2025 Ford Explorer (Exploder) ST

[Franco Cozzo]

Makes you wonder why they didn't bother offering this to Australia, given we've got a fetish for SUVs and Thailand Specials:

How Does It Drive?

If you're looking for a sporty vehicle in the mainstream mid-size SUV segment, the Explorer ST is pretty much the only choice. Toyota won't sell you a TRD Highlander, Volkswagen isn't offering an Atlas GTI, Honda doesn't build a Pilot Type R. The Ford's closest rival is the Dodge Durango SRT 392, but that is outdated, half a size larger, and costs $18,000 more. All of which is to say, the bar is fairly low for what buyers can realistically expect from a sport-tuned family SUV.

Considering that, the Explorer ST manages to clear that bar with ease. With 400 hp and 415 lb-ft of torque, this Ford rarely feels short on grunt. When Car and Driver tested a mechanically identical pre-facelift ST back in 2019, they saw it do the 0–60-mph dash in 5.2 seconds. The SUV's passing punch feels more impressive in real-world use, however; C/D's 3.2-second 30–50-mph and 3.8-second 50–70-mph times say it objectively, but numbers don't quite sell the way the ST feels happiest dropping a few gears and piling on speed.

The 10-speed automatic has a ratio for pretty much every situation, but extracting the best performance from it involves choosing Sport from the six modes available, this keeping the gearbox from hunting between cogs too often without being too aggressive. Plus, the twin-turbo V-6 has a decent sound to it — at least by today's standards, where any engine note that isn't a direct-injection four clatter is appreciated.

https://www.roadandtrack.com/reviews...rer-st-review/

Base model engine is the 2.3L Ecoboost - 225KW, but the ST model has the 298KW 3.0L Ecoboost V6 as per the Ranger Raptor.

It ticks all the boxes for Australian consumer:

- Longitudinal engine layout
- RWD
- 10sp slushbox
- 298KW
- SUV

Priced just under $60K USD for RWD base model ST.



Would also make a decent offering for our police as well,

[Citroënbender]

Complete with review from Sarah Pigeon-Toes. (Always pops up on my YT recommendations, never watched one of her videos, ever.)

Visually, the size and styling of that car should appeal here. Price might be too much for the likely build quality.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Citroënbender

Complete with review from Sarah Pigeon-Toes. (Always pops up on my YT recommendations, never watched one of her videos, ever.)

Visually, the size and styling of that car should appeal here. Price might be too much for the likely build quality.

She's pretty technical with her reviews with the car up on the hoist and giving a lot of details about it mechanically,

Not huge on the way she presents, but the content is generally OK for a review.

At $60K USD, ~$100K AUD you might be able to get away with that price given we've got F150 at that $105K or there abouts.

[Sprintey]

Yep there's a gap in the market here for that kind of thing. Suby Outback XT at about 50-60? But it really does feel lower and half wagon-like.

Explorer would be a natural fit, if it handled somewhat I'd be into a Ford dealer to have a look at it.

[Sprintey]

It was a good review. Focussed on the mechanicals, the specs and how it drove - no ten minute interlude on how soft the plastics and leather were (looking at you ReDriven)...

It's a monocoque as well ("unibody") and she mentions there's an AWD version too. So the Americans have rediscovered for their mass-market what made them great, again: north-south motors, unibodies, RWD and motors that honk.

This vehicle would work very well in Australia, now.

[FTE217]

XT is meh and typically subby friggin fugly.
Mazda have the hole filled now with a V6.
Explorer would be great but isn’t going to happen.
I’ve sussed out those Mazda 5 and 7 seaters.
5 seater well worth looking at well appointed.


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[Sprintey]

You mean I6 FTE?

[FTE217]

Originally Posted by Sprintey

You mean I6 FTE?

yer should have said inline 6.
3.3 turbo petrol or diesel both mild hybrids.
AWD.
Interior looks pretty good.
As mentioned at least this is around Explorer size.
https://www.drive.com.au/reviews/202...n-first-drive/

I'd go a Explorer ST no worries if it was available.

[smoo]

Originally Posted by FTE217

yer should have said inline 6.
3.3 turbo petrol or diesel both mild hybrids.
AWD.
Interior looks pretty good.
As mentioned at least this is around Explorer size.
https://www.drive.com.au/reviews/202...n-first-drive/

I'd go a Explorer ST no worries if it was available.

The state of motoring journalism now, they don’t even bother to list performance times, braking etc. These guys pretty much just throw all the info from a sales brochure into a few paragraphs.

Is a ‘multi clutch’ trans, another term for CVT?

Journos at risk of being made redundant through lack of audience or AI doing the work for them could think outside the box and give us some technical deep dives on what they’re suppose to be reviewing.

[Sprintey]

Originally Posted by smoo

The state of motoring journalism now, they don’t even bother to list performance times, braking etc. These guys pretty much just throw all the info from a sales brochure into a few paragraphs.

Is a ‘multi clutch’ trans, another term for CVT?

Journos at risk of being made redundant through lack of audience or AI doing the work for them could think outside the box and give us some technical deep dives on what they’re suppose to be reviewing.

