Of the many cars, SUVs, crossovers, vans, pickup trucks, and what have you that Ford currently offers here in Europe and the UK, the all-new Ford Explorer is arguably their most important model yet. It’s a massive refresh of Ford’s line-up, and it finally, properly brings the rest of Ford into the EV game, too. With European-inspired styling, as well as a plethora of tech and luxury, does the new, fully-electric Ford Explorer have what it takes to compete?
While an all-electric SUV might sound like a pretty safe bet and a handy license to print money, with so much awesome competition flooding in from the East and by Europe’s own legacy automakers, why should you even consider the new Explorer over the others? Is it a matter of brand loyalty, or is there something here that puts it a cut above the rest? Well, that’s what we’re out to find out, so let’s see what makes this Blue Oval special.
What Is The Ford Explorer Premium About?
It should be noted that the new Ford Explorer isn’t 100% a Ford, as it shares its underpinnings, architecture, powertrains, batteries, and a few other bits and bobs with Volkswagen. Specifically, Ford is using the MEB platform for the all-new Explorer, which is what the VW ID.4 and the Skoda Enyaq are built on. Nevertheless, that’s not to say that it’s just a badge-engineered VW, as Ford has clothed it with a distinct Ford styling.
Personally, I think the styling looks quite cool, and first impressions do matter quite a lot, as this would be the basis for a new design language that we Brits and Europeans have yet to see from Ford. Just looking at it, you can clearly tell right away that it’s an EV, with the Explorer’s bold, grille-less front-end design, and those huge turbine-style alloy wheels, as well as the overall sleek, slippery, and supremely aerodynamic shape.
I’m also a fan of the Explorer’s general silhouette, with its very chunky, boxy, and rather traditional SUV shape, eschewing the coupe-like rooflines that we’ve seen on some other electric SUVs. Everywhere you go, the new Explorer easily stands out on any city street, and by far the most noticeable bit of exterior styling is that unique graphic on the C-pillar, which does help to break up all that black trim around the roof and window.
There are multiple trim levels of the all-new Ford Explorer EV – the entry-level Style, mid-tier Select, and flagship Premium. The one that I have here is Ford’s top-of-the-line Explorer Premium, and it comes with quite a few cosmetic changes and add-ons to help set it apart to make it look a bit more lux. The inclusion of those 20-inch turbine-style alloy wheels does look attractive compared to the 19-inch rims that you get in the other models.
Looking at it from the outside, you might also notice some other creature comforts here in this Premium edition, such as Ford’s Matrix LED headlights, with its glare-free function, and they light up the road exceptionally well. Elsewhere, you might’ve spotted the scuff plates on the front doors, as well as a panoramic glass roof, definitely opening up the airiness and openness of the cabin, to boot, making it feel a lot more spacious than it is.
How Does It Drive?
Under the bonnet, the new all-electric Ford Explorer comes paired with three different electrified powertrains and battery packs. First up, and we’re sticking to just the Premium model to keep things simple, you get the Standard Range configuration, where you have a 52 kWh battery pack and a sole 125 kW rear-mounted electric motor (as such, this makes it rear-wheel drive), which should offer you around 170 PS of power and 310 Nm of torque.
That particular battery option should help you sprint from 0 to 62 mph in 8.7 seconds, before topping out at 99 mph. More to that, if you need even more performance and range (more on that later) you could move up to the Extended Range spec, where you’re now getting a 77 kWh battery pack, and a 210 kW electric motor mounted on the rear axle (this one’s also RWD, then), which further boosts the Explorer’s baseline performance figures.
It’s now sitting at a fairly healthy 286 PS of power and a whopping 545 Nm of torque. Altogether, this combo will ramp up your 0 to 62 mph times down to a decent 6.4 seconds and onto a top speed of 112 mph. Alternatively, if you need even more performance, at the expense of a tiny bit of range, there’s another, way sprightlier Extended Range version, which now features a slightly bigger 79 kWh battery pack and not one, but two electric motors!
This dual motor (250 kW total) layout nets you all-wheel drive (AWD), as they’re mounted on the front and rear axles, and it ups your on-paper go-fast specs up to a mighty 340 PS of power, and an eye-watering 679 Nm of torque. This set-up ought to bring down your 0 to 62 mph times to a mere 5.3 seconds, which is quite impressive for any electric SUV, especially something as big as this new Explorer, before it reaches its 112 mph top speed.
For context, this latter powertrain option is what I have here in this Explorer, and once you get behind the wheel, there’s a lot to like about how it drives. It’s clearly been optimised for UK and European roads, given how well the new Ford Explorer softly glides over most surfaces, as well as seeing how it soaks up bumps and undulations on the road. This pattern of softness in the driving experience continues on other bits of the new Explorer, too.
It has a soft brake pedal and gentle controls everywhere else. Yet, press the accelerator pedal hard enough, and it’ll instantly remind you of how much eagerness and keenness lie beneath your right foot. That is further compounded by the Explorer’s light and quick steering rack, although it’s calibrated to prioritise comfort when you’re connected to the road, not speed, which is notable for how it dampens the roughness of the road.
