It’s no secret that Ford is working on a facelifted Explorer, and the latest images captured by our spy photographers as a prototype cruised the streets of America, offer us a closer look at what to expect. It appears that the redesign is not nearly as radical as the Chinese variant that was introduced last summer.
Of course, you’d be hard press to tell by these exterior images as the prototypes are heavily camouflaged. That being said, we can expect a new front fascia with a revised grille and updated headlights. The rest of the crossover largely carries over, but the rear end will see some minor updates including new taillights.
While the Chinese Explorer has a massive 27-inch infotainment system, the US-spec model sports a more traditional display that appears to feature Google integration. Additional details are hard to make out, but it appears there will be significant interior changes as the crossover sports a digital instrument cluster and a revamped center stack.
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The latter is barely visible, but it appears the air vents have been relocated while some of the switchgear has been moved further down. We also wouldn’t be surprised if the physical climate controls are jettisoned as they now appear to reside on the infotainment system.
Little else is known about the facelifted Explorer at this point, but the current model starts at $36,760 and offers an assortment of different engines including an entry-level 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder with 300 hp (224 kW / 304 PS) and 310 lb-ft (420 Nm) of torque. Customers can also get a twin-turbo 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6 with 400 hp (298 kW / 406 PS) and 415 lb-ft (562 Nm) of torque as well as a hybridized 3.3-liter V6 with 318 hp (237 kW / 322 PS).
It’s possible we might see some changes as Ford recently introduced a new 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine on the 2024 Mustang. It features a new bore to stroke ratio, port and direct injection, and variable cam timing. While it remains unclear if the new four-cylinder will also be shared with the Explorer, it produces 315 hp (235 kW / 319 PS) and 350 lb-ft (474 Nm) of torque in the pony car.
