2012 FORD Explorer

A Handsome Hauler

Performance: 0 Comfort: 0 Fuel Economy: 0 Fun To Drive: 0 Interior Design: 0 Exterior Design: 0 Build Quality: 0 Reliability: 0 Comfort Rating: 4 Performance Rating: 3 Interior Rating: 4 Reliability Rating: 3 Safety Rating: 3 Technology Rating: 4 Value Rating: 4

Let's say you are an outdoors type or a family type, either way you need something to haul your gear or your people or both. This truck, I like calling it a truck - it's not a car, and "SUV" sounds silly, carries your stuff in style. I sigh every time I look at my Ex. It's just so good looking! It hauls my husband, two dogs, camping gear, luggage, a bike on the back, and a small kayak on top. I keep the third-row seats lowered for more room in the cargo area. I love knowing I can raise the lift gate and easily load my gear or groceries into the cargo space. The front and back seats are comfortable. People in the back like having access to their own heating and cooling controls. Other than that, my Explorer has basic controls but I'm okay with that because it kept the price low when I bought it used. Besides, I do not want nor need navigation, bluetooth, or the MyFord touch. The truck's auxiliary ports are sufficient for playing my music through my phone. I fill up the tank once a week for my daily trips to work and back. I drive 250 miles a week plus local driving on the weekends. My only concerns are the whistling noise around the windshield at high speeds and sometimes the engine refuses to go faster than 80 miles per hour though that might be the result of a safety feature - and really who needs to go faster than 80 mph.

Real Good, Not Great

Performance: 0 Comfort: 0 Fuel Economy: 0 Fun To Drive: 0 Interior Design: 0 Exterior Design: 0 Build Quality: 0 Reliability: 0 Comfort Rating: 4 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 4 Reliability Rating: 4 Safety Rating: 5 Technology Rating: 5 Value Rating: 4

Still Going at 60K Miles

Performance: 0 Comfort: 0 Fuel Economy: 0 Fun To Drive: 0 Interior Design: 0 Exterior Design: 0 Build Quality: 0 Reliability: 0 Comfort Rating: 4 Performance Rating: 4 Interior Rating: 3 Reliability Rating: 5 Safety Rating: 5 Technology Rating: 3 Value Rating: 5

Purchased new XLT with towing package. We used to pull a boat, trailer, etc. Spacious, like the seat folding options. No major mechanical issues so far. Sync entertainment system (Microsoft) is horrible. Have to switch between FM1 and FM2 to get a new set of 6 stations. INCREDIBLY annoying. Bluetooth connections always have to be reset. If you listen to podcasts daily, this takes an extra 2 minutes every time you get in the car. Climate controls take 5-10 seconds to load when you start the car. Cold/hot mornings you will be annoyed. Once you get in and start backing up, you can't get rid of the backup camera easily. We own a Toyota 2015 and you can store 20+ radio stations - way better. I am getting avg. 18 MPG in summer. 20 MPG in winter. Leather seats are Walmart quality quality. After minimal use, the passenger seat looks worn down and close to cracking. For a 40k car, I'd expect a little nicer.

Great family vehicle!

Performance: 0 Comfort: 0 Fuel Economy: 0 Fun To Drive: 0 Interior Design: 0 Exterior Design: 0 Build Quality: 0 Reliability: 0 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 4 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 4 Safety Rating: 4 Technology Rating: 4 Value Rating: 4

