Ford Explorer review

Is the Ford Explorer a good car?

While the Ford Explorer isn’t the first EV from the Blue Oval to repurpose a name from its back catalogue, it’s unlikely to cause as much controversy as the Ford Mustang Mach-E or the forthcoming Ford Capri. 

That’s largely because the new SUV’s namesake only had a fleeting presence in the UK – more likely to have been seen on-screen in Jurassic Park than on the high street – and given that it’s an SUV being superseded by another SUV, there won’t be the same feeling of desecration felt by diehard Ford enthusiasts.

The Explorer is the fruit of a joint venture between Ford and Volkswagen, and it uses the same MEB platform as the VW ID.4 and ID.5 SUVs (as well as assorted other models), but Ford has put its own stamp on the underpinnings, as well as draping it with unique bodywork. Ford is hoping the Explorer will kick-start the company’s fortunes in the EV sector, and initial impressions are that it has every chance of success.

How much does the Ford Explorer cost?

Prices for the Ford Explorer start from just under £40,000, although this entry-level model isn’t available to order until later in 2024, with deliveries due to start in early 2025. This gets you behind the wheel of a Standard Range Explorer in Select trim, which has a 52kWh battery and an estimated range of 239 miles.

An extra £6,000 is necessary if you want to get into an Explorer right now, because this is what you’ll need to buy an Extended Range model with a 77kWh battery in the same Select trim. This version has the best range of any model in the Explorer line-up, at 374 miles. 

Above that is the Premium model, which is another £4,000 and has a slightly blunted range of 354 miles, because of its larger wheels and the weight of the extra kit on board. Finally, the Premium Extended Range model can also be had with four-wheel drive. It also gains a slightly larger, 79kWh battery, but the official range is 329 miles, while the price tag is just under £54,000. This puts Explorer prices at the higher end of the spectrum in its class, so above the likes of the Renault Scenic and Skoda Enyaq, but on a par with the platform-sharing Volkswagen ID.4.

Charging speeds are reasonable, with the larger battery managing a maximum rate of 185kW, while the 77kWh version has 135kW capability. It takes less than half an hour to take either battery from 10 to 80 per cent capacity, though.

In terms of performance, the AWD model is the peak of the line-up, courtesy of a 335bhp output. It can accelerate from 0-62mph in 5.3 seconds, while the 282bhp RWD model achieves the same sprint in a still-quick 6.4 seconds. All cars are electronically limited to 112mph.

Ford has committed to the two-strong trim range so that it can offer a decent amount of kit across the line-up. The Select version features 19-inch wheels, LED lights, heated front seats, an electrically adjustable driver’s seat and the distinctive 14.6-inch portrait touchscreen. The step up to Premium trim adds larger, 20-inch alloys, matrix-LED headlights, a powered tailgate with hands-free operation, a panoramic glass roof and a B&O sound system.

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While the Ford Explorer uses the same MEB platform as a range of VW Group models, Ford has focused on the car’s suspension and electronics to ensure that it delivers the kind of entertaining handling the company is famous for. And on the whole Ford has been successful, because the Explorer is a more enjoyable car to drive than the similar VW ID.4.

A stiff chassis means the car follows undulations in the road pretty rigidly, so there’s plenty of body movement over the typically uneven surfaces of UK highways, and it’s especially noticeable at lower speeds, where the car feels busy and never really settles. 

We expected the still-large 19-inch wheels fitted to Select models to improve this, but there’s no real difference compared with the 20-inch alloys found on Premium versions. 

At least the direct steering is well weighted, although without much in the way of feedback, and a decent turning circle helps with manoeuvrability. There’s good visibility, too, helped in part by the novel C-pillars, which have a graphic on the outside, but are clear when viewed from the inside.

Increase your pace and the ride improves, while a low centre of gravity means that body roll is kept in check fairly well. The rear-wheel-drive layout has been configured to deliver a neutral balance in most circumstances, and even when you’re heavy with the throttle, it’s hard to unsettle the rear end.

On the motorway, the Explorer delivers impressive cruising comfort, with road and wind noise kept to a minimum, and a ride that offers decent comfort at higher speeds. There’s even enough power on offer for a short burst of overtaking acceleration.

Of course, using the Explorer in this way will hit the range, but you can mitigate this by boosting energy recovery when slowing. The car’s column-mounted drive selector offers ‘D’ and ‘B’ modes, with the latter boosting energy recuperation when lifting off the throttle. It’s simple enough to activate with a twist of the drive selector, but the strength of the regeneration isn’t adjustable, and isn’t strong enough for one-pedal driving. It’s easy enough to get used to the strength and drive accordingly, although at higher speeds it’s more comfortable to leave the car in ‘D’ mode.

