Sport is built into an SUV by definition but truly sporty SUVs are rare and yet the term is a cliché, claimed by every other crossover in town. Ford Explorer in its ST version is a happy find, staying true to both sport and utility. Hit the road with me, detours off the tarmac included.

The badge means more than sport

ST brings back great memories of my weekend with the Ford Focus ST, back in 2016, which was one of the most fairly priced cars in the market with its sub-100K price tag and an exhilarating drive for a five-seater family hatch. The excitement lives on now in the Edge and the Explorer which boldly offers the ST badge and its accompanying performance. My Ford Explorer test car had “FORD PERFORMANCE” writ large on the scruff plate. Except for the puddle lights, the dual letters are underplayed where they are featured on the carriage. However, ST now happens to be the top trim, which entails quite a bundle of comfort and safety features.

Dimensions: L x W x H: 5050 x 2268 (with mirrors) x 1768 mm (The ST is just a cm shorter in height than the Platinum) | Wheelbase: 3025 mm

The Explorer is a fairly large car 5 cm over 5 m and an inch over 3 m in wheelbase. So, the foldable mirrors help in less-than-generous parking lots. Lazy luxury comes up with keyless entry and exit as well as access seats.

Designed with character inside out

There is plenty of blackened stylistics going on in the exterior – grille and splitters, the 20” alloy wheels and the sporty dual exhaust tips. Inside too, the perforated suede seats with leather bolsters and the flat-bottomed steering highlight the sporty theme. The seats hold you in comfort for long drives and aggressive spurts alike. The cabin had a good mix of rubber, fabric, plastic and leather, which turned the spotlight on value-oriented approach of the Explorer even amidst a hint of luxury where it matters. On an arctic night in Dubai, during my test drive, the heating function of the heated and cooled front seats was a welcome feature.

Cabin space and storage

What struck me as fresh in the Ford Explorer 2025 was the cleverly (and aesthetically) designed deck for placing two phones – one slot was for the induction charger. Under this deck was a lidded stowaway space and at the far end a spacious armrest bin. The console bridge also housed two knobs – the gear selector and the drive mode selector.

The Ford Explorer ST is truly privileged with tri-zone cooling and a 14-speaker Bang & Olufsen system (the lower trim has just 4-speakers) that has a fairly refined output, even though not luxury-class.

The second row has three individually adjusted and folded seats which accounts for flexible storage in the cabin. Third row is easily accessed with the flip of the second, where children and young adults should endure long drives comfortably. Even as you put up with seven, there is space for a weekend family trip in the boot. The passenger comfort is completed by sunshades for the rear windows as well as a wide sunroof that extends till the edge of the second row.

Cabin tech

The dashboard design places simplicity and user-friendliness as priority, as seen in the uniquely-arched 12” driver info panel, with colourful graphics and large friendly fonts. The rectangular 13.2” central screen features everything except navigation but Google maps are always at hand with the wireless android auto and apple carplay apps.

The Drive

Now for the pudding. Ford Explorer ST is driven by a 3.0L Ecoboost engine (Ford-speak for earth-friendly turbo-charged combustion engines) with a sport-class output of 400 hp and 563 Nm of torque. The suspensions strike a balance between sporty handling and a comfortable ride – so it isn’t hard to please both the family and the ‘fast and furious’ driver.

Well, fury goes hand in hand with sound, and there sure is exhaust music playing out like a rapping accompaniment to the ascent of power even though it is heard and felt more on the inside. It sounds more like an artificially produced sound effect rather than fireworks from the exhausts but hey, the ST calls for some flourish!

As a family vehicle, the Explorer doesn’t incur a huge a drop in fuel economy with an easy average of 7.6 kmpl on my mixed drive – which adds up to about 580 km from a full tank. However, engage the heavy foot too often and you’ll (happily) pay for it with figures like 5.7 kmpl, akin to a V8.

The drivability of the Ford Explorer ST on road is enhanced with a responsive steering and handling. Drive modes are Eco, Sport, Snow and Light off-roading. I like the honesty in the last one. No tall claims. Just enjoyable detours. And sure enough, there is enough torque from this machine to keep going on sand or loose terrain, as long as you keep things light. The wide-spectrum driver support ranges from a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System and a useful camera to radar-based Advanced driver assistance features that got you covered all over.

The essential Ford Explorer 2025

S for Sport, U for Utility, and V stands for Value. The Ford Explorer 2025 defines the three letters in an unbeatable combination, justified by a price tag of AED 245,000 for this top spec model. The Explorer range begins just shy of AED 200,000 with a 2.3L 4-cylinder Ecoboost. With a more powerful engine, pleasing comforts and peppy handling, an extra stop at the petrol station on a long drive is just a minor compromise for the Ford Explorer ST. This one claims a deserving spot in the shortlists of SUV enthusiasts.