The 2025 Ford Explorer received a mid-cycle refresh, meaning it has a slightly updated look and new tech. It still has the same diverse engine lineup and athletic attitude to enjoy. After driving the ST-Line, the upgrades make a significant difference.
2025 Ford Explorer: What’s new?
The 2025 Ford Explorer has exterior and interior style upgrades with upscale materials and a larger grille, revamped headlands, and new tail lights. Plus, it trimmed a bit of fat by discontinuing the Base, Limited King Ranch, and Timberline models.
Tech upgrades include the addition of the BlueCruise hands-free driving system and the Ford Digital Experience software system. It looks great on the 13.2-inch infotainment screen. It also features a Google-based navigation system.
I last drove the King Ranch model and was surprised to find the interior field with cheap materials. Although driving the Explorer was fun, the interior was cramped and loud. Also, the tech felt dated. These issues have since been corrected.
1. How much space does the 2025 Ford Explorer have?
The 2025 Ford Explorer provides 16.3 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row, 46 cubes behind the second row, and 85.8 cubes total.
It doesn’t feature more space than the outgoing model, but it has a better interior layout to maximize storage. There are now more trays and cubbies to take advantage of for personal storage.
Before the mid-cycle refresh, it felt like a squeeze to find a place for your keys and wallet. Plus, the rear was limited. Nowthere are more cup holders and cubbies in each row.
The biggest noticeable increase in space is related to the passenger room. You no longer feel cramped up front with an average-sized person in the passenger seat.
The second row feels abundant for up to two adults with a smaller person in the middle seat. Plus, the third-row seats offer more leg space.
The seats used to sit on the floor, making your knees sit awkwardly high against the back of the second row. Now they’re lifted with enough room to stretch your legs if you’re about 5’1”.
2. Does the 2025 Ford Explorer have a nice interior?
Yes, the 2025 Ford Explorer has a luxurious, upscale interior. Critics often complained that the Explorer had too many cheap plastics for its price, and this issue has been more than corrected.
Even the entry-level Active trim has heated, power-adjustable front seats and a three-zone automatic climate control system.
In the ST-Line, you’ll find plush, leather-trimmed seats with welcoming cloth inserts. Soft-touch covered surfaces adorn the doors and dash. Plus, red accent stitching provides attractive pops of color.
The leather-wrapped steering wheel provides a sense of sophistication mixed with racing vibes to tackle the track in style.
You can increase your comfort with available massaging seats, heated seats in the second row, vehicle seats, a heated steering wheel, and synthetic suede inserts.
3. Does the Explorer have good tech?
Yes, the 2025 Ford Explorer feels intuitive and advanced. The outgoing model had a tiny, portrait-oriented touchscreen that smushed everything at the top of the screen. There was black empty space in the bottom half.
But the new 13.2-inch screen takes advantage of the space with attractive graphics and crisp camera feeds. The reverse, front parking, and 360-degree camera views have an excellent resolution.
The digital gauge cluster is helpful and informative. It’s also easy to customize. Plus, the addition of BlueCruise is exciting. I used it to relax hands-free for miles on the interstate. But it does require a subscription.
Wireless Apple CarPlay is easy to connect without a cord. I didn’t run into any bugs with the system. However, some people may prefer more physical controls. Most functions like the heated seats require tapping the touchscreen a few times.
The 2025 Ford Explorer has the same enticing engines and engaging performance as before. However, it’s wrapped in a much better package.
My biggest issues with the outgoing model were related to a lack of storage space, cheap interior materials, and limited tech. But each of those problems has been improved to take the Explorer to the next level of performance and comfort.
