2021 Explorer ST - Mom Rocket Version 2.0

tones_RS3

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OP,.......how does your wife/you like this beast?
I've seen a couple in the town I live in and I really love the looks. I'm sure the performance is there as well.
 

CobraBob

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i've only seen a couple of Explorer STs up in this neck of the woods. It's a really nice looking SUV. Nicer than the Edge ST, appearance wise.
 

Husker

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Now that you've had it for a while, what do ya think of it overall?

Does it get up & go from a standing start (Stop-Light to Stop-Light) and is it comfortable?
 

kevinatfms

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OP,.......how does your wife/you like this beast?
I've seen a couple in the town I live in and I really love the looks. I'm sure the performance is there as well.

My wife absolutely loves it. Its in another league from her Edge Sport.

Me on the other hand.....well......its ok. Seating position and construction is abysmal. I hated the seats in the Edge also. The positioning is even worse than the Edge Sport. The infotainment screen is atrociously slow and bugs out occasionally.

The most infuriating thing is whenever someone touches a seat control at the base of the seat it takes over in the infotainment screen and shows what youre moving in the seat. There is absolutely ZERO reason why this needs to occur. It takes away from the navigation screen, the radio screen or just the home screen to show you when someone adjusts the back rest. Just ****ing stupid on all accounts and the engineer who designed that needs his head examined.

The powertrain is good. Very, very good. The new 3.0L is a total monster and the thing isnt even tuned yet. The 10 speed and PTU system is tuned perfectly and the truck rockets out of corners. The programming of the AWD system is great if not a bit too much in Sport mode(throttle response is super touchy). Snow wasnt an issue at all except for the tires lacking the grip(ill get to that).

The brakes and suspension feel taut and resposive. The street pack brake package feels fantastic and the pads bite hard when cold and dont overheat from what ive experienced. I like the red calipers and think they really "pop" against the black wheels. Tires are more readily available and MUCH cheaper than the ridiculously expensive Edge Sport sizes. The OE tires are not exactly good but work for a daily ride. We will replace them with a better all-season that has better snow grip as the OE tire just couldnt handle light snow at all without severe slippage even at slow speeds.

The fitment inside is great, ride quality is good and NVH seems to be tuned out for the most part. There is some wind noise from the cowl and tire noise from the width of them compared to the Edge but overall not bad. Material selection is a bit odd but they work. Captain chairs in the 2nd row is the option we chose and we are 100% glad we didnt go with the bench seat. Easier to install car seats and getting back to the 3rd row is not a problem.

We have 4,600 miles on it currently and zero issues to date. Highly recommend it for people needing a bit more room than an Edge but not full blown Expedition(land barge) sized vehicle.
 

kevinatfms

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Now that you've had it for a while, what do ya think of it overall?

Does it get up & go from a standing start (Stop-Light to Stop-Light) and is it comfortable?

See above for our thoughts.

One thing i will add to it all....i cannot fathom how fast it will be once tuned. If you go WOT from a dig it just boogies even in stock form. Add another 100hp to it and it'll be mind blowing. If people start putting hybrid or big turbos on these things you might get surprised at a stoplight with anything south of a Hellcat Jeep.
 

tones_RS3

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My wife absolutely loves it. Its in another league from her Edge Sport.

Me on the other hand.....well......its ok. Seating position and construction is abysmal. I hated the seats in the Edge also. The positioning is even worse than the Edge Sport. The infotainment screen is atrociously slow and bugs out occasionally.

The most infuriating thing is whenever someone touches a seat control at the base of the seat it takes over in the infotainment screen and shows what youre moving in the seat. There is absolutely ZERO reason why this needs to occur. It takes away from the navigation screen, the radio screen or just the home screen to show you when someone adjusts the back rest. Just ****ing stupid on all accounts and the engineer who designed that needs his head examined.

The powertrain is good. Very, very good. The new 3.0L is a total monster and the thing isnt even tuned yet. The 10 speed and PTU system is tuned perfectly and the truck rockets out of corners. The programming of the AWD system is great if not a bit too much in Sport mode(throttle response is super touchy). Snow wasnt an issue at all except for the tires lacking the grip(ill get to that).

The brakes and suspension feel taut and resposive. The street pack brake package feels fantastic and the pads bite hard when cold and dont overheat from what ive experienced. I like the red calipers and think they really "pop" against the black wheels. Tires are more readily available and MUCH cheaper than the ridiculously expensive Edge Sport sizes. The OE tires are not exactly good but work for a daily ride. We will replace them with a better all-season that has better snow grip as the OE tire just couldnt handle light snow at all without severe slippage even at slow speeds.

The fitment inside is great, ride quality is good and NVH seems to be tuned out for the most part. There is some wind noise from the cowl and tire noise from the width of them compared to the Edge but overall not bad. Material selection is a bit odd but they work. Captain chairs in the 2nd row is the option we chose and we are 100% glad we didnt go with the bench seat. Easier to install car seats and getting back to the 3rd row is not a problem.

We have 4,600 miles on it currently and zero issues to date. Highly recommend it for people needing a bit more room than an Edge but not full blown Expedition(land barge) sized vehicle.
Thanks man.
I appreciate the write up/feedback.
 

