Ford Explorer Interior: Everything You Need To Know

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ford explorer interior

Photo by James Penner on Unsplash

On paper, the 2021 Ford Explorer looks very promising. Thankfully, once you drive one, you’ll find that the Explorer primarily lives up to expectations. The Explorer ST model delivers an SUV with seven seats, modern technology, a modern look, and an astonishing 400 horsepower: What’s not to like? However, most people aren’t purchasing the Explorer, a seven-seater, for horsepower. An SUV in itself promises comfort, cargo space, and modern features. So let’s open the doors and examine the Ford Explorer’s interior details.

Is Ford Explorer a Family Vehicle?

Ford Explorer is a vehicle best suited for families with active lifestyles. This SUV has seven seats that comfortably seat seven people, unlike many other SUVs in this category. Of course, the Explorer isn’t a bus, but adults sitting in the third row won’t feel cramped. There’s enough space and foot room for everyone.

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Ford Explorer Head and Leg Space

  • The first row has 40.7 inches of headspace and 43 inches of legroom.
  • The second row has 40.5 inches of headspace and 39 inches of legroom.
  • The third row has 38.9 inches of headspace and 47.9 inches of legroom.

There isn’t much that won’t fit into the Ford Explorer’s interior. Even taking your toddler with you on an errand run will be unsafe since the Explorer has four sets of LATCH connectors for child seats.

While discussing safety, let’s see what else the Explorer’s interior offers.

Is Ford Explorer Safe?

The 2021 Explorer’s interior safety features will give even inexperienced drivers much more road protection.

The Explorer comes with standard features such as:

  • Pre-collision assist with automatic emergency braking
  • Blindspot information system with cross-traffic alert
  • Rearview camera
  • Lane-keep system
  • LATCH system

Available features that don’t come as standard are:

  • 360-degree camera
  • Active park assist 2.0
  • Evasive steering assist
  • Intelligent adaptive cruise control

There are a few extra less prominent features available for the Explorer, but the ones mentioned represent an excellent baseline standard of safety features for the 2021 Ford Explorer. 

How Much Cargo Can Fit Into the 2021 Ford Explorer?

The 2021 Ford Explorer has loads of space for your passengers and cargo. 

We mentioned that the Explorer isn’t a bus but feels like one. Behind the third row, you have 18.2 cubic feet of cargo space. With the second-row seats folded, you’ll have 47.9 cubic feet of space; if you also fold the third-row seats, there are 87.8 cubic feet of space.

If that’s not enough for you, know that there’s decent underfloor storage space behind the third row and multiple small storage units all over the interior.

Ford Explorer might not offer as much cargo capacity as a pickup truck, but as long as you don’t haul huge and hefty loads, there’ll be more than enough space. Luggage, camping gear, groceries, tools, building materials—there’s not much that won’t fit.

What Features Does the Ford Explorer Have?

The standard version of the Ford Explorer’s interior is closer to luxury vehicles than your every day, uncomfortable commuter cars.

The Explorer’s interior features include supportive seat cushions, tri-zone automatic climate control, cloth seats, and power-adjustable seats. Upgrades and more expensive features include:

  • Air chamber cushions.
  • Active Motion massage.
  • Leather upholstery.
  • Heated and ventilated front seats.
  • A heated steering wheel.

Ford Explorer comes with the SYNC 3 infotainment system, which is an 8-inch touch screen with a Wi-Fi hotspot, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto support, and six speakers. You can opt for a 10.1-inch screen or a 12.3-inch driver display, wireless charging, a 14-speaker sound system, a rear-seat entertainment system, and a few other minor features.

All in all, the standard Ford Explorer interior features are excellent. They’ll make your daily trips, as well as long trips, feel fun. The features that you can opt for will turn the SUV into a luxury vehicle at a great price. So whether you save a few thousand bucks and go for the standard or invest a bit more for premium features, it’s a win-win either way.

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Ford Explorer Interior Quality

Every vehicle has its drawbacks, and the Explorer isn’t immune. With its competitive price tag, Ford had to cut costs somewhere—and the interior upholstery and general build leave a bit to be desired.

The interior pieces aren’t of terrible quality, but they are the classic plastic and cloth combination. The interior, although very comfortable, feels uninspired. It’s almost as if we were looking at a vehicle that’s ten years older than it is. But, still, the materials are used to offer comfort, and you can choose leather upholstery instead of cloth. 

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Ford Explorer Interior: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

There’s a lot to like about Ford Explorer’s interior. It’s comfortable for up to 7 people, there’s an abundance of safety features that will keep you and your family out of harm’s way, and there’s enough room for you to carry everything that you would ever need to carry. 

The features, the infotainment system, and the technology are fine, but the materials used need to be updated. Overall, what’s under the hood of the Ford Explorer feels better than what’s inside the SUV. This is a vehicle where the upgrades are often worthwhile and relatively affordable, especially since the base price is on the low end. As such, if you’re planning on purchasing a 2021 Ford Explorer and interior luxury is your main selling point, you should consider investing more money into a higher-than-base trim or an optional interior upgrade package. But in terms of cargo space and seating room, the Ford Explorer interior doesn’t disappoint.

Is The Ford Explorer Worth Buying?

The Ford Explorer is one of the longest-running three-row SUVs available and lit the market on fire when it was released back in 1991. While it’s undoubtedly a competent SUV these days, the market landscape has changed, and the Explorer must contend with tough competitors like Kia Telluride, Hyundai Palisade, and the Jeep Grand Cherokee L. With that said, the Ford Explorer doesn’t stand out from the competition unless you go for the ST trim for the 2023 model year.

If you’re going for the Ford Explorer for its interior, we feel that there are better options. To give it proper credit, the Ford Explorer’s interior is functional and comfortable – at least in the first two rows of seats. The third row is best suited for smaller passengers like kids and teens. Meanwhile, the Explorer offers a good amount of cargo space for your gear and luggage.

Unfortunately, despite its utility, the cabin design needs to be more inspired, and the quality of the materials could be better. The presence of hard plastics and other low-rent materials creates a rather disappointing interior. Overall, the Ford Explorer is worth checking out, but if you’re mainly buying based on the interior, you certainly can do better.

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