The Ford Explorer is a full-size crossover SUV that competes with other vehicles like the Chevrolet Traverse, Dodge Durango, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Honda Pilot. The current 5th generation Explorer made its debut in July of 2010 for the 2011 model year, and it received a mild refresh in 2016. Even eight years later, the Explorer is still a very popular SUV that continues to sell in large quantities. The platform for the Explorer was largely designed by Volvo in the late 90s, with a similar platform underpinning the Volvo XC90 up until 2014. It is somewhat of a dated platform, but I think the driving dynamics of the Explorer still excel in the category that this vehicle competes in.
I did already drive and write a review on the 2016 Explorer nearly a year ago, and I was really impressed with the driving dynamics of that vehicle. Other automotive publications will say that the Explorer feels bulky or “ungainly”, but I strongly disagreed with that. I can’t quite speak for how the Platinum or the Sport trims are, but I found the base and XLT trim Explorers to be a joy to drive. This SUV seemed to handle way better than what I was expecting, and it felt light and agile for its size. I could see why many people cross-shop the Explorer with luxury SUVs after getting the chance to drive one, as it really did ride and handle like something a class above its own segment.
My second time driving the Explorer, I realized that you have to warm up to it a little bit before you can truly get a feel for the handling and the driving dynamics. The Explorer feels massive when you first get behind the wheel, and the driving position feels awkward. The driver’s seat seems to be pushed towards the center of the vehicle, the dashboard sticks out far, the front hood is big and blocky, and the A pillars are massive. The Explorer just feels kind of weird to sit in and drive for this reason. This car definitely feels big when you first start driving it, although you sit up high and get a nice view of the road. You don’t feel as high up as you would in a Tahoe or an Armada, but you still have a commanding view regardless.
I also found the Explorer to be difficult to park sometimes, as the driving position on top of the blocky angles and thick pillars make it kind of hard to judge where the lines are and how the vehicle is positioned. I could probably get used to it, but the Explorer is definitely one of those cars where the dimensions feel a little iffy if you aren’t used to the car yet. The general proportions of this SUV really do feel bloated, I would like to see Ford reduce some of that for the next generation.
These days, most Explorer buyers are either going for the 2.3 turbocharged 4 cylinder, or the 3.5 twin-turbocharged V6. However, the Explorer that I drove was powered by the 3.5 liter naturally aspirated V6 making 290 horsepower and 255 lb. ft. of torque. When I first got the Explorer out on the road, I found that the engine was a little soft in low-end torque. This engine has somewhat of a dual personality, in that sometimes it feels brisk and satisfying, and other times it feels a little lackluster in trying to get this 4600 pound SUV up to speed. You do have to step on it occasionally, and when you’re accelerating uphill, the Explorer with the N/A 3.5 V6 engine can feel sluggish. Thankfully the 6-speed automatic is very intuitive, and it usually keeps the engine in the heart of its power band.
While the engine can feel a little underpowered at times, the Explorer isn’t a slow car. You just have to work the throttle a little bit to hit the right balance between the engine and transmission. Once you hit that sweet spot, the Explorer gets up to speed smoothly and briskly. The engine makes pleasant noises, and the power feels nice and smooth. You have enough power to pull out into traffic, merge onto the highway, and pass slower moving vehicles without any drama. The V6 seems to enjoy being revved out, and the power remains balanced all the way into the upper half of the tachometer. The torque comes on really nicely around 2500-3500 RPM as well, even though it may be slightly lacking off the line. Overall, you really can’t go wrong with the base V6 engine in the Explorer. It has somewhat of an athletic and playful character to it that you don’t really find in most other crossover SUVs in this segment.
Like most Ford products, the 6-speed automatic is decently smooth and well matched to the engine’s power band. The 1-2 shift can feel a little jerky, but most of the time this transmission feels seamless. It really seems to listen to your throttle inputs and deliver the exact gears that you want. The transmission keeps the engine where you want it to be, and the shift logic is executed really well in getting this SUV up to speed with confidence and composure. I also like the fact that the transmission doesn’t feel heavily tuned for fuel economy, as it really has no problem riding out those lower gears and keeping the engine in the higher revs when you need some extra power. This transmission seems to think pretty quick on its feet, and does a good job at sensing and adapting to your driving style.
As for downshifting for passing power, the transmission is pretty intuitive in sensing when you need a lower gear. If you’re about to go up a hill or something of that nature, the transmission usually delivers a seamless downshift and keeps you moving at a consistent pace without much throttle input. The downshifts usually feel crisp and snappy, and the 6-speed rides out the lower gears for precisely as long as your foot is telling it to. That said, I did run into occasions where the transmission felt a little reluctant to downshift. It’s nothing where you have to stab the accelerator and wait several seconds, but sometimes you do have to go a little hard on the gas and wait a a second or two before the transmission gives you a lower passing gear. Most of the time, however, the transmission is pretty smooth and quick-thinking in giving you those lower gears when you want them.
I’d like to note that this transmission isn’t perfect. It performs really well under normal acceleration, but it definitely can feel a little jerky and stubborn at times. If I was rolling at parking lot speeds and hit the gas, the transmission would hesitate and then feel a little jerky when engaging. Downshifting as I mentioned can feel a little slow at times, and that 1-2 shift can definitely feel unrefined if you aren’t smooth on the accelerator. These aren’t huge issues, just a couple of flaws in a transmission that otherwise performs really well.