With this AWD powertrain and the incredibly potent under-the-hood tuning, with just the tiniest touch on the throttle, and you’re instantly punting your way through the countryside at light speed. There are multiple different drive modes that you could pick and choose from, but I naturally found myself flicking it back down to the Explorer’s Eco mode, as I felt that the default drive mode was still a bit too excitable with putting power down.
You might get used to it in time, but for my liking, it was far too liberal with the throttle, that’s for sure! As is a given with any EV, the Explorer is fantastically quiet and silent on the road, with barely any whirs or hums from the motor, and it does a great job at isolating you from the outside world. The comfiness of the Explorer in day-to-day driving and commuting is further aided thanks to the taller ride height and those large profile tyres.
So, despite the new Ford Explorer being quite a vast vehicle by UK standards, it never felt like a hindrance or an inconvenience to drive around. It’s truly a pleasure to drive. To keep you super-safe on the road with a pair of all-seeing eyes, the new Ford Explorer EV is packed to the brim with a generous amount of driver aids and safety systems, most included as standard, like the adaptive cruise control system (with stop-and-go function, too).
Then, there’s lane-keep assist, lane-departure warning, cross-traffic alerts, traffic sign recognition, front and rear parking sensors, and more. Otherwise, if you need even more ADAS systems in your new Explorer, Ford does offer them as optional extras. When you spec up the Premium model, you could tack on a handy heads-up display that projects onto the windscreen, a parking assist feature, and a nice 360-degree surround-view camera system.
What Is It Like Inside?
Echoing the all-new Ford Explorer EV’s exterior, the top-spec Premium model aims to set itself apart with a few distinct interior styling features. It’s not just for looks either, as there are functional, welcome upgrades that come with this model. Some nice-to-haves and amenities that I appreciate most are the little bits of attention to detail, such as the upgrade to a premium 10-speaker B&O sound system over the regular 7-speaker setup.
In addition, as part of the Premium variant, you get LED ambient cabin lighting, a hands-free powered tailgate, heated front seats for both the driver and passenger, and a wireless charging pad for topping up your phone. Furthermore, this trim level includes 12-way power driver seats with memory and massage functions, over the 6-way manual seats in the entry-level models. All in all, these are worthwhile additions and perks, I’d say.
On the other hand, I do quite like that Ford standardises most of the interior goodies across all models, such as the clever tech that you get inside the new Explorer EV. For instance, they all feature the same 5.3-inch digital instrument cluster. Now, it’s quite a tiny unit when you compare it against most newer cars these days, but it’s sufficient enough to give you all the readouts you’d really need, and the display is also quite legible.
Next to it, the all-new, all-electric Ford Explorer also comes with a 14.6-inch infotainment system, which comes packed with a lot of features, and it’s super slick and easy to use, not to mention that it includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. One cool party trick with the central infotainment system appears when you flick that large silver button on the bottom of the whole unit, which allows you to tilt the entire infotainment panel back.
This opens up to a hidden cubby on the centre console, which is handy if you’re trying to stow away anything that you don’t want others to easily find. Aside from that, tilting the entire screen might also give you a better view if there’s any sunlight glare bouncing off the windscreen. More to that, the vertical, landscape layout of the infotainment UI is optimised superbly, with dedicated AC controls always found at the bottom of the screen.
Meanwhile, the upper panels allow you to display more than one page at a time. So, for example, you could have your satnav screen kept open while you fiddle around with the radio and media controls below it. It is a very cosy and nicely laid out interior, and for all the Ford fans and longtime Ford owners out there, you would feel right at home with all the distinctly Ford touches everywhere.
That said, however, given that the Explorer is built on a VW platform, there are some remnants of Volkswagen in the cabin. The most obvious ones is your drive selector stalk on the right, and that flush touch panel behind the steering wheel for your light controls. Elsewhere, that digital instrument cluster is uncannily Volkswagen, including how small it is.
Even those buttons on the door panels for your wing mirror and window controls are the same that you’d get in any new Volkswagen. Nonetheless, I can’t really find faults otherwise, and with that vast centre console splitting the front driver and passenger compartments, you do feel cocooned in the new Explorer. Among the most unique parts of the new Ford Explorer EV (and, I guess, other newer Fords, too) are their 3D-printed accessories.
If you have a 3D printer at home, you could literally download the individual STL files on Ford’s website and print them yourself, and besides all the filament that you’ll be using, it comes at no extra cost! These 3D-printed kits are pretty cute and handy, and you could add extra stuff to your Explorer, such as removable storage boxes and organisers, in addition to sunshade ticket clips, and an adorable phone holder that sticks into the cup holders.
Other cool 3D-printed accessories include a centre console tray, or even a bag carrier, and loads more. When you pair this with the Ford Explorer EV’s cavernous centre console, offering up to 17 litres of extra storage, as well as the huge 470-litre boot in the rear, it makes this a hugely practical family car. There is ample room fore and aft, and when you include the underfloor boot storage, there’s more than enough space for your weekly shopping.
