[NEFARIOUS]

I just picked up a CPO 2017 Ford Explorer XLT AWD with 26K miles, mostly for work since my work sites are often off the beaten path on dirt/gravel roads (I am currently an RF Engineer for cell towers), but it's got the bells and whistles that'd tickle my fancy enough to keep it, even when I go back to my regular work in IT (RF Engineers can make VERY good money and it's gotten me out of a huge financial bind, but it's not something I want to do forever).

It's a sad moment to trade in the E90 and I didn't quite want to give her up , but she hasn't aged gracefully and needed a bunch of high-ticket repairs, and even as Murphy's Law would have it, just when I thought that everything has been fixed, the rear right window regulator took a nosedive just as the dealership was appraising the car, and it's impractical to keep 2 cars since from next week onwards, I'll technically be a nomad until I hang up my RF Engineer hat in about 6-8 months.

Although I know I haven't been on here as much as I used to; I've been busy and I've redirected my off-topic drama to Reddit instead... I'll be on here a lot less frequently; much love to the BMW community and it's still my favorite brand of cars, but maybe once I get my ducks in a row (buy a house, settle down) and when the Explorer reaches the "Fix Or Repair Daily" point, I'll be back for an X5 or even something snazzier like an 8-series or something.

[KennyFSU]

Almost looks like there's already police LEDs behind the grill lol, congrats.

[MADBMWX5MC]

Ford Quality has improved drastically over years -- when it comes to SUVs. My son's 2015 Ford Focus was a POS, but that's bc it had a flawed transmission.

I currently own a 2017 Ford Expedition King Ranch and I am very happy. Before that was a 2004 Ford Expedition I kept for 13 years with no issues. Enjoy.

[Burrcold]

Definitely looks like a cop car with the black wheels and mesh grille with the block design behind it. At least people will move over when they see you coming lol

[Meeni]

Originally Posted by MADBMWX3

Ford Quality has improved drastically over years -- when it comes to SUVs. My son's 2015 Ford Focus was a POS, but that's bc it had a flawed transmission.

I currently own a 2017 Ford Expedition King Ranch and I am very happy. Before that was a 2004 Ford Expedition I kept for 13 years with no issues. Enjoy.

Those interiors though. The sea of plastic is drawning any interest I could have.

[MADBMWX5MC]

Originally Posted by Meeni

Those interiors though. The sea of plastic is drawing any interest I could have.

Yeah, that's why I went with the King Ranch edition on my Expedition -- leather all around and better looking. Something like this, but remember its big a@@ truck:

[GenXer]

Get a push bumper and a roof rack and you'll get people to slow down wherever you go.

It gets me everytime I see a black Explorer.

[NEFARIOUS]

Originally Posted by Meeni

Those interiors though. The sea of plastic is drawning any interest I could have.

It's not too bad… I've driven worse; Hyundai/Kia are the kings of bland interiors, plus Hyundai's deep blue backlights at night force you to choose between seeing the gauges/LCD and burning a hole in your retina... I had to swap it out on the 3rd day; I have no idea how people commute in these things!

Also, you'd think that with Toyota being the granddaddy of reliability, a Corolla interior scratches and wears out pretty easily (my stepmom had one).

[tooloud10]

Originally Posted by Meeni

Those interiors though. The sea of plastic is drawning any interest I could have.

I daily a '15 Explorer XLT and while it may not be luxurious, I don't see any more plastic or cheapness than in my E93 M3 or F25 X3.

[Unknown_Car]

Originally Posted by tooloud10

I daily a '15 Explorer XLT and while it may not be luxurious, I don't see any more plastic or cheapness than in my E93 M3 or F25 X3.

You are completely wrong, I don't think you know the difference between different materials. Explorer interior materials feel much much cheaper then a e90.

[tooloud10]

Originally Posted by Roma_335i

You are completely wrong, I don't think you know the difference between different materials. Explorer interior materials feel much much cheaper then a e90.

I own both vehicles and find little difference. Could you give me any specific examples of how an E90 has better materials?

Explorer: heavy grain hard touch plastic on upper dash, soft touch on doors, some switchgear feels much higher quality, very little interior wear after 90k miles, mid-level leather seat quality

BMW: heavy grain "mid" touch plastic on upper dash and doors, some switchgear feels very cheap (especially upper dash buttons), rubberized coating on steering wheel peeling off (second time now), higher quality leather seating

I think most of us would like to believe that an entry-level BMW uses better materials than a mid-level Ford, but that doesn't make it true.

[GenXer]

I find that similar priced vehicles have similar quality interior especially if they are the same type of vehicle.

It's true that some domestic vehicles in general have cheaper feeling hard plastic panels and wider panel gaps. Those are the ones that gives you 350HP, tow 10,000 pounds and fit 8 people for the same price as a 3 series BMW 4 cylinder model.

For comparison, take a look at the new C8 Corvette interior and compare that to a $60K BMW and you can see that BMW made cost cutting measures.

[stein_325i]

Originally Posted by tooloud10

I think most of us would like to believe that an entry-level BMW uses better materials than a mid-level Ford, but that doesn't make it true.

Agree. My oldest son has a Mazda6 Signature (~$36k), and honestly, some of the materials and placement of them are much better than a 2 or 3 series of double the cost. To get a "true luxury interior" in a BMW with nice higher quality materials, I believe you have to go for a 5/X5 and up.

