explorer v surf

[wetdog]

................which is better?

ooohhh, now there a bit of contraversy for ya.

which is best off road and which is best for day to day driving, and why?

dont just say surf, give a tangeable reason.
mick.

[Apache]

I've had Explorer's as hire cars in the States. Nice on the road. Big, powerful. No idea what they are like offroad. All I drove were dusty tracks at the worst.

[Tiger]

Whats an explorer, sorry only ever had a surf

[Apache]

What the yanks would class as a mid-size SUV. I quite enjoyed my time with them. The Excursion is the one though. Like a house on wheels

[fonecrusher1]

Ah Ford.....i always remember the day the starter motor in my parents orion packed in & myself & my dad had to push it around all day to get it to fire up.
It was christmas eve. And i didnt just make that up. Imagine it? xmas eve.

Then there was my brothers fiesta that pretty much blew up 3 days after he bought it.

So when it comes to fords im not the biggest fan.

[MattF]

Was that an Explorer I looked at the other week? If so, naff all ground clearance compared to the Surf.

[darkdezigns]

................which is better?

ooohhh, now there a bit of contraversy for ya.

which is best off road and which is best for day to day driving, and why?

dont just say surf, give a tangeable reason.
mick.

well ive driven the explorer,id love to have one,but i couldnt justify one over a surf,they make a surf look economical,and i found the explorer just that bit too big for car parks etc,which i dont use,but mrs does all the time,they have a nicely laid out dash tho,nice big clunky switches,my mate has en excursion limo,that is just plain funny to drive around,cant remember for life of me how long tho

[stormforce]

What the yanks would class as a mid-size SUV. I quite enjoyed my time with them. The Excursion is the one though. Like a house on wheels

I agree on the excursion Andy.My brother imported one from Texas and what a beast of a truck that was.It had every gadget you could want in a 4x4 and the luxery was brilliant.I must admit tho if i was to go for an alternative 4x4 i would import the excursion

[ian2144]

I've had Explorer's as hire cars in the States. Nice on the road. Big, powerful. No idea what they are like offroad. All I drove were dusty tracks at the worst.

Me to.........did 2500 miles round Origon in an Explorer last year, it was allmost brand new and bit like a Disco inside.

A very comfortable on road, and did well in about a foot of snow !

[wiggy]

Better half used to have the 4.8 or was it 5 something litre Eddie Bower one, something like this

http://www.internetautoguide.com/usedcars/14-int/2002/ford/explorer/california/reseda/145478/1537/index.html?filter=VehicleMake| Ford|VehicleModel|Explorer|Veh icleSubmodel|Eddie+Bauer|Vehic leUsedIncludeCarsDotCom|1|&sor tby=&index=0&pagenum=1&sourceP ageType=drill_mms&numListings= 15&nopaging=false

Was really nice inside and went like poo of a hot shovel........ she wasnt very happy with the 2.4 but the 3.0 surf is a lot quicker. Just me but i actually prefer the surf tho... much better off road but then its all about the driver really and what you are using it for.

[wetdog]

Was that an Explorer I looked at the other week? If so, naff all ground clearance compared to the Surf.

yes it was mate, and i again i thank you for that.


mick.

[wetdog]

i've asked the same question on the explorer forum, and the bias over there is in favour of the explorer. but i think its down to personal preferance at the end of the day. both machines have their own faults, and i do not know if one is substantialy better than the other off road.
the surf has easier to source parts and a diesel engine, giving better economy and adding to it being easier to live with i think.
i love the explorer, this is my 4th, but they are a big thirsty machine, thats getting harder to keep on the road due to a lack of parts availibility.
drive wise for me the explorer wins, but for longevity its the surf. and thats why i think i will continue in the new year looking for a 3rd gen 3.0 with the hairdressers pack.

mick.

[MudSurfer]

For driving on dry tarmac, with minimal bends and frequent stops at filling stations, go for the Explorer - for anything wet, loose, rough or remote, get a Surf....

The Explorer is SHIT! It's thirsty, bulky, doesn't do bends very well, cheap, tatty, low on the ground and just awful! I don't recommend taking one offroad.

[stormforce]

why go for the explorer why not go for the expedition.Its better than the explorer and not as good as the excursion.It can tow very well aswell.My brother towed 3t with his no problem from Farnborough to Wales where we met mr bushwhacker

[wetdog]

For driving on dry tarmac, with minimal bends and frequent stops at filling stations, go for the Explorer - for anything wet, loose, rough or remote, get a Surf....

The Explorer is SHIT! It's thirsty, bulky, doesn't do bends very well, cheap, tatty, low on the ground and just awful! I don't recommend taking one offroad.

well thats a bit vague, can you not make it a bit clearer hahaha.

lets do an off road challenge, my stock explorer on road tyres v a stock surf on road tyres.

when you say thirsty an explorer achieves an ave mpg of 20, what does a surf do, on average daily motoring?

mick.