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It was Consumer Digest, in 1996, that started writing about the SUV craze in the United States. By 1999 SUVs passed light trucks and passenger sedans to be the most dominant segment of the market, and the Ford Explorer was there for all of it.
After more than 8 million sales over three decades (with 3.4 million currently on the road), the Explorer continues to prove itself a dominant player in that segment.
With that in mind, Ford updated the Explorer for 2025 in what the automaker is calling a major mid-cycle refresh. The three-row SUV is still in its sixth generation, which began in 2020. The new model, on sale now and arriving at dealerships this summer, has a new interior, more technology and a standard towing package to court Gen Xers and Millenials.
"It's got to continue to push boundaries on behalf of our customers. And that includes Millennial customers, which will soon be our largest cohort for the Explorer. And they've got different needs, they also like to get out, go on road trips, camping and fishing," Corey Holter, Ford group marketing director of family and enthusiast vehicles told Newsweek.
Ford spent most of its time improving the interior for 2025. A big focus was to make the cabin feel more premium both in materials and technology.
"The refresh updates the Explorer's technology and enhancements work for the family purpose at the basic of the Explorer. One of the challenges in today's market is to make sure the ICE vehicles do not feel like they are left behind, from a design or technology view," Stephanie Brinley, assistant director of research and analysis at S&P Global Mobility told Newsweek.
The Explorer has a 13-inch touchscreen infotainment system as standard equipment, along with a 12-inch fully digital driver information cluster. Owners can have their own profiles and log into their own apps like Spotify, Google and Apple Music. It also has Apple CarPlay and access to the Google Play store.
By utilizing the Unreal 5 3D gaming engine, the Explorer has a new system called Ford Digital Experience with cool graphical elements and a processor 14 times more powerful than in the previous system. It will be the design direction going forward.
The interior materials were inspired by the elements, Ford says, with different combinations for earth, wind, water and fire. The handsomest interior color was called Mojave Dust, a near black purple inspired by the color shift that happens at dawn and dusk.
Everything is designed to emphasize the wide and horizontal nature of the SUV's interior, including the ambient light that runs across the dashboard and the storage shelf above it.
The Explorer comes in several trims starting with the 300-horsepower 2.3-liter EcoBoost Active, ST-Line and Platinum versions. The special edition Explorer ST continues as the most powerful with a tuned 3.0-liter EcoBoost engine producing 400 horsepower. The ST comes standard as a rear-wheel-drive performance SUV.
Four-wheel drive is available.
Upper-level trims of the Explorer come with BlueCruise hardware, enabling hands-free highway driving. It now comes with Lane Change Assist, allowing a driver to switch lanes hands-free with a tap of the turn signal when the path is clear. In-Lane Repositioning shifts the vehicle slightly, which helps provide more space by subtly shifting away from vehicles in adjacent lanes.
"For all those owners not ready to make the switch to EV, they still have interest in infotainment, BlueCruise and other features that can live just as well on an ICE product as an EV product. At first look, the Explorer updates bring a solid performer back to the front row," said Brinley.
The Ford is still the dominant force and the best-selling three-row SUV in the US. It's followed closely by the Toyota Highlander ($39,270), and now Grand Highlander ($43,320), which Ford mentioned as a competitor. It also has the Chevrolet Traverse and Hyundai Santa Fe catching up, though that pair is still far down the list.
The 2025 Ford Explorer has a starting MSRP of $41,220, including destination and delivery charges.
About the writer
Jake Lingeman is a Newsweek Autos managing editor based in Detroit. His focus is reporting on the auto industry. He has covered ... Read more