Five years ago, the Ford Explorer was a difficult car to recommend. When I tested a 2021 model, the map light fell out of the headliner, the infotainment kept crashing, the interior was offensively cheap for what Ford was charging, and the whole vehicle just didn’t feel finished. Outside of its towing prowess, there just wasn’t much reason to buy an Explorer over a Kia Telluride or a Volkswagen Atlas. Fortunately, Ford’s since gone back to the drawing board, and today’s Explorer is markedly different.
For 2025, the blue oval gave its three-row crossover a new face, a new infotainment system, and a whole new dashboard. That’s far further than most facelifts go, but was it enough to catch up to the competition? I grabbed the keys to a 2026 Explorer Tremor for a week to find out.
[Full disclosure: Ford Canada let me borrow this Explorer Tremor for a week so long as I kept the shiny side up, returned it reasonably clean with a full tank of fuel, and reviewed it.]
The Basics
Engine: Standard 2.3-liter turbocharged intercooled twin-cam 16-valve inline-four, optional three-liter twin-turbocharged intercooled quad-cam 24-valve V6.
Transmission: Ten-speed torque converter automatic.
Drive: Full-time all-wheel-drive, Torsen helical limited-slip rear differential.
Output: 300 horsepower at 5,500 RPM and 310 lb.-ft. at 3,500 RPM for the four-cylinder, 385 horsepower at 5,500 RPM and 415 lb.-ft. at 3,500 RPM for the V6.
Fuel Economy: 19 MPG city, 23 MPG highway, 21 MPG combined (12.1 L/100km city, 10.1 L/100km highway, 11.2 L/100km combined) for the four-cylinder; 17 MPG city, 22 MPG highway, 19 MPG combined (13.8 L/100km city, 10.6 L/100km highway, 12.4 L/100km combined) for the V6.
Base Price: $50,760 including freight ($61,895 in Canada).
Price As-Tested: $56,915 including freight ($69,870 in Canada).
Why Does It Exist?
Over the past 35 model years, the Ford Explorer has become America’s midsize family SUV, full-stop. I know, the Jeep Grand Cherokee also exists, but it never sold in the same sheer numbers as the Explorer. Nor was it the subject of a high-profile product safety event, but that’s almost tangential in the modern unibody age. At this point, Ford not offering the Explorer would be like a diner not offering a corned beef hash. The menu just feels wrong without it.
As for the Tremor trim, it’s ported over from Ford’s truck line to create a softcore off-roader, a genre aimed at producing vignettes of gravel roads with Vaseline smeared on the lens. Think knobbly tires, tweaked suspension, recovery hooks, and loads of yellow-gold trim. It’s basically the old Explorer Timberline, just harmonized. Think of it as one fewer badge for Ford to stock.
How Does It Look?
It’s safe to say the old Explorer looked a bit awkward, but Ford didn’t have to start from scratch with this facelift. The Chinese-market model already boasted an updated grille and fascia that could be carried over, so Ford whipped up a new set of DOT-spec lights and hey, presto. The result is a more handsome three-row crossover, and the Tremor gets its own touches like a carved out lower fascia and driving lights in the grille. While the yellow-gold accents won’t be to everyone’s taste, the facelifted Explorer looks markedly more appealing than the previous model.
Mind you, there’s still some distance to close at the Chicago Assembly Plant. The build quality of this test unit wasn’t quite as tight as you’d expect to see in say, a Toyota Grand Highlander or Honda Pilot. Not only was the liftgate misaligned, the trim covers for the liftgate hinges were lifting slightly. Still, the misalignment didn’t produce any noticeable extra cabin noise, but with a price tag north of $50,000, you should be allowed to get picky.
What About The Interior?
As it turns out, designing and assembling a whole new dashboard can do wonders for a car’s interior. Who knew? Jokes aside, Ford has been clever here, blending swathes of stitched materials, a splash of fabric, and clever touches like two tiers of storage trays in order to take the fight to the Japanese and Korean competition. It’s not as premium as the cabin in a Hyundai Palisade or Mazda CX-90, but it feels just as well-made as the inside of a Toyota Grand Highlander, and that’s no hardship at all.
So what about comfort and practicality? You know, the real reasons people buy three-row crossovers. That was never a sore spot of the old Explorer, and it continues to be great here. Genuine adult-sized room in all three rows, properly comfy seats in the first two rows, and the easy one-touch power-folding third row on this model makes loading bulky items easy. While 16.3 cu.-ft. of cargo space behind the third row is on the small size for the segment, cargo space with the third-row folded and with both rear rows folded is on-par with the Hyundai Palisade and competitive with the Honda Pilot. A Toyota Grand Highlander is roomier overall, but you probably won’t be hurting for space if you go with the Ford.