Bought my 2012 Ford Explorer as a Certified Pre Owned with 36k miles. Have had the vehicle 8 months now and still love it! Now that we are one of few families in our circle with a 7 passenger vehicle, we end up being "the bus" ... recently had 7 adults on board and even the two in the third row were comfortable and commented on how roomy it was for a third row seat. My 8 year old loves the third row and thinks it is great fun climbing in and out. Things I love: Power liftgate Power folding third row Heated and cooled front seats Great sound system Drives very smooth and quiet (except for windshield hissing/whistling - problem is solved by turning up the music!) Handles great Great rear view camera and backup sensors Looks great Great warranty since I bought Certified Pre-Owned Surprisingly good gas mileage for the size Things that bug me: -Had to have the shifting assembly replaced after getting "shift to park" messages when it was clearly in park. Covered under CPO warranty and I only paid $100, but irritating to have to pay anything for what is clearly a Ford defect, as many people have reported the same problem. -The blind spot takes some getting used to. I have gotten much more adept at using my mirrors because the blind spots on the sides are significant. I couldn't find a used model with BLIS which I gladly would have paid for, so this was a big downfall in the beginning -I hate MyFord Touch. It never works properly. Luckily, I already knew this was an issue from my research prior to purchasing the vehicle so I expected it. Works great for voice climate control and using the phone; everything else is pretty much crap. I never use the navigation; much easier to plug my iPhone in to the USB and use Google maps. -The dark blue color is very hard to keep clean; almost as bad as black. Would have preferred white or silver but when you're buying used you have to take what you can find. Overall I love the vehicle and would buy another. This is the first SUV I have ever owned after years of driving Acura sedans. I actually had my heart set on an Acura MDX until I compared the Ford Explorer and realized I could get just as many features and luxury items for a much lower price. Bonus: it's much cheaper to work on since it's American made! I was always shocked at the repair costs on my Acuras because the parts were so much more expensive. I would recommend this vehicle to anyone looking for a reliable SUV with a luxury feel at an affordable cost!

not your casa ford

Performance: 0 Comfort: 0 Fuel Economy: 0 Fun To Drive: 0 Interior Design: 0 Exterior Design: 0 Build Quality: 0 Reliability: 0 Comfort Rating: 2 Performance Rating: 3 Interior Rating: 2 Reliability Rating: 2 Safety Rating: 4 Technology Rating: 4 Value Rating: 2

Bought it on 2013 had 7k on it,first thing cooling fans went out about a week after I got it had to wait for parts 3 weeks. Next the windows front, shudder when opening and squeal,have had regulators replaced but have had to return at least 5 times so they upgraded my warranty to 70 k because they can't find a solution to the windows. The brakes were recalled took them in replaced but still squeak, dealer said nothing they can do,now power steering has a recall, and before this, instrument panel at times turns off, trim panels on front windshield had to be replaced for noise ,but I still have a window squeal and shudder which there is no repairs for it yet,oh and now the inside door handles are on safety recall, I think ford has really earned it's name for "Fix Or Repair Daily"

Like it a lot

Performance: 4 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 5 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 5 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 5 Reliability: 5 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 4 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 5

We've had our explorer about 2 years now. We've taken it across the country a couple of times and have always had a positive experience. It's comfortable, roomy and quiet. We have the AWD Limited model. I've owned numerous Fords (2 trucks, 2 Mustangs, 2 Taurus, Torino) and we like this one the best.

Ford needs to research this problem

Performance: 5 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 5 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 5 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 5 Reliability: 3 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 3

I have a 2012 Ford explorer that has wheel sensors on all wheels and have had to replace them all and now having to replace some again . When the sensor goes bad you have no 4 wheel drive and at times you can not drive at all. This is not reliable to me. Wondering if others are having issues with this also. Also have the check engine light come on and stay on and I am told its because of the gas tank and nothing that can be done to correct this issue.

Explorer Quality is Poor

Performance: 4 Comfort: 4 Fuel Economy: 2 Fun To Drive: 3 Interior Design: 2 Exterior Design: 4 Build Quality: 2 Reliability: 2 Comfort Rating: 4 Performance Rating: 4 Interior Rating: 2 Reliability Rating: 2

Purchased a Ford Explorer in January 2012. Within three weeks started experiencing steering problems. Also had seat defects requiring repairs. Ford announced a recall for power steering defects in May 2014. Still fighting with Ford for reimbursement of incurred repair expenses. Interior quality is poor with fading and split seams after only 2.5 years. Overall disappointed with Ford's quality and customer service.

Just purchased

Performance: 5 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 4 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 5 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 5 Reliability: 5 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 5

Love my new used car! The salesmen were wonderful and informational and am very happy with my overall experience. I can't wait to take my car out on the road. The service at Fair Oaks Ford was a great experience. I have been a customer for many years and couldn't have been happier with their service department. I look forward to putting many trips on this car.

