Where each one leads
Ford Explorer
- Against cars of the same year, the Ford Explorer comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 20% less often than average) than the Saab 9-7X (fails 24% more often than average).
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2026 Ford Explorer uses 10.4 l/100 km, the 2009 Saab 9-7X 14.3.
Saab 9-7X
Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.
Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare
At a glance
| Ford Explorer | Saab 9-7X | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1984–2027 | 2005–2009 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 10,009 (2010–2022) | — |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 16,800 | — |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 7,417 | — |
| In traffic in Finland | 1,617 | — |
EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).
Reliability and problems
| Ford Explorer | Saab 9-7X | |
|---|---|---|
| New York safety inspections failed | 1.2% | 3.0% |
| … against cars of the same year | −20% | +24% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 1.0% | — |
| US owner complaints | 34,627 | 171 |
| Most complaints about | Power train | Exterior lighting |
| Model year with most complaints | 2002 (3,295) | 2006 (59) |
| US recall campaigns | 142 | 4 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 5,035 | 3,627 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 155 | 14 |
Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).
Safety
| Ford Explorer | Saab 9-7X | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 5★ (2027) | — |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Ford Explorer | Saab 9-7X | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 10.4 l/100 km (2026) | 14.3 l/100 km (2009) |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 75 g/km | — |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 267 kW (358 hp) | — |
| Average mass in running order | 2,547 kg | — |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €77,709 | — |
| Average odometer in Finland | 86,000 km | — |
Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).