Almost a month ago I moved for the first time in my life.

I bought my condo two years ago, preconstruction. Since then, it’s been tons of waiting, lots of drive bys, and a whole ton of saving.  On October 26, 2015 I finally got the keys to my new place.  I know now what people mean when they say that moving is stressful.

Lots of packing, cleaning, throwing things out, buying stuff (well, that’s not stressful), coordinating…  the point is, it’s a lot. I was lucky that I got my movers paid for (courtesy of my condo company), however, there were some items that weren’t yet in for my moving date, like my dresser.

At the beginning of the month, I got the opportunity to test drive the brand-new 2016 Ford Explorer for a week. Not only did I have a huge car (something I’m not used to with my Honda Civic), but it also was perfect timing, since I had a few more bigger items to move, which my Civic isn’t large enough for. As luck would have it, dresser just so happened to come in that same week.

For those of you not familiar with the Ford Explorer, it’s a big car. In fact, it’s America’s best-selling SUV for 25 straight years.  And after driving the beast, I can see why.

The new 2016 Ford Explorer is filled with smart technology, an available 2.3-litre EcoBoost four-cylinder engine, and a high-end Platinum model, which combines the performance of the popular Explorer Sport with new levels of comfort and craftsmanship. I’m not sure which model I got to test drive, but it had all the bells and whistles of a higher-end car.

The Ford Explorer was introduced in 1990 as a 1991 model and featured generous interior space, which it certainly still does. I can talk about all the fancy car things it includes, but since this is a lifestyle and beauty blog, I’ll get down to the things that really matter.

The Ford Explorer has a fabulous sound system. This model had satellite radio, so I was mostly jamming to Hits 1, but the Bluetooth system was top notch. You can also utilize the navigation, and my favourite feature of the entertainment screen (that’s what it’s called, right?) was the front camera.  My car has a back camera and a camera when you put on your right signals, but I’ve never experienced a front camera before (which detests left- and right-hand lane markings. In fact, a vibration in the steering wheel alerts the driver if the vehicle begins to drift out of the lane). The cameras also have washers, which if you live in Winnipeg, is a such a smart idea (I had to stop my car today to manually rub my camera screen cause I couldn’t see anything #firstworldproblems). Also, it seems safety is first of mind, since there was one instance where I got a little too close to the car in front of me and red lights started appearing on the windshield (super fancy!). It also makes a noise if you get too close to something (which I feel has been standard in some Ford vehicles for a while now). The car also features smart-charging USB ports located in the front and rear of the vehicle which are able to charge smart devices up to two times faster than conventional ports.

Another wow factor would be the active park assist with perpendicular park assist, park-out assist and semi-automatic parallel parking. I’ve always wanted to try this since I’ve been skeptical about it (and I’m a self-professed parallel parking pro) since this feature came out a few years back. My boyfriend and I tried it at the park and after a while of getting it to work, it finally kicked in, which was pretty cool (the steering wheel moves and the car prompts you to put the car in reverse or forward motion). It was working great, but then we noticed it detected perpendicular parking as opposed to parallel, so I shut it off. We tried doing it again, but it wouldn’t kick in.  Not a huge deal since I’m pretty good at parallel parking, but still a cool feature to have and try out.

Now I saved the best feature for last.

Guys, it has a heated steering wheel.  A heated steering wheel. Not a huge deal to many, but when you’re driving and it’s -40 C outside, that heated steering is really going to make a difference.  Even in the brisk fall weather, hopping in the Explorer and having that warm steering wheel to wrap my hands around felt really nice.

Anyways, back to my original point with this point. The dresser.

My dresser luckily arrived the week I had the Explorer, and instead of paying the $85 delivery charge we opted to just pick up the thing since the car is so huge.  It has two rows of seats in the back, both of which can fold down making the back quite flat (certainly flat enough to fit a dresser comfortably – and I’m not talking about an IKEA set-it-up-yourself dresser; this thing came fully built). Since I had such a large car, I also went to my office to grab my faux Barcelona Chair from London Drugs to bring back to my condo. It was a breeze fitting that chair in there wholly; I didn’t even have to take it apart.

Overall, I loved my week with the Ford Explorer. I didn’t really try out a lot of the features, I mostly just drove it.  I also had a two-day business trip in Kelowna, and left the same time as my brother and mom who were going to LA. So instead of taking multiple cars or cabs, we packed everything in the Explorer and there was still TONS of room for the three of us and my boyfriend, who was the driver.

You can find out more info about the 2016 Ford Explorer here.  Stop by your nearest Ford dealership and definitely take it for a test drive. Don’t forget to turn on that steering wheel heater too ;).

Have you tried the 2016 Ford Explorer?  What kind of car do you drive?

Also, don’t forget to enter my Aveda Institute giveaway!

Please note, I received no compensation for this post aside from the car for a week. All opinions are my own.

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