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Walkaround
Up front, Ford Explorer looks like an F-150 pickup with finer, scaled-down features. At the same time, its generous use of chrome, big-and-bold lamps, and square-cornered aero mirrors make this latest-generation Explorer look more like a Lexus SUV than a Ford, and we mean that in the most complimentary way.
Between the elaborate lamps front and back, however, Explorer is a big, empty box with five large doors and a whole bunch of space inside.
Each Explorer trim level presents its own visual personality. XLT faces the world with a four-bar chrome grille, black wheel-lip moldings, and black roof rails. Black running boards are optional.
Eddie Bauer features a two-tone front bumper and an accent-color rear bumper; a three-bar chrome grille with side nostrils; accent-color wheel lip moldings; body-color exterior mirrors; silver roof rails with black end caps; and Pueblo Gold running boards.
Limited wears body-color front and rear bumpers; a chrome four-bar grille; chrome exterior mirrors; chrome roof rails with black end caps; body-color running boards; and body-color wheel lip moldings.
Interior Features
Inside, most models have dark wood accents, with darker, richer wood for the Eddie Bauer version. The graphics are accented with metal surrounds both shiny and matte. On the downside, we saw a fair amount of glare reflected off the dash top onto the windshield.
The seats are supportive and comfortable. The colors and trims are elegant and tasteful, and the use of metallic trim is not overdone.
Second-row seats are available as a 60/40 split bench with recline adjustment, or as two captain's chairs with fold-down armrests and a center console. The bucket seats are more comfortable for adults, but the bench seats fold down better for cargo.
The third row, when ordered, is always a 50/50 split, but is available with manual or power folding and unfolding.
The cargo floor is completely flat when all the seats are folded, with almost no forward rise. With three rows of seats, you get 13.6, then 43.9, then 83.7 cubic feet of space as the seats fold down. The five-seater has slightly more room with the seats folded.
The DVD-based navigation system is very easy to use, with excellent colors and graphics, and a big eight-inch display. For 2008, it can now be operated via voice commands.
Ford's Sync communications and entertainment system, due late in the 2008 model year, can recognize Bluetooth-enabled cell phones, access their phonebooks, and play calls and read text messages through the speakers. It also has a USB interface to connect with iPods and other MP3 players. Voice commands and/or steering wheel buttons can be used to control all functions.
The rear-seat entertainment system's drop-down screen seems small a bit small. When in position for viewing, the video screen combines with the rear head restraints to block the driver's view to the rear. Outward visibility elsewhere is good, with less obstruction than expected from the thick C-pillars.
We don't care for the door handles. Ford designed the interior door panels so the armrests and door pulls would supplement the impact protection hardware built into the door's innards. Thus, the armrests and door pulls were separated, with the pulls positioned below the armrests. This poor ergonomic positioning makes it a bear to grab hold of the pulls, and they offer too little leverage to make closing the doors easy.
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