Once you’re up and moving, there’s just something that feels so refined and confidence inspiring about the Explorer. I actually found it fun to drive. The Explorer glides down the road, and it has a certain obedience in the handling and driving dynamics that you don’t really find in any of the competing vehicles. The Explorer always does what you think it’s going to do, and it does it with excellent composure. See a hard bend in the road coming up? No problem. The Explorer carves corners with great solidity and the chassis feels flat and controlled for such a large vehicle. It gives you a feeling as if nothing can shake it, and I actually felt encouraged to drive a little quicker and zip around in this thing. I even felt as though I was driving a budget BMW X5 at times, as controversial as that statement may be. Even though the Explorer feels planted, also feels pretty light and airy when you’re up and moving, and the vehicle maintains a constant speed really well. I wouldn’t be quick to call the handling “sporty”, but the Explorer has the elegance and the composure of a more expensive vehicle. The width and overall dimensions do feel big when you first start driving, but the competent handling of the Explorer definitely helps the dimensions shrink a little once you’re out on the road. The handling of this SUV really impressed me, and I don’t think JD Power or KBB give the ride and handling nearly enough credit.
While the Explorer handles well for a vehicle of its size, you don’t sacrifice anything in terms of ride quality. You barely feel the bumps and the vehicle is not phased at all by lousy pavement. Occasionally the chassis can feel a little bouncy, but most of the time the ride feels smooth and controlled.
The steering doesn’t feel light and totally absent in feedback like some of the other vehicles in the class, either. In fact, the steering in the Explorer feels fairly nimble. You get a nice chunky and planted feeling on center, along with a smooth, responsive, predictable turn-in. The Explorer just pitches itself around turns with really good accuracy, and the nose seems to point right where the steering wheel is pointing. You do get some looseness around initial turn-in, but it’s not something you would really notice unless you were looking for it. Overall, it’s a crisp, competent, well weighted steering feel. The steering feels solid on the open highway, and lane change maneuvers feel smooth and direct with minimal steering input. Rounding corners is a breeze, as you get a clear sense of where the front tires are and how the vehicle is performing, and the steering in the Explorer feels polished and expensive. The turning radius is pretty good for a vehicle in this class, and the wheel turns from lock to lock pretty quickly which makes three point turns a breeze. The steering wheel is also wrapped in a plush, squishy leather material that feels nice to the touch.
Throttle response isn’t touchy or aggressive, but it is fairly responsive and it performs how you would expect it to. It has a nice even progression to it, although I will say that the throttle did feel a little disconnected at times. It definitely feels electronic, and I think the response at the beginning of the pedal could be improved slightly. In terms of braking response, the pedal response is decently stiff, however the bite is a little vague. That said, the brakes in this car slow this beast down really smoothly and with confidence inspiring force. They feel solid and reassuring, and the Explorer doesn’t feel shaken at all by harder and aggressive stops. The brakes are also very refined, as they don’t make noise or transmit any unwanted vibrations into the cabin.
As for road noise, the Explorer isn’t library silent, however I found that the noise levels in this car were subdued pretty well. You can still hear a little bit of the road, but the cabin still remains pretty quiet and peaceful.
As for visibility in the Explorer, you get a commanding view of the road and it’s pretty easy to see out of this car. As I mentioned previously, you definitely don’t feel as high up as you would feel in a truck-based SUV, but overall you do get that confidence inspiring seating position that buyers in this class really look for. I do wish the A pillars were thinner and the front hood wasn’t so blocky from the driver’s seat, but neither of those things were quite as intrusive or obstructing as I thought they would be. Rearward visibility is pretty much just like the Escape, only the back window is slightly smaller and further away from the driver. There are definitely other SUV’s that do rearward visibility better, but your view of the road behind you is still fairly unobstructed. I recently drove a GMC Acadia, and the rearward visibility in that car was far worse than the Explorer’s.
Is the Explorer perfect? While I really enjoy how this car drives, it is important to remember that it made its debut in 2010 for the 2011 model year. This design is eight years old, and it is showing its age, especially with the interior quality and materials. I honestly think the interior looks and feels a little cheap considering the Explorer can top out at well over $50K out the door. The main touch points are good, including the steering wheel, arm rests, shifter, and window switches. The infotainment system appears to have solid graphics and good touch response as well. However, the dashboard appears to be one giant piece of hard plastic, and there are large, uneven gaps where the doors meet the dashboard. Some people might take that as nitpicking, but you really do notice these things fairly quickly upon getting inside. The interior also rattles slightly when driving. Somebody who is loyal to makes like Honda or Toyota may feel like they are in something a little cheaper/chintzier compared to what they’re used to. Me personally, I think the solid driving experience of the Explorer makes up for the cheaper interior materials, so I am willing to overlook those flaws.
The Explorer does not have the best resale value either. I’ve seen 2016 Explorers listed for sale online that are now worth $15-20K less than what their starting MSRP was in only two years. A Honda Pilot or Toyota Highlander will have superior resale value, as well as better projected reliability and fuel economy.
Overall, the Explorer is a great car to drive. I don’t think I would ever get tired of driving this car if I owned one. The handling at higher speeds feels really buttoned down and precise. Acceleration is very smooth and the power is adequate, although a little sluggish at times. The transmission performs great most of the time, with smooth shifts and well executed shift logic, but there are still those few driving scenarios where it will feel slightly unrefined. The brakes are very impressive and the steering in this car is much better than the Highlander as well as and many of the other three row SUVs on the market. The chassis feels firm yet the ride is smooth, cornering is solid, and while the Explorer feels large in its dimensions, it glides down the road with a certain airiness and slenderness of a much smaller vehicle. Definitely do your own research before considering buying one, because as I mentioned, the interior isn’t quite up to snuff, resale value isn’t the best, and reliability is a concern for these cars. The base V6 performs just fine, and I imagine it will have better longevity compared to the 2.3 Ecoboost and the 3.5 Ecoboost. That said, the Explorer is still a great crossover SUV that will satisfy just about any car shopper looking into this class of vehicle.