Vehicle is great, MyFord Touch is terrible

Performance: 4 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 2 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 5 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 3 Reliability: 2 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 4 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 2

Ford did a very good job in the design of the vehicle. It is great to drive. The part that is not great is the MyFord Touch. I have had problems from the beginning. The dealers have been nice, but have not been able to solve any of the problems I have face such as the navigation system never working and it often shutting down while driving causing me to have my vehicle in the shop at least once a month. For this reason, and all the problems I have had with the My Ford Touch, I would not recommend purchasing a Ford with it since they can't seem to solve the problems with it.

Homerun with Explorer

Performance: 4 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 4 Fun To Drive: 4 Interior Design: 4 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 4 Reliability: 4 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 4 Interior Rating: 4 Reliability Rating: 4

I brought my 2012 Explorer in December 2011. I have the XLT Model with Leather, 20 in Rims, Power Liftgate and Dual Power Seats. I love my new explorer. Only 2 problems.... Recall for Engine Cooling at 5K and had to replace the brakes under warranty at 7K. I currently have 10K miles on it. I get a lot of compliments on my explorer. I like the ride, styling and comfort. I do not have MyFord Touch so I dont have any of those issues. I think Ford did a good job overall. First new Ford!!

Explorer XLT - I love it

Performance: 4 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 4 Fun To Drive: 4 Interior Design: 5 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 4 Reliability: 4 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 4 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 4

I brought my 2012 Explorer XLT with leather interior, 20 in rims and power liftgate in Dec 2011. The only issues I had was replacing the brakes (covered under warr) at 8,000 miles and a recall for engine cooling. Currently I have 10,000 miles. I like driving my Explorer. It gets a lot of attention with it's 20 in rims and dark exterior color. I have gotten 25 MPG on the highway and about 18 in the city. It always has enough power and all features work correctly... It's quiet and I feel very safe in it.

Excieted at first but disappointed now

Performance: 2 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 1 Fun To Drive: 4 Interior Design: 4 Exterior Design: 4 Build Quality: 2 Reliability: 1 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 2 Interior Rating: 4 Reliability Rating: 1

The ride is extremely smooth and quiet, especially on highway. The Interior is luxurious with upgraded seats. Well engineered on this aspect. With that said, I've had nothing but problems with MyFord Touch system and it has gotten worse lately. It continually locks up and freezes the entire system to include climate control, entertainment, and telephone. It soon after goes into a never ending loop of resetting that only works part of the time. I have all but given up on using voice commands as the voice recognition in it is poor at best. Despite getting the updates and having it at the dealer numerous times, the problems continue.

Very Pleased

Performance: 5 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 5 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 5 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 5 Reliability: 5 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 5

I am really happy with my Explorer. I think it is a good looking vehicle, I get 23 mph even when the 4wd is on (I live in the UP of Michigan and use it in the snow), and I like how it drives. The speed control with the auto slow down is great and it helped stop me when a car recently stopped suddenly in front of me on the highway. I have towed with it, filled it with a very large light item and many smaller heavy items and still it drives fine. I traded a F150 for it and don't regret doing it.

I love my Ford Explorer

Performance: 5 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 5 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 5 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 5 Reliability: 5 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 5

I fell in love with the new Explorers long before I purchased my new vehicle. Not knowing what new vehicle I wanted to purchase I went directly to the Ford Dealer to test drive the Explorer and I knew this was the vehicle for my family. It's been a year since I purchased the Explorer I continue to fall in love with it. I look forward to driving it each day. If I leave on vacation I can't wait to return to my Explorer. All my friends and family members love it as well especially my 4 year old daughter.

