2009 Ford Explorer consumer reviews

I traded in my 2001 F-150 Supercrew for the explorer.I found a nice one about 100 miles away.I drove down to Perdue Illinois to check it out. It was worth the drive.This truck was in excellent condition with only 32k miles.I struck a pretty good deal on my trade so I drove it home that evening.I drove into a snow/ice storm about 10 miles outside of town but the explorer performed well in that storm.A ford F-150 Supercrew 4x4 is a hard act to follow when it comes to driving in the snow but the explorer exceded all my expectations. 90 miles of ice/sleet/snow was a good test for this truck and it passed with flying colors.The six cylinder got good gas mileage also. Nice truck !

I purchased my 2009 Explorer from a dealer. I got a fair price. Truck is in excellent condition. I was looking for a V8, but a majority of the Explorers in 07,08,09 were V6s. The V8 seems to give almost the same fuel economy. I've yet to be in a situation where I wish I had the extra power as the V6 is quite powerful. The truck drives nice on the Highway, but around town with many pot holes due to the season, the truck give a very bouncy ride. It appears that Ford improved the suspension on the 2011s building the vehicle on a automobile frame. The truck handles well and is not as hard to park as I thought it would. It fits better in my garage than my 2005 Bonneville. The Bonneville was longer and may be a little wider. Sitting in the Explorer is very comfortable. I haven't taken a long trip yet, but I don't think it will be a problem. I still wish I had the V8. I'll likely keep this truck for many years.

The 2009 Ford Explorer is the best car I've ever driven in the snow and ice. It is fantastic. And, we have been getting 21 mpg hwy consistently. My only complaint is that it is made for someone taller than 5'3", since I seem to sit too low in it, no matter how much I raise the seat. It is hard for me to see out the rear windows. My 6' tall husband, however, says it is very comfortable. Overall, I would highly recommend this car.

We bought our 2009 Explorer XLT with 24,000 miles on it. We have the optional third seat, which is nice to have, but not nice to actually use. I would get claustrophobic if I had to sit back there. Our Explorer does have the optional rear seat heat/air conditioning -- this is fantastic. Exterior styling is nice, but the interior styling is just plain strange. The door handles are awkward and the shifter knob looks bizarre. The standard radio looks like an afterthought the way it is stuffed in the center stack. We have the base 4.0L 6 cylinder; it is perfectly suitable for the Explorer. It won't win any races, but it has enough performance to get you into traffic quickly. It provides probably the best compromise between performance and gas mileage. We haven't owned this Explorer yet through a winter, so I can't really evaluate the 4 wheel drive. I do like the fact that the 4 wheel drive has several touch-button settings and that you can just leave it on an automatic setting all the time. If you hit a slippery spot, the power is sent to the correct wheel(s) automatically. We feel very safe in the Explorer and I am optimistic about its long term reliability. A few short thoughts: We average 17-18 city and 21-22 mpg highway. If you need more room and a usable third seat, get a mini-van. This has got to be the quietest vehicle I've ever owned. My wife wanted the SUV, I prefer to drive a car. If you want an SUV I think you'd be very happy with the Explorer. Good performance, good gas mileage, should be reliable and is a nice looking vehicle. I just wish I could have a few minutes alone with whoever designed the stupid door handles...