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Ford Explorer EV

Ford Explorer EV: The American Icon Recharged

Author: auto.pub | Published on: 20.06.2025

Electric cars: even saying the words can make old-school petrolheads wince. And now Ford Explorer? How dare anyone take an American icon, the muscle-bound legend that once wrangled dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, and swap its V6 for battery packs? Has the world lost its mind? Yet here it is—the new Ford Explorer, more electric than a Tesla, as German as bratwurst, but still as ruggedly American as a bacon cheeseburger or an oversized cowboy hat.

Once the Explorer crawled through the wild, scented with gasoline. Now it returns with an electrifying pulse. Assembled in Cologne, built on a Volkswagen ID platform, this electric Explorer is fusion cuisine: traditional American BBQ meets German precision. Of course, the idea that Ford now makes battery-powered SUVs instead of petrol-chugging behemoths is equal parts panic-inducing and fascinating.

Ford insists this is no mere ID.4 clone but a true Blue Oval revolution that "drives like a Ford." But what does that actually mean? Can the electrified Explorer provide the same spark and thrill as the Mustang Mach-E, or is it just another eco-friendly grocery-getter?

One thing's clear: this new Explorer is no longer the gasoline-soaked giant we once knew. Yet Ford has managed to retain something primal and powerful—the soul that made the Explorer legendary. This isn’t just about practicality and environmental credentials; it’s about emotion, a quality often missing from electric cars.

So let’s press the—well, electric—pedal to the metal and see if the new Explorer EV is truly a trailblazer, a revolutionary explorer, or just another Euro-American compromise that leaves us missing the dinosaurs and endless highways lined with gas stations.

The new Explorer doesn’t do subtle. Forget the old model that slogged through Jurassic Park mud. This is that same car after two years at Berlin design festivals and a thorough spa retreat. The front end is smoother than a German kitchen countertop—a grille-less nose straight out of a sci-fi storyboard. Where there was once a bold, protruding grille, there’s now a glossy, confident void. The LED lights? They’re like laser beams ready to guide planes to a safe landing.

At the rear: giant model lettering, horizontal lights, and a black trim strip reminiscent of fine chocolate glaze. The side profile? Imagine someone stretching clay with both hands but leaving all the muscle in the middle. Short overhangs, long wheelbase, wheel arches hungry for 21-inch rims but accepting more street-friendly 19s and 20s for Europe. Plastic fender edges hint at the Explorer’s off-road dreams—though, more likely, it’ll bring an espresso machine and Bluetooth speaker to the woods.

Details matter. The C-pillar glass panel is transparent inside, black and glossy outside. Like Bond’s sunglasses: stylish and functional.

Aerodynamics? Despite the boxy shape, Ford claims class-leading slipperiness. Maybe not quite Tesla Model X levels, but impressively smooth.

Step inside and you feel like you’ve entered an Apple Store run by NASA. Everything oozes smart simplicity. It’s not just a cabin—it’s a living space.

First, the MegaConsole. The name alone sounds like something from PlayStation, not Ford. But it’s real: massive, wide, and awe-inspiring, able to swallow a laptop, a line of drink bottles, a handbag, a vacuum cleaner, or even half a watermelon.

And the cupholders? Removable. Why? Maybe for those rare moments when you need the whole center tunnel to haul a dog or a wild boar. But they’re there—and that’s cool.

Materials are plush; everything you touch feels premium. This isn’t the Ford you’d see at a gas station in the 90s, with a dashboard that rattled like a dishwasher. It’s quiet, soft, and solid—even if you lean your elbow on it like a weary traveler on an AirBaltic flight.

Then there’s the touchscreen: 14.6 inches, portrait format, and it moves. Behind it? A lockable secret compartment, Bond-style, perfect for your wallet, sunglasses, or those chocolate treats you want to keep from the kids.

Infotainment? Smooth, responsive, and quicker than your phone after a software update. The menus are logical, the icons big—ideal for picking a Spotify playlist on the go without feeling like a surgeon.

But there’s the VW-sourced touch slider for volume. It needs pressure and is nearly invisible in the dark—about as helpful as an umbrella that only opens indoors. Thankfully, the steering wheel has proper buttons, and they work.

There’s also a Bang & Olufsen sound system—yes, the company that usually makes speakers for billionaires. The result? A wall of sound stretching from dash to dash, like a Led Zeppelin concert in a quiet forest.