On that note, your rear passengers won’t find much to complain about either, because even with the front seats moved far back to fit my somewhat taller driving position, there is still ample knee room and legroom in the back. Plus, given the Explorer’s boxy shape and the lack of a sloping roofline, this also translates to bundles of headroom in the rear for your passengers, and loads more vertical space for cargo and for all your luggage in the boot.
The Experience
Naturally, as is consequential for any electric car, I’m at least glad to report that the new electric Ford Explorer comes with a fairly respectable amount of driving range. Again, I’m just going to stick to the Premium models, for the sake of simplicity, but going back to those aforementioned batteries and motors earlier… The 52 kWh Standard Range battery nets you 221 miles of range (WLTP Combined), which isn’t bad for an EV in this class.
This option even supports peak fast-charging (via DC power) at 145 kW, which should top up the battery from 10% to 80% in under 30 minutes. On the other hand, there are those two Extended Range battery choices. The first one, that 77 kWh battery pack, should yield you a far healthier 354 miles of range (WLTP Combined), which is certainly a huge uplift if you’re concerned about range anxiety, or if you drive around quite a lot.
It also brings with it, surprisingly, a slightly lower maximum DC fast-charging rate, at 135 kW, although Ford claims that it’ll still top up the battery from 10% to 80% in or around 30 or so minutes. It has a lower energy consumption than the other two battery options (within the Premium trim level range), at around 15.4 kWh per 100 km. This specific battery option is your best bet if you’re seeking maximal range.
Lastly, and no doubt slightly compromised in its peak driving range thanks to all that extra electric horsepower and torque, the 79 kWh battery pack has a moderately lower max range of 329 miles (WLTP Combined). However, on the bright side, and to make up for that marginally lower maximum range, this particular battery supports a higher peak DC fast-charging rate than before, at 185 kW, if you’re able to find a compatible fast-charger.
As a result, despite the increased capacity, it still takes under or around 30 minutes or thereabouts to top it up from 10% to 80%, if you max out the charging completely. Of course, you’re not likely to get near that in real-world driving, as is the case for every EV out there, to be clear, but even with mixed conditions, I reckon most folks can easily get at least 250 or so miles on this specific battery option, which is still quite good, regardless.
Besides that, and to help make keeping your shiny new Ford Explorer EV charged up no matter where you go that bit easier and more convenient, Ford also includes, as standard, lifetime access to their Blue Oval Charge Network. Therefore, this gives you easy access to more than 800,000 charging points across Europe, and there are over 36,000 of these charging stations just here in the UK alone, with vast countrywide coverage.
Ford Explorer Premium Cost
The all-new and all-electric Ford Explorer line-up starts from £39,285, though this will get you into the entry-level Style model. Meanwhile, you could move up from there with the Select for £45,885, or the top-tier Premium, like the one that I have here, which starts from £43,985. This does put it squarely against some of the best electrified SUVs in this price bracket, and consequently, this pits the Explorer against some brutally tough competition.
Interestingly, while the Select variant is technically the mid-level trim package, and it features way fewer luxury goodies compared to the Premium model… The Select variant, as I’ve noted earlier, comes as standard with the Extended Range battery and powertrain combo, with no option for you to downgrade to that Standard Range spec, hence the higher starting price compared to the base-level Premium. This explains that odd pricing.
Alternatively, the Explorer’s Premium trim level, when you couple it with an equivalent 77 kWh Extended Range configuration and move up from the Standard Range spec, starts from a much higher £49,985, while the largest battery option possible, that 79 kWh Extended Range configuration, which also gets you all-wheel drive, too, in the Premium trim level, now starts from at least £53,985. That’s quite a pricey upgrade, but arguably, worth it.
Besides the abundance of accessories and premium paint options (the latter of which would cost you around £800 each for exclusive paints) that you could spec for your Explorer for some extra dosh, there are a handful of optional packs that you might consider getting, as well. Notably, the Driver Assistance Pack (for the Premium version, specifically) gains you extra ADAS systems and other useful driver aids, setting you back an extra £1,300.
Another option that I’d reckon most of you might want is the Heat Pump, which, for £1,050, nets you a better heater for the cabin, and equally as welcomed for colder days, it could pre-condition your battery pack and help extend your range. Additionally, for those of you who like to tow stuff, for £900, you could add the Retractable Towbar package, which offers you a tow bar hook that provides you with between 1.0-tonne to 1.2-tonne of towing.
Verdict
As a whole, the new Ford Explorer is easily one of the best electric SUVs that you can get in this price range, with a pleasant amount of tech, luxury, practicality, and usability, all wrapped up in a handsome package, and you’re then spoiled with a good selection of performant powertrains, great batteries, and good range, too! It’s tough to find anything on the new Ford Explorer EV that I don’t like, and it’s 100% worth adding this to your shortlist.
Specification
Ford Explorer Premium Specs
- Price: £53,985
- Engine: Dual-motor EV, 79 kWh battery
- Power: 340 PS
- Torque: 679 Nm
- 0-62mph: 5.3 seconds
- Top speed: 112 mph
- Weight: 2,167 – 2,179 kg
- Economy combined: 329 miles (WLTP)
- CO2: 0 g/km