2001 Ford Explorer Sport User Reviews

Does Anyone Know How To Improve The Suspension And Ride Quality In This Vehicle? — The vehicle has many positive attributes and gets pretty good gas mileage which is a big plus. But the overall ride quality is akin to riding on a rock going down the road. Everytime I encounter anything on the pavement surface, the vehicle pounds on the road like the suspension had been stolen and sold for scrap metal. Does anyone know how I might be able to make some adjustments to improve comfort and overall ride quality in my Sport?

Owner for 7 years, 0 months

Miles Driven per Year:10,500

Great Car I Would Recommend It To Anyone. — This car runs and performs great. I love the power it has too. When they put the sport behind the word Explorer, there we're kidding. I have drag raced random cars including a friend 1994 GMC Sierra 1500 with a 350 under the hood and duel pipes. He had me off the line but after about 8 seconds i passed him like a bat out of hell. I can drift my car also, and boy is it fun. The original model was of course a bit top heavy, but that is counteracted on my car when you add on the 20" rims with an 8" base on them. Also, the tires on the car would be street tires. They are not low profiles, i don't like low profiles. my tires are larger than most low profiles.

Primary Use: Sport/fun (spirited driving, track racing, off-roading, etc.)

2001 Ford Explorer Sport 2-door 2wd — As far as performance goes I love that it is a small SUV with a nice V6 for good power. It is a ford so I think it is built well, I have had two other Fords before this one and have never had a problem with quality. It is a beautiful SUV, that is cheap to own, and fun to drive

Primary Use: Commuting to work

Nice Suv For The Money — Bought this 4 wheel drive Explorer Sport used for a winter trip to Colorado, and kept it for two years afterwards. It was formerly an executive vehicle with a rental company, meaning it was not a daily rental, so it looked and ran showroom new when I found it on a Ford dealer's lot. It had the dreaded Firestone tires, which were replaced with brand new Goodyear Wrangler's at the Ford dealer, since it was still under the new car warranty. This vehicle had the 4.0 litre overhead cam V6, which impressed me, much more so than the 4 litre OHV V6 in my 1993 Explorer. It had enough power to easily maintain speed on hills and long grades and the trip to Colorado was an easy one. The interior was the standard bucket seats which were manually adjustable and reasonably comfortable. The 4 speed automatic transmission was smooth and no problems shifting; the 4 wheel drive easily tackled snow in Colorado, both in high and low ranges, although we really didn't need the low range in any area. Interior space is good in front; access to the rear is by folding the front seats forward and climbing into the rear, somewhat of a task for older adults or women in skirts or dresses, especially considering this combined with the higher door sills. Once in, rear seat comfort is acceptable, unless you are a tall adult in which case you would lilkely be uncomfortable. We didn't have the nerf bar running boards which I didlike, since I found they get your clothes dirty getting in and out, and, if you go off-roading, tend to get hung up on the oddest things. I did install Ford OEM fog lights and tow hooks though and the fog lights were a blessing in the early morning fog. There is adequate cargo space with the rear seats folded down, but this is a 2 door, and lacks much of the cargo space of the 4 door. If you need the greater cargo space in cubic feet, the 4 door is the way to go. The ride in the Sport 2 door is choppier than the 4 door due to the shorter wheelbase. Not uncomfortable, but I would say choppy. The difference, however, between the Firestore and Wrangler tires was night and day. The Wranglers made the vehicle handle as close to a 4 door ride as anything I've driven, while the Firestones made it feel like a bronco at feeding time. Tires can make a world of difference on these vehicles, as can proper inflation, etc.

Owner for 2 years, 0 months

Miles Driven per Year:8,000

Tough Little Suv — Performance wise, it's....well it's an SUV so what do you expect. Quality wise, not so good. It's been through three transmissions, and just an incredible amount of repairs, but for a truck with 206000 miles, what do you expect? It's a pretty cool looking truck, but again, it's still an SUV. A gas guzzler, but it could be worse...and it's a b**ch to maintain. Overall though, it is a fun little truck, and I wouldn't want to go mudding in anything else. Also, it hauls. Sure I've probably maxed out the weight limit, but it hauled. Every summer I back it into the ocean a dozen times with the boat, so the body is rusted to hell, and it's a miracle that it's still holding up, actually.

Primary Use: Utility (towing boats, transporting cargo, etc.)