Navigation is unusable

Performance: 3 Comfort: 3 Fuel Economy: 3 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 4 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 4 Reliability: 4 Comfort Rating: 3 Performance Rating: 3 Interior Rating: 4 Reliability Rating: 4

I have used different navigation systems for years, but the voice-activated navigation in this vehicle is so frustrating to use that it is unusable. Nothing about it seems to work - it does not recognize what you are saying, even when you enunciate carefully. It does not allow a passenger to manually enter information, so you must always use voice activation. Could not get it to recognize numbered routes. Would not "hear" my address which is a one digit address - kept repeating its prompt. Prompts are not helpful. There are so many bugs that I think I will need to purchase a portable Garmin unit to use in the car insead of the expensive navigation. Do not waste money on purchasing this

First Ford - not very happy :(

Performance: 3 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 3 Fun To Drive: 4 Interior Design: 4 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 3 Reliability: 3 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 3 Interior Rating: 4 Reliability Rating: 3

So...I leased this vehicle because I fell in love with the body style! Well...it was 2012 demo left over - but still beautiful! So after the first month - the computer froze up - went blank...I thought for sure I did something - they said it had a virus - ok - and now month 3 months later - the transmission feels like it is slipping - so today - it is back at the dealer for that and the computer again - it froze up and went black screen again. I am not really happy with my first Ford experience so far. Also - the gas mileage has been horrible! My last vehicle a Toyota Highlander (6 cylinder) was awesome - I got at least 22-25 mpg. I am only getting 16.3 mpg - and that is highway too.

Rides like an army truck

Performance: 3 Comfort: 1 Fuel Economy: 2 Fun To Drive: 2 Interior Design: 2 Exterior Design: 3 Build Quality: 2 Reliability: 2 Comfort Rating: 1 Performance Rating: 3 Interior Rating: 2 Reliability Rating: 2

We got the 2 WD thinking it would ride smoother than 4 WD. Unless you are on new smooth paving the ride is jarring.' 'Seats are hard as rocks. Because they force the 3 rd row seating there is so little leg room that only a child can be comfortable in second row seats. If we would not take such a big loss we would get rid of the car.

Computer not functional

Performance: 3 Comfort: 2 Fuel Economy: 4 Fun To Drive: 3 Interior Design: 3 Exterior Design: 3 Build Quality: 3 Reliability: 4 Comfort Rating: 2 Performance Rating: 3 Interior Rating: 3 Reliability Rating: 4

The computer system on the new explorer lacks the tactile functions necessary to safely drive the vehicle. I also drive a 2012 Infiniti. The Infiniti computer system permits BOTH touch screen functionality AND touch and click key strokes allowing the driver to 'feel' that the commands have been accepted by the computer. Other car makes have figured this out. Also, the trip computer also 'freezes' occasionally (2 times for me in 2 months), forcing me to pull over, turn off the car, and reset it. Ford needs to change these things asap.

25 mpg???

Performance: 3 Comfort: 3 Fuel Economy: 3 Fun To Drive: 3 Interior Design: 4 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 3 Reliability: 3 Comfort Rating: 3 Performance Rating: 3 Interior Rating: 4 Reliability Rating: 3

We traded in a large SUV (Navigator) in hopes of retaining some of the space we are used to while getting better gas mileage. We have owned the car 3 months and have gotten no better than 20 miles per gallon on the interstate. NEVER have we gotten near the advertised mpg. The gadgets are "cool" in the interior however, my phone is continually bumped from the system (sometimes during calls) and at times the whole console goes dark. We have always been Ford owners but this car has been a bit of a disappointment. Looks good but I miss my Navigator.

Explorer 2012 FWD good for the city but not for the snow

Performance: 3 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 4 Fun To Drive: 3 Interior Design: 5 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 5 Reliability: 5 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 3 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 5

We are a Ford family and have owned at least one Ford car as long as we have been married. We purchased the 2012 Ford Explorer FWD 3.5L V6 Limited in March and have driven it on one long road trip (5K driven). We like the features and quality of the vehicle. However, in the snow it was very disappointing. We were misled when we purchased the vehicle by the dealership. (We were told chains were an option) After I got stuck in the snow and returned to purchase chains from the dealership, I was informed by the parts dept that Ford does not support any model of snow chains for the car. We are living in the Pacific NW currently and would not dare take a road trip in the winter with it.

