Ford Explorer | Test Drive | Auto Class Magazine

Ford Explorer | Test Drive

14 May 2022 Redazione News, Tested

FORD EXPLORER

Words Tommaso Mogge / Photos Jay Tomei

Since 1995, the Explorer has accompanied American families roaming across all of the 50 states and beyond. Recently at its sixth generation, it is time to broaden the horizons and conquer the old continent with what in the States is defined as a medium-sized SUV, the one suitable for the typical family with a terraced house, a perfectly mowed yard with a white fence and everything we’ve ever seen in thousands of movies and TV shows. But what about the narrow streets and the geographic conformation we have here in Europe – especially in Italy – where a 5 meters long and 2 wide car may actually seem anything but practical for a peaceful day to day coexistence. The latest incarnation of the Explorer, however, aims to shuffle the cards, landing with a single engine that confirms how much the blue oval intends to offer an XL alternative to the more traditional European SUVs.

Equipped with a generous twin-turbo V6 combined with an electric motor with rechargeable batteries also from your living room socket, the overall power of this Plug-In Hybrid reaches 457 horsepower and 825 Nm of torque. These are impressive values which, however, must not be misled by suggesting this is a 4X4 with marked dynamic qualities. In fact we are facing a huge carriage for five or seven people, where in the latter scenario and therefore going to use the two folding seats obtained beyond the rear row of seats, we will still have a decent load capacity to arrange some backpack and leave for a weekend out of town. The shape of the car is unmistakable and taking up the style of the previous series, it updates the optical groups and grille, making the new Explorer immediately recognizable, especially at the front thanks to the large grille that sinks the oval badge and makes the image massive as you would expect.

The four-wheel drive is mated with the excellent 10-speed automatic gearbox, another detail that positively affects the management of engine revs, allowing this colossus of almost two and a half tons to move in a not too thirsty way and demonstrating the real usability of a model that you probably had not yet considered. In perfect American style we have solidity, practicality and substance, with an interior with an endless number of storage compartments obtained almost everywhere and going to take advantage of the large roominess on board, where we also find a complete equipment and a 12.3 inches touch screen oriented vertically, a solution that I complained on a couple of occasions, especially when connecting the smartphone to the on-board system noticing that a portion of it remains unused. With this microscopic flaw, we still have a precise sat-navigator, physical climate controls and a circular selector located in the middle of the tunnel from which to select the preferred driving mode among the many at your disposal.

Ranging through those ideal for managing traction and power on low grip surfaces, snow or ice, in Sport mode you can fully appreciate the powerful torque reserve of the hybrid V6, which however never intervenes in a rude or nervous way, accentuating a relaxed driving sensation granted by the always rather soft suspension and by a steering that, although not downgraded like that of a pick-up truck, is never as direct as in a traditional SUV. Brake and throttle pedals then have a rather long run, with a feedback that you have to get used to and that in suitable conditions allows you to recover energy for the batteries. Precisely in this context we have 4 different and additional driving modes, with the 100% electric mode that guarantees up to 40 km of travel with zero emissions, or the one that allows you to safeguard a certain amount of charge to use it later, or favor recharging the same batteries. It’s up to you.

The Explorer is an incredibly mature car and which despite its pachydermic dimensions – at least by European standards – proves to be agile thanks to its flat glass surfaces which, in addition of making the passenger compartment brighter, allow you to keep the overall dimensions under control even in the city. Sitting in comfortable large leather armchairs, the 3.0-liter is always sly and ready when asked to ground its 457 hybrid horses. We are still talking about figures like 6 seconds flat in order to accelerate from 0 to 100 kph and a maximum speed of 230 per hour. What else then? You get pretty much everything. Heated and cooled seats, heated steering wheel, hill-descent, parking mode, maneuvering sensors and an ST-Line spec that sharpens the edges and muscles, emphasizing everything thanks to the two pairs of tailpipes on display at the back.

Impeccable behavior on the motorway, but also skilled on b-roads – no matters the size – and that desire to leave the asphalt in search for the summit of some remote mountain (possibly not battling a blizzard of snow and ice as seen in the adventure published in issue 94). The Ford Explorer is an American SUV that is aiming at the old continent precisely because it manages to break the strict rules that seem to oblige the market to produce dozens of variants of a model, without really making them different from each other. In this case we have a big SUV that thanks to an intelligent hybrid technology is able to combine powerful power and torque values with an average fuel consumption that is much more than acceptable and which realistically stops at around 10 km/l. The dimensions are what one would expect from a stars and stripes product and given that the European trend is still to increase pounds on the scales and centimeters in any direction, why not go a little bigger? The only spec available includes anything you can think of and comes home with you for around € 82,900.