4.0 has much better acceleration than the 3.0. We went looking at 96-99 Explorers the other day and the most popular engine is the 4.0 which is more than adequate for the vehicle. Unless you are going to do some heavy towing I think the 4.0 will do what you want. Also, I rather like the sliding door on the Aerostar especially with the narrower parking spaces these days.
1999 F350 Super Duty Powerstroke XL 4R100

 

My wife has the 3.0 Aerostar (1992) and it is a bit weak on towing. A 4.0 probably would have been adequate, but the 302 V8 Explorer would be great, especially to go into the mountains. As it is I replaced my old (84) F150 with a '95 F150 supercab and 300 ci I6 to tow my 2000 lb trailer. It works fine (I can tow at 75 mph, but normally keep it down to 70), though the truck is a bit heavy and I may opt for a performance ignition chip before I head for the Rocky Mountains. Anyway I was just toying with the Explorer idea as my wife is not so keen on the pickup for various reasons (stick shift, bench seat, lack of extra interior space--maybe I need to get a cap and bucket seats). I do think one drawback to the Explorer is less cargo space than the Aerostar (we have the shorter Aero).

 

I had a 91 Explorer XLT 4x4 4.0L Auto that I traded in on the 94 Aerostar noted below. Overall I loved the Explorer. Lots of power, handled great, a snap to park in tight parking lots and real smooth on the highway. I towed my boat with it, about 2500 lbs., and you wouldn't even know it was there. On the down side, compared to the Aerostar the Explorer does not have adequete cargo space. Mileage on the 4.0L Explorer was about 20 mpg. I had a 1997 8 cylinder Explorer for a week 2 years ago and I found it to be a pig on gas. I don't think there is enough additional performance from the V8 compared to the 4.0L to justify the extra $$$ you spend on gas. With the Aerostar I think I have twice the cargo space (hockey equipment bags) than with the Explorer, and 7 passengers (quad captains) compared to 5 (players). The Aerostar 4.0L has tons of power and uses it well, maybe even a bit better than the Explorer. I pull the boat no problem. My Aerostar is the 4x4 and I highly recommend it. The ride is good and smooth and the handling of the 4x4 is far better than the 4x2. Gas mileage isn't great, about 18 mpg, but it gets that empty or loaded pulling the boat, it doesn't seem to matter the condition. They're really 2 completely different vehicles but for driving ease I'd go Explorer, for ride and space it would be Aerostar. In my experience, with the 4.0L they both have plenty of performance.
1994 Aerostar Extended Eddie Bauer 4x4 Auto
1992 F150 Supercab SB 4x4 302 AOD 3.55

 

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 17-May-00 AT 07:44 PM (EST)[/font][p]Hey, jamden:
Right now I am looking for a used Explorer or Ranger for my 17 year old son but your post kind of makes me want to go buy a third Aerostar. Your are right, that 4.0 is one fine engine. In fact it's popularity in the Explorer is one of the reasons that lead to the demise of the Aerostar.
1999 F350 Super Duty Powerstroke XL 4R100

 

Hey PWK.

It's been a long time since I was 17, but if I was I'd probably kill for a nice 4.0l 4x4 Ranger Supercab. I had one I bought new in 1986, they had the 2.9l v6 then not the 4.0l. Good power but not like the 4.0l.

1994 Aerostar Extended Eddie Bauer 4x4 4.0l auto
1992 F150 Supercab SB 4x4 302 AOD 3.55