2020 Ford Explorer ST Drive Review: One Bad Ass Family Hauler
Ford ups the ante with high-performance Explorer ST, offering more power, sharper handling and an aggressive driving experience.
Ford has been on a tear recently kicking out performance car after performance car, starting with the subcompact Fiesta ST on up. Well, at least things did start with the Fiesta, until Ford axed it here because Americans don’t buy small cars. Okay, so starting with the larger Focus ST, Ford has been… wait, the Focus is dead, too. “Still too small,” they said? Damn.
Well, starting with the Mustang, which does still exist, Ford has been adding high-performance variants of its model line-up at a rapid pace. This has resulted in some unusual niche vehicles, like the Edge ST, and now, for 2020, the Ford Explorer ST.
The Explorer is new for 2020, now rolling on a new platform, which features the fundamental shift of being rear-wheel drive based. This should infuse some the big boned Explorer with some more sporting cred, in so much as a nearly 5,000 pound SUV can be given.
The ST trim, which starts at $54,740, sits one below the top of the range Explorer Platinum, trading luxury for speediness. Its 3.0-liter V6 engine, a twin-turbocharged EcoBoost unit, has had the wick turned up, from 365 horsepower and 380 lb-ft of torque in the Platinum to an even 400 horses and 415 lb-ft of twist. Ford claims it can do 0-60 in 5.2 seconds, on its way to an electronically limited 143 mph top speed.
Curiously, it feels even faster on the road. The combination of the potent powertrain, along with it’s tightly-spaced 10-speed automatic transmission makes the Explorer ST feel urgent. This sensation is further exacerbated by the fake engine noise piped into the cabin via the speakers. Of course, the gig is up as soon as the windows are rolled down.
The sensation of speed is further felt through the driver’s seat, where, despite the ST badges, sport suspension and $1,595 worth of the High Performance Package, which adds 21” wheels and a more aggressive braking package, the Explorer ST still feels every bit of two-and-a-half tons. It’s a high riding beast of a machine.
Expecting it to handle like a sports car on a winding road is silly, but the ST clings on as best it can, regardless. Instead, for the sporting drivers out there, the Explorer ST is a point-and-shoot affair. Lean hard on the brakes before every corner, hoping they don’t succumb to the enormity and the speed of this six passenger tank, then power through the corner and power out, all the while laughing like a lunatic at the sheer absurdity of the situation as the speakers play their synthesized warbly V6 tune.
Fortunately, in the real world, the Explorer ST begins to make a lot more sense. The cabin is spacious beyond measure, except where it can be measured, because with 87.8 cubic-feet of cargo space, and six, large leatherbound seats the ST is downright cavernous. Interior materials, likewise, will be agreeable to most.
The optional, massive infotainment screen, which looks like an iPad screwed into the dash, is easy enough to navigate, though it can occasionally be a bit clunky, trading slickness for sheer size. There are a few pieces of unwelcome cheap plastic on the dash, but otherwise it is completely acceptable at its price point.
That price point, $59,000 as tested and basically fully-loaded, comes across as entirely reasonable for the sheer amount of vehicle buyers are getting. That the ST model is quick, charming to drive and well-equipped makes it a no-brainer purchase for buyers looking for a truly roomy and usable family hauler. That it happens to haul so much ass, figuratively and literally, is just the icing on the cake.
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