2021 Ford Explorer vs 2022 Ford Explorer

The 2021 Ford Explorer had a striking family resemblance to other Ford SUVs, with its sporty, raked belt lines and distinctive visages. Depending on the trim, the exterior featured various grille designs, ranging from black to full chrome. The Explorer offered six trim levels, with prices ranging from $32,925 to $52,730. Inside, it provided three rows of seats as standard, with cloth upholstery on the base model. The dash was clean, featuring an 8-inch LCD touchscreen and a rotary gearshift that freed up storage space. Most consumers opted for the XLT trim, which offered better equipment and finishes.

In contrast, the 2022 Ford Explorer expanded its lineup to eight models, priced from $33,745 to $54,495, excluding the $1,495 destination charge. The new ST-Line trim added a sporty look to the popular XLT version. The King Ranch model, our test vehicle, featured exclusive Del Rio leather seating and King Ranch branding. The cabin exhibited a mix of quality and questionable materials, but mostly felt worthy of its near $60,000 price tag. The exterior design included a long and tall hood, rakish roofline, and tapering greenhouse, giving it a taut, athletic appearance. The King Ranch also had shiny 20-inch wheels and quad exhaust outlets.

The 2021 Ford Explorer, at its lightest, weighed 4,345 pounds. Its base 2.3-liter EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder engine delivered 300 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. The Limited Hybrid trim offered a V6 hybrid drivetrain with 310 hp and 331 lb-ft of torque. Higher trims featured a 3.0-liter EcoBoost twin-turbo V6, delivering 365 hp and 380 lb-ft of torque, while the sport-oriented ST trim offered 400 hp and 415 lb-ft of torque. The Explorer's towing capacity ranged from 5,000 to 5,600 pounds, depending on the trim and engine.

For the 2022 Ford Explorer, Ford offered three powertrains. The base, XLT, ST-Line, Limited, and Timberline trims came with a turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine generating 300 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque. The Limited trim also had an efficient hybrid drivetrain option, based on a 3.3-liter V6 engine, making a combined 318 hp and 322 lb-ft of torque. The twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 engine, standard on the ST, Platinum, and King Ranch trims, generated 400 hp and 415 lb-ft of torque. The King Ranch 4WD test vehicle averaged 20.6 mpg on the testing loop. The Explorer's ride felt robust, and the King Ranch model handled off-roading well with its 7.9 inches of ground clearance.

The 2021 Ford Explorer had seating for seven in the base trim, while other trims featured second-row captain’s chairs, reducing seating capacity to six. It offered 39 inches of legroom for second-row passengers and 21 cubic feet of cargo space with the third row deployed. With the rear seats folded, the total cargo volume was 81 cubic feet.

The 2022 Ford Explorer provided comfort for families of four, with the option to carry five people with a second-row bench seat. The King Ranch model featured triple-zone automatic climate control, heated and ventilated front seats, and heated second-row captain’s chairs. The third-row seat was difficult for adults to access and lacked legroom. The King Ranch had 18.2 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third-row seat, 47.9 cubic feet with the third row folded, and a maximum of 87.8 cubic feet with both rear rows folded.

The 2021 Ford Explorer offered an 8-inch touchscreen as standard, with features like AM/FM radio, SiriusXM satellite radio, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, a 4G WiFi hotspot, and Ford’s Sync 3 infotainment system. Higher trims offered a 10.1-inch touchscreen and up to 14 speakers in the Bang & Olufsen sound system. Charging access included two USB ports and five 12-volt power points.

The 2022 Ford Explorer featured two versions of its Sync 3 infotainment system: an 8-inch touchscreen and a 10.1-inch touchscreen. The King Ranch model included FordPass Connect services, a 4G LTE WiFi hotspot, Ford+Alexa functionality, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, satellite radio, and a navigation system. It also had wireless smartphone charging, a surround-view camera system, and a 14-speaker Bang and Olufsen premium sound system. However, the Sync 3 system had limitations, such as poor voice recognition and the need for manual adjustments for certain functions.

The 2021 Ford Explorer was rated as a Top Safety Pick+ by the IIHS, with top “Good” scores on all crash tests and an “Acceptable” rating for adaptive headlights. It offered the Ford Co-Pilot360 suite of safety features, including auto high-beam headlights, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane keeping assist, forward-collision warning, pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, and dynamic brake support. The Co-Pilot360 Assist+ suite, available on higher trims, included adaptive cruise control, lane centering, evasive steering assist, and speed sign recognition.

The 2022 Ford Explorer also earned a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the IIHS. It came with Ford Co-Pilot360, which included forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. The Co-Pilot360 Assist+ suite added adaptive cruise control, lane-centering assist, and evasive steering assist. The Explorer also had a post-collision braking system and MyKey programmable vehicle functions. The Co-Pilot360 and Co-Pilot360 Assist+ systems operated smoothly and accurately, though the lane-centering assist system occasionally shut off on sharper bends.