2020 Ford Explorer ST Review (Gear Patrol)
The first-generation Ford Explorer was nothing short of an icon. Alongside vehicles like the original Jeep Grand Cherokee, it pioneered the SUV-as-family-car segment back in the early 1990s. Add in its famous appearance as a T-Rex toy in Jurassic Park, and it’s safe to say the O.G. Explorer enjoyed the sort of name recognition most carmakers would kill for.
Since then, though, Ford’s best-known soccer mom-mobile has largely languished in the shadows of newer car-based crossovers and larger traditional SUVs. The former offer the car-like handling that many minivan / station wagon / sedan owners don’t want to leave behind when they level up to a sport-ute; the latter serve up the space, mass and height that Americans love to excess in practically every category.
The sixth-generation model that debuted last year, however, marked the moment when FoMoCo went all Twisted Sister and exclaimed that they weren’t gonna take it anymore. The newest Explorer (and its Lincoln Aviator sibling) switched over to a rear-wheel-drive-based chassis designed for better dynamics, even going so far as to cherry-pick parts off the Mustang. How does that serve it in the real world? We grabbed the sporty Ford Explorer ST for a week and a half to put it through its paces on urban and rural roads alike.
