- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
3.2DT, 5 cyl.
- Engine Power
143kW, 470Nm
- Fuel
Diesel 8.5L/100KM
- Manufacturer
4XD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
3 Yr, 100000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
5/5 star (2015)
2001-2008 Ford Explorer used car review
If you can’t recall the original Ford Explorer to land in Australia in the mid-90s, don’t panic, you’re almost certainly not suffering from amnesia.It’s simply that the Explorer in question was a fairly unmemorable vehicle. In fact, probably the only notable thing about it was its five-speed automatic transmission which was a bit of a first for the blossoming SUV market segment.
But the model that followed it in 2001, still bearing the Explorer tag, was a bit more substantial both mechanically and physically.
Built in the US, the UT model Explorer could still be had with a V6 engine (making 157kW of power) but in line with what the US market expected from such a vehicle, it was also sold with a 4.6-litre V8 engine.
If that capacity sounds familiar, it’s because the V8 was Ford’s modular unit used in everything from light trucks to the Mustang performance car, so it was a pretty well known quantity. It produced 178kW of power and decent torque, but given its multi-use nature, both the power and torque peaked quite high in the engine’s operating range: Great for a performance coupe, not so good for a heavy SUV.
A big station-wagon body should have meant tons of interior space, but the relatively old-school packaging of the thing meant that wasn’t exactly the case. There was, however, an optional third row of seats available, taking the Explorer to a seven-seater, but you’ll need to shop around to find one with that option fitted.
The four-wheel-drive system was a proper one with low gear ratios for serious off-road work and an Auto mode where the car behaved more or less like a rear-wheel-drive vehicle with drive sent to the front wheels when slip was detected. Automatic versions (a five-speed manual was offered but roundly ignored by buyers) also had a standard limited-slip rear differential.
All up, the Explorer was a pretty capable off-roader which was something the American brands (as opposed to the soft-roader stuff coming out of Europe) kind of had a mortgage on at this point in time.
American-made mass-market cars often surprise us with their attention to detail and convenience items, but in the Explorer’s case, some of that seems to have been lost in translation.
The US-specification Explorer, for instance, has no locking fuel flap, so for this market, Ford Australia added a locking cap which meant a separate key. But at least this time around, the conversion from left to right-hand-drive was handled less clumsily than in the original Explorer and there were neat touches like a T-bar gear selector angled towards the driver.
Unfortunately, the other characteristic typical of many US-made vehicles was also present in the Explorer’s make-up; a lack of build quality that often translated into unreliability.
The cabin plastics, for instance, while they didn’t affect the car’s ability to get you home, were a great example of what passes for acceptable in the USA falling short of expectations here. The graphics and the actual plastics all seemed pretty downmarket for a vehicle with a price-tag like this one, and while the Ford was not on its own in this regard, it will still jar for many.
In terms of mechanical reliability, probably the biggest problem faced by owners was that of worn timing chains in the V8 engine. While the V6 used a series of jackshafts and shorter timing chains to drives its overhead camshafts, the V8 used a long chain for each bank of cylinders, driven off the crankshaft. Being a physically big engine, those timing chains needed to be supported along their length, so a plastic chain guide was used in conjunction with a hydraulic chain tensioner to keep the chains tight.
On cars that have had skipped oil changes or other poor maintenance, the hydraulic tensioners can give up the ghost, allowing the chains to flail around and wear out quickly, sometimes even jumping a tooth on the camshaft sprocket.
The other common thing to see inside the 4.6-litre V8 is a broken plastic guide or guides, again, allowing the timing chain to run unsupported. If you get to it early enough, the guides can sometimes be replaced on their own, but it’s quite common for the whole guide/tensioner/chain assembly to need replacement.
The early sign of trouble in this department is a rattle from the engine during a cold start as the chains clatter until the tensioner can take up the slack in the broken guide. Ford actually made a running change to a better chain-tensioner, so if you do carry out this repair, make sure you get the upgraded part number.
It is, however, important not to confuse timing-chain rattle on start-up with the other warning noise in the V8 engine. And that’s a ticking noise that suggests the cylinder heads (in particular the valve-guides) are worn beyond salvation. In extreme cases, new cylinder heads will be required and that won’t be a cheap fix.
The aluminium construction of the V8 was good for keeping overall vehicle weight down, but many mechanics, more familiar with sturdy cast-iron engines have damaged the spark-plug threads in the heads during routine servicing.
On the recall front, the Explorer has called back to dealerships a handful of times, the most serious problems being a tailgate with dodgy fittings that could see it fall off and a switch that could leak brake fluid into the car’s wiring with the potential for a fire. A Ford dealer will be able to identify affected cars.
Perhaps the best measure of the Explorer’s worth these days can be seen in its second-hand price. The trade doesn’t really want to go near a 15-year-old Explorer, but if you’re the gambling type, then the price of admission these days is peanuts on a per-kilo basis.
Our rating: 3/5
Nuts and bolts
Engine/s: 4.0 V6/4.6 V8
Transmissions: 5-auto
Fuel economy (combined): 14.5 litres per 100km (V6)/15.4 litres (V8)
Safety rating (courtesy of www.howsafeisyourcar.com.au): 4 stars
Likes:
Big and burly.
An SUV that was genuinely good off road.
V8 engine was smooth and punchy if you revved it.
Seven-seat option works for families.
Dislikes:
Typical US ergonomics and plastics.
V6 felt a bit underdone.
Weight compromised on-road dynamics.
A few mechanical dramas to watch for.
Competitors:
Jeep Grand Cherokee – Another big seller in the US and another vehicle that offers true off-road ability with big station-wagon packaging. Not the most reliable vehicle ever to turn a wheel, but has a strong following. 2.5/5
Toyota Kluger – A competitor mainly in accommodation and appearance terms, because the Kluger has no real off-road smarts whatsoever. Old-school approach from Toyota, but some like that. 3.5/5
Ford Territory – Later version had the option of a turbo-diesel engine which was a better all rounder than the petrol. All-wheel-drive is more about on-road grip than off-road traction, but the Ford will cope with gravel roads easily. 4/5
What to pay (courtesy of Glass’s Guide):
Model Year New Now
XLT 2001 $52,000 $3600
Limited 2001 $64,000 $4400
XLT 2002 $52,800 $3600
Limited 2002 $63,550 $4400
XLT 2003 $52,980 $3600
Limited 2003 $63,750 $4400
XLT 2004 $53,480 $4300
Limited 2004 $63,950 $6700
XLT 2005 $53,480 $5300
Limited 2005 $63,950 $7700
XLT 2006 $53,480 $6400
Limited 2006 $63,950 $9200
XLT 2007 $53,480 $7500
Limited 2007 $63,950 $10,900
XLT 2008 $53,480 $9300
Limited 2008 $63,950 $13,000