Heated seats. Heated steering wheel. Massaging driver’s seat. Wireless charging. Glass roof. Over the top? Absolutely. But you won’t complain. You’ll enjoy it. It’s like flying business class, where someone pours you champagne and says, “Want a massage? Here’s a button.”

Rear seats have as much space as a mid-sized European sofa store. Three medium-sized people fit comfortably, though on long trips their knees might feel a squeeze. Trunk space? Not the largest, but more than adequate for two kids, two bags, and two weekends’ worth of gear—unless you’re moving house.

Powertrains: The base rear-drive version with 170 hp is as laid-back and safe as a rubber canoe. Next is the 286 hp rear-drive model, which gets you off the line faster than your grandma can say “don’t speed.” For all-wheel drive, the Dual Motor AWD offers 340 hp and does 0 to 100 km/h in 5.3 seconds—Focus ST quick, with an extra ton of weight.

Here’s the trick: the Explorer EV doesn’t feel heavy. In corners, it’s more like a sporty hatchback than a rolling fridge. Ford has tuned the suspension for comfort without sacrificing control. The steering is precise and reacts faster than a cat hearing a can opener.

There are drive modes: Eco is like a cold shower—calm, slow, a bit austere. Normal is what most will use, while Sport changes everything—heavier steering, sharper throttle, and a sense that the car is urging you to go for it.

Battery choices: small (52 kWh) and large (77 or 79 kWh). With the big one, the theoretical range is up to 602 km—enough for a round trip to Tartu and back with miles to spare. In practice, expect around 450 km.

Charging is reasonable: 25 to 30 minutes for an 80 percent top-up. Home charging takes 7 to 8 hours—just sleep through it.

Driving the Explorer is perfectly fine, as much as a 2.1-ton electric colossus can be. It doesn’t float like some Korean future-mobiles with zero steering feel. The suspension is soft but not excessive. There’s a bit of roll in corners—physics still exists, even for Ford’s PR team—but the balance is solid and grip is assured. The Explorer doesn’t try to be a sports car. It’s like a good dog—does the job, brings you your slippers, and waits patiently for your next adventure.

Safety? Think of a fortress loaded with tech, behaving like a sober personal bodyguard who never talks back and can brake faster than you can swear.

Euro NCAP gave it five stars—not three and a half like some cheap plastic box, but five. Adult protection is 89 percent, children 86 percent, pedestrians 80 percent—a Lewis Hamilton with a guardian angel in the passenger seat and an insurance agent in the back.

The frame is made from boron steel. In a crash, everything else will deform first—only if the earth shifts will you see a dent in the cabin wall.

Airbags aren’t just in front and on the sides but between the seats too, ready for any pillow fight scenario. In a side impact, you won’t slam into your passenger’s head—the airbag is already there, politely taking the hit.

But that’s just the start. The Explorer doesn’t wait for an accident to react; it’s more like a paranoid friend who triple-checks the locks and carries an umbrella just in case. There’s automatic emergency braking for unexpected pedestrians, adaptive cruise control that maintains distance and can come to a complete stop in traffic, then move again by itself. And there’s Co-Pilot360—an army of cameras and sensors keeping you in lane, monitoring your attention, and reminding you to take a break if you’re driving like you need coffee.

Need to park? The Explorer gives you a 360-degree view—top-down, front to back, side to side, maybe even from the moon. It can park itself and even change lanes for you. Just signal, and the car does the rest, like having an instructor who guides your hands without shouting.

And if all else fails—say you end up in a river? The Explorer has a feature to keep the doors and windows operable underwater. Not a joke. Ford thought you might end up in a Bond scene and need to swim out.

So, is the Ford Explorer EV a good car? It’s surprisingly good. Like an uncle you thought retired, only to show up in a suit and win a Monte Carlo rally. This isn’t just another “box of electric innovation” that beeps, flashes, and gets stuck in the mud. It’s a flesh-and-blood SUV that just happens to run on electricity—and does it well.

The interior is so smart even Apple designers would raise an eyebrow. It drives like a big hatchback, not a fridge, and accelerates quickly enough to spill your mother-in-law’s raisin bun on the back seat. Charging? No problem. Range? With the big battery and a gentle foot, more than you’ll ever need. Safety? If the Explorer were a person, it would wear a helmet to bed.

So how much of the American is left in it? Who knows? After a drive, the question hardly seems to matter.