Yahoo Autos 2022 Ford Explorer ST gets rear-wheel drive, ST-Line gets looks
Rumor emerged last week that next year's Ford Explorer ST would get standard rear-wheel drive instead of all-wheel drive. The rumor was true, so now you can have all 400 horsepower and 415 pound-feet sent to the back. But if you want, all-wheel-drive is still optional. And Ford has even more news regarding the 2022 Explorer lineup.
Ford has also launched the Explorer ST-Line, an ST in all but power and price. Following in the footsteps of the smaller Edge ST-Line introduced for 2020, the Explorer ST-Line slides in between the XLT and Limited trims. It's ST-aping appearance features include the black grille, black Explorer badge on the hood, blacked-out headlights and taillights, integrated exhaust tips and set of 20-inch machined aluminum wheels. Inside, Ebony Black seats come with black Miko synthetic suede inserts, and there's a sport-style steering wheel plus red contrast stitching throughout the cabin.
The big differentiator is under the hood. While the ST gets the 3.0-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 with 400 horsepower and 415 pound-feet of torque, the ST-Line sticks with the 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 300 hp and 310 lb-ft. Ford hasn't detailed pricing for the 2022 Explorer lineup yet, but says the ST-Line will be $2,575 less dear than the Explorer Enthusiast ST, and $7,570 less expensive than the Explorer ST. That gives us a ballpark, but we're waiting to see by how much — or if — the ST comes down from it's current price of $50,245 by going to rear-wheel drive instead of all-wheel.