SilverStreak02

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I had a 2020 ST for about 9 months. It was fast, and the “modes” were fun to toy around with. Loved the digital cluster. However it had some quality issues and quirks that I couldn’t get over and quite frankly I missed being in a truck. (I traded in my POS 18 Raptor for the ST) Ultimately though I traded the ST off for a 21 RAM 1500 Limited in November.
 

CobraBob

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Nice review, Kevin. I hope it helps anyone going forward who might be interested in the Explorer ST. So your wife really loves it. That's awesome. I'm not surprised that you say the Explorer ST is much better overall than the Edge ST. I've always felt it was a much truer ST vehicle than the Edge. I hope your wife continues to enjoy it.
 

kevinatfms

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Nice review, Kevin. I hope it helps anyone going forward who might be interested in the Explorer ST. So your wife really loves it. That's awesome. I'm not surprised that you say the Explorer ST is much better overall than the Edge ST. I've always felt it was a much truer ST vehicle than the Edge. I hope your wife continues to enjoy it.

Thanks Bob. She is over the moon with the Explorer. We see this one being a lengthy ownership experience.
 

kevinatfms

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You planning on bringing that thing to Myrtle Beach anytime soon?

No time soon. We have vacations planned for Florida in July and one in November with family. Ill let you know if we ever head that way. Maybe by then itll be tuned and have a few other bolt on parts.
 

BlueSnake01

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Great looking color! We took over a 20' Platinum last month, traded an 18 Explorer Sport.

No comparison, both drive totally different and feel different. Didnt get enough seat time with the ST but the Platinum with the 21's drives smooth, my Sport had 20's was a tad harsher ride. I know the ST has a slight different suspension vs the Platinum but both drove MUCH smoother than the previous gen
 

SID297

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No time soon. We have vacations planned for Florida in July and one in November with family. Ill let you know if we ever head that way. Maybe by then itll be tuned and have a few other bolt on parts.

I have a free set of floormats for you if you let me borrow the rig for about two hours.
 

kevinatfms

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I have a free set of floormats for you if you let me borrow the rig for about two hours.

Good offer but we already have floor mats. Got those sweet Ford direct fits.

Ill talk to the old lady. Whats a drop dead date for this? Maybe we could come down later this year for a weekend. She also hasnt signed up for the ST Academy yet. Been bugging her to sign up but it might be too late.
 

SID297

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Good offer but we already have floor mats. Got those sweet Ford direct fits.

Ill talk to the old lady. Whats a drop dead date for this? Maybe we could come down later this year for a weekend. She also hasnt signed up for the ST Academy yet. Been bugging her to sign up but it might be too late.

No idea. I just need to find someone to shoot the story with.
 

CobraBob

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Glad she's loving it, Kevin. I'm not surprised. The new Explorer ST is the real deal!
 

FineLineMtrSprt

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So far loving our ExpST.... also seen a few things In this post I would like to mention. With the Ford rubber like "weather-tech like" the instruct do say to cut the mats of you have the 2nd row capt. chairs but I didn't and the fit perfectly.
The only seat controls that come up on the radio screen are the massaging seat controls... kinda useless but also the screen gives more controls than just the buttons.
Over all the thing is pretty solid. It handles great, makes great power and gets good mpg's for what it is. AVG 24mpg coming back from Chicago to WV did 80-82mph on the hwy every chance I got.
Yeah some people have had issues and we have a few...
The piano black trim on the passenger rear door has an imperfection under the surface.
That door also has some excessive wind noise at highway speeds
Lastly the rear wiper actuates at the slightest touch of the wiper stalk.
Other than that I can't complain really.
So have mods planned...
1.Exhaust but going to leave downpipes untouched
2. Steeda springs, rear sway bar and strut tower bar.
3. Lighter 22's
And maybe some other stuff. Threw a AFE filter in it... the actual c.a.i. is coming but will be 600 bucks. I doubt I'll ever tune it because of warranty lol.
20210731_140828.jpg


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kevinatfms

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Two years later and truck is nearly at 36k miles. Only issue so far is the infotainment system screen is still buggy and laggy.

Went and installed a J&L oil separator from Beefcake Racing. Fit and finish is OEM perfect and this will keep some of the oil out of the intake tract. There was definitely a good sheen on the inside of the PCV hose when i pulled it off to put the J&L on.

I found that the SCT X4 i had laying around for the old Edge Sport will work on the Explorer ST. Updated the SCT X4 last night with the "canned" tunes available. Also purchased a 93 octane custom tune from Unleashed Tuning. Torrie put together an amazing tune for the Edge Sport so had to go back to him for the tune on the Explorer. Cant wait to see what he can do with the 3.0L Ecoboost.

CVFab has the intercooler for a reasonable price also. Will more than likely wait until a deal can be had for a holiday before purchasing. But one will need to be added to keep temps in check.
 

CobraBob

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Glad you're still enjoying the ST, Kevin. Post the new tune from Unleashed Tuning when you get it done. No doubt you (and your wife) will enjoy the additional ponies.

I have a J&L oil separator coming on Saturday for my Genesis G70. It's only a 10 minute install so I'll have it done by Saturday afternoon. I like how well these oil separators work, and since I'll likely hang on to my G70 for awhile it makes sense.
 
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