Over the course of its first 25 years, the Ford Explorer has had quite a roller coaster ride. It got off to a strong start in the original SUV wave of the 1990s eventually hit peak sales of more than 445,000 in 2000 before starting a decade of mostly steady decline. By 2009 when the shine was almost entirely off of the SUV in the depths of the great recession, Ford moved barely 52,000 Explorers. In 2011, Ford rebooted the whole concept, dumping the long-running body-on-frame layout for a car based unibody and it’s been smiles ever since. Fresh off a mid-cycle refresh, nearly 250,000 Explorers found a home last year, second only to the compact Escape. I spent a week with the new top-of-the-line Platinum edition and have some thoughts to share.
Small compact and subcompact crossovers are all the rage these days with the likes of the Escape, Honda CR-V and Toyota Rav4 each selling more than 300,000 units and smaller utilities like the Honda HR-V, Chevy Trax and Jeep Renegade all growing fast. Despite that, there’s still a place in the market for big utilities. Families with more than two kids or a need to tow more than a couple of thousand pounds need more capability than those small crossovers can offer. With a beefy twin-turbo 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 under the hood, this Explorer Platinum can drag 5,000-pounds behind it, more than enough for many small to medium size boats.
Design changes to the 2016 Explorer are the most extensive since it went unibody in 2011 but even at that they are limited. The revamped face of the Explorer now bears more than a passing resemblance to recent model Range Rovers. While not exactly the same, from more than about 10-15 feet away, the Explorer’s rectangular mesh grille looks very similar to the British luxury SUV. It’s a decidedly more sophisticated look that blends well with the styling that has become familiar over the past five years. At the back, reworked taillamps and some chrome trim also contribute to the overall more sophisticated look of the Explorer, an effect that is further enhanced by the use matte-finish brightwork rather than mirror-finish chrome.
The interior has also received updates this year, especially on the Platinum trim. The premium level brings leather coverings on the seats, dashboard and door panels with contrasting stitching. Wood trim adorns the top section of the steering wheel along with slim inserts in the door panels. The 2016 Explorers still have the old and unloved my MyFord Touch infotainment system but when 2017 models start rolling off the Chicago assembly line in the next couple of months, they will get the much improved SYNC 3 instead. The new system will have support for Android Auto, Apple Carplay as well as the SYNC Connect telematics system.
Ford touchscreens are frequently sunken into the surrounding bezel making it more difficult to tap the corners
Regardless of which system you end up with, the Explorer like many other Fords with a touch screen has a design flaw that impacts its functionality. For whatever reason the screen is sunk into the surrounding center trim, leaving a substantial frame around the perimeter. This is more of a problem with MyFord Touch where the links to get to the entertainment, phone, navigation and climate control screens are buried in the corners. The frame makes it more difficult to tap those links. The interface of SYNC 3 with its larger button bar across the bottom alleviates this but it would be better if Ford started mounting its touchscreens flush with the surrounding trim.
The way my scheduling worked out, I actually ended up driving two different Explorers within a few weeks of each other.  Three weeks before the getting the 2016 loaner from Ford, I had a 2015 model as a rental during a family vacation in Puerto Rico. The older model was powered by the base, normally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 still available in the 2016. Aside from the amplified acceleration provided by the two turbochargers (365-hp/350 lb.-ft. vs 290-hp/255 lb.-ft.) the two didn’t drive substantially differently.
The narrow streets in Liquillo, Puerto Rico emphasize the size of the Explorer
Driving in Puerto Rico, I quickly became intensely aware of just how large the Explorer is, never more than when we attempted to drive into old San Juan one day. The narrow streets would be hard enough to traverse in a compact car, but in the Explorer, they were nearly impassable. Even in the town on the east end of the island where we stayed, the situation wasn’t much better on its narrow roads. The situation is further exacerbated by massive A-pillars that swell out near the bottom where the mirrors are attached, making for substantial blind spots. After a half hour of driving around at speeds rarely exceeding 10 mph and not even able to find a parking space that could accommodate a Fiesta, we gave up and decided to head back to the beach instead.
On the plus side, the Explorer handled the cobblestones of old San Juan, better than I might have expected in a such a vehicle. The cabin accommodated my wife, son, daughter and her boyfriend and all of our bags without any difficulty, even in the third-row. That back row is definitely more tight than the other two but it didn’t generate any significant complaints from the adult kids.
Those back seats were inherited from the Flex which shares its platform with the Explorer and they are similar to those found in some minivans like the Honda Odyssey. There is a deep cavity in the floor behind the rear axle that can soak up five carry-on suitcases and more stuff with the seats up. When some extra space is needed, the seatbacks can fold forward leaving a shelf ahead of the cavity. If a large, flat cargo floor is needed the seats can flip back into the cavity providing 44 cubic feet of space.
With the third-row up, a well in the back allows for extra cargo space
The rear seats can also flip back into the well to leave a flat cargo floor
On lesser Explorers like my rental, pull straps release the seat to move, a one-handed operation that takes little effort. For the terminally lazy among us, the Platinum adds power operation for the seat folding, a process that takes slightly less effort but takes longer. The Explorer Platinum also sacrifices a second-row seat in favor of a center console with extra storage and cup holders. Both Explorers I drove also had separate climate controls for the rear seats on the back of the console between the front seats. The Platinum also had second row seat heaters for cold days along with a pair of USB ports and a 110-volt AC outlet.
Despite its girth and now well-aged platform (a variant of the Volvo P2 architecture that debuted with the 1998 S80), the Explorer feels surprisingly sure-footed and nimble. You’ll never mistake this for a Focus RS or Mustang but on brisk run up a twisting mountain road to a trailhead for a hike in the El Yunque National Forest, the Explorer held its line well and never felt sloppy or frightening. Back in Michigan, the Explorer Platinum generally did equally well although the expansion joints on one particular stretch of freeway in Novi, Mich. were transmitted into the cabin with a distinct thumping rhythm.
Ever since the launch of the current generation, the Explorer has offered a turbocharged four-cylinder Ecoboost engine as the fuel economy leader. Up until this refresh, that was a 2.0-liter, but that has been bumped to the same 2.3-liter found in the aforementioned Mustang and Focus RS. Under the Explorer’s hood, it generates 280-hp and 310 lb.-ft. of torque, but I haven’t had a chance to sample that one yet. During six days on Puerto Rico, the base V6 delivered 17 mpg while the boosted Platinum version managed 18 mpg, just matching the EPA combined rating. The EPA sticker lists the big EcoBoost Explorer at 16 mpg city and 22 mpg highway while the four-cylinder gets 26 mpg on the open road.
I personally don’t have a need for such a large vehicle, but if you need space for six or seven and 5,000 pounds of towing capability, the Explorer has you covered. The front-wheel-drive V6 Explorer similar to my rental starts at $31,050 and the top-end Platinum will set you back a minimum of $53,000. All-in, the Platinum that Ford loaned me came to $55,150 delivered. That includes the optional ruby red metallic paint along with the second-row buckets and console. Almost everything comes standard on the platinum including the adaptive cruise control, lane keeping system, active park assist with parallel and perpendicular parking and panoramic sunroof. The only major factory options besides the rear buckets are the roof rack and rear seat entertainment system.
Click here for full specs of the 2016 Ford Explorer
