2021 Ford Explorer vs 2022 Volvo XC60

There was a time when everybody in America seemingly drove an Explorer. That may be an exaggeration, but not by much. In its first four years of production, Ford sold over a million examples. In 1998, Ford was selling its second-generation Explorer at a rate of nearly 440,000 per year. Whether your family purchased an Explorer or not, this was the nameplate that invented the midsize SUV segment.

Fast forward to the 2021 model year and the Explorer is in its sixth generation. It's now a three-row SUV that clocks in at a maximum of 4,700 pounds, with a price tag north of $50,000 for the Explorer Platinum trim level. Long gone are the days when it was the only game in town. Almost every automaker has a competitor. So how does the Explorer shake out for 2021?

The 2022 Volvo XC60 brings the Swedish automaker’s signature style and solid engineering to one of the most popular luxury SUV segments. Slotting between the XC40 and XC90 in size, the XC60 competes against crossover SUVs like the Acura RDX, Audi Q5, BMW X3, Infiniti QX50, Lexus NX, and Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class. With so many choices, Volvo needed to keep the XC60 fresh. So, the automaker gave it some notable updates for the 2022 model year.

The current version of the XC60, representing the model’s second generation, has been around since the 2018 model year. For 2022, it gets new mild-hybrid powertrains, mildly updated exterior styling, and the Android-based infotainment system previously seen in the electric Volvo XC40 Recharge and Polestar 2.

The reshuffled 2022 XC60 lineup includes the B5 mild hybrid with Momentum, R-Design, and Inscription trim levels, the B6 mild hybrid (which skips the base Momentum trim level), and the carryover Volvo XC60 T8 Recharge plug-in hybrid in Inscription, R-Design, and sporty Polestar Engineered guises. We spent a day driving the B6 R-Design model around New York’s Hudson Valley.