The Explorer’s various electronic sensors help to keep the car on the straight and narrow, with lane assistance and forward-traffic detection able to adjust the car’s position and speed without any input from the driver. Even the compulsory speed-limit warning isn’t as intrusive as some systems, courtesy of the gentle chime that Ford has equipped it with. However if you’d rather not use these systems, you can deactivate them via a menu that’s a couple of button presses away from the main touchscreen.

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With a maximum distance of 374 miles on offer from the 77kWh battery, the Ford Explorer is an electric SUV that has the ability to banish range anxiety completely. That maximum is better than any model within the VW Group that uses the same MEB platform can achieve, and is one of the best figures of any EV currently on sale.

That maximum range figure is for the Select model, and the higher-spec Premium car knocks around 20 miles off of that, because of its larger 20-inch wheels and the weight of the panoramic glass roof that comes as part of the standard-kit list.

While Ford also offers a larger 79kWh battery, this is paired with the more powerful and weightier twin-motor set-up, so the maximum range is 329 miles. Not as good, but still strong for the class. When it arrives in 2025, the 52kWh model is expected to have a range of 239 miles.

During our time with an Explorer in Premium trim, we saw the trip computer return average efficiency of 3.7 miles per kWh, even with some fast motorway use. This translates into a range of 277 miles for the 77kWh model, which will likely be enough for most driving needs.

When it comes to charging, the larger 79kWh battery has a faster 185kW maximum charge rate, but all this does is equalise the time it takes to charge it when compared with the 77kWh model, which has a 135kW maximum. It means a powerful enough source can get the bigger battery from 10 to 80 per cent capacity in 26 minutes, while it takes 28 minutes for the smaller pack to get to the same level.

Ford will provide new Explorer customers with a smart card that will allow them to make use of the Ford BlueOval charging network, which has 32,000 fast chargers in the UK and allows you to make payments via a dedicated account.

If you’re AC charging, the Explorer can go from 10-80 per cent capacity in five hours from an 11kW source, while it takes seven and three-quarter hours from a 7kW power supply.

One area where the Explorer falls behind is the fact that a heat pump is a pricey option, costing more than £1,000, when some rivals (such as the less expensive Renault Scenic) have one as standard. If you don’t have a pump, it means the battery will be relied upon to heat the car, which will harm the range.

According to our expert data, the Explorer is expected to retain around 51-55 per cent of its value after three years or 36,000 miles. That could be because it’s still relatively new, but is better than the VW ID.4 upon which it’s based, which retains between 42 and 45 per cent over the same period. Beyond the VW Group, the Renault Scenic E-Tech retains around 52-54 per cent of its value.

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While the Ford Explorer shares technology with a range of VW Group EVs, there are no exterior clues to the parts sharing that’s going on beneath. Dimensionally, the Explorer is shorter than an ID.4 or Skoda Enyaq, while the wheelbase is different, too. It’s also marginally wider than the VW, and is slightly shorter. 

The result is a stocky design, but not one that’s particularly boxy, thanks to some subtle curves on the bonnet and rounded wheel arches. The upright front end is dominated by a large Ford badge – which is lucky because there aren’t many design cues that tie the car to other models in the line-up – and the smooth nose and wide-set lights give it a purposeful look.

Farther back, the windows are relatively narrow – although there’s no issue with the view out - and a fake C-pillar graphic breaks up the window line without spoiling visibility or making the cabin feel hemmed in. At the back, the narrow rear window limits the view out the back a little, while the rear bumper design replicates that of the front. Another duplication from front to rear is the Explorer lettering emblazoned across the nose, so there’s no doubt about what you’re looking at.

In terms of colours, white is the standard option, while a range of black, silver, blue and vivid red metallics are available as an option. Whichever colour you choose, the interior colour remains the same, with a black finish for the upholstery. The Select model has part man-made leather Sensico trim, while the Premium model is fully finished in synthetic leather.

In the cabin, there is a mix of materials, with some of them feeling more premium than others. The steering wheel is good to hold, while there’s glossy black trim on the centre console, but the trim on either side of the touchscreen looks a little unfinished. The black plastics used farther down are harder than in the rest of the car, too.

It’s in the cabin where the most obvious use of VW parts can be seen. The column-mounted drive selector and the single column stalk on the opposite side are lifted straight from VW, as are the driver’s window switches, including the slightly odd two-button set-up that has a secondary switch, so they can be used to operate the back windows.

While the steering wheel is good to hold, it features the same touch-sensitive buttons that we’ve been critical of in VWs in the past. They’re backlit in Ford’s corporate pale blue, but they still fail to respond very well. On cars with a heated steering wheel, the button needs a hard press, and it takes a certain knack to use, but on the other side the volume control has different levels of response whether you slide your thumb over it or press it. And as with VW models fitted with the same wheel, it’s easy to brush the controls when cornering.

Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment

The main focal point of the cabin is the large 14.6-inch portrait display, but while it’s vast, it doesn’t dominate the cabin. You can adjust its angle to help mitigate any reflections, although in the most upright position it’s a little farther away than we would like. Either way, it’s a clever system with lots of functions and super-sharp graphics, while the hidden storage behind the screen locks when you leave the car.

The menu system is fine to use, and you can set shortcuts for the options you use the most, while the mapping screen is simply huge. The climate controls also have permanent residence across the bottom of the touchscreen, and since they’re so big, they’re easy to use when you’re on the move. Of course, Ford’s SYNC voice control is also included if you’re happy to talk to the car.

It’s good that the touchscreen is user-friendly because some of the other controls aren’t so intuitive. As already mentioned, the steering wheel buttons could be better, while the volume slider at the base of the screen needs a press to work, which can be distracting to do when on the move – while the steering wheel volume control is also tricky to use, at least you can do it without taking your hands off the wheel.

Upgrading to Premium trim over Select is the introduction of a 10-speaker B&O audio system, which is fitted in the dash-top unit that’s designed to look like a TV sound bar.

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Cabin storage is one of the Ford Explorer’s highlights, and it’s led by the central ‘Megaconsole’ between the front seats. This armrest bin features a pair of removable cup holders and dividers that can then create enough space inside for a couple of two-litre drinks bottles. There’s even space beneath the front part of the centre console to store the removed cup holders so you don’t lose them.

The Megaconsole is a useful feature to have because the Explorer’s door bins aren’t quite as roomy and you’re limited to what you can carry because of the large armrests above them.

The other smart storage solution is the compartment behind the main touchscreen, which locks when the ignition is off, creating a secure space for valuables when you leave the car.

Passenger space is decent, although the high floor – with of the battery located beneath it – means that back-seat passengers sit with their knees high and without much under-thigh support. This is also exacerbated by the short seat cushions, so longer journeys might become uncomfortable for taller occupants. At least the flat floor means there’s foot space across the floor for all three occupants. Plastic tabs cover the two sets of ISOFIX mounts in the back, so fitting a child seat will be simple.

Up front, the driver’s seat has electric adjustment, but the passenger seat does not, even in higher-spec Premium trim. The seats themselves are positioned quite high in relation to the dashboard, so you get a proper SUV feel from behind the wheel, although some drivers might like it if the seats went lower.

While the Explorer has slim windows, the cabin feels airy, thanks in part to the glass C-pillars on either side. These have a distinctive graphic that’s visible from the outside, but all but disappears on the inside, so more light enters the cabin. Premium models also have a panoramic glass roof, although unlike some rivals, there’s no sunshade, whether it’s a physical cover or electrochromatic glass.

Boot space is fair at 445 litres in five-seat mode, although rivals such as the Renault Scenic, Skoda Enyaq and VW ID.4 all have bigger capacities. There are a pair of bag hooks, a 12V socket and a moveable boot floor in the back of the Ford, although the under-floor storage is only big enough for a charging cable. 

The back seats have a 60:40 split and fold flat without a step in the floor, and there’s 1,422 litres of space in this configuration. Unlike some rivals, Ford hasn’t included any storage under the Explorer’s bonnet.

If you want to use the Explorer for hauling a trailer, Ford offers a towbar on the accessories list, and there’s a towing capacity of 1,000kg for the RWD model, and up to 1,200kg for the AWD version.

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The Ford Explorer managed to gain a maximum five out of five rating from safety experts Euro NCAP in 2024, which is impressive given that the Volkswagen ID.4 also gained a five-star rating under less stringent testing criteria in 2021. The Explorer did better in the adult occupancy category than the Volkswagen Tiguan which was also tested in 2024, but couldn’t match the Tiguan in the child, vulnerable road user, and safety assistance categories.

Standard safety equipment is reasonable, with both trim levels getting lane-keep aid, adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition and cross-traffic and exit warning systems. But it is a shame that the only options package is the one for driver assistance, which for almost £2,000 (£500 less on the higher Premium trim level as you already get the powered tailgate that’s part of the pack) adds a head-up display, lane centring with lane-change assist, active park assist and a 360-degree camera.

The platform for the ID.4 has been around for a few years, so any issues will hopefully have been ironed out. We hope that Ford is working to improve upon its disappointing 30th place out of 32 manufacturer score in the best brands category of the 2024 Driver Power customer satisfaction survey - one position below Volkswagen in 29th position.

Ford Explorer alternatives

Rivals for the Explorer include the Scenic, ID.4 and Enyaq as mentioned, while other options in a similar price band include the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, MINI Countryman and Toyota bZ4X.