The Mazda has leather and stitching lining the outside of the center console where your knees rest, the G20 3er has hard plastic there (Even the 8-series has this if you don't pay extra for Merino). The Mazda has nice suede (although is likely faux-suede) covering a large strip of the dashboard. The 3-series has soft-touch plastic/trim. The Mazda's seats are also nice and smooth Napa leather. Of course the 3-series is better in some areas as well, the soft-touch plastics are more solid and the steering wheel hub is leather stitched, build quality is likely a bit better too and the tech is obviously newer and more advanced, however it does show that these days you don't have to go to a luxury brand to get a nice interior.

Honestly, after driving and sitting in the 6, I could easily get use to it and live with it.

[bucketfoot]

Originally Posted by joshuastein55

Honestly, after driving and sitting in the 6, I could easily get use to it and live with it.

I agree that Mazda has made some good changes. That said, if they want to try and set themselves apart from Honda, Toyota, etc as a more premium vehicle, I feel they need to address two more areas:

Power - either they need to up the power in their engines or they need to offer Mazdaspeed versions.

Warranty - part of a premium vehicle is a premium warranty and they should bump theirs up to 4 years/48K miles.

[stein_325i]

Originally Posted by bucketfoot

I agree that Mazda has made some good changes. That said, if they want to try and set themselves apart from Honda, Toyota, etc as a more premium vehicle, I feel they need to address two more areas:

Power - either they need to up the power in their engines or they need to offer Mazdaspeed versions.

Warranty - part of a premium vehicle is a premium warranty and they should bump theirs up to 4 years/48K miles.

I definitely agree there. They're developing a compact Inline-6 paired with an 8-Speed Auto that will likely make its way into the lineup in the future so that should be pretty interesting. The Turbo 2.5 they currently have is pretty good, while an enthusiast like myself may want more, for the general public its likely more than enough.

[tooloud10]

Originally Posted by GenXer

It's true that some domestic vehicles in general have cheaper feeling hard plastic panels and wider panel gaps. Those are the ones that gives you 350HP, tow 10,000 pounds and fit 8 people for the same price as a 3 series BMW 4 cylinder model.

For comparison, take a look at the new C8 Corvette interior and compare that to a $60K BMW and you can see that BMW made cost cutting measures.

I actually had a '15 Ford F150 Lariat that stickered for $59k and the interior felt like it was a higher quality than my loaded E70 from '07.

Originally Posted by joshuastein55

Agree. My oldest son has a Mazda6 Signature (~$36k), and honestly, some of the materials and placement of them are much better than a 2 or 3 series of double the cost. To get a "true luxury interior" in a BMW with nice higher quality materials, I believe you have to go for a 5/X5 and up.

Yep, the Mazda Signature models will embarrass even a mid-level BMW at this point in interior quality. Maybe not in outright performance, but many buyers aren't as worried about that at this point.

[aerostar]

Originally Posted by joshuastein55

Agree. My oldest son has a Mazda6 Signature (~$36k), and honestly, some of the materials and placement of them are much better than a 2 or 3 series of double the cost. To get a "true luxury interior" in a BMW with nice higher quality materials, I believe you have to go for a 5/X5 and up.

The Mazda has leather and stitching lining the outside of the center console where your knees rest, the G20 3er has hard plastic there (Even the 8-series has this if you don't pay extra for Merino). The Mazda has nice suede (although is likely faux-suede) covering a large strip of the dashboard. The 3-series has soft-touch plastic/trim. The Mazda's seats are also nice and smooth Napa leather. Of course the 3-series is better in some areas as well, the soft-touch plastics are more solid and the steering wheel hub is leather stitched, build quality is likely a bit better too and the tech is obviously newer and more advanced, however it does show that these days you don't have to go to a luxury brand to get a nice interior.

Honestly, after driving and sitting in the 6, I could easily get use to it and live with it.

Wow I thought that was a BMW at first.

[GenXer]

Originally Posted by joshuastein55

Agree. My oldest son has a Mazda6 Signature (~$36k), and honestly, some of the materials and placement of them are much better than a 2 or 3 series of double the cost. To get a "true luxury interior" in a BMW with nice higher quality materials, I believe you have to go for a 5/X5 and up.

The Mazda has leather and stitching lining the outside of the center console where your knees rest, the G20 3er has hard plastic there (Even the 8-series has this if you don't pay extra for Merino). The Mazda has nice suede (although is likely faux-suede) covering a large strip of the dashboard. The 3-series has soft-touch plastic/trim. The Mazda's seats are also nice and smooth Napa leather. Of course the 3-series is better in some areas as well, the soft-touch plastics are more solid and the steering wheel hub is leather stitched, build quality is likely a bit better too and the tech is obviously newer and more advanced, however it does show that these days you don't have to go to a luxury brand to get a nice interior.

Honestly, after driving and sitting in the 6, I could easily get use to it and live with it.

This interior looks an awful lot like an Audi A3 except it doesn't have the round directional air vents.

[Meeni]

Originally Posted by tooloud10

I actually had a '15 Ford F150 Lariat that stickered for $59k and the interior felt like it was a higher quality than my loaded E70 from '07.



Yep, the Mazda Signature models will embarrass even a mid-level BMW at this point in interior quality. Maybe not in outright performance, but many buyers aren't as worried about that at this point.

Definitely high quality from Mazda. Was looking for a CX-5 and almost spent the extra cash on the better FY16 interior. In retrospect I should have What you get for the price is unbelievable with newer Mazda. Proof that it can be done, a good interior under a budget.

They could offer the 4Y warranty as they don't break much anyway either.