Hello,
First post, just sharing a rant for anyone who cares to read.
I need to vent, this feels like the right place.
I've been driving an Explorer ST since Sept 2019, I got the very first one in my area when it came out. I really enjoyed every aspect of the 2020 Explorer ST, I though it was a great SUV.
I had it fully spec'd, it ran great (aside from a snap ring getting loose in the transmission a few months ago, all covered by the warranty) and had the features that I wanted.
My 2020 ST lease was up around Sept last year, and I ordered the "exact same" 2023 ST to have feature parity, which I just picked up today.
After having the new truck for about 4-5 hours, I am
strongly starting to regret not keeping the 2020 ST. More importantly I feel like I've got a brand new more expensive downgrade from what I was driving this morning.
The things I was aware of, first off, the 2023 sticker was about CA$7k more expensive, and I was made aware that it would not include the massage seats due to chip shortages, COVID, inflation, Ukraine, zombies and what not. I was ok with those conditions. A bit disappointing, but I assumed the rest of the truck would keep the spirit of the original ST that I was turning in.
Here's where things started getting really disappointing for me once I received the SUV:
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The 2nd row center cup holder is gone - I discovered through this forum as I was googling (
https://www.explorerst.org/threads/...p-holder-console-between-captain-chairs.3657/), that this was an omission that started on the 2022 model. This is something the kids relied on, now we have a carpet that we need to cover to protect it from all mess that comes with having young children. Cup holders are below the 2nd row climate control near the floor. Nothing easily accessible in the center
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SYNC4 - I was told back in September that the 2023 ST was getting that, it turns out this was not true. the 2023 Explorer (ST or otherwise) all run SYNC 3 as opposed to other 2023 Fords in the lineup which have SYNC 4
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Front camera washer/sprayer is gone - no mention of this anywhere, it's just absent compared to the 2020, wasn't even offered as an option (which I would have added) or mentioned during the purchase process - I used this on a frequent basis with low front visibility or in parking lots
-
Rear camera washer either doesn't work (which might be an issue that I need to take up with the dealer)
or is also gone - this is a major annoyance, I expected this to be standard; I found this out the hard way as I was dealing with snowy grime on the backup camera and had to step out of the car to clean it after spraying the rear window did nothing for the camera.
- I feel like the build quality is inferior to the 2020 and also the 2020 had a lot more accessories included with it, protectors, pouches, the glovebox had a dedicated insert for the manual (that's gone, it's just a typical dump your crap in glove box). Small details that made me really happy about the purchase when I first got it. I went looking for those only to find nothing of the sort.
What I find really disappointing is that the 2020 ST had these (except for SYNC4 obviously) and had a lower price tag (~CA$66k); I just turned it in with around 34k Km on the odometer, I could have purchased out right for around $34k and kept for another 2-3 years with better features.
At around CA$73k fully spec'd, I feel like I got a brand new downgrade that doesn't really have any differences, improvements or worthy changes (same power, same body, in fact the molded floor mats all fit perfectly on the 2023, same everything). Sure, the stitching on the seats is a nice addition, but they also likely cut costs by using fabric on the upholstery instead of the leathery material that was covering the seats on the 2020.
What I received was a truck with less mileage that was objectively more expensive than the one I had and offered less features.
For a vehicle at this price, I feel like it's the little things that make one enjoy the experience. That enjoyable experience instantly died with the 2023 and quickly turned to frustration.
So if you're shopping for an ST, get an older gen (2020/21) or wait to see what they do with the 2024... Aside from minor cosmetic changes, the 2020 and the 2023 are
Exactly the same at all levels.
To drive that point home, I pranked my daughter into thinking we just detailed the truck. The only thing that gave the new truck away was the smell and some change in trim colors. She could barely tell the difference; we're talking 2 trucks manufactured 3-4 years apart, separated by 2 "generations".
For me, I feel like these annoyances are going to make me hate my experience with the 2023 ST. All the excitement I had when I drove off the lot with the 2020, I feel the opposite now with this one. The little things that made my 2020ST special are gone and now I'm stuck with the 2023.
To top it all off, nothing to do with the truck itself, but when I spoke to the dealers when I ordered the new truck, they said I had equity in the 2020ST, I was supposed to receive some cash back ($1k-$3k range). Today when I asked about it, market has gone down, it's a "washout" they said.
My experience with Ford today was a disappointment.
Don't get me wrong, I still think it's functionally a fantastic truck, but having an older gen as reference point, and feel that the 2020ST is superior to the 2023ST right off the gate is a major let down.
New owners probably wouldn't notice.
Rant over. Thanks for reading.
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