| Pros | Cons | ||
| ✓ Can’t argue with 400 hp (especially with RWD) | ☓ Interior quality isn’t the greatest | ||
| ✓ New infotainment setup is a major improvement | ☓ Cramped third row | ||
| ✓ Beefier, angrier styling | ☓ Just decent fuel economy | ||
| ✓ Useful tech including BlueCruise |
Ford updated the 2025 Explorer lineup with an eye on refinement.
The sixth-generation Ford Explorer brought quite a few noteworthy changes to the Blue Oval’s iconic midsize SUV. It shifted to a new, rear-wheel drive-based platform, and it started offering more variety as far as its trim walk goes. One particularly spicy addition to the range is the hot ST model with 400 horsepower and 415 lb-ft of torque, and that’s the model Ford shipped out for us to test here.
Now, the 2025 Ford Explorer’s formula hasn’t dramatically changed from what you’ve been able to buy over the past few years. We are still talking about a three-row, unibody SUV — so it hasn’t somehow gone back to the old days where we’re talking about a body-on-frame family truck (you’ll have to step up to a full-size SUV if that’s what you want). The main changes for this model year are styling tweaks inside and out, an updated infotainment system and better tech, including the automaker’s BlueCruise hands-free driving system, to keep the Explorer competitive against a wide range of rivals.
One helpful change Ford made if you’re shopping for a new Explorer is a streamlined trim structure. You have four options for 2025: Active, ST-Line, Platinum and ST. There’s no more Limited or King Ranch in the lineup, nor is there technically a base trim (that would be the Active this time around) or an off-road-focused Timberline.
Powertrains broadly remain the same for the 2025 Ford Explorer lineup, though Ford pared down your options there as well. There’s just the 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder or the 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 that’s optional on Platinum and standard on ST, with nothing else in between. There’s no hybrid option this time around, as Ford is focusing on providing hybrid Explorers for law enforcement agencies. Across the range, though, you can choose to have either rear- or all-wheel drive.
After nearly five years on the market, Ford definitely needed to update the current-generation Explorer in the wake of fierce and wide-reaching competition. Family SUVs like the Toyota Highlander and Grand Highlander, Kia Telluride, Hyundai Palisade, Mazda CX-90, Honda Pilot, Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia, Nissan Pathfinder, Subaru Ascent, Volkswagen Atlas and the Jeep Grand Cherokee L means you find an alternative to the Explorer with literally every other automaker in the U.S. market.
What’s different for the 2025 Ford Explorer and how much does it cost?
On the styling front, Ford tweaked the Explorer’s front-end design, giving it a larger and more aggressive grille, as well as new headlights and lower air intakes. Around back, Ford gave it more modern-looking taillights and a trim piece that connects them together. Again, they aren’t huge changes, but they do help make this SUV look more distinctive than in years past. Each trim offers up its own unique grille design and wheel package. While the ST gives you the sportiest look (as you’d expect) and 400 horsepower, the ST-Line gives you similar styling without the extra grunt for nearly $10,000 less.
In fact, pricing for the 2025 Ford Explorer lineup starts at $41,450 for the Active, rising to $46,210 for the ST-Line, $53,845 for the Platinum and $55,855 for the ST. Those are all starting MSRPs, as you can specify a host of different options that will shift the bottom-line price you’ll wind up paying by a few thousand dollars, depending on which packages you want.
Interior updates abound for this updated Explorer, including the option to add BlueCruise for the first time on this model. It’s worth noting that the particular version that ships with the 2025 Explorer, BlueCruise 1.2, is not the absolute latest version that lets drivers go hands-free in more situations and generally works a bit smoother (like version 1.4 on the new F-150 does, for example). However, while Ford hasn’t yet expanded that capability to other vehicles just yet, we could see it arrive on the Explorer as part of an over-the-air update. BlueCruise 1.2, for its part, will still add hands-free driving capability, in-lane repositioning and automatic lane changes. The feature is standard on Platinum, while you can get it as a $495 option on ST-Line and ST (it’s not available on Active at all, though).
Ford also updated the 2025 Explorer with a new 13.2-inch infotainment display, ditching the tablet-style layout it had on some previous models. This system adds “Google Built-in” functionality, baking in popular apps like Google Maps and the Google Voice Assistant without having to use your phone. You still can link up your phone wirelessly or by USB-C for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability, if you want. The “Ford Digital Experience”, Ford’s marketing name for this new infotainment setup, also lets you use streaming apps and browse the internet using the native system while parked. Amazon Alexa is built into the updated system, as well.
