We're going to need a new vehicle for a baby on the way. The 2 door convertible unfortunately has to go.

So my biggest two areas of concern are MPG and reliability. Obviously the Expedition is larger.

I looked at the EPA economy and they are both very similar. That's for the V8 6 speed Explorer. How about real world MPG? I would imagine that a smaller vehicle with a smaller engine and 2 more gears would get a lot better MPG than the Expedition with its four speed. If they are close in the real world, then the Expedition is a no brainer.

On reliability, I hear a lot of people having problems with thier Explorers but not so much with Expeditions. I've also heard that 06+ Explorers are much better.

Also we're looking at EBs and Limiteds. Anything to look out for on those?

Mike

 

I haven't owned an explorer since my new 98. I sure do rate the escape/mariner suv's for mpg, bad weather capability and ruggedness for a small suv. I like the newer explorers, I just don't need one that big. I would have to give the nod to the 6-speed auto for mpg. Gas prices aren't going to stay this low.

 

For my '06 Explorer (V8) I'm pulling 20 mpg hiway unloaded and 17 mpg hiway if it's full of kids, dogs, skis, etc. Not bad, but not outstanding. I would rather have had an Expy for the room, but was outvoted. THe Explorer is a more reasonable size, especially since my wife drives it more in town than me.

 

My wife bought an 08 Explorer XLT with the V6 auto and we drove the thing back at the end of June from Batesville MS to Santa Barbara CA and back, stopping at the Grand Canyon etc..on the return trip.

Loaded down with 2 adults and 1 child and all the extra luggage plus large cooler and air conditioner running non-stop, we averaged 22-23mpg according to the trip computer. Not bad, in my opinion, for a vehicle this size.
Around here in local driving, it's dropped to 19-20mpg. Still not bad for a vehicle that has performance equal to my 97 F 150 4.6 Lariat!

We have one minor problem in that the plastic visor over the mirror on the driver's sun visor had one of it's little hinges break off. Most calim it's due to the cold temps we had but I call BS on this. Cheap plastic is my opinion.

All in all, my wife loves it and it is a comfortable vehicle on a long trip. Was for us!

Oh yeah, we drove from Batesville MS to Tucumcari NM the first day, from there to Needles CA the second day, stopping by the Meteor Crater, then from Needles to Santa Barbara the third day, arriving around 1pm, Pacific Time. Needless to say, we pushed that Explorer on the way out there!

She wanted an Expedition but didn't want to pay the price for one!