Ecoboost Gas Mileage

Performance: 4 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 4 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 5 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 5 Reliability: 5 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 4 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 5

I love my new Explorer but the gas mileage is not as advertised. I would not have spent an extra $1,000.00 to get worst highway gas mileage than a V6 Explorer. I highly recommend the V6 verses the 2.0 liter ecoboost. After 2,000 miles and resetting my MPG counter after each fill-up I only get around 21 MPG on the highway at best. Combined mileage stays between 18 to 19 MPG which is ok but I am very dissappointed in the highway MPG. I know people with the V6 who get 24 to 25 MPG on the highway with their FWD Explorers. But we love everything else about the vehicle. It is a well equipped Limited and the ride is simply awesome and very comfortable. Go Ford, but drop the 2.0 unless MPG improves!

I wanted an SUV not a Mini-Van

Performance: 1 Comfort: 4 Fuel Economy: 2 Fun To Drive: 2 Interior Design: 4 Exterior Design: 4 Build Quality: 3 Reliability: 2 Comfort Rating: 4 Performance Rating: 1 Interior Rating: 4 Reliability Rating: 2

At first I was excited to get my new 2012 Ford Explorer but that quickly faded. After a few months of towing my trailer around with it problems started to arise. I didn’t think that my sea doo trailer “which is well under the tow limit” was going to be a problem but after bring my explorer back into the service department for the third time the service writer practically interrogated me about how I use the vehicle. After I explained that I either use it to tow my dirt bike or sea doo trailer he then says to me “Well that the problem, it’s not meant for all that” I was shocked by this response considering I bought an SUV for this purpose. I went to the dealership the next day to pick up my explorer then I drove across the street to the Dodge and traded it for a new Durango.

2012 Limited...nice

Performance: 4 Comfort: 4 Fuel Economy: 3 Fun To Drive: 4 Interior Design: 4 Exterior Design: 4 Build Quality: 3 Reliability: 4 Comfort Rating: 4 Performance Rating: 4 Interior Rating: 4 Reliability Rating: 4

Coming from a 2003 Acura MDX, this new Explorer handles and performs much better as expected. It does feel a little heavy in the corners but body roll is well controled under normal driving. The 2nd row seating isn't as wide as the MDX. The 3rd row is much more comfortable than the MDX. Acceleration feels a little slower than expected but not bad. MyTouch/Sync is ok. I expected a lot better/more advanced functionallity since I have basically the same features in my 6yr old Lexus. Overall, I'm happy with the Explorer because of it's handling and saftey features. And it satisfied my desire to buy domestic.

Love the new Explorer!

Performance: 5 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 4 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 5 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 4 Reliability: 4 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 4

Previously drove Tahoes, last was 2008 LT. Tahoe is a great SUV, but wanted something smaller & less top heavy. Test drove the Ford and was impressed. After 6 months of owning, I'm still impressed. The ride is extremely smooth and quiet, especially on highway. I've not had the problems with Myford Touch locking or freezing, but have given up on using voice commands. Interior is luxurious with upgraded seats. 2nd row has cramped leg room. I'm 6' and briefcase barely fits between rows. Limited's features are awesome.

2012 Best Explorer Ever

Performance: 5 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 5 Fun To Drive: 4 Interior Design: 5 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 5 Reliability: 5 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 5

Bought this Explorer several weeks ago and must say the ride is fantastic. Very quiet, excellent handling, acceleration much better than my last Explorer V8. Four wheel drive works excellent, doesn't need a low 4WD because the first gear of the 6 speed is so low. Goes anywhere. Still learning all the electronics, loving them all so far. Getting on average 20MPG, should increase once the vehicle is broken in. Highly recommend this vehicle to everyone, so comfortable and easy to drive!

Wheel Well Linners Poorly Designed

Performance: 4 Comfort: 4 Fuel Economy: 4 Fun To Drive: 4 Interior Design: 3 Exterior Design: 4 Build Quality: 2 Reliability: 4 Comfort Rating: 4 Performance Rating: 4 Interior Rating: 3 Reliability Rating: 4

Recently purchased 2012 Ford Explorer XLT. Have been very disappointed when driving it through mud, slush or snow. All the road debris (snow, slush, etc.) flows through the wheel well liners because of manufactured holes and inadequate linner size (too small). The door tracks and inside rails are a dirty mess after driving though any road debris. Ford says this is the way they designed and offer no fix. Dealer suggested we buy/install mud flaps. They have had other complaints about this condition.

