Ford Explorer review

Is the Ford Explorer a good car?

The Ford Explorer name may have disappeared from the UK market a few decades ago, but it has returned and applied not simply to a hastily adapted gas-guzzling US SUV like the original, but a far more modern electric vehicle using the Volkswagen MEB platform. The resulting Explorer feels like a fresh start in the EV space for the brand. 

Efficient and with long range figures, the latest Explorer has a practical interior and a well-judged driving experience, allowing it to mix with the top mid-size electric SUVs on today’s market. Only some ambitious pricing and a few control interface niggles really hold it back.

How much does the Ford Explorer cost?

Ford is finally getting serious about electric cars, and has plenty of catching up to do with the Explorer. That’s the positive angle on this latest Ford EV. The detractors would say that a revamped Volkswagen ID.4 - not the most sparkling of EVs to start with - and the resurrection of another old brand name previously seen on a larger SUV from the States doesn’t exactly scream of a new beginning. And that’s before you mention the delays to a car that finally emerged around nine months later than initially hoped, as Ford held off on the launch until battery tech was where it wanted it to be. 

This is Ford’s second proper production EV, joining the Mustang Mach-E and glossing over the electric Ford Focus that it never really got behind, the Explorer name returns having been sold in the UK between 1997 and 2001, although in America the nameplate has been a constant since 1990, where it became the best-selling SUV of all time in 2020. 

The Explorer EV comes with a choice of two trim levels - the higher Premium trim is either rear- or four-wheel drive, while the Select trim is only rear-drive. There will be a £40,000 smaller 52kWh battery model coming in late 2024, but from launch, you’re looking at almost £46,000 for a rear-drive Select, topping out at just under £54,000 for the AWD Premium. That’s a little higher than the Skoda Enyaq, while the admittedly less powerful and efficient Renault Scenic is significantly cheaper. 

Equipment levels are decent, with entry cars getting 19-inch alloys, a powered driver’s seat, heated front seats with a massage function, wireless phone charging, a 14.6-inch touchscreen, and a host of safety kit. Step up to Premium for just over £4,000, and the alloys go up to 20 inches, Matrix LED headlamps are added, the audio system is upgraded to a B&O set-up, a powered hands-free tailgate is provided, and there’s a panoramic roof. 

Until the 168bhp, 239-mile range entry car with a 52kWh battery arrives, the choices are limited to a 77kWh battery on the rear-driven model or a slightly larger 79KWh battery for the all-wheel-drive range-topper. Top of the official range figures is the Select rear-drive car with 374 miles, dropping by over 20 miles when you go for the higher trim level due to its bigger wheels and increased specification impacting the range. The same goes for the less efficient all-wheel drive car, which drops the range down to 329 miles. Our preferred rear-drive model managed 3.6 miles per kWh during testing, which equates to a real world range of almost 280 miles.

The all-wheel drive car’s bigger battery charges at an impressive 185kW maximum rate, but that drops to a more modest 135kW for the rear-drive car’s 77kWh battery, although according to Ford that only adds two minutes to the charging time from 10-80%, the two versions taking 26 and 28 minutes, respectively. 

The extra power of the all-wheel drive car - 335bhp versus 282bhp in the rear-drive - makes more than a second of difference on the 0-62mph acceleration times at 5.3 and 6.4 seconds respectively, but the less powerful car is still lively enough to make the AWD seem an extravagance. 

Though Ford mentioned the Volvo EX30 as a potential rival, the more logical competitors include the Renault Scenic, as well as the Volkswagen ID.4 and Skoda Enyaq, which share much of the Explorer’s underpinnings.

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One of Ford’s strongest claims with the Explorer is that its reputation for producing cars that are fun to drive, cultivated for more than 25 years, has been maintained. Engineering changes compared to the Volkswagen ID.4 sister car mainly centre around the suspension, dampers and roll bars, as well as the electronics, and within the confines of the Explorer still being an electric mid-sized SUV, the engineers have largely succeeded in developing a car that’s an enjoyable steer.

