It's hard to believe that it's been almost 30 years since Ford introduced
the Explorer. Back in 1990 the Explorer SUV was a rear-wheel drive 5 passenger
SUV and it was an instant hit. Over the years it's gotten a little bit bigger. It
even went to front-wheel drive for the fifth generation in 2011 but here is the
6th generation Ford Explorer SUV new for 2020 and it's on an all-new platform
that has once again switched back to rear-wheel drive.
Now Ford has said they've done this because it's better for handling it's
better for towing but in our experience a three row SUV on a rear-wheel drive
platform usually comes with some compromises. Sometimes in cargo room
sometimes in passenger room. So we've come here to suburban Detroit to have a
better look at the 2020 Explorer to see if Ford has crafted something that's as
good as it ever has been or does it come with a couple of compromises so you'd be
forgiven for thinking that the styling of the 2020 Explorer isn't all that
different from the 2019 version because quite frankly it's not all that
different it does look very similar to the old one despite this being a
completely brand new platform but if you look at it from certain angles such as
the side profile view you realize that the proportions of the new 2020 model
are very different there's a lot less front overhang it looks longer it looks
lower it looks generally sleeker despite being roughly the same size. This one
looks a little bit different than most of the Explorers because this is the
brand-new high-performance ST version now it comes with slightly different
styling you've got a gloss black grille gloss black wheels and trim mirrors and
quad tailpipes out the back but overall the look of the Explorer isn't all that
different on the outside but that's not the case inside so while it's not all
that different on the outside in here it's a whole new ballgame this is
obviously a whole new interior and there's a much more horizontal aspect to
the dashboard with one notable exception this thing this is the optional 10.1
inch vertically oriented touchscreen it's running the latest version of sync
3 which has a new user interface and it seems to be just as quick and clear and
easy to use as the last version was there is also a new digital instrument
cluster that's also optional it changes depending on which mode you've selected
and the terrain management system which means that if you're in normal mode
you switch to sport mode there's actually a little animation that happens
before it settles into the new mode it's very modern it looks very similar to the
Mustang system which were also a big fan of and it makes this really a cool
experience in here visibility out the front is really quite good the seat
comfort is good as well the materials look nice this really is a nice upgrade
to the Explorer now there are a number of colors available for the new Explorer
and a number of different trims as well this one is the ST so it's got the dark
leather it's got unique embossed trim on the seat backs
it's got contrasting white stitching throughout and it's got a thick carbon
fiber trim look to the dashboard but overall it looks really sporty it's very
comfortable up here it's a nice place to be but chances are if you're looking at
an explorer you're probably more interested in its abilities to haul
people and stuff in which case the second and third row might be more
important to you than that first row the second row is available as either a
standard bench or optional captains chairs now if you get the platinum or
the st those captains chairs come standard they're also available with
four it's easy entry power tilt and slide feature which enables easier entry
into the third row now as we feared the third row is a little bit compromised
because this is a rear-wheel drive vehicle the load floor is a little bit
higher than the previous generation model and so sitting back here your
knees are kind of in your chest because you're sort of sitting on the cargo
floor the seat is very firm and it is really kind of sized best for either
small people or children and you can put children anywhere in the second or third
row because Ford has included latch anchor points for child seats in every
seating position in the second and third row which should give us some top marks
for families looking for a family hauler the standard engine in the new 2020
Explorer is a 2.3 liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine making
300 horsepower it's mated to a 10 speed automatic transmission that sends power
to the rear wheels as we've talked about now that setup should sound familiar
because that's the same powertrain that you can get in the new Ford Mustang
there are two optional power trains as well a three litre twin-turbocharged v6
making 365 horsepower that you can only get Anna platinum level of the Explorer
or if you want the full performance SUV go for the st in which case you get 400
horsepower out of that same v6 the ST also comes with a
performance tune to its 10 speed automatic transmission
it's got larger front brakes it's got vented front rotors and it's got a
special tuned to its shocks and springs as well so this really should be quite
the performance SUV Ford says that it's going to be the fastest SUV that you can
buy for under $60,000 so believe me when we first get our hands on one of them
we're going to put that one to the test if you're looking for something super
efficient Ford may just have the answer for you they've created a new hybrid
version of the Explorer the first ever it combines a 3.3 liter v6 naturally
aspirated with a 35 kilowatt electric motor that they sandwiched into the 10
speed automatic transmission now we don't have any fuel economy numbers for
this yet but they say that it is going to make 318 system horsepower and should
get over 500 miles of range between fill-ups being one of Ford's most
popular family vehicles they really had to bring their safety game for 2020 and
four it has definitely upped the ante they're offering the ford co-pilot 360
as standard that means that the new Explorer will have autonomous emergency
braking blind spot warning lane keep assist and a rear view camera washer all
as standard now a rear-view camera washer it really does kind of make sense
especially in climates like here in Michigan or during the wintertime that
rear camera lens can get pretty skies dup they're also debuting something
called Park Assist 2.0 on the new Explorer now in previous
versions of the automatic perpendicular and parallel parking system you still
had to operate the brake and the shifter not anymore now as long as you keep your
finger on a certain button in the center console the car does all the work for
you it'll pull you in or pull you out of a spot automatically as long as you have
your finger on that button take your finger off the button and it should stop
we don't yet have pricing on the new 2020 Explorer that hasn't been released
yet but Ford has said that it should start at a base model level of about
$400 more than the outgoing model which is pretty good considering it's got
considerably more safety equipment as standard now these cars aren't going to
be going to on sale until the summer of 2019 which is probably right around when
we're going to get our first drive of one if you want to learn more about the
new 2020 Explorer definitely come visit us on cars.com