I think the multi clutch in the Mazda is a form of DSG - personal preference is vastly in favour of a torque converter like a ZF.

As for the Journo's, reading Wheels or Modern Motor issues from the late 1960s, they had decent recorded data. Sarah in that video is ahead of most of the new car reviews in Australia on youtube, they don't go into the mechanicals or the build of the car but just drive it around a bit and go gnnnnnnghnggh about the soft touch plastics (some even measure how soft the plastics are). It's worse than Letterkenny's Super Soft Birthday episode.

On the other hand, there are performance specs channels like Performance Drive, and then guys who exist to take mechanical tours like speedkar who are very valuable, they give us the information we want to see.

[Itsme]

Originally Posted by FTE217

XT is meh and typically subby friggin fugly.
Mazda have the hole filled now with a V6.
Explorer would be great but isn’t going to happen.
I’ve sussed out those Mazda 5 and 7 seaters.
5 seater well worth looking at well appointed.


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Found the XT Outback Tourer quite good compared to the other brands, certainly beat Mazda, Honda & Nissan in the offerings, comes back to individual taste I suppose.
Certainly, no regrets after purchasing one.

[DFB FGXR6]

This vehicle would have made a natural Territory replacement. With a new RWD/AWD platform and 6-cylinder engines, it would have been ideal for Australia. Stylistically, it even has that slanted C-pillar like the Territory. But again, no, Ford just want the easy money.

What annoys me most is that new platform is basically an orphan, other than being used on the Lincoln equivalent. So, they spend all that money on a platform that's confined to a single model line. And yet it's too expensive for Ford to make certain models in RHD, a practice the Asian and German brands have no trouble doing.

Meanwhile, Ford expect everyone to want a ladder frame SUV or pickup.

[PG2]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

This vehicle would have made a natural Territory replacement. With a new RWD/AWD platform and 6-cylinder engines, it would have been ideal for Australia. Stylistically, it even has that slanted C-pillar like the Territory. But again, no, Ford just want the easy money.

What annoys me most is that new platform is basically an orphan, other than being used on the Lincoln equivalent. So, they spend all that money on a platform that's confined to a single model line. And yet it's too expensive for Ford to make certain models in RHD, a practice the Asian and German brands have no trouble doing.

Meanwhile, Ford expect everyone to want a ladder frame SUV or pickup.

There are a number of cars, and not just from Ford, that I would like to see in Australia that come from America.

Cars not being made in RHD is not necessarily a Ford thing, it is an American thing. Americans like to think that they are the whole world and anything outside of America is not worth it.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by PG2

There are a number of cars, and not just from Ford, that I would like to see in Australia that come from America.

Cars not being made in RHD is not necessarily a Ford thing, it is an American thing. Americans like to think that they are the whole world and anything outside of America is not worth it.

Culturally I hate dealing with American suppliers, the corporates though, the 'mom and pop' suppliers are super willing to deal with export customers and find new markets.

Corporates though, think that the world ends at their east and west coasts and that you should beg at their feet and be thankful that they are even dealing with you plebs.

I had massive blues with Honeywell, with them constantly screwing me over, to the point I went looking to China, and sourced a product that China stole the IP for from Honeywell, and then now its on all Kenworth trucks in Australia, instead of the Honeywell product.

And its got a lower failure rate, is a better quality product, and supplier supports it in the Australian market with no dramas.

Thats the reason why China dominates world trade, they're very interested in getting any customers they can, very business positive attitude, they make it very easy for you to source product from them, plus trade agreements like CHAFTA mean no import duties on goods purchased from their businesses.

[simon varley]

Originally Posted by PG2

Cars not being made in RHD is not necessarily a Ford thing, it is an American thin..

not even that. I think people simply don't realise just how small the rhd markets are for big cars like this. The engineering just isn't worth it if the volumes are low. Not to mention many of the factories can't handle the complexity

cost of homologation is also excessive as long as we stick to our ADRs :(

[Sprintey]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

This vehicle would have made a natural Territory replacement. With a new RWD/AWD platform and 6-cylinder engines, it would have been ideal for Australia. Stylistically, it even has that slanted C-pillar like the Territory.

Agree. They seem to have bottled the essence of that car-like SUV that can handle, has looks, has a bit of power and fun with the RWD engineering, and has size and space. Lots to like.

I've had interest in the new Jeep GC for it's mechanicals promise the same, even if the execution didn't have the handling/power in it's current iteration. (With the port injected V6 and ZF I suspect the drivetrain would last.)

Jeep can bring it over, why not Ford?

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Sprintey

Agree. They seem to have bottled the essence of that car-like SUV that can handle, has looks, has a bit of power and fun with the RWD engineering, and has size and space. Lots to like.

I've had interest in the new Jeep GC for it's mechanicals promise the same, even if the execution didn't have the handling/power in it's current iteration. (With the port injected V6 and ZF I suspect the drivetrain would last, too.)

Jeep can bring it over, why not Ford?

Lack of drive by management, same reason they discontinued everything out of Europe rather than fighting the good fight internally to make sure Australia got some stock.

