Ford Explorer - Boot space, comfort & practicality

Ford’s designers have given the Explorer a distinctive look with its smooth nose and matching rear end. It’s a clean-sheet design that doesn’t refer back to any past models, while the car’s wide stance and squared-off shape helps it fit the SUV brief. A long wheelbase and wide track help the Explorer to deliver decent passenger space, but the boot could be better.

The windows look like they’re on the small side, but there’s some clever tech going on with them to help boost all-round visibility and the sense of space inside. The mirror-finished graphic on the external C-pillars is etched into the glass and looks transparent from within the cabin.

Dimensions and size

The Explorer is one of the wider cars in the class, while the wheelbase is long enough to deliver as much space inside as the class best. A Renault Scenic E-Tech has proportions that largely match, while the Volkswagen ID.4 and Volkswagen ID.5 are (unsurprisingly) similar in size.

If you want more boot space, then the Ford Capri has a longer tail with 572 litres of space in five-seat mode, which is 122 litres more than the Explorer has to offer.

How practical is the Ford Explorer?

Seats & space in the front

Comfortable seats and a mix of different-coloured materials help the cabin to feel airy, while storage is excellent. 

There are the usual door bins (with dividers to stop loose items sliding up and down) and a decent glovebox, but the centre console bin is simply vast. Ford calls it the Mega Console, and it’s possible to remove the cup-holders located ahead of the central armrest to create up to 17 litres of space – big enough to fit a laptop or a couple of 1.5-litre drinks bottles. There’s a handy slot ahead of the Mega Console under the main display to store the cup-holders when they’re not in use.

The Explorer’s display moves from reclined to vertical to help mitigate unwanted screen reflections, but we never really found that to be much of an issue during our time with the car. Moving the screen to a vertical position pushes the lower part of the display further away from the driver, too, which makes it slightly harder to use, but this also reveals the hidden storage compartment behind it.

There’s room for a couple of smartphones and twin USB-C sockets for charging, while the space is locked with the rest of the car when left.

Seats & space in the back

A wide body means there’s plenty of elbow room in the back of the Explorer, so seating three abreast shouldn’t cause any grumbles. The seat base is on the short side, though, and when combined with a high-set floor, it means under-thigh support is in short supply, which could be uncomfortable for taller occupants on longer trips. At least the flat floor means there’s foot space across the floor for all three occupants. Plastic tabs cover the two sets of ISOFIX mounts in the back, so fitting a child seat will be simple.

Headroom is good, even with the panoramic glass that’s fitted to Premium models. There’s no sun blind, just reflective glass, which also helps to reduce weight.

Boot space

A low lip with a level floor helps with loading, but a boot capacity of 470 litres (445 litres in AWD Premium form) is adequate when compared with rivals. The back seats fold flat in a 60:40 split, providing 1,460 litres (1,417 litres in AWD Premium form) of space in this configuration. Some storage space is provided beneath the boot floor, but it is only big enough for charging cables. Unlike some rivals, Ford hasn’t included any storage under the Explorer’s bonnet.

Towing

If you want to use the Explorer to haul a trailer, Ford offers a towbar on the accessories list. The towing capacity is 1,000kg for the RWD model and up to 1,200kg for the AWD version.