New Ford Explorer: sub-£40k start price and 374 miles of range

The electric Ford Explorer has finally gone on sale in Europe more than a year after its unveiling, priced from less than £40,000 and with a range of up to 374 miles.

The new SUV – based on the Volkswagen Group's MEB platform – was due on sale in autumn last year. It has been launched half a year late due to the onset of a new UN battery certification, in light of which Ford chose to source a new power pack and re-engineer the car to accommodate it.

As a result, the firm's factory in Cologne, Germany – where the Explorer will be built – has been dormant since the Fiesta ended production there in July.

Martin Sander, who leads Ford's Model E electrification division in Europe, said the delay has allowed the company to further refine the Explorer and ultimately bring to market a more competitive car.

The Explorer "is a better vehicle now than we would have launched half a year ago," he told Autocar. "We've used the additional time we had to get everything nailed down, to make sure that we're delivering a perfect vehicle to our customers."

The main reason for the SUV's delayed launch was that the battery it was due to use didn't comply with new UN Regulation 100.3, concerning the certification of EV safety, so Ford decided to wait until a new nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) pack became available and re-engineer the car to accommodate it.

Read our Ford Explorer first ride here

That new battery, as well as compliance with the new regulations, also offers a significantly higher maximum range of 374 miles - well above the 311 miles that Ford was originally targeting from the longest-legged variant.

Sander said that figure is "outstanding in this segment" and a testament to how Ford has used the extra half a year of development time "very, very effectively to keep working on the vehicle and making the vehicle better".

That headline range figure is achieved by the single-motor Extended Range car, priced from £45,875 and fitted with a 77kWh battery - matching the capacity of the Volkswagen ID 4 and Skoda Enyaq with which it shares its MEB architecture and rear-mounted 282bhp 'AP550' motor.

The twin-motor four-wheel-drive Explorer, which uses the 335bhp powertrain from Volkswagen's GTX-badged sporting EVs, uses a slightly larger 79kWh battery (which has just been made available on the Volkswagen ID 3 and Cupra Born) to crack 329 miles.

Maximum charging speeds are put at 135kW and 185kW respectively - the latter giving a theoretical 10-80% top-up time of just 26 minutes.

Ford puts the rear-driven Explorer's 0-62mph time at 6.4sec and the more potent 4WD variant's at just 5.3sec - quicker, it highlights, than a Ford Focus ST.

The range-topper can also tow loads of up to 1200kg.

A lower-powered Standard Range car, with a 168bhp rear motor, a smaller 52kWh battery and a maximum charging speed of 125kW, will be added to the line-up in due course, taking the price down to £39,875.

Sander said that while the Explorer touts range and on-paper performance figures that stand it in good stead against rivals, it's just as important that the EV adheres to Ford's trademark dynamic values, and this was a priority during development.

"We are known for sporty and dynamic driving performance and behaviour," he said. "Just a couple of weeks ago, my team and I had a comprehensive test of electric vehicles where we drove the Explorer along with all its competitors. And it's really amazing to see that this vehicle has a very distinct character. It's comfortable because it's a vehicle for every day, but it's got the driving dynamics you would expect from a Ford."

Sander said the Explorer strikes a "balance between a comfortable ride on the one hand – what you expect from an everyday family car – but also in driving dynamics".

"The engineers really did a great job to create a distinct Ford vehicle, not just put another electric vehicle out," he added.

Asked if Ford has taken on board feedback from the Mustang Mach-E electric SUV, which was criticised at launch for its firm ride, he said: "Yes, of course. We've taken on board all feedback we've received about our products over the last couple of years."

There are just two trims on offer for the Explorer: Select and Premium. All cars come with a heated steering wheel, heated seats (with massage function for the driver), wireless smartphone charging and wireless smartphone mirroring.

Premium trim adds a 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system, ambient lighting and dynamic matrix LED headlights with 'glare-free' high beam function.

"To make the purchase process as effortless as possible," Ford said, only two options are available: a panoramic glass roof and a driver assist pack which brings a hands-free bootlid, a head-up display, 360deg parking camera and lane-change assist.