Ford Explorer Hybrid in the test: How much sense does the colossus make with an alibi-e engine? – Testing

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The Ford Explorer is one of the most impractical cars that we have ever tested – at least when it comes to bending through the city and looking for a parking space.

But that is also not his terrain in which the Hybrid SUV from the USA feels comfortable. Rather, he gives rubber on country roads and highways – exactly where there is a lot of space and where you want to travel from A to B with half a football team to B. The thick ship actually also offers purely electric driving and should only consume 3 liters per 100 kilometers in hybrid mode. We want to check that.

The Ford Explorer Plug-in-Hybrid is certainly not the vehicle that is presented under a 3-liter car with hybrid drive. The Explorer runs off the assembly line in the Ford plant in Chicago and you can see that: with its colossal dimensions of five meters long, over two meters width and the height of almost 1.80 meters, the Explorer hardly fits a German parking lot. The empty weight is almost two and a half tons.

There are also clear edges and a fat grill with huge LED headlights on the front as well as black plastic planking and mighty 20-inch aluminum rims.

Ford Explorer PHEV: interior

The trailer coupling can pull up to two and a half braked tons of load, and roof racks are also a series. Unfortunately, the roof load with 35 kilos is sufficient for an additional roof case. This is not enough for roof tent adventurers. For this, the support load of the trailer coupling carries up to 100 kilos: this is also sufficient for the heaviest e-bikes, provided they have a corresponding carrier that grabs this weight.

In the interior find up to seven (!) People space, at least four of them as comfortable as a luxury limousine. For four there is seat heating, for the front two seats additional seat ventilation and a massage function that even processes the butt.

The two back rows of seats can be folded into a flat surface and free the gigantic 2274 liters of trunk volume in the Fund of the Explorer. Another 123 liters take up the numerous traffic jams and storage compartments in the explorer interior. For example, the seven passengers have no less than 12 cup holders available. A highlight is the gigantic sun roof with black fabric panel and the sun protection panels on the windows of the back. Passengers travel as shielded as Hollywood stars. Smartphone users are happy about the WLAN hotspot and the USB loader for the back seat.

The processing and material appearance in the platinum edition is adapted to the American understanding of luxury: leather and wood look in the field of vision, but hard plastic and less elegant blinds in place that the second look falls. The durability is also questionable. The interior of the sniffed test car already shows the first signs of fatigue on the seats.

Ford Explorer Hybrid in the test: How much sense does the colossus make with an alibi-e engine? - Testing-explorer
Efahrer / Moritz Diethelm Ford Explorer Hybrid in the test: How much sense does the colossus make with an alibi-e engine?

Ford Explorer PHEV: Infotainment & Driving Assistance

The 10-inch infotainment screens in tablet look does not fit the explorer’s luxury claim. In practice, it works smoothly, intuitively and reliably using a smartphone connection via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Explorer can also display navigation instructions from Google Maps in the central display. Unfortunately, the Explorer is missing a head-up display.

To do this, the explorer’s assistance systems work very well and do not have to shy away from comparison with that of the German premium manufacturers. The parking assistant works well in many everyday situations and helps to park the less clear five-meter colossus and, above all. The dead-angle assistant with cross traffic warning also makes it easier to park. The system warns of vehicles that approach the rear of the Explorer on the side and also activate the brake to avoid collision. When it comes backwards in the city, this is a useful feature.

The driving assistants such as lane pilot, traffic jam assistant with stop-and-go function and intelligent speed control system with traffic sign detection are mature and work well in everyday life. The front camera registers corresponding traffic signs along the street and on Schilderbrucken, but also uses information from the navigation system.

Ford Explorer Hybrid in the test: How much sense does the colossus make with an alibi-e engine? - Testing-sense
FORD Ford Explorer Hybrid in the test: How much sense does the colossus make with an alibi-e engine?

Ford Explorer PHEV: driving comfort and reach

The Ford Explorer makes a whopping 450 hp with strong 840 Nm torque. The plug-in hybrid drive consists of a large three-liter six-cylinder petrol engine and an electric drive with 100 hp, which enable electric all-wheel drive. In normal driving, the Explorer only pushes over the rear wheels. Only if required, the engine power is automatically distributed to the front wheels.

The start of the hybrid colossus is gigantic thanks to the electric back wind, at low speeds the Explorer glides quietly and purely electrically through the city and the surrounding area-allegedly up to 40 kilometers away. In our test, however, the large Explorer only managed the standard pendulum route up to 29 even with a slight gas foot. Route kilometer – then the petrol engine had to step in. The Explorer is sealed off at 230 km/h.

Ford Explorer PHEV: Consumption

The standard consumption of the Ford Explorer is below three liters. When the battery is unloaded, the large hybrid SUV at GPS-calibrated speed 130 approved 11.2 liters of gasoline per 100 kilometers. In everyday life, the unloaded Explorer can hardly be moved under 10 liters. The standard consumption therefore only achieves drivers who complete the greatest part of their mileage within the modest electrical range, because loading is lengthy with the Explorer PHEV. At a suitable wall box, the Ford Explorer invites its empty battery to be full in around three and a half hours. At the household socket, the full charge takes around six hours. Both loading options are well suited for charging at work or overnight, but are not practical on the go. Its limited electromobility is annoying, because for German cities the Explorer is actually too bulky and long -distance consumption far beyond norm.

Conclusion: luxurious SUV giant with a lot of steam, but hardly any practical electrical reach

Nevertheless, the Explorer solves the promise of large SUVs: it is luxurious like a luxury limousine, practically like a commercial vehicle, has enough steam for the highway and can sometimes go off-road. The Explorer creates all of this with an entry price of around 76.000 euros-this is much cheaper than premium competitors like the Range Rover. As a plug-in hybrid, the Explorer benefits from tax letters such as the halved tax rate for privately used company cars. Its high consumption far beyond the norm and its only very limited electrical reach also show that the legislator urgently has to sharpen when it comes to improving plug-in hybrids.

This article was written by Moritz Diethelm
The original to this post "Ford Explorer Hybrid in the test: How much sense does the colossus make with an alibi-e engine?" comes from site.

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