2018 ford explorer limited edition price
The combination works well on interstates, but gets caught flat-footed on interesting roads where you’ll have to manhandle the shift lever and mash the gas pedal to get it to respond in a meaningful way. It accelerates strongly, and a sport mode holds the 6-speed’s gears longer, and hastens its shifts. That’s more power than Ford used to extract from its V-8 Explorer. The most common Explorer engine is a 3.5-liter V-6 rated at 290 horsepower and 255 pound-feet of torque. Instead, the Explorer has morphed into a surprisingly entertaining family vehicle with a smidge of off-pavement talent. It’s no longer a rough-and-tumble utility vehicle. The latest cabin has tailored good looks like its Durango and Grand Cherokee rivals, with a slightly more contemporary feel.įord fits a range of engines to the Explorer SUV, all teamed with a 6-speed automatic, front- or all-wheel drive, and an independent suspension. The current Explorer makes no attempt to nod to the past-and that's just fine. Platinum models get LED lighting and distinctive trim that aren't wholly out of place for the luxe Explorer, and new exhausts and LED headlights are now standard on top versions.Įarly Explorers had miserable, plasticky interiors, but got better as the SUV groomed itself and took itself upmarket. The shape only hints at the nameplate’s SUV roots any lower to the ground, and it would look more like Ford’s old Freestyle wagon from the 1990s. It wears an agreeable collection of crisp corners, clean edges, and nifty textures on its grille and side cladding. The Explorer's visual approach hasn’t changed for most of this decade.
We give it an extra point for its cabin, which raises its score above average to a 6. It’s long on function, short on freshness. With only the most minor of visual changes in the 2018 model year, the Ford Explorer still sells the same shape it has since the 2011 model year. The best values lie at the XLT trim level, so long as you opt for the newly available safety gear. The most expensive versions, at more than $50,000, get 20-inch wheels, Sony audio, navigation, a power-folding third-row seat, and ventilated leather front seats. A rearview camera comes standard, and Ford now offers forward-collision warnings on most models.Įvery Explorer comes with power features, Bluetooth, and touchscreen audio. The Explorer also lets itself down with a “Marginal” crash-test score from the IIHS. Cargo space is fine, especially with those rear rows folded out of the way. The floor is high, the second- and third-row seats aren’t well-shaped. The Explorer’s age reveals itself in its packaging.
The most rugged models can tow 5,000 pounds, and come with a traction-control system with driving modes that handle moderate departures from pavement as well as they can, on all-season tires. All Explorers have quick steering, well-damped ride quality, and optional all-wheel drive. Twin-turbo V-6 Explorers don’t blow the road off its bed like the Jeep SRT, but substantial passing power is available just a few inches into the gas pedal travel. Turbo-4 Explorers engage more energetically with the world around them, thanks to a low torque peak and paddle controls for the transmission. The combo fares well in ordinary driving, less well when the road gets interesting, and the transmission gets lazy. We welcome the reinstated knobs and buttons that Ford brought back in recent model years.īase Explorers rely on a solid 290-horsepower V-6 and a 6-speed automatic. Inside, the note is clean and tidy, with more lavish touches applied at the $50,000 price barrier. The details show how Ford mastered the Land Rover design language before it sold it off: the Explorer’s mesh grilles and clean cutlines still bear a striking resemblance to Discoverys old and new. It’s blessedly pared of fake SUV aggression and overly soft and eggy surfaces. Seen in context as a sleek family wagon, the 2018 Ford Explorer still looks modern enough, eight years into its extended life cycle.