I have started thinking about buying a new ride as a daily driver and keeping my truck for towing/hauling, hunting, etc. With that said I am considering vehicles other than a truck.
I have been wanting to get something a bit sportier and really like the 13-14 Cobras with the Trinity engine but at the end of the day its hard to justify and just not that practical for my needs. Additionally, I am not really a car guy. I have been tracking all the news or should I say rumors on the upcoming bronco, but there is still nothing official that if or when it is ever going to be produced, so I have started looking at other options.
One vehicle that jumps out at me from a practical yet fun aspect is the Explorer Sport with the 3.5L TT EB. Has 0-60 times around 6.0s stock and I would think with a tune I could probably bump that down to the mid 5s range maybe better. Does anyone have experience with this vehicle or have other ideas I could consider? Would love to hear input and experiences.

 

The Explorer Sport is a great looking and performing vehicle...another
Ford is the Taurus SHO for a performance sedan. The Expeditions are still nice for a full size SUV.

 

Ford Focus with fantastic gas mileage.

 

My wife and I test drove an Explorer Sport for a few days back in November and it's a pretty nice vehicle with some good get up and go. Just couldn't get past the short seats, at 6' tall it seemed like the bottom seat cushion only supported the upper portion of my thighs. For what they cost I just couldn't pull the trigger.

 

Almost 6'3" here so that may be an issue, will not know until I get in one. Wife has an edge and I think they are similar and I do not have issues with their seats. They are smaller than what is in my truck, but I still find them comfortable. Thanks for the input

 

Way to small for me, I would rather have a higher gas bill.

 

Focus has the goofy twin disk transmission that slips like crazy and needs to be rebuilt almost immediately.

Have you driven just a plain ol Mustang GT?


Open to non Ford suggestions?

 

Had one as a rental car a few months back and found the thing almost undriveable for that very reason! It also had possibly the worst heater I have ever experienced in a car -- not a huge deal here in Texas, but I was in Minnesota at the time and the morning lows were well below zero......

 

Toyota 4Runner.

 

Jeep Wrangler.

The 3.6 Pentastar has 285 HP. What other vehicle can you take the top and doors off. I love my truck but I look forward to driving the Jeep every weekend. It is my girls DD right now but she wants a car (no idea why). Down the road she will get a car of some kind and the Jeep will be all mine.

 

I have not driven any of the new Mustang GT with the 5.0. I have driven previous 4.6 models (including the Mach 1, pretty sure it had different heads and a little more output) and older foxbodys. Im just not sure that I want a car which is why I was looking at SUVs that are a little sportier. I am open to non Ford vehicles as well.

 

Not a bad idea, thanks for the suggestion.

 

As mentioned you can get Taurus SHO. You can also get 3.5 EB in the Flex/Explorer and Lincoln MKT

Mustang GT is worth a drive, they're loads of fun. I'd probably recommend the auto over the M6 just because the M6 is a little weak for the power of the 5.0

Not sure what price range is, or how "sporty" you're looking for, but Jeep still makes SRT Grand Cherokee

Jeep Wrangler is a solid option with the Pentastar V6. Not a racecar, but it's definitely not underpowered.

Not sure when they stopped making them, or if youre lookkng at used at all, but i've always liked the Trailblazer SS variant

 

I rented a Focus on vacation out west. I was impressed overall for a car that size. They are so much advanced from what they used to be. What bothered me was the clutch system. I am a left foot braker and I apply throttle before releasing the brake at a stop. The focus transmission won't engage until you release the brake. So, I didn't know why it was jerking on takeoff. Now I know, but I don't like that feature. Overall, it was close to equalling the Jetta we rented on the first leg of our vacation. The direct injected 160hp 2.0L four was much better on fuel than the 2.5L 5 cyl 172hp Jetta with the performance being about the same.

 

I too love the way the Wrangler (and the old CJs) look. One look at the JD Power Quality rankings for that specific model as well as the overall Jeep line was enough to change my mind though.

BTW: If I were looking for a fun daily driver today, I'd seriously look at the Mazda lineup.