Explorer Limited in Naples

Performance: 5 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 4 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 5 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 5 Reliability: 4 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 4

I've driven the car for about 2 months. Overall I like the car very much. Was worried about the reliability with the reviews by the pro's. So far only issue is the My Ford Touch and Nav. I've had issues with voice command, some times does't work some times does't understand, some times system goes blank. This must be fixed with new software in March some time. The car runs great the engine has plenty of power and is smooth. The electronic steering is great and love the electronics overall. The power lift gate is a must and the rear power seats is excellent and eliminates the back of the rear seat controls, looks bettor. Controls LCD controls for radio, Nav, Air, and and phone-

a real disappointment

Performance: 4 Comfort: 3 Fuel Economy: 2 Fun To Drive: 3 Interior Design: 1 Exterior Design: 1 Build Quality: 3 Reliability: 1 Comfort Rating: 3 Performance Rating: 4 Interior Rating: 1 Reliability Rating: 1

I've had my 2012 Explorer for 15000 miles. I wish I didn't. The sync, even upgrade, freezes. It happened on a 1300 mile trip and I was without Nav, radio, etc. for 16 hours of driving over two days. Not the first time. It also has very poor voice recognition, takes 15 to 20 minutes to connect to my phone. The touch controls are very distracting and dangerous, and balky. Also, set the dash display the way you like for a long trip, stop for gas, and when you restart, EVERYTHING has defaulted to factory settings. It seems intentionally designed to frustrate and endanger the driver. Also, the side view mirrors are too small. There is no way to adjust them to eliminate a massive blindspo

Almost the perfect car for us

Performance: 4 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 4 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 5 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 5 Reliability: 4 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 4 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 4

We just acquire a 2012 Limited in silver with the EcoBoost engine fully loaded. My initial impression are just Wow. We love love this car. The interior is luxurious and well put together, the configuration of the seats is nice and flexible. I do agree with an earlier review that allowing the middle row of seats to slide forward and back a little would be helpful. The Tech: I am a big tech guy, love my toys and this car fits right in with them. Voice control, touch screen, tons of options and configuration, color changing ambient lighting is cool. Proximity key is KEY! I didn't even look at the base or XLT editions because they didn't offer this feature. (continued in Fav features!...)

They lied

Performance: 4 Comfort: 4 Fuel Economy: 4 Fun To Drive: 4 Interior Design: 3 Exterior Design: 4 Build Quality: 4 Reliability: 1 Comfort Rating: 4 Performance Rating: 4 Interior Rating: 3 Reliability Rating: 1

After reading of the sync and mytouch problems I asked several times before I bought my explorer if the problems were fixed. I was assured that these problems were updated and would not be a problem with my vehicle. Four days after I bought it, a hour from home in a snow storm of course the system freezes. Called sync support and was told I need to stop the car and pull a fuse to reset it, nice. They said there are still problems and a update is months away. I have had the vehicle a week now and it has done this twice now. The dealer lied to make the sale knowing there are still problems. When I had the repair history ran it showed there was sync issues with this vehicle before I bought it.

I want it all!!

Performance: 3 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 3 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 5 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 4 Reliability: 4 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 3 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 4

I bought the 2012 Explorer XLT-EcoBoost. Beautiful SUV!! I've had issues with the transmission from the word go. They fixed it I thnk-changed the Valve Body. It shifted hard when the weather starting getting cold. Still has a little hard shifting. The right side of the windshied is very noisy-worse when it's very windy outside. When it raining out, you can hear every raindrop on the top!! But the vehicle is topnotch luxury!! I love that part of it. I feel very safe in it. Has all the bells and whistles I want in a car. Come on Ford-lets get it all figured out and all in sync!!

I can't believe I bought a Ford!

Performance: 5 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 5 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 5 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 5 Reliability: 5 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 5

I've always had an import vehicle... high end SUV's.. IE Lexux RX 350.. Audi's... etc... My wife was looking to upgrade her 08 RX 350.. as we have 2 kids and were looking to get something with more space.. but the luxury of the lexus... Someone suggested the Ford Explorer.. and I've driven the old ones and thought they were terrible... then came the new redesign.. WHAT AN AMAZING VEHICLE... Quiet, Comfortable, Luxurious.. just an amazing longterm vehicle.. The test drive and features will sell you in a heart beat if your apprehensive and buying a domestic, WELL DONE FORD, WELL DONE.

