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OFFROAD CAPABILITIES OF 2017 FORD EXPLORER XLT


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Hello everyone,

I am planning to buy a 2017 ford explorer XLT, I would like to have your advice on how capable is the ford explorer XLT for soft offroading. is it possible i can participate in the yearly Gulf news  fun drive or group desert drives conducted by offroading clubs? i have experience in offroad driving but what i need to know is whether the vehicle will perform if i take it for desert drives, I am not refering to hardcore offroading but normal drives and maybe a bit of not so high dune bashing.

 

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Hi,

You said you have off roading experience, you must be knowing that what type of vehicles are recommended for off-roading..

I would not recommend this model for off-roading. You go deeper to desert or few 100mtrs.. it has low clearance and low body overhangs and you will end up abusing with its body kit. If you do some serious modifications then yes, you can go for this vehicle. And I am prity much sure that you don't get modification kits for this model in this part of the world... Frankly speaking if you are a off road enthusiatic don't go for this type of SUV's....

Asif 

Edited by Asif Hussain
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Thank you for the reply  Asif Hussain

 

I am looking for an SUV which can serve as a family vehicle on-road and also has the capability to go for soft offroading. I was in the impression Ford explorer was a good family SUV and also not so bad for family offroading trips. If i am wrong which vehicles do you recommend for this kind of requirement.

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@BENNY THOMAS I would take @Asif Hussain advise. If you are going for Gulf News Fun Drive it is over 200 Kilometers divided in to 9 sections, the first 4 sections is to keep everybody interested and fairly easy. The real fun begins from section 5 onward and it gets only tougher and tougher as you go through. The new Explorer does have low overhangs and a lot of computers and I would never recommend these vehicles for a Gulf News Fun Drive, if you plan on retiring after the Section 4 of a Gulf News Fun drive and head by road for the rest of the way than it should be OK. Light off-roading should be OK as well, but the desert is an unknown terrain and things can get very ugly very soon. I would always recommend that you have one car for your family and a simple but proper 4x4 for your off-road use.

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I agree with @pankajrg, the Prado is an amazing vehicle for a family both on-road and off-road. I would recommend the V6 4.0 Liter in particular. The 4 cylinder 2.7 is too lethargic to survive the desert sands, specially if the terrain gets soft and tricky.

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Mr. Rahimdad and Mr.Pankarjg thank you for your comments. 

 

With reference to the above reasons of Ford explorer not being the right choice, what do you guys think about 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee limited?  low mileage but  perfect for offroading, not so bad luxury and on road performance

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I believe the Grand Cherokee limited is a very good off-road option, but has only 2 rows of seats that is 5 seats. The only thing that bothers me about the modern off-road vehicles is that they have too many safety features and computers on board that spoil the fun. Just recently we had a Jeep Grand Cherokee which had it seat belt tensioners exploding in the middle of the drive. Its not fun when for these small things you have to go to police for reports or agency for repairs.

Why I agree with Toyota Prado as a good for both on-road family and off-road as well is because it does not have that many computers on board or technologies which restrict you from having fun. However if you want to go for luxury I think you should keep it for on-road only and check for a reliable second 4x4 for your off-road use.

I personally have a Mitsubishi Pajero 3.8 V6 which is used on-road only and for my off-road I have a Nissan Pathfinder 2001 model.

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1 hour ago, BENNY THOMAS said:

Mr. Rahimdad and Mr.Pankarjg thank you for your comments. 

With reference to the above reasons of Ford explorer not being the right choice, what do you guys think about 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee limited?  low mileage but  perfect for offroading, not so bad luxury and on road performance

@jason200 might help you with JGC review

Let's root for each other & watch each other grow.

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The guys clarified things above already about the explorer, but I want to add a few thoughts:

- if serious about off-roading, get a dedicated truck for that, I do, @Rahimdad also mentioned above the same!

- if only one car is your choice, then decide which category you want, 7 "real" seaters? Then Patrol, Armada & Land cruiser can serve you, .. smaller you can go with Prado, Pajero and the classic pathfinder (not the new shape)

- if 2 rows are enough & you won't go very advanced & luxury is your target, Grand Cherokee is suitable.. Pajero is als capable but less luxury

- if a dual purpose with no luxury is ok with you, then Xterra, FJ, Fortuner V6 & Classic Pathfinder are suitable options  

- if you want a cool look, don't mind the noise on road & rough ride, Jeep Wrangler can be a choice..

the choice is yours :)

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