2025 Ford Explorer Gets Stylish Facelift, Redesigned Interior, New Tech

The adventure continues. The Ford Explorer, America’s all-time best-selling SUV, sets a new standard again with an updated lineup of models for 2025, all featuring a redesigned interior, advanced new technology and bolder exterior styling to create Ford’s best Explorer yet.

New Face of Exploration

As you can see, the 2025 Ford Explorer boasts a bolder appearance and stance, with options that allow Explorer owners to further personalize their ride. Uniquely styled front ends include a larger grille, sleeker all-LED headlamps, front skid plate and lower, wider air curtains that help lower the vehicle’s visual center of gravity. Further enhancing the look, there’s a new black-painted roof option for Platinum, ST and ST-Line.

The updated liftgate maintains the premium appearance, with LED taillamps extending from the vehicle’s corners onto a horizontal nameplate appliqué that stretches across the liftgate.

Each model in the 2025 Explorer lineup features a unique grille:

• Platinum: Unique wing design, satin chrome and Ebony grille
• ST: Honeycomb gloss black grille with black mesh insert and ST badging
• ST-Line: Honeycomb gloss black grille with black mesh insert
• Active: Saw-tooth design, black mesh grille with chrome bars

The new Explorer features seven wheel options, including 18-inch Sparkle Silver-painted aluminum (standard on Active), 20-inch Carbonized Gray-painted aluminum (available on Active), 20-inch Ebony machined, painted aluminum (standard on ST-Line), 21-inch Magnetite-painted aluminum (standard on ST, available on ST-Line), 20-inch Luster Nickel-painted aluminum (standard on Platinum, available on Active), 20-inch polished aluminum (available on Platinum), and 21-inch dark alloy polished aluminum (available on Platinum).

A New Level of Explorer Comfort

The redesigned interior catches the eye with fine details, surfaces and colors, including new wrap-and-stitch soft-touch surfaces on the center console, door panels and redesigned dashboard, and available ActiveX durable and premium synthetic seating material. Silver mesh accents further the premium feel of the updated interior.

The dashboard has been pushed forward to give front-row passengers a more open and spacious cabin. An integrated tray below the touchscreen houses an available wireless phone charging pad and there are USB connections to charge mobile devices in all three rows.

“The new Explorer starts with a great foundation. Customers told us they love the way it drives and the choice of rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive. So, we focused on improving other areas including redesigning the interior with new materials, textures and colors to make sitting inside Explorer as enjoyable as driving one.” – Kelley Clark, Explorer chief engineer.

Explorer brings new standard interior color schemes across the lineup:

Platinum

• Mojave Dusk leather instrument panel, door panels and console with matched accent stitching
• Mojave Dusk leather seats with matched accent stitching

ST

• Black Onyx instrument panel, door panels and console with red accent stitching
• Black Onyx ActiveX seats with Miko suede inserts and red accent stitching

ST-Line

• Black Onyx instrument panel, door panels and console with red accent stitching
• Black Onyx ActiveX seats with cloth inserts and red accent stitching

Active

• Ultra Dark Space Gray instrument panel, door panels and console with Harvest Bronze accent stitching
• Dark Gray soft-touch seats with Black Onyx inserts and Harvest Bronze accent stitching

Elevate Your Driving Experience

Explorer is the first Ford vehicle to include the new Ford Digital Experience, which allows customers to access their digital life inside the car. It is designed to allow greater connection and personalization for our customers through profiles, content and apps, helping make time behind the wheel more enjoyable, even when parked.   

The displays on the 13.2-inch touchscreen allow for easy control, and integration with Google Maps allows navigation screens to be displayed on both the touchscreen and the 12.3-inch digital cluster.

Designed to prioritize the use of voice, Google Assistant serves as the default voice assistant and Alexa Built-in is also available as an alternative for in-vehicle controls including to set in-vehicle temperature, search information, find and set a destination and request a specific broadcast or satellite radio station. It can also help with making calls, sending texts, setting a meeting and controlling connected home devices.

Customers can enjoy streaming music, audiobooks, and podcasts using entertainment apps downloaded on Google Play, including Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible, and iHeartRadio, as well embedded SiriusXM6 with 360L for a personalized listening experience so they are always available in the vehicle, regardless of whether a smartphone is connected in the vehicle.

While parked, Explorer customers can:

• Watch videos and stream their favorite movies and TV shows with apps such as YouTube, Prime Video and more to stay entertained while out and about on daily journeys
• Surf the web using the available Vivaldi Browser app – as well as Google Chrome coming soon – including with a Bluetooth-connected keyboard to make typing easier
• Play games on the touchscreen by selecting from a growing list of games available on Google Play, including a Ford-exclusive version of racing game Asphalt Nitro 2; users can connect a Bluetooth-enabled gaming controller for a more immersive experience

The Ford Digital Experience platform is designed to enable more apps and services in the future and help make the vehicle better over time thanks to over-the-air software update capability, available for the first time to Explorer owners.

Plus, 5G wireless technology brings incredibly fast connectivity and, with a Ford Premium Connectivity plan, it will provide the best possible in-vehicle experience. Customers also have the option to activate a Wi-Fi hot spot that gives Internet access to up to 10 mobile devices.

Hands-Free Highway Driving

Select trims of the new Explorer are equipped with Ford BlueCruise hardware, enabling hands-free highway driving that helps make long road trips or navigating stop-and-go traffic easier and more enjoyable.

The system includes features such as Lane Change Assist, allowing a driver to switch lanes hands-free with a tap of the turn signal when the path is clear, and In-Lane Repositioning, which helps provide more space by subtly shifting away from vehicles in adjacent lanes.

With BlueCruise assisting with the braking, accelerating and steering, it helps reduce some of the stress of driving, allowing you to arrive more energized and refreshed at your destination.

New Explorer customers with BlueCruise-equipped vehicles can choose to activate a Connected Services plan at the time of vehicle purchase for one year or experience hands-free highway driving with a complimentary 90-day trial. At the end of the trial, customers have the flexibility to activate annually or monthly, based on their needs.

Loaded with Standard Equipment

Regardless of which trim level you choose (Active, ST-Line, ST, or Platinum), the 2025 Ford Explorer comes with plenty of standard equipment:

• 10-way power, heated driver’s seat
• 4-way power, heated passenger seat
• Ford Digital Experience infotainment system
• 13.2-inch LCD touchscreen
• 12.3-inch color LCD digital cluster
• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto wireless compatibility
• Alexa Built-in
• 8 USB ports – including two for third-row passengers
• Three 12-volt powerpoints
• Ford Co-Pilot360 Assist+
• FordPass Connect embedded modem
• Class III Trailer Tow Package

Plus:

• Rear-wheel drive (4WD available)
• Recalibrated 10-speed automatic transmission
• Power liftgate
• LED headlamps

The Active, ST-Line and Platinum models come with a 2.3L EcoBoost I-4 engine that puts out 300 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque. The ST model gets a 3.0L EcoBoost V6 engine that puts out 400 horsepower and 415 lb-ft of torque. This engine is also available on Platinum models. Regardless of the model, rear-wheel drive is standard, with four-wheel drive available.

Ordering for the new Ford Explorer opens today, with a starting MSRP of $41,220, including destination and delivery charges. Vehicles are expected to start arriving in dealerships in the second quarter of 2024.

What do you think of the 2025 Ford Explorer?