Ford Explorer - Review, Specs, Pricing, Features, Videos and More
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Pros | The return of rear-wheel drive, One of the best Explorers to date, a hybrid option that can tow |
Cons | Plagued by recalls, hybrid isn't much thriftier, gets expensive fast |
Bottom Line | While the Ford Explorer isn’t the cheapest three-row SUV on the market, it offers attractive styling, peppy performance, a hybrid platform, and rarely-found rear-wheel drive. |
Table of contents
Ford Explorer XLT Vs Limited: Which Trim is Right for You?
The Ford Explorer remains one of the brand's most enduring—and best-selling—SUVs.
When it debuted back in 1991, the Explorer served as a preview of the high-rider future. It sat on a modified truck platform and well, it drove like one. Fast forward to today's sixth-generation model and the Explorer has a much more road-friendly ride. Nonetheless, it still stands apart from most of the mid-sized segment, as it sits on a rear-biased platform, not front-drive-based. For those moving out of trucks, that similarity provides a comfortable familiarity.
Like a truck, the Explorer comes in plenty of trims, ranging from frugal to fancy. For this trim-on-trim comparison, we're focusing in on two of the more popular flavors. Stuck on which is the right one for you? Read on for our full Ford Explorer XLT versus Limited comparison.
Read the full comparison here.
2021 Ford Explorer XLT Review: Bringing the Team Together
There is a parking spot’s amount of stuff lying beside the SUV.
Four of us are trying to determine how we’re going to fit everything into the 2021 Ford Explorer. It’s the last week of summer, but more importantly, it’s my cousin’s bachelor party. A Marvel fan to the very core, he’ll face six different challenges over the next 48 hours to win his own Infinity Stones, and the first one is staring him down in a Toronto underground parking garage. We—okay, mostly him, but the co-best men and I are here for support—need to fit three golf bags, a TV and some video game systems, food and drinks for nine, and all the other accessories needed for a weekend in cottage country.
The process is neither fast nor pretty, but eventually, the Explorer is packed to the rafters. Space stone duly earned, the man of the weekend installs himself into the front seat as the best men get into the second row, a wall of stuff separating them. The Explorer has passed its first test, too. Ford’s three-row is a spacious, comfort-first hauler, and while it has its foibles, the big SUV will end up ably handling everything the team asks of it over the next 350 miles.
Detailed Specs
| Price | $36,760 - $52,875 |
| Engine | 2.3-liter turbo 4-cylinder / 3.3-liter 6-cylinder + hybrid / 3.0-liter turbo 6-cylinder |
| Horsepower | 300 hp / 318 hp / 400 hp |
| Torque | 310 lb-ft / 322 lb-ft / 415 lb-ft |
| Drivetrain | RWD / AWD |
| Transmission | 10AT |
| Fuel Economy (city/hwy) | 18–27 mpg / 21–28 mpg |
| Cargo capacity | 18.2 cu ft |
Our Final Verdict
Ford Explorer
Overall | 3.5 |
| Performance | 7.0 |
| Features | 7.0 |
| Comfort | 8.0 |
| Quality and Styling | 7.0 |
| Value | 6.0 |
More by AutoGuide.com Staff
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