February 25th – March 27th Miles: 3,563.0 MPG: 8.4
This was our first trip RVing.
2020 ST in Trailer Tow mode pulling 4,700 lb. 2017 Starcraft Launch 21FBS
General impressions: We loaded it up and drove from Hudson, MA to West Palm Beach, FL and returned. We drove 5-6 hours (about 400 mi) each day stopping in College Park, MD, Fayetville NC., and Kingsland GA., overnight on the way down and back. What trailer? The ST had zero trouble pulling or stopping the setup.
When we picked up our used trailer (140 miles north in Vermont) with our brand-new Explorer ST, we were so late in the season that we just spent one night at a nearby campground before winterizing and parking it in our driveway in Massachusetts at the end of October.
I had driven enough to realize that we were going to get between 7 and 9 MPG while pulling. The correlation was 70 mph. = 7 mpg., 55 mph. = 9+ mpg. I found no real differences in mpg with different octanes – BUT – there were major differences in gasoline brands (locations). At 8 mpg, my 21 gal tank was throwing up the flag every 15-16 gal or so I was stopping every 2 hours for gas (~130 mi) sometimes more, sometimes less. But on the same road at the same speeds, my mpg from a couple of fill-ups dropped to the 6’s and it was the 90-91 octane stuff – so what the pump says ain’t always the truth.
Speed: While pulling the trailer I did see speeds above 95 mph – but only once or twice when some assholes really pissed me off. Based upon what I’ve had about top speeds while RV towing, and the You-Tube videos about trailer sway, I was really stupid. Most times I was around 72 mph or below. I never felt any sway or danger. At 72, I was mostly in 8th, but sometimes 9th gear. (push the "M" to see which gear you're in.) (Full disclosure - in my Escapes I was pretty much "gas-on...gas-off"; without trailer, I've had my ST to 137 before the wind wobbled me enough to back off. And it STILL held me in my seat with acceleration...Pretty much if there's something in front, it needs to be passed...)
I used the Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control almost 100% of the time. I played with the Lane Centering, but found it searched too much when wind & traffic moved me around. (...and it says not to use in the manual, under penalty of death! pg 237) Without the trailer, my Lane Centering shades itself too far left; almost on top of the left-hand lane marker(s) – sometimes even crossing the center-line.
When pulling, the IACC can drop as much a 4-6 mph before kicking in. That’s a lot of ground to open up in front of you and pisses off those behind you who are traveling around the same speed. Like you’re going 72 in a 70 zone and you come to a hill. It might drop to 66 before dropping a gear and picking the speed back up. Needs to be tighter.
Wind. Drafting, passing, being passed. Yep – I felt it. All the above. Some places, especially those “shifted lanes” got a little narrow –my sphincters tightened as I passed 10-wheelers. But I had confidence in the ST; it wiggled a bit sometimes, but she went where I pointed her!
HVAC – Where the outside ambient is in at or near what temperature that you have set the system to – the A/C sucks. I have to run the target temp at 65°-66° to get it cool. Where the ambient is up in the 70’s or 80’s, the A/C works flawlessly – so good I have to set the target near 70° or it gets too cold. The rear cabin HVAC works very well. I love the vented seat!
My Intelligent Key is not always recognized as being present (and the car WILL NOT START) unless I press some buttons like lock & unlock.
The SEAT MEMORY is great when it doesn’t forget. I run POS #3 af down & back extreme. #2 is set to me driving. MyKey recognizes me and moves to #3 (or I push #3 button before getting in). Sometimes when I get in and push #2, the seat moves 75% of the way to the memorized position. Repeated pressing of #2 will get everything where it should be – sometimes taking 3 or 4 presses. I’ve changed the assignments of the buttons back & forth – no joy. Still does it intermittently.
BLIS – Never drive without it! With its Trailer-Tow capability, the ST compensates for whatever length you enter as you trailer’s length. Yes, I had some extended mirrors and could see ok; and I have driven hundreds of thousands of miles in various 18-wheelers, but that BLIS indicator was/is a godsend. Even in some pretty intense rain, I knew when I could change lanes.
Ford Keyless Entry Keypad – ERROR! – Anyone can walk up to my ST, press 7-8 & 9-0, and my vehicle will LOCK! No, it does not have to first be unlocked via the keypad.
Summary: The Lane-Centering has to be fixed. Everything else are pains in the ass to varying degrees and should be fixed via a firmware/software fix.
I love this car! those 400 horses got a workout! Every ramp was zero-to-75 easily before mid-point in the blend lane. Passing was amazing. (passing without a trailer is also amazing...fun!) I had a few off ramps show up too soon, or had decreasing radii, or some dipweed half-stopped when he realized it was the wrong exit...and the BRAKES WORK! No doubt they were there!
When running around Fort Meyers and West Palm for a month "un-hooked", I played with other guys at the stop lights on the 6-lanes... I lost to a mustang. (A Roush Mustang.
The turning radius is fantastic!!!!