They'd rather lobby government against things like NVES and make accusations against Chinese manufacturers 'dumping' products into our market than pull their finger out.

At this rate I reckon Ford will pull out of Australia by 2030, they've only got one product (Ranger/Everest twins) and they've got the BYD Shark as a high spec contender now with a lot of drummed up interest in it.

Having a sales management background, Ford Australia gives me the shits, such potential that they just can't be bothered with, probably why they have a culture of musical CEOs.

[FTE217]

Originally Posted by Itsme

Found the XT Outback Tourer quite good compared to the other brands, certainly beat Mazda, Honda & Nissan in the offerings, comes back to individual taste I suppose.
Certainly, no regrets after purchasing one.

The point of my post was Explorer size and big engine.
The Mazda CX80 has an inline 6 offering and size then the 90.
I agree individual taste is another but again talking size for one And there isn’t one Subaru I’d rate a looker but for WRX STI variants but that my taste.


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[Franco Cozzo]

Massive oversight for us here in Australia,

Ford make this shift and themselves into the SUV and Thailand Special brand,

Then discontinue the Endura and Escape,

Then their best SUV, 298KW, large, RWD/AWD one that fits the Australian market perfectly, nah we don't offer that one for Australia.

Curious to see how the BYD Shark 6 goes and if it effects Ranger sales, if it does, Ford Australia putting in the effort on the going out of business tour.

[CyberWasp]

Ford HQ

[simon varley]

ticks all the boxes for Australian consumer......


....apart from being lhd only

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by simon varley

ticks all the boxes for Australian consumer......


....apart from being lhd only

So is the F150 but we seem to be able to make that work in Australia by converting it to RHD, for ~300 units/month or so.

The whole point of this is its a perfect product for Australia, but they keep overlooking our market for products that fit our market.

Which is a joke anyway, here in Victoria you can drive a 30 year old LHD car no dramas, but you can't drive a new one thats LHD, makes absolutely no sense.

Same with the ADRs, they should **** that shit off now we've got no manufacturing industry to 'protect',

If its good enough for

Japan
South Korea
Western Europe
UK
USA

Then its good enough for Australia too,

Seems like other manufacturers seem to be able to offer their products in LHD/RHD configurations, for small markets like Australia, Ford can't for some reason though.

[b0son]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

So is the F150 but we seem to be able to make that work in Australia by converting it to RHD, for ~300 units/month or so.

Nobody would be wasting their time converting them if customers wanted one landed at $100k or less.

[Sprintey]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOXXztFISSs

It seems overall the ST is a pretty good thing. Certainly seems to have some character in the drive section, and apparently very popular in the States.

[Sprintey]

And it seems in the US the boys have discovered the ST and are running Hog Wild:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98TPS5ydF8s

Note stability of AWD going from highway to gravel and foot flat to floor. Will Boss Hog catch them Duke boys?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohJ4vbjFjic

Looks like they've got an XR6 Turbo before the Hurricane sixpack Charger arrives in '25

[Dr Smith]

Basically the Edge/Endura was offered to the UK and so was built in RHD from Ford Canada which meant we could also get it...they dropped two versions of the 2.0L diesel engine into the RHD version and for some dumb reason Australia took the lower powered version. And no-one thought the V6 petrol might be a great hipo option (relatively speaking) for here that apart from some hipo opposition like euro etc had no real competitor...

It's been mentioned many times that US management just doesn't know or care about what markets exist outside continental US....and yes production complexities can cause problems but that's why engineers exist...to solve problems when someone controlling the purse-strings allows them to...I still fall over after I learnt in the old days Ford US would create some ridiculous number of dashboard mock-ups for a new F-150 model, I think it was 25....how many dashboard mock-ups for every Australian designed Falcon do you think Ford Aust built, lol......

We all take the easy option at some time for something, however if you always take the easy option and one day doing so instead of taking the longer term, more involved, more complex option can result in no market because you have no vehicle a buyer wants to give you the privilege of taking their money....and it should be that mentality....not you're lucky we give you this but rather, we're lucky you chose us...

[simon varley]

Originally Posted by Dr Smith

for some dumb reason Australia took the lower powered version. .

and this is the thing - even when we do get a new rhd offering, marketing get it all wrong so it doesn't sell, and then next time around the manufacturers don't bother :(

sometimes we get the leftovers too....

[kevino]

Was Endura a left over?

[Dr Smith]

Originally Posted by kevino

Was Endura a left over?

Not so much a left over but this was the model chosen to build in RHD in North America and exported to the UK, OZ/NZ and anyone else interested.
I think Explorer was deemed too big for UK where they wanted to go diesel only whereas here it would have been a much better fit, offer 7 seats but had no diesel option. The irony is diesels are being dropped around the world and as Explorer continues in the US you would have had continuous updates and new power plants.

[Sprintey]

When they introduced the Focus wagon they specified ST line trim which is upper spec, and put the most powerful 1.5 in it - made for a highly spec'd product and I think 30 or just above was the ask?

Anyway they discontinued it, pity.