Most 2025 Ford Explorer models ship with the four-cylinder EcoBoost engine as standard equipment while the larger, more potent EcoBoost V6 is an option. All of them get a 10-speed automatic transmission with updated tuning, though, and every Explorer gets a Class III towing hitch with towing capacity up to 5,000 pounds. New 18-, 20- and 21-inch wheel designs are available across the range (with size largely depending on trim), and Vapor Blue Metallic joins the color palette on ST, ST-Line and Active models.
The interior is a comfortable, tech-forward place to sit — but there are a couple drawbacks.
Each of the Big Three automakers tends to lean heavily on technology and features as their competitive edge, be it the Jeep Grand Cherokee L’s night vision system or driver-assistance systems like GM’s Super Cruise or Ford’s BlueCruise. The 2025 Ford Explorer is no exception, as it brings BlueCruise, a larger and more feature-rich infotainment system, a digital gauge cluster and a standard power liftgate to the equation. You also get a 12-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system on all but the base Active, three-zone climate control, eight USB-C sports and three 12-volt power outlets spread throughout the cabin.
While the Explorer brings plenty of features to the table and offers up a comfortable ride to boot, you do see some compromises the harder you look. Ford’s redesign does new soft-touch materials on the center console and the door panels, which definitely helps the Explorer’s case as a family road trip machine. The ST-Line and ST trims also add some sporty flavor thanks to a nice feeling, leather-wrapped flat-bottom steering wheel, leatherette and microfiber upholstery and contrast stitching. Feel and look around parts of the cabin you don’t regularly touch (and even some you do, like the area around the gear selector), though, and there’s still plenty of cheap plastic pieces that may irritate the long-term experience. This updated model is still better, don’t get me wrong — we’re not talking early 2000s cheap here and it’s an upgrade on the last few years’ Explorers. It just doesn’t earn a 10/10 in the week I spent with this particular ST (I’d class it around a 7.5 or 8 out of 10).
Both the front and second-row seats are spacious and comfortable, and Ford did make access to the third row fairly easy. Once you’re in that third row, however, you will notice how cramped the area is for teenagers or adults. The 32.2 inches of legroom and 38.9 inches of headroom are about on-par for the class, but the 40.9 inches of hip room make it feel like an extremely tight space if you try to pack two people together back there.
The 3.0-liter EcoBoost engine packs serious punch, but so does the four-cylinder.
Strictly speaking about the 2025 Ford Explorer ST, the combination of rear-wheel drive and 400 horsepower makes the prospect of driving a family hauler much less dreary. On the whole, the driving experience across the board is similar to the past model, as Ford hasn’t dramatically switched things up from the initial 2020 redesign. Still, the V6 engine shifts the 4,700-pound Explorer along with plenty of gusto. Obviously, I’d only recommend rear-wheel drive if the climate in your area permits it, but it’s definitely fun to get the rear-end loose every once in awhile.
If you’re looking to save some cash, though, the base 2.3-liter engine isn’t a paperweight by comparison. In fact, picking up an ST-Line with that engine still gets you 300 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque, with the same 10-speed automatic. Opting for the four-pot will add about a second onto the 0-60 time (so, 6 seconds versus 5 with the 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6), but the ride and handling are composed and controllable whichever way you go.
But what about fuel economy? Well, the 2025 Ford Explorer manages virtually identical mileages figures to the outgoing 2024 model, which is to say it’s fine, but not great. 2.3-liter-equipped Explorers get up to 20/29/24 city/highway/combined mpg ratings, while the 3.0-liter V6 gets up to 18/25/21 city/highway/combined fuel economy (knock off 1-2 mpg for AWD, in either case).
Should you buy a 2025 Ford Explorer ST?
While there is more competition than ever in this space, the Explorer has been a long-established name in the segment. After all, it’s one of the most iconic SUVs to redefine the “family vehicle”, and has sold more than 8 million examples in its 34-year run. Ford still shifts a perfectly respectable 150,000 examples or so each year, but if it wants to maintain that momentum, the latest model needs to be good.
And it is — the 2025 Ford Explorer brings a solid balance of style, technology, comfort and performance to the segment. It’s worth your consideration, and the update makes this option a lot better than it’s been in previous years and generations. But, if third-row space, fuel economy or some nicer interior accoutrements are what you’re aiming for, there are other compelling options you should also check out. The Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid Max manages 362 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque while delivering markedly better fuel economy, for example. As for third-row space, it’s tough to best the Kia Telluride or Hyundai Palisade. If you want a decent all-rounder, there’s always the Volkswagen Atlas or Nissan Pathfinder to think about, too.
If you do land on the 2025 Ford Explorer, ST or not, you’ll get the industry-standard warranty coverage for the money. That includes 3 years/36,000 miles of bumper-to-bumper coverage and 5 years/60,000 miles of powertrain coverage. Unlike some rivals such as Chevrolet or Toyota, though, you don’t get complimentary scheduled maintenance.