Ford’s usual suspension wizardry has made the Explorer a car that’s comfortable across rougher roads and speed bumps, yet also keeps body roll under control for briskly attacked roundabouts or a bit of B-road fun. It’s also comfortable for high-speed runs, with a little background road and wind noise, but nothing to take the edge off it as a relaxing long journey companion. Basically a pretty impressive set of skills that doesn’t neglect one area to score well on another.

Around town, the Ford Explorer is very manoeuvrable, with a great turning circle helping complete tight turns. That’s handy, as visibility through the narrow rear window is pretty poor, meaning you’ll have to rely on the standard rear parking camera and front and rear parking sensors to keep the Ford away from parking scrapes. The only real complaint with the driving experience is that the steering feels a little light at higher speeds when you make the first move off-centre, but does quickly add more weight. It’s also a shame, particularly around town, that there’s no full one-pedal driving mode or even many different levels of brake energy regeneration as you’ll find on the Kia EV6. It’s just the Drive or Brake functions activated using the very familiar VW Group stalk. 

While there’s over a second between the two power options on the 0-62mh dash, the ‘lesser’ model, which still has a very useful 286hp, is perfectly potent. It reacts with immediacy, even for anyone familiar with electric vehicles, as soon as you touch the throttle. You’d have to be working the Ford Explorer hard to regret not paying the extra for the all-wheel drive 335bhp range-topper.

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Considering it’s so late to the party, it’s a good job Ford has rolled into the electric SUV mainstream with something to boast about. 

The Extended Range (77kWh) rear-wheel drive Explorer in entry specification has an official range figure of 374 miles, and on a pretty brisk test we saw efficiency that would have it heading for 280 miles in the real world, which outpoints almost all the competition and is more than enough for the vast majority of the driving population. Interestingly, it’s a decent chunk more than the VW ID.4 with which the Ford Explorer shares much of its componentry. 

Opt for the higher Premium trim level, and the range figure drops down to an official 355 miles thanks largely to the bigger alloy wheels, while the extra power of the all-wheel drive Explorer sees the range figure at an official 329 miles. That power and the four-wheel drive traction cost £4,000 versus the rear-drive price tag. 

The 79kWh all-wheel drive car charges at an impressive rate of 185kW for a 26-minute 10-80 per cent charge on an ultra-fast charger, but it’s a more run-of-the-mill 135kW for the rear-drive car. That means a 10-80% top-up charge should take around 28 minutes. That’s decent enough, but doesn’t move the game on. At home, you’re looking at just over five hours for the same charge on an 11kW charger, or seven-and-three-quarter hours to go from 10 to 80 per cent at 7kW charging. 

Ford offers an eight-year or 100,000-mile warranty on the battery and EV components, guaranteeing that the battery will still be at 70% of its original capacity. Disappointingly, a heat pump, which helps electric car efficiency in cold weather, is an expensive option, rather than being fitted as standard. 

Fortunately for Explorer buyers, according to our expert data, it’s expected to maintain between 51 and 55 per cent of its resale value after three years or 36,000 miles. That’s more than the VW ID.4 upon which it is based, which is only expected to retain between 42 and 45 per cent over the same period.

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The Ford Explorer certainly isn’t visually just a smaller version of the Mustang Mach-E, the brand’s existing electric SUV offering, with Ford adamant it won’t invoke what it calls “Russian doll” car design where the same look is trotted out for different sizes of car.

Which is why it’s handy, with little to link it to other Ford models visually, that there’s a huge Ford badge on the nose, leaving nobody in doubt as to what it is. The design hides the car’s size well - it’s a larger car than it looks - and the bold Explorer lettering front and rear is a new design detail likely to carry over to future models as Ford makes more of its famous nameplates. The Explorer certainly looks nothing like its VW ID.4 sister car, and is a pleasingly chunkier, more ‘SUV’ design, with the blanked-off grille making the point that this isn’t an internal combustion engine car that needs the air cooling. 

Colour-wise, the only standard choice is white, with the other five alternatives all on a limited options list of the Drive Assistance pack of safety kit and just four other individual options - 21-inch alloys (AWD only), an EV heat pump, a towbar, and a dog guard. 