Did I say I love my ST?
PJ
This was our first trip RVing.
2020 ST in Trailer Tow mode pulling 4,700 lb. 2017 Starcraft Launch 21FBS
General impressions: We loaded it up and drove from Hudson, MA to West Palm Beach, FL and returned. We drove 5-6 hours (about 400 mi) each day stopping in College Park, MD, Fayetville NC., and Kingsland GA., overnight on the way down and back. What trailer? The ST had zero trouble pulling or stopping the setup.
When we picked up our used trailer (140 miles north in Vermont) with our brand-new Explorer ST, we were so late in the season that we just spent one night at a nearby campground before winterizing and parking it in our driveway in Massachusetts at the end of October.
I had driven enough to realize that we were going to get between 7 and 9 MPG while pulling. The correlation was 70 mph. = 7 mpg., 55 mph. = 9+ mpg. I found no real differences in mpg with different octanes – BUT – there were major differences in gasoline brands (locations). At 8 mpg, my 21 gal tank was throwing up the flag every 15-16 gal or so I was stopping every 2 hours for gas (~130 mi) sometimes more, sometimes less. But on the same road at the same speeds, my mpg from a couple of fill-ups dropped to the 6’s and it was the 90-91 octane stuff – so what the pump says ain’t always the truth.
Speed: While pulling the trailer I did see speeds above 95 mph – but only once or twice when some assholes really pissed me off. Based upon what I’ve had about top speeds while RV towing, and the You-Tube videos about trailer sway, I was really stupid. Most times I was around 72 mph or below. I never felt any sway or danger. At 72, I was mostly in 8th, but sometimes 9th gear. (push the "M" to see which gear you're in.) (Full disclosure - in my Escapes I was pretty much "gas-on...gas-off"; without trailer, I've had my ST to 137 before the wind wobbled me enough to back off. And it STILL held me in my seat with acceleration...Pretty much if there's something in front, it needs to be passed...)
I used the Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control almost 100% of the time. I played with the Lane Centering, but found it searched too much when wind & traffic moved me around. (...and it says not to use in the manual, under penalty of death! pg 237) Without the trailer, my Lane Centering shades itself too far left; almost on top of the left-hand lane marker(s) – sometimes even crossing the center-line.
When pulling, the IACC can drop as much a 4-6 mph before kicking in. That’s a lot of ground to open up in front of you and pisses off those behind you who are traveling around the same speed. Like you’re going 72 in a 70 zone and you come to a hill. It might drop to 66 before dropping a gear and picking the speed back up. Needs to be tighter.
Wind. Drafting, passing, being passed. Yep – I felt it. All the above. Some places, especially those “shifted lanes” got a little narrow –my sphincters tightened as I passed 10-wheelers. But I had confidence in the ST; it wiggled a bit sometimes, but she went where I pointed her!
HVAC – Where the outside ambient is in at or near what temperature that you have set the system to – the A/C sucks. I have to run the target temp at 65°-66° to get it cool. Where the ambient is up in the 70’s or 80’s, the A/C works flawlessly – so good I have to set the target near 70° or it gets too cold. The rear cabin HVAC works very well. I love the vented seat!
My Intelligent Key is not always recognized as being present (and the car WILL NOT START) unless I press some buttons like lock & unlock.
The SEAT MEMORY is great when it doesn’t forget. I run POS #3 af down & back extreme. #2 is set to me driving. MyKey recognizes me and moves to #3 (or I push #3 button before getting in). Sometimes when I get in and push #2, the seat moves 75% of the way to the memorized position. Repeated pressing of #2 will get everything where it should be – sometimes taking 3 or 4 presses. I’ve changed the assignments of the buttons back & forth – no joy. Still does it intermittently.
BLIS – Never drive without it! With its Trailer-Tow capability, the ST compensates for whatever length you enter as you trailer’s length. Yes, I had some extended mirrors and could see ok; and I have driven hundreds of thousands of miles in various 18-wheelers, but that BLIS indicator was/is a godsend. Even in some pretty intense rain, I knew when I could change lanes.
Ford Keyless Entry Keypad – ERROR! – Anyone can walk up to my ST, press 7-8 & 9-0, and my vehicle will LOCK! No, it does not have to first be unlocked via the keypad.
Summary: The Lane-Centering has to be fixed. Everything else are pains in the ass to varying degrees and should be fixed via a firmware/software fix.
I love this car! those 400 horses got a workout! Every ramp was zero-to-75 easily before mid-point in the blend lane. Passing was amazing. (passing without a trailer is also amazing...fun!) I had a few off ramps show up too soon, or had decreasing radii, or some dipweed half-stopped when he realized it was the wrong exit...and the BRAKES WORK! No doubt they were there!
When running around Fort Meyers and West Palm for a month "un-hooked", I played with other guys at the stop lights on the 6-lanes... I lost to a mustang. (A Roush Mustang.
The turning radius is fantastic!!!!
Did I say I love my ST?
PJ
-
5
- Show All
