My recent dream car was the 2011 Honda Odyssey. No more. After my husband brought home the 2011 Ford Explorer from work to try out for a few weeks, its goodbye Honda, helloooo Fordykins! That's my pet name for this gorgeous vehicle - Fordykins.
I am by no means a car expert. I don't know a head gasket from a transmission case, let alone know where to put the oil after I've undipped the oil tester thingy. All I do know is how to use the pedals and turn the wheel and if you show me where to put the gas, I'm good to go.
So, in climbing behind the wheel of this sleek, wide, black vehicle, the first impression I had was I felt so skinny. There is ALOT of elbow room in there. You could put three of me in the driver's seat. I wonder if Ford is trying to accommodate the extra large American market. I'm a medium sized American (the equivalent of an overweight European).
Then of course, I turned it on. I could hardly hear the motor. I put in in reverse and all of a sudden a screen on the console above the gear shifter came alive to show me what was behind me as I backed out. In color, no less, with guidelines. Sweet, I thought.
It handled beautifully. I didn't feel like I was driving a huge monstrous tank, even though it seats 7. My kids had plenty of room in the back to stretch out and nobody could complain about someone else touching them. I had to use the seat adjuster to lift me higher so I could see over the dashboard, but the seats are comfortable and heated too! And get this, the passenger and driver each get their own climate controlled area. So, my husband isn't forced to endure the furnace I like to be in when outside in this bleak winter weather.
The only thing I had an issue with, is the humongous amount of computerized gadgets and gizmos this thing has. It is literally a moving computer that can send and receive emails, and even read them to you. Once, when my husband took us on an errand and ran inside a building to meet with a business contact for a few minutes, I decided to change the station on the radio. After staring at the computer screen on the dashboard for 5 minutes, I noticed buttons on the steering wheel and remembered I could control the volume and stations of the radio there. I figured, why not, since the steering wheel had fewer buttons to push than the console, so I started pushing buttons and all of a sudden, a telephone ring filled the car. I glanced at the computer screen as the ring sounded again and to my horror the screen showed I was calling one of my husband's business associates.
"Where's the off button!" I cried as my kids started laughing, thinking it absolutely funny that the car was like a giant cell phone and Mom couldn't figure out how to cancel the call. I don't know which button I pushed to cancel it, but I disconnected before anyone answered. I never did figure out how to operate the radio. I guess I'll have to let my husband control the radio. The Ford Explorer does have a really neat gadget that I really like. You can plug your iPhone into the car and play Pandora. The vehicle has fantastic acoustics.
Overall, I was very delighted with the Ford 2011 Explorer. My husband says it gets great mileage for a vehicle its size. I don't care, he buys the gas, I just play chauffeur and if I have to spend hours in a car, I'd rather spend it in comfort. Now, if only it had a a self cleaning option with a built in fridge and microwave. Or, better yet, an auto pilot, so I can get my naps in before swim lessons.
I give the Ford 2011 Explorer, the Unicorn Award.
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