Inside, the materials are an odd mix. In some places the quality surprises, with softer plastics than expected. There’s also some shifts of shape and colour to break up the interior nicely, and an overall feeling that Ford’s made an attempt to lift the quality of its cabins - something it’s not exactly famous for. But then the bottom half of the car reverts to harsh black plastic. For example, the part of the door panel you rest your elbow on has a bit of squish to it, but the handle to pull the door shut is harder, even though you’ll touch it every time you get in the car.  

It’s also a shame Ford opted not to swap out the Volkswagen Group switchgear. Indicator and gear selector stalks are the same, as is the frankly stupid partly touchsensitive window switches that toggle clunkily between front and rear windows, just to save having separate switches on the driver’s door. 

The cabin is dominated by Ford’s huge 14.6-inch touchscreen, mounted vertically smartphone (or Tesla of old) style.

Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment

One of the big differences between the Explorer’s Select and Premium trim levels is the addition of a 10-speaker B&O audio system in the latter, blasting out your favourite tunes with the help of a big speaker that’s supposed to look like a soundbar you’d have by the TV stretched across the top of the dashboard. It’s still there on the lower trim level, just not B&O branded, and with three less additional speakers dotted around the car. 

The big screen looks great in full map mode, but has some usability irritations. It requires too many presses to disengage the interfering driver assistance systems, although at least you can tailor a number of shortcuts to sit at the top of the screen. 

Cleverly, the screen and its entire casing slide up and down from near-horizontal to a 45-degree angle, for both personal preference and to help visibility in bright light. But behind it is a secret stowage area housing a pair of USB-C charging points, and it’s also a space that, when the screen is fully down, is secured when you lock the car. It’s a good spot for any electronics that are being left in the car, for example.

Less good are the buttons on the steering wheel. Because it’s effectively one big touchpad, it’s hard to feel with your thumb where the individual controls are, and you have to glance down to use them. 

Everything runs through the touchscreen rather than any easy-to-use physical buttons, but at least the climate controls are always positioned at the bottom of the screen no matter which view you’re in, and not hidden in menus. 

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The Ford Explorer is a five-seater capable of carrying five people, with enough shoulder room and plenty of foot space thanks to the flat floor across the rear, and four adults will certainly find enough leg and head room to be comfortable for a long journey. The only complaint that might emerge from the back seats is that the car’s floor is a bit high, thanks to the battery packaging, which means passengers sit with their knees at a slightly unnatural angle and the back of their legs not resting comfortably on the seat base. A pair of ISOFIX child seat mounting points are located on the outer positions of the rear seat, and like the ID.4, they’re located behind some easily removable plastic tabs.

Rear visibility isn’t great thanks to the small rear window, although the little side windows to the rear let in some extra light for those in the back, despite not even being properly visible from the outside. 

As well as the clever sliding screen with stowage hidden away behind it, there are a couple of other handy little things Ford has worked on with the cabin usability. The central stowage area below the armrest is huge, and is capable of taking three 1.5-litre bottles plus an additional one-litre bottle, or even swallowing a whole laptop to keep it away from prying eyes while the car’s parked. It’s a smart piece of packaging that Ford has christened it the 'Megaconsole', and is certainly more useful that the door bins, which are a bit tight for even a modest size of drinks bottle.  

The boot is a reasonable space at 445 litres, although the likes of the Renault Scenic, Skoda Enyaq and VW ID.4 all have larger capacities, and has a pair of bag hooks, a 12V socket and a moveable boot floor so you can pick the height you want. The higher position creates a space underneath to stow the charging cable, which is useful for when it’s wet and you don’t want to mix it with luggage. But even in the higher position, there’s a small lip to heave heavier items over. 

The rear seats fold in 60:40 form via a button on the top of the seat, creating a space that’s almost flat. 

Ford offers a towbar on the limited options list, with the Explorer rated at a towing capacity of 1,000kg for the RWD model, and up to 1,200kg for the AWD version.

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The latest 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 that 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 driver assistance package, 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 package) adds a head-up display, lane centering with lane change assist, active park assist and a 360-degree camera.

The platform for the ID.4 has been around for 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

Ford has managed to do more than just bring out a VW ID.4 with a different body, and combined with very good range and efficiency numbers, the Explorer has a good chance when going up against the likes of the excellent Skoda Enyaq, spacious Renault Scenic, and distinctive Peugeot E-3008.