Normally when the American arm of Ford brings one of their models to Europe, the cars are made to look a bit more European, not so Ford’s new Explorer which was fully designed in Cologne and revealed in Dublin recently.
With the 168bhp rear-wheel-drive model, a 55kWh battery and a range of up to 350 kms. Ford will also have a more powerful 282bhp single-motor version on offer with the bigger 82kWh battery which should get around 540 kms range, while increasing charging speed from 130kW to 170kW. All Explorers are able to charge from 10-80% circa 25 minutes. The top of the line Explorer gets the same battery but comes with dual motors with a total of 335bhp combined. The Explorer in AWD and RWD can tow between 1000 to 1200kg respectively.
The Explorer uses the same MEB platform and batteries from the ID.4 as it continues working in partnership with VW. It may be wider than the VW but it’s shorter in length and in height. There’s a 450-litre boot – bigger than a Mach-E boot but around 100 litres smaller than the ID.4’s. There’s a moveable boot floor, and folding the rear seats adds a total of 1,400 litres.
The Explorer features an adjustable 15” portrait screen running Ford’s SYNCMove OS that can map full-screen and has wireless and USB-C smartphone connectivity options. The screen is adjustable in 20 different stops which give up to 30 degrees of viewing angle. There’s a clever space behind the screen, ‘My Private Locker’ which is a storage space for phones, wallets and other bits you’d like to keep out of view alongside the incredibly useful 17L MegaConsole under the armrest.
Safety assistance features include lane-change on the motorway prompted by activating the indicators with gentle steering inputs to keep the car in lane, plus a reversing camera and birds-eye view as part of the self-parking system. Pricing is yet to be revealed for Ireland but you will be able to pre-order from September 2023 with expected deliveries to begin early January 2024.
