Ford Explorer Review 2024

There’s a trend happening and if you’re after an electric car that’s a tad more affordable, it’s a good one: prices of new EVs are starting to come down. Why? Well, in part because of the slightly smaller, more affordable offerings, from the heavy-hitting manufacturers, but does less expensive also mean less good? Find out with our full Ford Explorer review.

You might be surprised to hear that the all-electric Explorer has more in common with Volkswagen Group’s EVs than its bigger brother, the Ford Mustang Mach-E. That’s because Ford opted to buy in the hardware – platform, motors, transmissions and so on – from VW rather than use its own. 

Is that a good thing? Probably, because the Mustang Mach-E is a bit so-so, while SUVs that use the MEB underpinnings that the Ford Explorer uses – including the Audi Q4 e-tron, the good value Skoda Enyaq plus the Volkswagen ID.4 and ID.5 duo – are all pretty decent to drive.

Of course, other manufacturers have skin in this game including the Kia Niro Electric, the Mercedes EQA and Renault Scenic E-Tech.

Not that the Ford Explorer is identical to the VW family offerings, though, because its own stamp has been successfully added, including its name, for one thing.

Until now, the Ford Explorer moniker has been used largely outside the UK, on a bigger, combustion-engined SUV built in the USA. Thankfully, the electric version, which is designed with European tastes in mind, is sized more appropriately for our narrower streets. 

Then there’s the exterior, which is Ford’s handy work, too, and in the metal it looks good. It’s a clean and modern design that – despite many hours of honing in the wind tunnel – manages not to be amorphous. It’s definitely distinct from the Volkswagen Group models. 

Inside, there’s some Volkswagen buttons and controls but the style and the infotainment system is, again, Ford’s. That includes the whacking, great 14.6-inch portrait-style screen smack in the middle of the dashboard. It moves, too, so you can change the angle of the screen to help you reach it more easily, plus there’s a hidden lockable hidey-hole for your valuables behind it. Just don’t tell any car thieves it’s there. 

Even though it’s smaller than, say, the VW ID.4, the Explorer’s almost as roomy inside, with a good amount of passenger space. The main difference is the boot size because the rear overhang is a lot shorter than the ID.4’s, which takes its toll on luggage space, resulting in a 470-litre capacity. Still a handy amount but hardly class-leading. 

The Ford Explorer line-up is deliberately simple with just two trim levels, Select and Premium, both of which come with plenty of toys. There are three battery sizes: the 52kWh Standard Range RWD (rear-wheel drive), 77kWh Extended Range RWD and 79kWh Extended Range AWD (all-wheel drive). The potential electric range is very good –officially up to 374 miles – while power outputs stretch from 170PS to 340PS. 

How much does all this cost? The range starts at a smidge under £40,000 and extends to around £54,000. Not as cheap as the Renault Scenic E-Tech, then, but still one of the more affordable electric SUVs out there.

The Ford Explorer looks more compact than the Skoda Enyaq and Volkswagen ID.4 and with good reason: it is, some 190mm shorter than the latter. Crucially, the wheelbase, which is the gap between the front and rear wheels, is roughly the same as it is on those bigger models. That means passenger space is similarly good. 

You’ll be able to sit yourself and three of your tallest buddies on board, with everyone enjoying enough legroom and loads of headroom. Adding a fifth passenger in the rear makes things more of a squeeze but there’s no central tunnel for the middle occupant to clamber over and lots of under-seat foot space. That said, there’s even more legroom for to properly stretch out in the back of a Renault Scenic E-Tech.

The Explorer has more cabin storage space, though. How much, exactly? A whopping 48 litres. It’s cleverly done, as well, as demonstrated by the sliding infotainment screen which reveals a secret cubby behind it. This is great for valuables because it automatically locks with the doors. 

Under the front centre armrest you’ll find a cavern that Ford calls the MegaConsole. And mega is the right word. Here alone is a 17-litre stowage space, which is enough for a laptop. If you don’t need the cupholders they’re removable, freeing up even more space. You can replace them with a tray for keys or other smaller trinkets if that works better for you. 

The boot is smaller than the ID.4’s and Enyaq’s, though, and at 470 litres the Ford Explorer’s cargo space is also much smaller than the Scenic E-Tech’s handy 545-litre capacity. 

Still, the Ford’s load space is usefully flexible, with a height-adjustable boot floor and no load lip. The rear seats also split/folds 60:40 or you can use the ski hatch for longer items. 

The main bugbear is that there isn’t enough space beneath the boot floor for the charging cables. There’s no front boot, either, as you get with a Tesla Model Y.

While there are some harder, scratchy plastics inside, Ford’s chosen where to use them wisely. Like on the top of the dashboard, for instance – a place you’re only likely to notice the material quality when you’re giving it a dust. Elsewhere, you will find softer materials that are more pleasing to the eye and to the touch. 

The cars we tried were top-spec models with interiors finished in two-tone black and grey. The contrasting shades gift the interior a lighter, airy feel; it’s arguably a more pleasing place to sit than the ID.4’s slightly nondescript cabin. 

