Ford Explorer test drive since 2005 SUV
Animals
Who has more In the States, women maters of families usually ride on such large jeeps. They go slowly in the supermarket to stick the whole trunk of fast-food semi-finished products and drop by the child after school. At the same time, they never move off the asphalt, but they didn’t hear about the type of drive (there are also rear -wheel drive versions of each of the three models!). With this approach, the potential of the machine is used by thirty percent. A pity the cars are capable of more.
All three play on the same field by American standards, this medium -sized SUVs, the class is very common. All three states corporations have in their arsenal for such a car. But if Ford and Chevrolet, produced since 2001, are well known to us and have repeatedly hit the pages of our magazine, then Jeep has not yet managed to become confused and causes special interest.
If you look at the entire trinity more closely, you can notice that the chevy is the longest, the most powerful, and at the same time he has the smallest engine volume and only six cylinders against eight among competitors. Ford is the only one of the three seven -seven, and it stands higher above the road. And the Grand is the most European in design, the company Daimlerchrysler. Cheroka has a constant all -wheel drive, in contrast to the other two purebred Yankees, where the basic layout is classic, and the front is connected by the TOD system, and they have no center differential.
Who would doubt that the glass of the fifth door is obliged to swing upward autonomously. This is laid according to the conditions of the game: is it a large SUV is not created in order to throw bags with purchases into its bowels? There should also be as many cup holders as possible in it, so as not to deny yourself a sticky soda in a liter glass. In addition, they will come in handy on the racks of the handrails to grab them on the bumps. Yes, I almost forgot the pedal node just must be with an electric shift! For some reason, it is believed that it is simpler and cheaper than adjusting the decay of the steering wheel. Well, okay, this is their American mentality.
Ford is the most massive of the entire trinity, and it is not sacred that for planting external steps is quite relevant. But the most spacious inside. At least in front. I'm sitting highly, I look far about him. But about what is happening from behind you have to guess. Kutsy, incomprehensibly cut side mirrors are complemented by wide racks and a huge headrest for the fifth passenger. Yes, in a close city stream, Explorer may be an elephant in a chimney shop. What are things in the second row? In such a large car, it should be spacious there. At first glance, it is. Although it is better to verify this on your own. But in this case, practice does not confirm the theory. The back door is narrow, the feet of the rider do not climb under the front chair, and the ceiling, despite the rise above the head, still presses on the top of the head (at least I). The most unpleasant ergonomic nuance hooks for clothing made of hard plastic, plowed to the rack exactly near the head of the outer -row out of the second row. And on an uneven road, this squiggle continuously pecks you in the temple. If I were an American, I would already sue for an attempt on my physical (and taking into account the potential wound and mental) health.
Trailblazer from the whole of the trinity is the most fenghuya. In it, everything is at hand and in form nothing annoys. But here, according to the texture of the material, a complete seams. All plastic parts are as if made in an experimental vocational school for difficult teenagers. Mamming quality fluctuates in the range of assessments from very mediocre to terrifying. But still, if you do not drill the instrument panel with zenki, but to cast a look at the surroundings, if possible on the road, irritation disappears and two conclusions suggests itself. First: visibility here is at a decent level. And the second has the largest one among the entire trinity in the cabin. True, in the second row for two, the three of them are crowded. Apparently, in the middle, a child of boarding house should be located, since even the headrest is not there, and therefore, it is much more convenient to use a salon mirror. But neither the head, nor the knees are bent into anything, and, nice, you can even look at the road over the tops of the front riders.
The new Grand Cherokee has become a European in the filling. Even the control of the wipers is carried out on the right steering lever. And here you do not have to puzzle over the algorithm for the work of the front and rear wipers. In Jeep, in contrast to Shevy and Ford, which annoy the mystery of a series of turns and pressings necessary for various operating modes, the interface of the entire dashboard is very logical. I liked the front seats: deep, evenly distributing the load, with decent lateral support. The plastic panel is worse than what is called Soft look, soft in appearance, hard to the touch. From the point of view of visibility and the feeling of dimensions, the machine is most adequate. It’s easy to get to the second row, but the legs are still not enough. Although in the past generations of the Grands it was even closer.
All three cars presented have many common, not inherent in other qualities. Of the pluses, a good dynamics and a solid, sonorous roar of large -leaf engines. Of the minuses of the clutch during braking, wolfness and empty steering wheel. Do not forget about the appetite in the city you are guaranteed consumption above 20 l/100 km.
Despite the similar dynamics in numbers, the feelings of drivers are different. So, Explorer seems much more frisky. The explanation of a simple speed in it is most noticeable. But this is not annoying, but rather invigorates. He has an active start, with squatting on the rear wheels, and therefore, with unloading a controlled front line. With complete gas, the transmission is suffered quite quickly, without hesitation. In variable modes, make Ford switch the way you want, is not easy. We discard the momentum, and from the fourth to the third we don’t want to cross, we don’t slow down the engine. And manual control of the box here, of course, is not. I wonder how, say, to go down from a mountain serpentine? And what about the kik-downs? We give abruptly on the gases, again, first, Ford makes an attempt to untwist in the same gear, but, if it doesn’t work, reluctantly sticks the lower one.
