2025 Ford Explorer Platinum RWD - Review by David Colman +VIDEO

The SUV for people who need to drive good & hard

David Colman

Photos and Story by David Colman
Special Correspondent
THE AUTO CHANNEL

It's really easy to miss Ford's all but hidden tribute to the Explorer brand. It's inscribed on the normally hidden end cap of the dashboard, only visible when you open or shut the driver's side front door. Black-on-black, it depicts a bas-relief city skyline—presumably Detroit—inscribed with the notation: EXPLORER/EST. 1991. While it constitutes a simple statement of fact, the modest medallion reflects Ford's pride of ownership in this foundational SUV brand. 33 years ago, I wrote a book for Edmund's titled "20 Best 1992 Cars, Vans and Trucks" in which I chose the 1992 Ford Explorer as the "Best Sport Utility Vehicle over $20,000." While the price range has almost tripled over the intervening decades, so too has your pleasure in ownership. Ford's latest take on their core brand, the $55,950 2025 Platinum RWD model I spent a week enjoying, left no doubt in my mind that Explorer is still the one to beat when selecting your family SUV.

The first-generation Explorer, sold from 1991 to 1994, was powered by a 160hp V6 driving all 4 wheels through a 5-speed manual gearbox. Independent front suspension was handicapped by longitudinal leaf springs that gave that pioneering SUV a buckboard ride. Today's version offers a pair of engine choices. Base models use a 2.3-liter turbo four that makes 300hp. But you'll want to forego that asthmatic combo for the whopping 415 lb.-ft. of torque produced by the 400hp Ecoboost V6 turbo that powered our test Explorer. The difference between available powerplants boils down to this: the turbo 4 motivates 15.96 pounds for each horsepower, while the Ecoboost V6 drops that figure to just 11.097 pounds per horsepower. Bottom line, the turbo V6 runs 0-60mph in 5.1 seconds, scalds the quarter mile in 13.8 seconds at 100mph, and tops out at 146mph. I managed a couple of flat-out 0-60 sprints when merging onto the 101, and was mightily impressed with the linear surge and great soundtrack provided by the Ecoboost V6 as it charged through the upper rungs of its 10-speed automatic's gear ladder.

Our test Ford looked distinguished thanks to its beautifully applied, sparkly "Carbonized Gray Metallic" exterior finish. But what really arrested my attention was the deft interior furnishings provided by the optional Ultimate Package. Ford upgrades the Platinum Explorer with luxury leather seats, quilted and stitched to match the intricate motif of the door panels. Those door cards combine sculpted aluminum pulls, silver toned speaker grills and textured dark gray hard shell in an artful way. The full dashboard continues the slick look with a honeycomb charcoal swath covering the upper face of the dash. This swath is free of ornamentation save for tiny "b & o" identifiers for the 14 speaker Bang and Olufsen sound system. Topping off the bespoke interior are a pair of ultra comfortable "Mojave Dusk" leather front seats, festooned with discrete Platinum headrest logos. The second row consists of two Captain's Chairs. A tight third row bench provides extra passenger carrying capacity. The Platinum upgrade equips row 3 with power tilt buttons to stash the seatbacks for extended flat storage. With the back bench stored the Explorer yields 46 cubic feet of cargo room, while folding the back of the row two Captain's Chairs boosts that number to a whopping 85 cubic feet.

For 2025, Ford has incorporated the HVAC controls into the 13.2-inch LCD touchscreen. The absence of physical buttons makes tuning your climate a bit more of a chore than it needs to be. Also irritating was the inconvenient location of the Drive Mode control knob, at the back end of the transmission tunnel. Not only is it hard to find, but its graphics lag your real-time selection just enough to put your choices out of sequence with the dash display. I found myself going around and around on this one, trying to get the system to settle on my preferred Mode, colorfully named "Sporting Back Road." When I finally got that correlation correct, I discovered that this big truck was plenty willing to cover switchback territory with unexpected finesse and alacrity.

Our test Explorer was fitted with optional wheels and tires: 21" dark alloy aluminum wheels mounting 275/45R21 Pirelli Scorpion Zero all-season radials. Despite the fact that the Pirellis carried an ultra-long life TW 500 rating, we could not get these Scorpions to break loose or even chirp no matter how hard we drove the Explorer on familiar back roads. Despite its 199-inch length and 70-inch height, the rear-wheel-drive Explorer Platinum proved to be the perfect choice for a spirited drive on a challenging back road.

The 2WD version of the Platinum Explorer retails for $53,455. Ours was equipped with Ford's Blue Cruise partial self-drive option, which added $2,495 to the bottom line. I didn't use it and I'd skip it if I were buying this Explorer. It's been at least 5 years since I've had the pleasure of testing Ford's latest generation Explorer, but the 2025 model has only reinforced my long-held satisfaction with this line of SUVs. The Explorer is the SUV for an owner who needs to shuttle a lot of people and stuff, but also needs to drive good and hard when the occasion arises. The 2025 version is, as ever, still a great answer to those discerning and seemingly incompatible requirements.

2025 FORD EXPLORER PLATINUM RWD

• ENGINE: 3.0 liter V6, DOHC, 24-valve, intercooled and turbocharged, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injection
• HORSEPOWER: 400hp@5500rpm
• TORQUE: 415lb.-ft.@3500rpm
• FUEL CONSUMPTION: 20 MPG Combined/18MPG City/25MPG Highway
• PRICE AS TESTED: $55,950

HYPES: Vast Power Reserve, Immaculate Interior, Great Seats

GRIPES: Menu Driven HVAC Controls

STAR RATING: 10 Stars out of 10

©2025 David E Colman