Ford Explorer Review

This isn’t the first time that Ford has used the Explorer name; it’s been a popular model of SUV in the American market for many decades, yet this new electric family SUV has been designed and conceived by Ford of Europe and there are no intentions to take it to the American market (for now).

In fact, it’s so European that it’s actually a Volkswagen. Well, sort of… Beneath the Explorer’s smooth surface lies Volkswagen’s MEB platform and powertrains, which you may be familiar with from the ID.3, ID.4, Skoda Enyaq and co. Ford agreed a tie-up with Volkswagen a few years back, so that VW now uses Ford bits for its commercial vehicles, and Ford uses VW bits for its electric passenger cars, in an effort to cut development and manufacturing costs.

At 4.45m long and 2.1m wide, the Explorer is a fair bit shorter than the Model Y, and is a very similar size to the Renault Scenic and Kia Niro EV. I think it looks very inoffensive and modern in terms of the styling, and it’s got great aerodynamics as a result. But maybe it could stand out more? Hmm. It’s all subjective, and the appealing smoothness and simplicity of the Ford’s design is refreshing next to some of the very busy, angular designs in this class.  

Range, battery and charging 

There are three battery options in the electric-only Ford Explorer. The single-motor, 77kWh Extended Range RWD is likely to be the big seller as it manages up to 374 miles (or 354 miles if you go for top-spec Premium with its bigger alloy wheels). The high-powered Extended Range AWD variant gets a 79kWh usable battery and a range of 329 miles, while the 52kWh model arrives later with a WLTP range of 239 miles.  

Charging speeds vary, too. Go for the 52kWh electric Ford Explorer and the DC rapid charging peaks at 135kW for a 10-80% charge in around half an hour. The 77- and 79kWh versions manage an impressive 185kW, which isn’t at all far off the class-leading rapid charging speeds you get with Tesla, Kia and Hyundai, and can deliver a 10-80% charge in around 26 minutes when you plug into a fast enough rapid charger.

A 7kW home charger will full charge the Explorer 52kWh in under nine hours, while the big battery versions will take more like 13 hours. 

Of course, the Ford Explorer uses Type 2 and CCS sockets, which are the European standard sockets and will be compatible with almost all public chargers across the UK and Europe. 

Practicality and boot space 

The Ford Explorer will be a really decent electric family car. There’s a huge amount of legroom in the back seats, and the higher roofline means that you can bend in and hoover out those crisp crumbs really easily. Having said that, headroom in the back of the Explorer is fine, but six-footers will feel a bit more comfortable with the more generous headroom in the Skoda Enyaq and Tesla Model Y. 

There’s no ‘frunk’ for your cable storage but the 470-litre boot is a good size and has underfloor storage. Plus, there’s through-loading in the 60/40 split rear seats, which also fold flat nice and easily. It has to be pointed out that the Skoda Enyaq and Tesla Model Y both have bigger boots, but they’re also bigger cars and that’s not always a benefit if you regularly navigate tight car parks and awkward city streets. 

For a slightly more compact car, the Explorer is impressively roomy and on a par with the Renault Scenic – plus it’s got some very clever storage stuff going on up front: The ‘locker’ is a hidden cubby behind the touchscreen, which manually tilts (useful for avoiding glare from the sun on the screen, as well as to reveal or conceal the storage area). There’s also a huge central cubby, which has removable cupholders and phone tray, and which is deep enough to stow a normal laptop or modest-sized handbag.

Interior, Design/Styling & Technology 

The dash in the Ford Explorer looks really smart, and feels a notch up on most Fords, so the sense of built quality definitely isn’t going to disappoint. If you go for the Premium model with its Bang and Olufsen audio, you get brilliant sound quality and a dash-top soundbar that looks pretty cool, too.  

We’ve already mentioned the clever, tilting, 14.6-inch touchscreen that you get in every Explorer, and is a neat feature. However, there are some annoying aspects, including the haptic, touch-sensitive steering wheel controls that are too easy to activate by accident. The screen usability is a bit frustrating at times, too; there are four shortcut icons at the top of the screen that you rely on a lot to hop from the nav screen to other functions, but they’re small and fiddly to hit, and it’s irritating that there’s no back button to return to the previous screen if you’ve just dipped out to change drive mode, for instance. 

Mind you, there is a home button that’s always visible, and those shortcut icons are configurable, so with familiarity and time to customise the system it’ll be easy enough to live with. 

Motors, Performance & Handling

Ford fans can breathe a sigh of relief, because the Explorer is just as good to drive as we all want it to be - particularly if you go for the top-spec Extended Range AWD. This dual motor model will do 0-62mph in 5.3 seconds, so it’s no surprise that it’s got more than a bit of shock and awe when it comes to straight line aggression. But what’s far more impressive is that Ford has taken Volkswagen’s MEB underpinnings and made the Explorer feel… like a Ford. It’s really fun to drive on a good road, with direct-feeling steering responses and even quite a playful feel if you want it. It’s comfy, too; even on the standard 20-inch alloy wheels of our Premium trim test car, the Explorer feels pliant and well isolated over most road surfaces. 

Brake regen’ is controlled via the gear selector on the steering column, but is generally very mild and unobtrusive unless you select ‘B’ mode, which is heavy enough for one-pedal driving around town. It’d be nice to have one or two regen’ levels in between these two settings, to be honest, but at least the system is easy to judge and control smoothly. 

We had a go in the single motor Extended Range RWD model, too, which is also fun if – peculiarly – not quite as comfortable or engaging as the dual motor. Still more than good enough that you can feel that Ford magic, which is good as the single motor model is quite a bit more affordable and will probably be the big seller. Whichever model you choose, I reckon that the Explorer is the best-handling car of all the MEB-based electric cars, although I haven’t tried the Cupra Born VZ myself, yet – the standard Born hatchback runs the Explorer very close!

Running Costs & Pricing 

Prices start at just under £40,000 for the 52kWh Select model, but most will go for the 77kWh battery, which starts from just under £46,000. That’s not cheap; a Renault Scenic goes further to a charge and costs usefully less. It’s also a shame that you have to pay £1050 to add a heat pump to the Ford Explorer, as a lot of rivals (Scenic included) get this efficiency-boosting kit as standard. The standard warranty of three years and 60,000 miles (the battery is covered for 100,000 miles and eight years) is also underwhelming next to much longer vehicle warranties of Kia, Hyundai and Peugeot. 

Having said that, the Ford is more generously equipped than most rivals in other respects. Even the entry-level Select models get 12-way electric seat adjustment with massage function, not to mention heated seats, keyless entry, reversing camera and parking sensors, semi-autonomous adaptive cruise control and more. Premium trim is a big jump in price, but it does get you the panoramic glass roof and the excellent Bang and Olufsen sound system.

Verdict

The Ford Explorer is practical, comfortable and fun to drive, with some neat interior tricks and a very useful range, so it’s certainly a properly well sorted and very recommendable electric family SUV. I still wonder if there’s enough of a unique selling point to get buyers through Ford’s dealership doors, though? With rivals like the Model Y and Scenic E-Tech offering low finance costs and similarly compelling packages, Ford is going to have to pull out some great cash deals and monthly finance packages to really make an impact in this super-competitive class.

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