2025 Ford Explorer Electric Review: An American Name on a German Leash

Ford wants 48,900 Euros for this car. That is the price for the Extended Range RWD model, which is the one you actually want. It sits in the middle of a crowded German market where brand loyalty is dying a slow, painful death. This Explorer is not the massive American SUV you see in movies. It is built in Cologne, on a platform borrowed from Volkswagen, and it is trying very hard to convince you it is American. It competes directly with the VW ID.4 Pro, the Tesla Model Y Long Range, and the Renault Scenic E-Tech. The Tesla is cheaper. The Renault goes further. The VW is the same car with a different face.

The Explorer enters the segment late. Ford delayed it by six months to wait for a new battery standard, or so they say. The result is a compact crossover that looks boxy and tough but shares its bones with the rounded, soft ID.4. It is shorter than the VW but feels wider. It is a calculated product, designed to fill a gap in Ford’s lineup while they figure out how to build their own electric cars. The question is whether a Ford badge and a square jaw are worth the premium over the car it is based on.

Section 2: Range and Efficiency

The manufacturer claims this rear-wheel-drive model will do 602 kilometers on the WLTP cycle. That number assumes you are driving on a flat test track in perfect weather with the wind at your back. It is a competitive figure on paper, slightly beating the Tesla Model Y and the VW ID.4, though falling short of the Renault Scenic’s massive 87 kWh pack.

Do not expect to see 602 kilometers in the real world. In mixed driving conditions, you should expect closer to 450 kilometers. If you spend your time on the Autobahn at 130 km/h, that number will drop to around 360 kilometers. Winter weather will cut it further. This is standard behavior for the MEB platform. It is efficient enough for family duty, but it is not magic.

Section 3: Battery Chemistry

The Extended Range model uses an NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt) battery with 77 kWh of usable capacity. This chemistry offers high energy density, which is why they can squeeze 600 kilometers of rated range into a relatively small pack. The trade-off is that NMC cells generally degrade faster than LFP cells if you constantly charge them to 100%. Ford recommends charging to 80% for daily use. If you buy the cheaper Standard Range model, you get an LFP battery, which tolerates full charging better but holds less energy. For a primary family car, stick with the NMC pack despite the babying it requires.

Section 4: Engineering and Design Evaluation

Ford borrowed the MEB platform from Volkswagen, and you can tell. The hard points—the wheelbase, the cowl height, the floor thickness—are all dictated by Wolfsburg. However, Ford has done a decent job of masking the donor car. The body is stamped with sharp creases and a flat hood that mimics traditional SUVs. It looks better than the ID.4.

Under the metal, it uses the new APP550 rear motor. This is a permanent magnet synchronous motor delivering 286 horsepower (210 kW). It is a significant upgrade over the older 204 horsepower motors used in early MEB cars. It offers more torque and better thermal management. The cooling system is adequate for repeated highway acceleration, something the early ID.4 struggled with. However, the charging speed peaks at 135 kW. In 2025, that is merely average. A Hyundai Ioniq 5 will charge circles around this car.

Section 5: Suspension and Ride

The suspension setup is MacPherson struts up front and a multi-link rear axle. This is the standard MEB layout. Ford claims they have tuned the dampers and springs to be “more Ford.” In practice, this means it is stiffer than the Volkswagen. The ride is composed but busy on broken pavement. It does not float. It handles weight transfer better than the ID.4, which tends to wallow in corners. The steering is direct but numb. It drives like a heavy electric car that knows it is heavy.

Section 6: Interior and Controls

The interior is where Ford tries to win you over, and where they simultaneously lose me. The centerpiece is a 14.6-inch touchscreen called “Sync Move.” You can slide the screen up and down to change the viewing angle or hide a storage cubby behind it. It is a neat party trick. The software is Ford’s skin over VW’s architecture, and it is responsive enough.

However, the controls are a disaster. Ford has adopted the worst habits of the electric era. There are no physical buttons for the climate control. You must tap the screen to change the temperature. The volume control is a haptic slider that doesn’t work well. The window switches are the infuriating VW design where you have two switches and a “Rear” toggle button to control the back windows. It is cost-cutting masquerading as minimalism. You will take your eyes off the road to adjust the heat. You will open the rear window when you meant to open the front. It is unsafe and annoying.

Section 7: Other Notable Aspects

The cargo space is 450 liters. That is smaller than the ID.4 and significantly smaller than the Tesla Model Y. The squarer roofline helps with loading bulky items, but the floor is high. The “MegaConsole” between the front seats is huge, holding 17 liters of junk. It is useful. The soundbar on top of the dashboard looks like a piece of home audio equipment. It sounds fine, but it reflects glare onto the windshield in bright sunlight.

Section 8: Reliability

This car is a Ford built on a Volkswagen platform in a factory that used to build Fiestas. That is a lot of variables. The MEB platform has a history of software glitches and electrical gremlins, though the mechanical bits are generally robust. The new APP550 motor is relatively unproven in the long term. Ford delayed the launch specifically to address battery safety and quality control, which suggests they were not happy with the initial prototypes. That gives me a slightly higher degree of confidence than I would have in a launch-year Volkswagen.

However, you are still buying a first-generation product from a factory that just underwent a massive retooling. Expect software updates to fix things that shouldn’t be broken. The complexity of the screen mechanism adds another point of failure. The drivetrain should hold up, but the electronics will likely be the source of your headaches.