Shevrolet in this regard is much more sensitive. He is the most powerful of all three. And the most passenger in traction. The behavior of the machine in acceleration is directly related to the gas pedal. But in Grand Cherokee this dependence is weaker. Here either the pedal is pressed to the end, or there are almost no nuances completely. If you want to quickly come as a drip! But the boxes of both Chevy and Jeep are quite sensitive and quick.
From the point of view of brake dynamics, more or less adequate. Unless Ford slowly slow down. But in comparison with the past explorer, whose pedal had to be drowned on the floor, and preferably two or three times, the current simply sample.
With the controllability of large Americans, everything has always been somewhat launched. That's just important to what extent. To do this, you should slightly delve into the constructive features of our three. Grand Cherokee has a constant all -wheel drive with an interdose differential. The other two are the main drive. There is also the position of AUTO, using the coupling connecting the front axle when slipping one of the rear wheels. And if you want to use the 4x4 mode, you will have to be content with the cut range of use of the car not to dramatically, not to drive quickly. And then without the center differential you will need rubber, torture the transmission, and do not fly off the road for long. This is a theory. The practice of traveling on Ford and Chevrolet shows that on at least a raw or snowy surface, both cars feel very comfortable. The steering wheel really tugs, and the reactions of the machine to the actions of the steering wheel are delayed. Then we still move on to 4x2 mode. For Ford, this goes almost unnoticed. And in Chevrolet is expressed in the appearance of very sensitive reactions on the steering wheel. This is a surprisingly large machine with a powerful hydraulic wrap, and it can be controlled very accurately. Another thing is if you let it go in a skid. In a bend, as there is nothing to do, to give a gas and trail went their tail. It is no longer up to the filigree of the management, but plus or minus half a meter can be launched by a fan on the turn and even catch it at the end. If you are tired of tickling your nerves, it is easy to straighten the trajectory with the reset of revolutions. The characteristic classic layout! Who likes to drive this way will definitely appreciate.
With Ford, such games may not end with good. It is more difficult to let it go sideways, but if you have already been torn off, the capture resembles a mammoth pen in the snares. It turns out especially not easy at the mixture a car flies somewhere with uncontrollable zeal. And if the road is still in potholes, then in the turn of Explorer under the influence of centrifugal force slowly rearranges his legs to an increasing radius.
Something similar happens with the grand. A hard rear bridge, with a Panar's transverse thrust, even jumps on the bumps on a smooth surface and strives to stop the car out of turn. But the turns themselves are easily and pleasantly permanent all -wheel drive and electronic stranglers of freedom do not allow the jeep to be selfless. From the point of view of the dynamics, it also seems that the Jeep engine is specially dull and the machine does not give out the acceleration that you expect from the motor of 4.7 liters. Although, perhaps, the reason is the best of all three smoothness and acoustic protection. Speed \u200b\u200bsimply conceals.
Since all three full -fledged frame SUVs, they must be periodically released to the dirt, otherwise they will lose their primitive skills. For lack of dirt in the winter season, you have to be content with snow. Although for the integrity of cars and at least bumpers it is even better. Yes, and it is easier to stop to wander with a shovel and immediately freeze. So, you can't do it.
The highest hopes were assigned to Ford. Therefore, he was the first and sat down. He sat tightly and tightly in a frozen rut. The wheels sank somewhere under the level of the rolled surface and began to rotate helplessly. The heavy car lay on the belly, and the engine protection sheet turned out to be the most problematic place. The obvious cause of landing seems to be just short levers of the rear independent suspension. She was attached in many ways for the sake of compactness and the placement of the third row of seats above it. But for patency, this is a minus. In general, I had to look for a tractor.
Trailblazer slipped through the same path with honor, and to relieve without a urge. But in areas with a steep external excess, problems arose. And without that, the low thresholds crowned with decorative steps quickly clung to the soil and slowed down the movement. Although such a local meeting has no big consequences. As a rule, it is possible to slide back or solve the problem in a couple of minutes of work with a sapper spatula. Yes, and the long rear overhang Chevrolet does not add geometric patency.
Jeep did not inspire us with special confidence in his gigiparous properties of his appearance. But, as it turned out, they only meet clothes. Grand Cherokee had the long strokes of pendants, a high torque at minimal, stretching speeds, and the largest corners of the ramp, congress and entry. Moreover, the apron of the front bumper is easily clicks, and then you can storm very high thresholds, inaccessible to competitors. But even if you don’t know this, this apron is not a pity and it is made of soft black plastic, and it is difficult to do.
In the present case, the priorities lined up unambiguously, and comforting phrases like this is good in one, but he is not suitable in the other. We have to state: Explorer, of course, a good car, and compared to his predecessor took a big step forward. But in this test he is inferior to his competitors. Chevrolet can be safely set second, and Jeep has so pleased us (except for the price) in the framework of this genre that we will try to ride it soon with other competitors. But, to be honest, they will not be easy.
Text Vladimir Smirnov photo Leonid Deduch
A source: Cars