How Does It Drive?
While you can spec the Explorer Tremor with a twin-turbocharged V6, more than $11,000 for an extra 85 horsepower and 105 lb.-ft. stings. Thankfully, the standard 300-horsepower 2.3-liter turbocharged inline-four in my test car is more than sufficient. Slinging a two-ton family crossover from zero to 60 mph in about six seconds is impressive stuff, reaching genuine 2000s performance car territory. Partial credit for that goes to the 10-speed automatic transmission, which received substantially better programming than in earlier Explorers. Sure, there’s the occasional firm shift, but the transmission calibration no longer constantly sniffs around for gears like a truffle pig. Actually, given the longitudinal architecture and the Tremor’s Torsen limited-slip rear differential, you can sort of imagine the Explorer as the Mustang Ecoboost’s big-boned cousin.
Maybe that helps explain why the damping of this crossover is so good. The same firm compression and rebound damping aimed at preventing the nose from bashing against rocks on easy trails turns potholes into dull thuds without porpoising over undulating freeway bridges. Head toss is minimal, and for something the size of a tower block, it’s surprisingly confident in the bends. Don’t expect much other than weight from the steering, but the competence of the chassis and the Explorer’s willingness to rotate on throttle make a difference when the going gets icy.
Does It Have The Electronic Crap I Want?
From the rather configurable digital instrument cluster to the landscape 13.2-inch infotainment touchscreen to the litany of toys on tap, the Explorer Tremor almost certainly has the gadgets you want. Heated and ventilated seats, heated mirrors, a touchless power liftgate, multi-zone automatic climate control, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, everything you’d expect save for a wireless smartphone charger. Okay, you do have to contend with some weird wide-angle distortion to the backup camera, and having virtual infotainment system tiles for many functions including the heated seats and steering wheel is a downgrade over physical buttons, but the stability of this system is far better than Sync 3 was in the last Explorer I tested. As a bonus, the 10-speaker B&O audio system has been re-jigged with revised speaker placement for better staging, and it keeps a traditional three-band equalizer instead of forcing you to use Bang & Olufsen’s cursed tone circle of confusion.
However, I have a bone to pick with this particular version of Blue Cruise hands-free highway driver assistance. In the 28-mile highway stretch where I normally evaluate advanced driver assistance systems, I counted eleven interventions. Some were a result of other drivers’ behavior, and some were likely due to insufficient map data, but you know those right lanes that fork to an exit with no dotted line? This Explorer often wanted to aim itself at the safety cushions around the skinny end of the crash barriers and pray. That’s deeply concerning as the hand-off in such an event should be much earlier.
Three Things To Know About The 2026 Ford Explorer Tremor
- It has a real limited-slip rear differential.
- The optional V6 is a five-figure proposition due to option bundling.
- Unusually particular people can spec heated and ventilated seats and no sunroof at the same time.
Does The 2026 Ford Explorer Tremor Fulfill Its Purpose?
Yeah. It’s so vastly improved, you can’t help but wonder where the hell this version of the Explorer was in 2020. While it’s not as posh as a Hyundai Palisade, it feels as nice as a Toyota Grand Highlander, drives well, and the Tremor trim has proper goodies that make a difference when the going gets slippery. There are cheaper three-row crossovers out there, but few with fully-mechanical limited-slip rear differentials, or suspension tuning this dialed-in. A Mazda CX-90 or the aforementioned Hyundai Palisade are more refined on-road companions, but if your family does heaps of camping, the Explorer Tremor might be the move.
What’s The Punctum Of The 2026 Ford Explorer Tremor?
Possibly the best Otterbox’d three-row crossover on the market.
Top graphic image: Thomas Hundal
Always liked the design of this Explorer, has a squatting haunches look with a tad of TR7 – the shape of things to come flowing from front to back. Sort of like a predator on the hunt, which makes the perfect police unit as looks the part. As Nsane says below, whenever I see one, even if just poking out of a side street, I reflexively check my speed, following distance, and if I brushed my teeth this morning too. Black and dark blue ones, maybe white as well, should not be sold to the general public.
For those (understandably) asking for a hybrid, Ford makes an Explorer hybrid but they literally only sell it in police interceptor form. If you want to wait a couple years and buy one of those at auction you can but I certainly wouldn’t recommend it.
Anyway, as someone that will soon be shopping in this class I genuinely have never really understood this car’s appeal in the current market unless you get an insane deal or are one of those “I’ll only drive an American car” people. Unless the turbo V6 is super appealing to you in a family hauler for whatever reason I just don’t see what an Explorer offers that other folks don’t do better.
