Car Reviews
Ford’s 2025 Explorer ST – THEY SHOULD CALL IT ‘RAPTURE’
Ford’s 2025 Explorer ST
THEY SHOULD CALL IT ‘RAPTURE’
In my one Driver’s Ed course, Millard High School – near Omaha – put me behind the wheel of a 1968 Ford Galaxie 500…with 428 cubic inches of V8. And this is long before the PLEASE BE PATIENT – STUDENT DRIVER bumper sticker became ubiquitous. I’m still, almost 60 years later, amazed by the decision to make 428 cubes(!) available to non-licensed drivers; it’s akin to putting young ‘uns behind the wheel of Ford’s Explorer ST. With its 3.0 liters of warmed-up V6, it could be seen as the 21st-century equivalent of that big block Galaxie…except that the Explorer ST stops and steers, which – in 1968 – Ford’s Galaxie didn’t.
In fact, the Explorer ST is about as athletic as a traditional – or neo-traditional, your choice – SUV is gonna’ get for under six figures. Available in standard RWD or optional 4WD, the 5,000 pounds of turbocharged Explorer moves around with all the athleticism that 2.5 tons and almost 200 inches of overall length will typically muster. This isn’t, to be sure, a sport sedan or wagon – but Ford doesn’t build sedans anymore; the 4-door sedan did outlast the 7.0 liter V8…may they both rust in peace.
Preferring rear-wheel drive proportions, I’ve been a fan of the current Explorer since its redesign in 2020. That almost 200-inch footprint sits back on the chassis, with little front overhang and only enough in the rear to accommodate the standard 3rd-row seating. And were it not for the Explorer’s 78.9-inch width, this 3-row would almost feel tossable. Although that width is only an inch greater than Jeep’s Grand Cherokee L, it feels like six inches, and is the one adjustment you have to make when pointing the Explorer into a tight parking spot – beyond, of course, stopping.
The Explorer ST is the few-holds-barred iteration of the Explorer lineup, which includes a base Active trim, followed by a cosmetic-only ST-Line, Platinum (for Lincoln wannabes) and the ST. The heart of the ST is the turbocharged 3.0 liter V6, which supplants the turbocharged four standard in the other trim levels. That base turbo four isn’t slow, and offers the same 5,000 pounds of towing capability as the ST’s V6, but nothing beats cubic inches – or the ST’s 415 lb-ft of torque. Your trip to 60 will take just over 5 seconds, and if you travel in West Texas you can hit 146 miles per hour…on your way to jail.
Inside, you’ll enjoy an all-electronic dash boasting 13.2 inches of infotainment, much of it intuitive. The flat-bottomed steering wheel is a nice ergonomic touch, and the upper dash is framed by the B&O sound system. Despite the ST designation, it’s all rather quietly appointed, and while you’ll not confuse the interior ambience with an Audi, neither will you be thinking Ford Maverick.
If there’s a bone to pick with the Explorer’s interior, it’s the product team’s decision to mandate buckets for second row passengers. While understanding you have a standard 3rd-row – and those seats feature power folding – a 5,000-pound platform should seat five for a lunch hour without having to climb into that third-row space. And if loading your Explorer from a storage unit (which we did), that empty space between those second-row seats is too narrow for most boxes, making your loading less than efficient. In short, when spec’ing a sport utility, remember – please! – the utility.
Once behind the wheel of the Explorer ST most is forgiven. At highway speeds the platform is almost sublime, while accelerating onto a freeway evokes a visceral reaction fully reminiscent of that Galaxie 500. If there’s a negative in all this it’s the 17 miles per gallon seen on the dashboard. The team at Car and Driver achieved 25 miles per gallon on their 75-mile road loop, but if your driving is stop-and-go, at most gas stations you’ll be stopping.
With Explorers starting at just over $40K and topping out in the mid-$60s (avoid the black-painted roof – Ford wants $5K for just that), the Explorer is a value-oriented choice for those of you not wanting Kia’s Telluride. And if – demographically – you just can’t bring yourself to visit a Ford store, Lincoln’s variant is called Aviator. It, too, will take off.
