The Platinum’s acceleration feels more robust and its easy power more luxurious, but in some ways, I was more impressed with the performance coming out of that base engine. The Platinum trim comes with standard 4WD and a larger engine: a robust 365-hp, turbocharged 3.0-liter EcoBoost V-6 that makes 380 pounds-feet of torque.īoth engines are great. The base engine found in XLT and Limited trims is a turbocharged 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder that makes 300 horsepower and 310 pounds-feet of torque it’s paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission and standard rear-wheel drive. It’s true that the new Explorer is better to drive - excepting the hybrid version, which I’ll address next. See the Explorer’s specs and features compared with fellow three-row SUVs the Chevrolet Traverse, Honda Pilot and Challenge-winning Hyundai Palisade.Ģ020 Ford Explorer Limited | photo by Christian Lantry Better Driving Much of this review will focus on the Limited we tested for our 3-Row SUV Challenge, but I’ll also address the hybrid at the end. The base returns for 2020 (for fleet sales only), as do XLT, Limited and Platinum trims. The redesign added two new trim levels with very different goals: a hybrid model and a performance-focused ST, which replaces the Sport. The 2020 Explorer is offered in a wide range of variants. If this were a driving-only test, the Explorer would have won instead, it finished fourth out of seven. Its other driving-related scores - in the powertrain and braking categories - were also superb.īut evaluating three-row, family-oriented SUVs requires a much longer list of priorities than how they drive, and the Explorer did not do as well in other categories. (Even when equipped with optional all-wheel drive, the platform’s foundational layout influences how it handles.) In our 2020 3-Row SUV Challenge, the Explorer was the only participant with a rear-drive platform, and that helped its handling stand out. The old model rode on front-wheel-drive architecture, and the shift gives the Explorer some distinction. The biggest change for the 2020 Explorer is a switch to a rear-wheel-drive platform. But in such a contested class, are these changes enough to propel the Explorer to the top? The new Explorer rides on a brand-new platform, and it has serious technology upgrades and two new specialized trim levels that widen the model’s scope more than ever before.
#FORD EDGE 2020 MPG FULL#
The 2020 Ford Explorer gets a full redesign, and its makeover is extensive. Versus the competition: In this class, practicality outweighs fun behind the wheel, and the competition offers better cabins with more room for passengers, along with much better value. The verdict: Moving to a rear-wheel-drive platform makes the Explorer better to drive, but there are shortcomings in the cabin that may be a bigger deal for families and the hybrid is a disappointment.
2020 Ford Explorer Limited | photo by Christian Lantry
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