The Ford Explorer seems to be screwed together nicely, too – at least as well made as the Scenic E-Tech inside. 

While the Ford is good, for something really snazzy to sit in there’s the BMW iX3 and Genesis GV60, but they are far pricier.

The Ford Explorer's 14.6-inch touchscreen in the middle of the dashboard looks as impressive as anything from Tesla. Don’t be fooled, though, it’s not a patch on the Tesla’s to use. 

For a start, while the screen is enormous, many of the icons are tiny. Like the Menu button, which is but a wee speck at the very top of the screen. Why? Don’t ask us. All we know is it’s jolly hard to hit while you’re driving.

In fairness, the software is quite snappy, while the graphics and screen quality are also ace. But the menus lack forethought, for example, if you stray from the navigation screen, you would expect to find your way back with a simple ‘previous menu’ button, right? Wrong. 

Sometimes there is a back button, sometimes there isn’t. And when it’s not there you’ve got to find that titchy Menu button again. 

While we’re on the subject of the navigation screen, we had to ask how to see the distance and time to our destination displayed, as it’s needlessly buried. 

It’s a nice touch that you can adjust the angle of the infotainment screen, although we would stop short of claiming it’s a revelation to the user experience. The infotainment comes very well equipped, with sat-nav wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto all standard. 

Select trim comes with a seven-speaker sound system with a soundbar. We tried the Bang & Olufsen system that features on the Premium trim. It also includes a sound bar, plus 10 speakers and a subwoofer, too, but disappointingly it didn’t sound all that impressive to us, although we were using the radio as the source. 

To keep your phone charged up while you’re using it wirelessly there’s a 15-watt wireless charging pad. Alternatively, you will find USB-C charging ports front and rear. 

There are hardly any physical controls anywhere on the dashboard. All of the climate functions are operated via the touchscreen. There are some buttons on the steering wheel and centre console – for adjusting aspects like the stereo volume – but they’re fiddly, touch-sensitive, rather than physical, buttons.

At least it doesn’t emulate Tesla in doing away with a dedicated driver display. The Explorer has a separate 5.0-inch display ahead of the driver showing important info – speed, navigation instructions and the like. 

The cheapest Explorer is the Standard Range RWD in Select trim. At just under £39,875, it’s almost as much money as the Long Range Renault Scenic E-Tech – a more powerful alternative that will do a lot more miles between charges. 

The equivalent entry-level Scenic E-Tech undercuts the cheapest Explorer by nearly £3,000, and we expect the forthcoming Skoda Elroq’s starting price to be cheaper still. 

Moving up to the Explorer Select Extended Range RWD means you have to spend £45,875, or £49,975 if you want it in the plusher Premium trim. That’s Kia EV6 and Tesla Model Y money, which are both bigger cars. 

Fancy an all-wheel-drive Ford Explorer? You can only get that in the top Premium trim, which forces you to spend £53,975. That’s crazy when you consider that an AWD EV6 or Model Y will cost you quite a bit less. 

The upshot, then, is that you can buy similar-sized electric SUVs for less, and bigger ones for similar money than an Explorer. 

Ford charges extra for a heat pump, which you’ll need if you want to maximise the Explorer’s battery range on days when the weather is icy cold. The Explorer Standard Range, with its 52kWh battery, will at best be good enough for 239 miles on a single charge – that figure is provisional, though. 

The 77kWh Extended Range RWD is likely to be the most popular model and officially will do up to 374 miles. That’s not quite a match for the 379 miles that the Renault Scenic E-Tech Long Range manages but it’s not far off. The Explorer Extended Range AWD with the 79kWh battery officially manages up to 329 miles, which is roughly what you’ll get from the Tesla Model Y Long Range. 

The Explorer Standard Range charges at a relatively slow 125kW, the Extended Range RWD is a bit quicker, at 135kW, but that’s still far from the best. The EV6, for example, can charge at up to 238kW. 

The Explorer Extended Range AWD gets nearer to that with a charging speed of 185kW, but it has the biggest battery. Therefore, its fast charging speed isn’t that much quicker – 26 minutes to go from a 10% to 80% state of charge compared with 28 minutes for the rest of the range. 

To improve fast-charging speeds the Explorer will pre-condition the battery en route to a charging station so the battery is in the optimum condition to receive a charge. 

It’s expensive to fast charge while out and about and the most cost-effective way is to charge from a home wall box with a cheap overnight tariff. Wall boxes charge at 7kW, so expect to go from empty to fully charged in around 12 hours. 

Outside of charging it, the Ford Explorer should cost very little to run, especially compared with a regular petrol or diesel car. For a start, Ford includes a

complimentary five-year service plan that covers the cost of the first two services, and at the moment electric cars incur no VED (road tax), either. Don’t forget that if you’re a company car user then the benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax band for EVs is just 2%. 

The manufacturer’s warranty is a bit stingy, though, at three years or 60,000 miles.

We know the Ford Explorer is the same underneath as a host of Volkswagen Group EVs, but that’s only when it comes to the hardware – details, including the suspension tuning, is Ford’s own handy work. 