Toyota, Hyundai, and Kia now all have multiple hybrid options in this class. As V10emous suggests, a 10+ combined MPG improvement is hard to ignore and will probably pay for the hybrid cost delta itself in a few years depending on how much you drive. I suppose the 400+ horsepower V6 is kind of cool but like…is that really a selling point for a family hauler? Especially at 19 MPG combined?
If I wanted better performance out of this class for whatever reason I’d just go get something with a V8 since V8 family haulers still very much exist. But anyway, even against its pure ICE competition does the base 4 cylinder even really compete? The Toyota 2.4 gets better gas mileage and has a reputation for being pretty solid…and the Pilot/Passport still have a good old NA V6.
That engine is a heavy update and has had some teething issues but at this point in its cycle it should be well sorted and way more reliable than anything from Ford or GM. You can also get a reasonably well equipped Pilot off a lot for $45,000…and if you absolutely must have the faux off roader aesthetic (I used to make fun of it but I now kind of get it) you can get a Trailsport off a lot for 50 flat.
Why would you choose this over any of those options? And pretty much every review of the Explorer is damning with faint praise sort of like this one…along the lines of “oh at least it doesn’t suck as much as the pre refresh, that car was ass”.
I mean…is this the best we can expect from Ford? Don’t answer that. Anyway I also just wouldn’t want to drive a cop car personally. They’ve sold so many of these to government entities at this point that I’m kind of conditioned to assume an Explorer is being driven by someone that can get me in a lot of trouble. I don’t really want to put other people through feeling that way, but that’s just me.
When these came out, I thought the RWD proportions looked great. The ST trim is probably fun but in a form factor that makes it questionable fun. But, I don’t know how anybody justifies these over the competition in 2026.
I don’t either, thus my comment lol
“Unusually particular people can spec heated and ventilated seats and no sunroof at the same time.”
Those people are called “Tall”
I like heated seats, I loathe sunroofs, I would rather have the headroom.
I actually haven’t had too many issues with height in any of my sunroof cars but turns out I just never use the sunroof. The few times I did use it, it seemed like a good idea and then I got my head cooked by the mountain sun. I don’t want the added costs and added failure points for something that at least to me provides no benefit.
yes I forgot to mention all the other funs of sunroofs like breakage, leakage and heat.
I’ll take my heated and cooled seats without the inevitable leaky roof, please and thank you.
My sentiments exactly.
I’m not tall so no headroom issues, but I like driving under a conventional roof. Roofs are good things. I have four other windows that can open, I don’t enjoy the sun beating down on my head at midday, and I don’t need to remember to close the sunroof before rain on the rare days that I did crack it open to let heat out.
Wow, another example of how we Canadians get a (relatively) good deal on new vehicles. The price-as-tested for this Explorer Tremor is $69,870 in Canada ($CDN), vs. $56,915 USD in the States. Just for fun, I converted the US price into $CDN at today’s exchange rate, and it comes out to $78,065 $CDN. That’s a nice little $8K discount we’re getting up here.
Just bought a CX-90 last year, so don’t need an Explorer, but the CX-90 trim level we bought is $53,940 in the US, while selling for $59,650 $CDN up here. That US price converts to $73,984 $CDN, so we got a $14K win. Or another way to look at it is that the Canadian price converts to $43,489 USD, over a $10K saving in USD.
Goes to show why people were trying to import lightly used cars from Canada to the US.
That’s pretty amazing. And thanks — I was actually going to post a question to Thomas as to whether his dual price numbers were from using configurators from the two nationalities, or from using one and doing a currency conversion (and if so, which nationality).
I’ve long liked Ford exterior styling and think they’ve done a pretty impressive job with the power delivery in a number of their turbocharged engines. The Mustang flies with this 2.3.
I’m not sure what to think of this particular Explorer. RWD architecture be damned, this is not much of an offroader with those clearances and high-range AWD. And the TREMOR badging is juvenile no matter what they put it on. In the US market I’d probably just fork over the $1500 to upgrade to Platinum trim and skip the offroad cosplay for the luxury cosplay. It’s a little more convincing there.
Yes, There is a small number of people who want to pretend to off road and need 3 rows.
for $50K and not need 3 rows, you can get a Bronco, 4 runner, etc. and have actual low range and skid plates.
Or just do the ST and get the more powerful engine, sporty cosplay, and basically no upgrades other than some badging and the V6.
It’s not awful looking and I’m trying not to hold the deficiencies of some past Explorer generations against it, but to be honest, if I were shopping for a three-row crossover, I kind of doubt the Explorer would be on my short list. It looks fine, but there’s more to life with a vehicle than that, especially if you’re buying (not leasing) it and plan to keep driving it for many years.
