Ford continues to develop the refreshed Explorer without any camouflage. Our spies snapped a few more pictures of them on the road in Dearborn, Michigan, and in Colorado. This time, they caught the ST and Platinum grades.
The updated Explorer features a revised face with slimmer headlights and a grille with a more rectangular shape, rather than the current trapezoidal styling that has sharp corners. The ST has black mesh, and the Platinum has a metallic finish on the lower sections.
The revised lower fascia features vertically oriented fog lights in the corners. A trapezoidal opening is at the bottom.
The vehicles under development in Colorado are looking particularly rough – like they went through torture testing. The ST has paint chips all over the front end. Grime and bug splats are on the Platinum’s nose.
At the back, the refreshed Explorer has new taillights with sections that extend toward the center of the body. The internal graphics are different, too.
An earlier spy shot caught a glimpse of the updated cabin with a digital instrument cluster larger infotainment screen, and a revised location for the vents. There’s no indication that the American-market Explorer would be available with the 27-inch display available in the version for China.
The powertrain details for the updated Explorer are still a mystery. We don’t expect new engines to join the lineup, but it’s possible the output of the existing offerings might change.
Ford isn’t yet saying when the revised Explorer debuts. Testing them without camouflage might hint at the unveiling happening soon because the automaker has no concerns about the public seeing the new vehicle.
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Europe starts getting the Ford Explorer EV (pictured above) in 2024. It has nothing in common with its ICE-powered counterpart in North America. Instead, this one rides on Volkswagen’s MEB electric vehicle platform. The Blue Oval intends prices to start at the equivalent of around $49,000 (45,000 euros). Rear- and all-wheel-drive configurations are coming.