It’s been set-up to feel sportier than the Skoda Enyaq and Volkswagen ID.4, meaning you can carve along winding roads with confidence in the Explorer. 

It’s not night and day better than the ID.4, but there is less body lean than there is in the Enyaq – and Renault Scenic E-Tech for that matter – and, arguably, it’s keener to dart into corners, too. We say ‘arguably’ because the difference is marginal. 

Otherwise, the steering feels similar to the ID.4’s and Enyaq’s – like those two, the Explorer’s is light and easy to get to grips with. The Tesla Model Y and Scenic E-Tech have much quicker-reacting steering that takes some getting used to. 

There isn’t much road sensation coming through to your hands when you’re driving the Ford Explorer, so you’re missing those little messages about what’s going on beneath the tyres, but this isn’t a sports car so that’s no deal-breaker. 

All the Explorers we drove had good grip and even the rear-wheel-drive Extended Range had great traction – give the accelerator a hearty squeeze and it invariably squats down and goes without scrabbling. 

Try that in the front-wheel-drive-only Scenic E-Tech and it’ll spin-up its driven wheels far more easily. If you live near lanes that get slippery in winter or need to tow, the Ford Explorer Extended Range AWD will be even more surefooted. 

Because of its slightly firmer set-up, there’s an inevitable payback in ride quality. The Skoda Enyaq, in particular, is more supple and cosseting in nearly every scenario. The Explorer’s ride is always more agitated over at low speeds, to the point that it gets annoying. It settles down to a degree the faster you go, but still manages to produce an underlying fidget even on relatively smooth sections of motorway. 

It’s not as abrupt as the Tesla Model Y’s ride, though, and it’s quieter, too, with restrained levels of wind and road noise at 70mph.

We can’t tell you how quickly the 170PS Explorer Standard Range RWD is, because Ford hasn’t yet published the 0-62mph time, but we do know it has 310Nm of torque and an electronically limited top speed of 99mph.

With 286PS, the Explorer Extended Range RWD hits 0-62mph in 6.4 seconds courtesy of its 545Nm of torque, which is nippy enough to pip the entry-level Tesla Model Y RWD and trump even the quickest Renault Scenic E-Tech, which can only manage 0-62mph in 7.9 seconds.

It feels really responsive from the driver’s seat, too, but the good news is it’s not all or nothing. You can build speed smoothly when you’re just pootling around. 

If you want even more oomph then there’s the 340PS Explorer Extended Range AWD. That’s quicker than some hot hatchbacks, blasting its way from 0-62mph in just 5.3 seconds with 679Nm of torque on tap. Now that’s indeed fun, but most buyers will find the RWD model plenty quick enough. 

Like all electric cars, the Ford Explorer has regenerative braking to recharge the battery as you slow down. Thankfully, it’s much better resolved than the Ford Mustang Mach-E – the brake pedal in which feels like an on-off switch. The Explorer’s are more progressive, so it’s easy to stop smoothly. 

You can turn the regenerative braking down, so when you lift off the accelerator the car free-wheels, or you can switch to a higher-regen mode that slows the car down without having to use the brake pedal as often. It’s not a full one-pedal set-up, though, where you don’t need to touch the brake pedal at all to stop. 

The Ford Explorer is too new to have been crash-tested by Euro NCAP, but we have a hunch it’ll do okay. That’s because the crash structure is the same as the Skoda Enyaq and Volkswagen ID.4, which both received five stars when they were tested. 

These days, a big part of the NCAP test rating comes from the effectiveness of the safety assist systems. Every Explorer comes with a suite of these, including lane-keeping and departure aids, traffic sign recognition, speed limit warning and automatic emergency braking that will hit the brakes if it senses a collision with a car, pedestrian or bike. 

If you are unlucky enough to actually hit something, then there’s a brace of front and side airbags to cushion you.

If you plan to to tow with a Ford Explorer then you will need to tick the box for the factory-fitted electrically retractable tow bar. Dealer-fit options aren’t available at present. 

One issue with electric cars is they often aren’t rated to tow as much as a diesel or petrol equivalent and that’s the case here. The Ford Explorer can tow 1000kg if you opt for the Extended Range RWD or 1200kg with the Extended Range AWD. That’s okay for an EV, but almost half what a Land Rover Discovery Sport will pull.

Unusually for a car wearing a blue oval badge, there are only two trim levels available for the Ford Explorer. Thankfully, both of them come with lots of kit that helps justify its relatively steep list prices. 

Ford Explorer Select models come with 19-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, LED rear lights, a 12-way electric driver’s seat (with memory recall), heated front seats with massage function, rear privacy glass, selectable driving modes, adaptive cruise control with stop and start function, dual-zone climate control, keyless entry, power-folding door mirrors, puddle lights, front and rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera. 

Inside you will find wireless smartphone charging, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality, which also works cable-free, a 14.6-inch infotainment screen and 5.0-inch driver’s display. 

Move up to the Ford Explorer Premium trim for 20-inch alloys, Matrix LED headlights which can stay on high beams without dazzling other road users, an electric tailgate, ambient interior lighting, a panoramic glass roof and a 10-speaker B&O sound system.