The Ford Explorer can be credited with killing the sports car back in the 90’s, thanks to the Explorer and few others, the SUV became very popular then and the sports car (the type the average consumer can buy) became a thing of the past. Sports cars are making a come back, but they’re still a niche market, nowadays it’s all about the might SUV or CUV.
The 5th generation Explorer received a facelift for the 2016 model year, which we reviewed about a year ago. For 2017, the Explorer remains the same with the exception of the “XLT Sort Appearance Package”, which includes Magnetic Gray 20” wheels, grille, mirror caps, and rear applique, black roof rack and side cladding. The interior gets Dark Earth Gray leather seats and Miko suede seatback uppers and inserts.
Prices
The 2017 Ford Explorer comes in the same five trims as last year, prices for each trim have gone up by a few hundred dollars, but we can blame that on inflation. Below is a list of starting prices for each trim, before options, delivery & destination, and taxes:
- Explorer base – $33,499
- Explorer XLT – $37,699
- Explorer Limited – $48,399
- Explorer Sport – $51,999
- Explorer Platinum – $59,099
Our week-long review Explorer was the Limited trim, with a sticker price of $59,054 (including destination & delivery of $1,690) with options. Some of the bigger options included were the 2.3 liter 4-cylinder EcoBoost engine ($1,000), Equipment Group 301A ($2,250), Twin Panel Moonroof ($1,750), Adaptive Cruise control/collision warning ($1,500), Class II Trailer Tow Package ($500), 20” aluminum wheels ($650).
The Equipment Group 301A included the following:
- Active park assist
- Lane departure and lane keep assist
- Blind spot monitoring system
- Rain sensing wipers
- Auto high beam headlights
- Rear inflatable belts
Styling/Interior/Technology
I’m going to briefly talk about styling/interior etc, for a more detailed look at this stuff, have a look at my 2016 Explorer review.
There aren’t any styling changes on the 2017 Explorer, because the car got a nice refresh last year. I like the overall styling, it looks good and has a similar look to a British SUV. Our review Explorer came in the optional Ruby Red metallic paint ($450), it looked really great in this color, especially on sunny days, the pictures don’t really do the paint job justice.
The interior is also the same, but now with the new SYNC 3 system, which is very easy to use and the touchscreen is very responsive. The interior is also very quiet and comfortable for all occupants, yes that also includes the passengers in the third row seats, which have a good amount of led and head room. Getting in and out of the third row seats is also very easy, in all the vehicles I’ve reviewed with third row seats, I found getting in and out of the Explorer’s third row seats the easiest. Access is made easier thanks to the second row seats flipping forward, making a wide opening. In most other vehicles, when you fold the second row seats, they usually slide forward, giving you a small entrance to the third row, making for an awkward entrance and exit from third row seats.
However, I did have a bit of hard time getting the second row seats to flip forward, you have to do it in a continuous motion, fold the seats and flip them forward in one smooth motion. It took me a good 5 to 10 minutes to figure it out, but once I had it figured then it was easy. I was pretty frustrated the first 5 minutes of trying to flip the seats forward.
Tech-wise, the Explorer can be had with all the bells and whistles your heart desires, I’m not going to list everything here, again, if you want to know what you can equip your 2017 Explorer with, have a look at my previous review. The 2017 Explorer does have an added feature, our 2016 Explorer included the automatic parallel and perpendicular feature, now the Explorer will also get you out of a tightly parallel parked spot, which does come in handy if you’re not good at getting out of tight spots. The perpendicular parking feature is a bit finicky and not the best at spotting the perfect free parking spot, I’m sure Ford will make it better in its next iteration.
Engine
The 2017 Ford Explorer is offered with three engine choices, a base 3.5 liter naturally aspirated V6 producing 290 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 255 pound-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm. The optional inline-4 2.3 liter EcoBoost engine, which was first offered on the Mustang, produces 280 horsepower at 2,500 rpm and 310 pound-feet of torque between 2,500 and 4,000 rpm. The top of the line twin-turbo 3.5 liter V6 EcoBoost produces 365 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 350 pound-feet of torque at 3,500 rpm. All three engines come with 6-speed automatic transmissions.
The main difference between this and my old review is the engine, our review 2017 Ford Explorer Limited was equipped with the optional 4-cylinder EcoBoost engine, which is $1,000 option on the first three trims on the Explorer, not offered on the Sport or Platinum.
I found the 2.3 liter EcoBoost engine more than adequate on the Explorer, I actually prefer it over the Edge’s 2.0 liter engine, which we reviewed last week. The Explorer’s engine seems to have enough power for normal city and highway driving, there’s a bit of turbo lag when you start from a standstill, but above 1,500 rpm the engine feels as powerful as a 6-cylinder engine. One of our other drivers thought it was a 6-cylinder engine.
The 2.3 liter EcoBoost engine is rated for 3,000 pounds of towing, if you need to tow more, you’ll need to go with the base 3.5 liter V6 or the EcoBoost V6. I personally didn’t tow anything with our Explorer, so I’m not sure how well the 4-cylinder will perform and how much fuel will be sucked up the small turbocharged engine.
Speaking of fuel consumption, the 2017 Explorer with the 2.3 liter EcoBoost engine with all-wheel drive is 13.1/9.2/11.3 L/100 km in city/highway/combined driving. We managed 14.2 L/100 km in city driving and 12.6 L/100 km in mixed city/highway (50/50) driving. These numbers are not too bad I guess, it is a large vehicle. However, I drove the Explorer with a very light foot, with no passengers or load and didn’t tow anything. Your mileage may vary!
Overall Impression
I think the Ford Explorer is a good large SUV/CUV, it has lots of room on the inside, which is something families look for. It’s also a pretty good looking vehicle and might be more capable than the average mid-size SUV in it’s class. The Explorer can get quite expensive if you start to add options.
For more information on the Ford Explorer, check out ford.ca.
