Yahoo Autos 2022 Ford Explorer Review | Niches covered by Timberline, ST and King Ranch
No other three-row SUV offers the variety of options as the 2022 Ford Explorer. Want something to take on family adventures off the beaten path? There's the new Explorer Timberline. How about something to get your blood pumping because the rest of the family hauler choices are, well, a bit of a bore? Come on down ST and the less powerful, new-for-2022 ST-Line. Finally, there's the luxurious and muscular Explorer King Ranch and Platinum.
Ultimately, we think these various niche choices within the Explorer lineup are the most compelling because they offer things that few other competitors can match. That goes for towing capacity, too. However, if you're looking more for a function-first family hauler – and most three-row SUV shoppers are – the Explorer isn't quite as strong as other choices like the Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade. Its interior quality and space in particular hold it back. The Explorer Hybrid's emphasis on performance over fuel economy is also a bit puzzling, falling substantially short of the Toyota Highlander Hybrid. Basically, the Explorer will be the just-right choice for a relatively small number of niche buyers, and a decent one for everyone else.
Interior & Technology | Passenger & Cargo Space | Performance & Fuel Economy
What it's like to drive | Pricing & Features | Crash Ratings & Safety Features
What's new for 2022?
The Explorer trim lineup gains the ST-Line for 2022, but this is also the first full year for the Explorer Timberline and King Ranch. The ST-Line gets the regular ST's design and chassis upgrades but sticks with the base four-cylinder engine (the regular ST can also now be paired with rear-wheel drive). The Explorer King Ranch is consistent with the F-150 and Expeditions of the same name: special badging and interior color schemes applied to a range-topping trim level. In this case, it's on par with the Platinum, including its standard turbo V6. Finally, there's the new Timberline that provides the Explorer with some long-missing off-road chops by hiking up the ride height and clearance angles, and adding a Torsen limited-slip diff, a recalibrating suspension, all-terrain tires, under-body protection and the beefy dampers from Explorer Police Interceptors (albeit retuned). It also gets special exterior and interior design flourishes.
What are the Explorer interior and in-car technology like?
We're happy Ford has introduced the Timberline and King Ranch versions (pictured above) because both add a much-needed pop of color and visual interest to what is otherwise a pretty drab interior. Some may even call it a bit ugly, especially when the big vertically oriented touchscreen is slapped to the dash. It looks awfully low rent compared to a Kia Telluride, Hyundai Palisade or Toyota Highlander, and the materials quality does little to change that perception.
Every Explorer comes standard with Ford's Sync3 infotainment interface. It responds well to inputs and swipe gestures, icons are easily read and pressed, and feature content is typically robust for this segment. That includes Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, although we've found that too many of their functions are locked out while in motion. We ended up using Sync3's native controls for navigation or playing music from a smartphone.
Now, while every Explorer has Sync3, the screen that controls it differs. The standard 8-inch touchscreen is easy to see and reach, and we like the extra smartphone-holding bin below it. That disappears with the 10.1-inch vertically oriented touchscreen, which is optional on the ST and standard on the Platinum and King Ranch. Worse, the big screen doesn't really improve functionality as you might expect. The 12.3-inch digital instrument panel included on those three top trims is far more successful and even changes its design based on the one of seven possible drive modes selected.
How big is the Explorer?
The current Explorer is larger than both its predecessor and most competitors. At 198.8 inches long, only the gargantuan Chevy Traverse is larger. Thankfully, it doesn't feel that big when behind the wheel.
Inside, the Explorer's dimensions indicate it has more second- and third-row legroom than all of its three-row competitors except the Traverse. However, in person we've found it to be less spacious than its dimensions would indicate, especially in the third row. While there's tons of headroom back there, it's largely the result of a low-mounted seat. So while there's literally more space between rows, your passengers (even kids) are less likely to be comfortable since their butts will be too close to the ground and their legs less supported. They'll be happier in a Traverse, Kia Telluride or Hyundai Palisade.
The cargo area is as good as its dimensions would indicate, however. Thanks to a removable floor panel, there is more space behind the raised third row than most competitors. The differences in maximum cargo space (all rows lowered) between competitors are negligible, but those extra cubes behind the way-back could mean the difference between bringing all your luggage, buying a roof box or making someone sit with a duffle bag on their lap for three hours.
What are the Explorer fuel economy, performance and towing specs?
Here is where the 2022 Ford Explorer really shines. Standard on most trims is a 2.3-liter turbocharged inline-four that produces 300 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. That's considerably better than the naturally aspirated V6 engines found in most competitors. A 10-speed automatic and rear-wheel drive are standard, but all-wheel-drive is optional. Fuel economy estimates for 2022 hadn't been released at the time of this writing, but we don't anticipate they'd be different from the final figures of 2021: 21 mpg city, 28 mpg highway and 24 mpg combined with RWD and 20/27/23 with AWD. The AWD-only Timberline is 19/23/21.
Standard on the King Ranch and Platinum is a 3.0-liter turbocharged "EcoBoost" V6 good for 365 hp and 380 lb-ft of torque – that blows away anything offered by a competitor apart from the V8-powered Dodge Durango. That doesn't come close to the EcoBoost's fuel economy, however, which is 18/26/21 with RWD and 18/24/20 with AWD. It too has a 10-speed automatic.
The Explorer ST gets an enhanced version of the same engine good for 400 hp and 415 lb-ft of torque. Ford says it'll go from zero to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds, which is certainly quick, but not as quick as we'd expect given its power and the performance of certain competitors. Fuel economy is apparently the same as the Platinum, but we strongly suspect it would be much lower in the real world than in the EPA's laboratory given the power discrepancy.
Finally, the Explorer Hybrid pairs a 3.3-liter naturally aspirated V6 to an electric motor and a lithium-ion battery pack under the passenger-side cabin. Its total output is 318 hp. EPA-estimated fuel economy stands at 27 mpg city, 28 mph highway and 27 mpg combined with rear-wheel drive. It lowers to 23/26/25 with all-wheel drive. This is admittedly underwhelming as according to those same EPA estimates, you'd only save about $100 on average per year by going with the hybrid instead of the standard engine. Also, for comparison, the all-wheel-drive Toyota Highlander Hybrid gets 35 mpg combined. That's as big a difference as it seems.
That said, Ford has put a priority on performance, even with the hybrid. You can see that with towing capacity, which stands at 5,000 pounds for the Hybrid. The Highlander has 72 fewer horses and can only tow 3,500 pounds. For the non-hybrid Explorers, towing goes up to 5,300 for the 2.3-liter and 5,600 for the 3.0-liter engines. Both figures are better than average for the segment.