Overall impressed but....

Performance: 4 Comfort: 4 Fuel Economy: 4 Fun To Drive: 4 Interior Design: 4 Exterior Design: 4 Build Quality: 4 Reliability: 4 Comfort Rating: 4 Performance Rating: 4 Interior Rating: 4 Reliability Rating: 4

About a month ago I was given a new explorer as a rental while on a business trip. Overall I was impressed with the vehicle except for the annoying wind noise that came from the right side of the wind shield. The wind noise was extremely noticable at speeds above 60 mph. I don't know if this was problem with just my vehicle or if others have experienced the same issue. I was impressed with the power from the engine. The ride was comfortable and the seats were supportive. Minus the wind noise I would give the explorer high marks however the wind noise was bad enough that I couldn't live with it on a daily basis. Hopefully it was just a problem with my vehicle.

2012 Explorer = Excellent SUV

Performance: 4 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 4 Fun To Drive: 4 Interior Design: 5 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 5 Reliability: 5 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 4 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 5

Recently purchased a 2012 Explorer XLT 4WD for use in Colorado. Traded in an F-150 with the 6.2-liter V8 engine primarily for the mileage and it's paid off -- mileage is about 30% better, averaging 21.5 MPG in mixed town/highway. Overall have been more impressed with the Explorer than I thought I would be. Drives and handles beautifully for an SUV -- I don't agree at all with some of the magazine reviews that the ride is too mushy. Extremely comfortable interior that is whisper quiet even at highway speeds. It's just a pleasure to be in and drive this SUV.

Rock Solid, Fun to drive, great on gas, value for money...

Performance: 4 Comfort: 4 Fuel Economy: 5 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 5 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 5 Reliability: 4 Comfort Rating: 4 Performance Rating: 4 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 4

I was not a big fan of American vehicles, after considerable research and after waiting one year I purchased a 2012 full lodaded XLT model, my first American vehicle. After 45 days & 2500 km, I am glad I made this choice, do not have any problems to report except for some samll glitches in the voice command, need to get the software updated. The Exterior looks great, engine is crisp and refined. Overall the vehicle feels rock solid, the stiffer suspension provides a nice sporty ride. Engine power delivery is excellent with the torque peaking at lower rpm compared to competition. The interior is rich and sophisticated which you typically find in more expensive luxury SUVs.

OK but ...

Performance: 4 Comfort: 4 Fuel Economy: 3 Fun To Drive: 4 Interior Design: 3 Exterior Design: 4 Build Quality: 3 Reliability: 4 Comfort Rating: 4 Performance Rating: 4 Interior Rating: 3 Reliability Rating: 4

The look is great, the ride is nice but there is a wind noise around the windshield that is very annoying. The vehicle is very quiet escept for this noise. It is especially bad if you are driving into a head wind. Dealer says 2011s had this problem but Ford says they fixed it for 2012 -- they did not. Also I just got a crack in my windshield and no replacements are available yet. Thanks Ford I like driving my expensive, new vehicle around with a big crack in the windshield. I am also wondering if the cracked windshield may relate to the noise coming from the windshield since the vehicle was new.

Ecoboost model

Performance: 4 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 5 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 5 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 4 Reliability: 4 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 4 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 4

My wife and I recently purchased the 2012 Ford Explorer Ecoboost Limited in black and the first comment I need to make is how beautiful it looks. We had looked at Lexus, Audi, Acura, Buick and Lincoln before even considering the Ford. It was only during the visit to the Lincoln dealer that the sales rep suggested we look at the new Explorer. Family pricing allowed us to get the Limited trim with pretty much every feature other than the tow package for an amazing price. We are very impressed with the style and quality of the vehicle. The ecoboost model wasn't an option for us until we test drove it and found it to be pretty much the same drive as the 3.5L V6. This vehicle has excellent value.