Ford is readying an updated Explorer SUV. The popular model is due for its mid-cycle refresh, and the updated design could launch for the 2024 model year. However, before Ford reveals the revamped model, watch this new video from the Woodworking Art YouTube channel that immortalizes the 2023 Explorer Limited with an intricate wood carving.
We’ve covered the channel’s creations before, watching blocks of wood turn into the 1967 Ford Mustang, 2023 GMC Sierra, and other models, and each has been impeccably detailed, built by Vietnamese carpenters. The 2023 Explorer is no different, with a complete interior with three rows of seats for up to seven people.
Inside, the wood carving has a detailed dashboard that includes the landscape-oriented infotainment screen, the steering wheel, and the center console. It has cup holders, the model’s round gear selector, and “buttons” for various vehicle controls. Under the hood are a few engine details – like the air box, the strut towers, and a brace. The final product is a detailed model with a working suspension and functioning doors.
However, the Ford Explorer will soon look different as the Blue Oval readies the model’s mid-cycle redesign. Spy photos have caught the automaker testing the vehicle before its debut, doing little to hide its new appearance.
The revamped Explorer will get a refreshed face, gaining a larger grille, new headlights, and a restyled bumper. The new design borrows heavily from the Chinese-market Explorer that launched last year. However, the US-destined model will have a few differences, like a unique lower fascia. It will have updated taillights, too.
Spy photos have also revealed the Explorer will gain a new Active trim alongside its redesign, with the rugged Timberline returning. Our photographers caught the off-road-oriented SUV with its old face and the new taillights.
We hope to see the 2024 Explorer debut before the end of the year, but Ford hasn’t announced an official reveal date. Ford introduced the sixth-generation Explorer in early 2019 for the 2020 model year, riding on a rear-wheel-drive platform.
The SUV received updates for 2022, including the launch of the Explorer ST. Sales are down 23 percent in Q2 2023. However, they are up 1.5 percent for the year compared to 2022. Once the new Explorer launches, we hope to see a new video from the Woodworking Art channel, turning the new design into another exquisite model.
