Ford Explorer Review (2024-present)

What is the Ford Explorer?

The 2024 Ford Explorer has been a long time coming, but it’s great to finally see Ford joining the more affordable electric car classes below its initial plug-in passenger car, the Mustang Mach-E. Even if, interestingly, this is the first Ford passenger car to arrive on Volkswagen’s MEB platform.

Yes, you read that right… A few years back, VW and Ford struck a deal to share platforms and parts, so VW now uses Ford’s commercial vehicle underpinnings for its vans and pick-ups, while Ford uses VW’s electric car platforms for its cars. And here we are, with a new, mid-sized electric Ford SUV that uses the same motors and architecture as the VW ID.4 and Skoda Enyaq.

Ford has gone to great lengths to make the Explorer drive like a Ford, though, having heavily fettled the suspension and steering. It’s also a completely bespoke exterior design, and has its own infotainment software, so it’s not simply a badge-engineered Volkswagen, by any stretch.

There are three batteries on offer; the 52- and 77kWh (usable capacity) batteries offer range of between 239- and 374 miles of official WLTP range, while the biggest 79kWh battery is only offered with four-wheel drive and a big power boost, so actually has a middling range of 329 miles.

How practical is it?

Let’s start with the really clever practicality touches that set the Ford apart. First up is the horrendously named ‘My Private Locker’, which is a useful cubby that’s hidden behind the touchscreen. You manually tilt the screen to reveal the void behind it, and then slide it back into place where it locks to leave any valuables secreted away securely and out of sight.

Second is the huge centre stowage cubby - Ford calls it the ‘MegaConsole’: of course it does - between the front seats, which has removable cup holders (if you take them out, there’s a dedicated cubby to stow them away in the lower-level shelf between the seats) and is deep enough to take a laptop.

This is all useful stuff, but it also has to be pointed out that there’s no ‘frunk’ storage in the nose of the car, and while there’s a very decent 470 litres of boot space, bigger rivals like the Tesla Model Y and Skoda Enyaq are roomier still under the tailgate. It’s also intensely irritating that Ford has taken the haptic touch-sensitive steering wheel controls from some VW models, which are far too easy to hit by accident when you’re driving.

There’s plenty of passenger space in the electric Ford Explorer, and any driver should be able to get comfortable courtesy of the 12-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat that every Explorer gets. You even get heated seats and massage function as standard across the range, which is unusually generous.

In the back, a flat floor means that there’s loads of foot space, and there’s a vast amount of legroom, while headroom is fine, but six-footers may find themselves feeling a touch close to the headlining in those Explorers that get the panoramic glass roof.

What’s it like to drive?

We had a go in the range-topping Ford Explorer Extended Range AWD (all-wheel drive) on our test drive, which gets 335bhp and can do 0-62mph in 5.3 seconds, so it’s no surprise that straight-line pace is a proper giggle.

What is more of a surprise is that the Ford feels quite different to its Volkswagen counterparts on the road. While the VW ID.4 and Skoda Enyaq are confident and smooth, the Ford really does bring more fun to the party. The steering is communicative and well-weighted, while the car feels nicely balanced and keen to swing through corners. It’s playful, yet also comfortable with well-sorted damping that remains pliant even in town: and that’s despite the standard 20-inch alloy wheels of the Premium-trimmed test car that we tried.

The single motor Extended Range RWD (rear-wheel drive) is also really nice to drive. Not as fast, of course, but the 282bhp powertrain still allows it to do 0-62mph in a sprightly 6.4 seconds, and is more involving than just about any rival: even if the dual motor is the one to go for if you want the proper Ford magic.

If there’s one criticism, it’s that we’d like an additional brake regen mode. You can choose from the very gentle default regen, or select ‘B’ via the steering column-mounted gear shifter (familiar from the VW ID range) for much heavier regen that’s strong enough for one-pedal driving around town. It all gels well and is easy to predict, plus the brake pedal feel and response is good, so the Explorer is a doddle to drive smoothly, but it’d still be good to have the option of a more middling regen mode in addition to the others.

Technology, equipment & infotainment

There are only two trim levels in the Ford Explorer, and both have masses of equipment. Even entry-level Ford Explorer Select gets those electrically-adjustable seats with massage function and lumbar adjustment, keyless entry, a seven-speaker soundbar, LED headlamps with automatic high beam, reversing camera and parking sensors, and advanced driver assistance technology including 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. You can add a tow bar, and while the towing limit of 1,000kg for the RWD and 1,200kg for the AWD is a bit low, it’s still useful for a light trailer or, more likely, will be great for bike racks. A head-up display is available as part of a pack that also brings an upgrade to a 360-degree parking camera and a semi-autonomous driving mode.

The 14.6-inch Ford SYNC Move touchscreen infotainment is standard on all Ford Explorer models, and the good news is that it uses different software to the Volkswagen, Skoda and Cupra models. The bad news is that it’s still quite annoying to use in some ways. There are four tiny shortcut buttons permanently visible at the top of the screen, and they’re configurable so that you can set them to do whatever functions you want, but they’re difficult to hit on the move and there’s no ‘back’ button to return to a previous screen if you just wanted to dip briefly into the settings.

Even so, there is a home button to return to the main menu, and the climate controls are always visible on the screen, so it’s not too bad. You also get over-the-air updates, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard.

Ford Explorer running costs

At launch, the Ford Explorer starts from just under £40,000 for the 52kWh Select model, but most buyers will go for a 77kWh version, which is roughly £45,000 to £50,000. The AWD Extended Range that we like so much is a faintly horrifying £54,000.

That’s not cheap but, believe it or not, it’s actually on a par with a lot of electric crossovers like this and the Ford has more standard equipment than many. Having said that, rivals like the Renault Scenic E-Tech and the Kia Niro EV do make the Ford look expensive on list price. Ultimately, for retail buyers, it’ll mostly come down to the monthly PCP finance deals that Ford offers, and we’re yet to see details of those.

Ford Explorer reliability

The Explorer is too new to have much reliability data, but the Volkswagen-sourced parts have been around for a few years now and have proven to be pretty reliable. Ford offers the Explorer with a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty, which is underwhelming next to the longer warranties from Hyundai and Kia, but the battery is covered for eight years and 100,000 miles.