This is our first chance to see Ford develop the updated Explorer ST. This one is down the street in Dearborn, Michigan.
The engineers covered the Explorer with a bit of camouflage, which made seeing the changes a challenge. From the way the cover attaches to the body, it looks like the inlet on the outer corner might be bigger. The inlet in the lower fascia appears narrower vertically but wider horizontally. Our spies reported that the headlights appear to have taken on a new shape, but this is hard to see in photos.
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At the rear, the Explorer may have new taillights. Otherwise, no changes are seen. The ST continues to have a pair of exhaust pipes on each side of the tail.
Even though this Explorer has its windows, we can’t get a good look at the dashboard to see if anything has changed. In China, Ford gave the SUV a market-specific version of the 27-inch large horizontal screen that dominates the dashboard. We don’t know yet if the Blue Oval will make any significant changes to the updated model in the US.
The current Explorer ST comes with a 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6 engine that produces 400 horsepower (298 kilowatts) and 415 pound-feet (565 Newton-meters) of torque. Power is channeled through a 10-speed automatic transmission, and buyers can choose rear-wheel or all-wheel drive. There’s no indication yet whether the updated model will include any adjustments to this setting.
It’s unclear when Ford will introduce the updated Explorer ST. It just received an update for the 2022 model year.
Last year, a Ford memo to suppliers indicated the automaker was pushing back on production of versions of the EV Explorer and Lincoln Aviator until December 2024, rather than the original plan to start building them in mid-2023. Part of the reason for the change was allegedly to increase the Mustang Mach-E assembly in the United States. Cuautitlan factory in Mexico.
