I went ahead and bought the 02 Explorer XLS V6 I was looking at. 31k miles. Small scar on rear bumper from what looks like a small towing f-up. Otherwise excellent condition. $14150. Dark blue in color, tan interior. The Bravada was starting to ride pretty rough, this Explorer drives very smoothly. The independent rear suspension really is an improvement.
Another big improvement: for a truck, the steering is very precise. If I rated a feel of control on 1-10, the Bravada was a 4 and the Ford is an 8, about as good as I have felt in a truck, and better than a lot of shitbox cars I have driven.
Overall, I feel like it is a big improvement in platform sophistication.
