Quality:
Here's a question for the Ford executives who signed off on this vehicle's production: Have you glanced inside the competition lately? Our Eddie Bauer truck stickered for more than $43,000, roughly equivalent to the U.S. median household income. For that kind of money, buyers deserve more than cheap, hard plastics throughout their ride, with dash panels that flex under the slightest pressure and don't sit flush. Add in the ill-fitting interior door panels, the lower console pieces that are one plastic click away from disengaging, the overhead sunglass holder that is begging to break, and seat brackets that show bolts coming up through the floor. And that's just the interior. The exterior of the Explorer holds an equal number of treasures, such as a tailgate and rear driver door that don't close flush with the body and inconsistent hood gaps. Admittedly, I like driving the comfortable 2006 Ford Explorer, but in terms of quality, this may be the worst $43,000 vehicle I've encountered.

– Thom Blackett

Quality:
Here is where the Ford Explorer really falls flat. I really wonder if Ford executives and designers have really “Driven a Ford Lately”. The amount of ill-fitted faux leather plastic and fake wood is overwhelming in the interior. In this price range I expect soft-touch surfaces besides just the door arm rests and the center console lid. The entire dash is hard plastic that will no doubt look horrible with a couple years of wear on it. Poor fitment of trim pieces is an issue too. The fake wood center console was skewed and the top rose an 1/8 inch above the dash piece with which it was meant to sit flush. The sunglass holder just plops open with no damping, and the placement of the door pull is too far forward to work well and be comfortable.

Step outside and the fitment is better but issues still remain. Compare the fitment on the tail lamp assemblies and you will see a large discrepancy in the spacing around each piece. Walk around to the passenger front door and eye the seam and it almost touches at the bottom and has a quarter-inch or so gap at the top. Top this off with plastic wheel covers meant to simulate alloy wheels and you have just begun to address poor quality issues. The poor quality of the interior and exterior parts alone would make me shy away from buying one before even starting the engine.

– Ron Perry