EX-TREME MEASURES(some text hidden)

By Jonathan Crouch

Ten Second Review word count: 69

This electric Ford Explorer wasn't the brand's first EV, but it was the company's first really significant step into this market. This mid-sized SUV was launched in 2024 with a Volkswagen chassis and powertrain, but in every other way was developed to look, feel and drive as a European Ford should. Spring 2026 brought a light package of mid-term updates, creating the car we're going to look at here.

Background word count: 145

Though the Mach-E was Ford's first EV, the modern-era Explorer of 2024 was the brand's first really mainstream electric car. Critics said it wasn't really a Ford, so much being borrowed from Volkswagen Group engineering, but the Blue Oval brand made a valiant attempt to give this product some real 'Ford-ness' in the way it looked and drove. An almost identically-engineered but more coupe-like Capri EV model arrived to sell alongside it in early 2025. The shared platform and engineering approach taken with both cars was vital for Ford after years of losses in Europe, but Explorer sales proved to be more difficult to come by than the brand had hoped and in Spring 2026, the company slashed prices significantly, at the same time as introducing tech upgrades and improvements to the base Standard Range version. Creating the car we're going to look at here.

Driving Experience word count: 338

The main updates made as part of this mid-term Explorer enhancement relate to the smaller-battery Standard Range variants. These now use a new 58kWh LFP battery pack offering up to 273 miles (a 17% improvement on the original version of this model which could only go up to 233 miles). Standard Range models also get an enhanced electric motor with power increased from 170 to 190PS. The Extended Range powertrain continues as before, with a 286PS motor energised by a 79kWh battery pack and up to 374 miles of range. A tweaked version of that same battery pack (with 77kWh) features in the flagship twin motor AWD variant, which offers up to 340PS and has up to 321 miles of range. Because the Explorer uses the VW Group's MEB platform, it has to be primarily rear-driven, but the Blue Oval brand insists that it will 'feel like a Ford' to drive. The car's steering, brakes, dampers, springs and anti-roll bars are specifically tuned for 'Ford-ness' and the Explorer gets its own bespoke Continental tyres. As a result, thanks to relatively feelsome steering, it's a more involving thing through the turns than an equivalent Volkswagen ID.4 (which was clearly the objective). The ride isn't quite as smooth mind you. You'd get slightly more driver engagement if you were to opt for this car's almost identically-engineered EV showroom stablemate, the Blue Oval brand's new-era Capri. It's the AWD twin motor Explorer we tried, where (with 679Nm of torque to draw upon) 62mph is dispatched in 5.3s (quicker than a Focus ST hot hatch) en route to the 112mph top speed that all bigger-battery Explorers share. Even the ordinary 286PS rear-driven model has 545Nm of pulling power and manages the 62mph benchmark in 6.4s, so you won't really feel this car's 2.1-tonne kerb weight too much. Earlier models in Explorer history were all SUVs, regularly used for towing. This electric Explorer won't be, though it can tug along a tonne - or 1,200kgs in the case of the dual motor version.