It’s also the slowest car on the road if you drive a lot of 2-lanes with even light traffic.
People ahead of you will slow right down until they’re sure you’re not a cop.
The brake levers on the bike must be allergic to them, they always seem to cinch up at the sight of an Explorer…
My brother has a Timberline and I like how it looks. This new face is godawful with the big gaping mouth of a grille, but the Tremor treatment makes this one ok. It’s plenty capable as a softroader and would fit my family needs perfectly.
I would be interested if the average mileage was higher than 20mpg, especially with gas on the rise. My brother averages 17 in his.
Those MPG numbers are rough. The 4-cylinder is 21 combined with 300HP and AWD. I understand they are different beasts, but a larger 245HP AWD Sienna (with 3 real rows) returns 36 combined. And a Platinum Sienna starts at $58k, this as tested was $57k.
I bet these will come with steep rebates in no time, where the Siennas are still selling over MSRP (because, Toyota)
The Sienna is a hybrid with an e-axle for AWD and has 1500lbs less towing capacity.
It’s a very apples to oranges comparison.
OK, but the Grand Highlander Hybrid is a direct competitor and also gets 34-36 mpg combined.
Edit – the towing is still lower, which does matter. But that’s a lot of MPG to give up.
You can also get a Pilot or Passport with a very good NA V6 that delivers similarly blah mileage to the Ecoboost 4 but sounds way better and will be more reliable.
Yeah if I was buying an Explorer I think it would need to be the V6 and damn the cost. Luckily I’m not very moved to buy one.
Oh I’d absolutely buy a Passport over an Explorer, that’s no question.
The bigger question is why are hybrids not a thing in this part of the market?
My brother picked the Explorer Timberline over the Pilot Trailsport and chalked it up to the Torsen LSD. But he pretty much only commutes in it, so…
He averages about 17mpg with the Turbo 4.
The key is the hybrid tech. No one is gonna come close with gas-only efficiency. We’ve hit a wall because of aerodynamic and weight limitations.
Instead of cramming turbos and more boost into smaller displacements, why not hybridize the rock-solid N/A V6s that many manufacturers have been using for years?
If an N/A 4cyl is enough to move a fully laden minivan, surely an N/A V6 with a hybrid system would do larger SUVs and a lot of half tons.
Yes, like I said, different beasts. But what mainstream consumers need that extra 1500 pounds (or wouldn’t just push they’re luck if they’re close) and how many really care if the rear axle is electric or mechanically linked to the front?
The issue I was trying to bring light to is the efficiency. 21mpg combined is going to catch a lot of attention on window stickers.
I don’t think many people cross shop these. The Explorer drives much better, it has more get and go and non-TREMOR trims get a bit better mileage.
The Sienna has fantastic MPGs for the size, but it feels lethargic next to a turbo SUV.
Ford should’ve never stopped offering the 3.3 Hybrid powertrain on the civilian versions. That one did almost 30 combined while still having some pep.
They also have the Powerboost engine/hybrid system from the F150. In those it puts out nearly 600 pound feet of torque, somehow averages mid 20s MPG, and can power a house. They proved to be very handy during the Texas blackouts a couple of years ago.
My buddy has one and says the thing never dips under 20 MPG no matter how hard he drives and that it’ll occasionally get into the 30s. It’s a really nifty piece of engineering…but every single resource has to go to body on frame trucks and forcing people to buy them so I guess I understand why they’re not eager to put it in an Explorer.
God would it be cool though. Or a Bronco? Damn. What’s hilarious to me is Ford really doesn’t even advertise it or market it as a hybrid. It’s all about the POWER for MANLY TRUCK OWNERS! I mean it is powerful…but it’s also shockingly efficient.
I’m holding out hope that the Xterra rumors are true, and it’ll be a BOF suv with a hybrid powertrain. Bonus points if it’s a plug in.
Oh I’m super excited about those and they’re on my shopping list
Still no plug in hybrid or hybrid? It sure seems like 2020.
FWIU the hybrid is cop-only which makes sense from a 1:6:90 perspective since it cuts out the insane number of idle hours they rack up.
Like a cop car, which is why I hate when people buy these new.
Not to mention ICE. Seeing these on the road damn near gives me a panic attack at this point.
We have a fwd (2wd) 2017 exploder at work and I hate it. torque steer galore, stupid exterior A pillar covers flying off and then getting new ones was impossible due to a stop sale on them. Dashboard is a dumb and space wasting design.
The new dashboard looks good, bit of maverick in the design. It is now a proper rear wheel drive suv again. Hopefully its well built. Given fords record setting 150+ recalls last year, odds are its not, sadly.