The Land Rover impression isn’t limited to the all-wheel drive system. Fit and finish is impressive, and a lot of details have been well thought-out. The curved door-mounted speakers, the tasteful but not overdone chrome trim around the switchgear and the two-tone leather upholstery are just a few examples.
The instrument cluster with its twin LCD screens is well done, with configurable trip computer on the left and multimedia settings on the right. However, things get a little ugly on the centre stack; the touch-sensitive lower portion functions fairly well for adjusting the climate control, but the flat buttons on the rotary audio knob don’t work as well when I have my gloves on.
As for the MyFord Touch multimedia system with touch screen, the buttons are small, and it always takes at least a half-second before the system acknowledges your finger. So not only do you have to aim straight, but you have to keep your finger on the button, which is extremely distracting while driving.
Of course, you can use the powerful voice-recognition system, but come on—press the talk button, wait 3 seconds, say “temperature 22 degrees”, wait 2 seconds for an answer and wait another 2 seconds for the climate control to react. Reaching out to turn a good ol’ rotary dial takes 1 second.
Your voice can be very useful for the SYNC system, however. Insert a USB key filled with your favourite songs, press the talk button and say “play artist KISS” to rock n’ roll all night and party every day.
The Explorer is big on the outside, and feels even bigger on the inside. Sit in the navigator’s chair and your elbow will barely make contact with the door panel. Front and rear headroom is more generous here than in GM’s Traverse/Acadia/Enclave trio and the new Dodge Durango, and despite the shortest wheelbase and overall length in this group, the Explorer offers the most second-row legroom.
The instrument cluster with its twin LCD screens is well done, with configurable trip computer on the left and multimedia settings on the right. However, things get a little ugly on the centre stack; the touch-sensitive lower portion functions fairly well for adjusting the climate control, but the flat buttons on the rotary audio knob don’t work as well when I have my gloves on.
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| The instrument cluster with its twin LCD screens is well done, with configurable trip computer on the left and multimedia settings on the right. (Photo: Philippe Champoux/Auto123.com) |
As for the MyFord Touch multimedia system with touch screen, the buttons are small, and it always takes at least a half-second before the system acknowledges your finger. So not only do you have to aim straight, but you have to keep your finger on the button, which is extremely distracting while driving.
Of course, you can use the powerful voice-recognition system, but come on—press the talk button, wait 3 seconds, say “temperature 22 degrees”, wait 2 seconds for an answer and wait another 2 seconds for the climate control to react. Reaching out to turn a good ol’ rotary dial takes 1 second.
Your voice can be very useful for the SYNC system, however. Insert a USB key filled with your favourite songs, press the talk button and say “play artist KISS” to rock n’ roll all night and party every day.
The Explorer is big on the outside, and feels even bigger on the inside. Sit in the navigator’s chair and your elbow will barely make contact with the door panel. Front and rear headroom is more generous here than in GM’s Traverse/Acadia/Enclave trio and the new Dodge Durango, and despite the shortest wheelbase and overall length in this group, the Explorer offers the most second-row legroom.
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| The MyFord Touch can be a distraction while driving. (Photo: Philippe Champoux/Auto123.com) |