- First seven-seater plug-in hybrid in Ford’s line-up
- Available for sale in Europe currently
Ford had revealed their fourth plug-in hybrid vehicle after the Kuga and Transit duo. The seven-seater plug-in hybrid from Blue Oval promises to offer electric efficiency, luxury and off-road capability combined in a single package.
Powering the Explorer PHEV is 3.0-litre EcoBoost V6 petrol engine mated to an electric motor, a generator and a 13.6 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. The combined power of 455bhp and 825Nm is sent to all-four wheels through Ford’s 10-speed automatic transmission. The Explorer is Ford's most powerful PHEV currently and also comes fitted with Terrain Management System and seven driving modes.
The Explorer PHEV can tow upto 2500kg and has a pure electric driving range of 48 kilometres (under NEDC cycle). To fully charge the battery from an external 230-volt supply it takes less than 5 hours 50 minutes, and from the optional wall-mounted Ford Connected wallbox or a compatible FordPass public charging station, it can be done under 4 hours and 20 minutes. The driver can control when and how to deploy electric power and the batteries can also be charged by regenerative braking.
For now, only the top-spec Platinum and ST-Line are available in the PHEV guise. So, the seven-seater cabin is loaded with standard features like 10.1-inch capacitive touchscreen with SYNC 3 infotainment, three-zone climate control, Ford Pass Connect modem, and B&O sound system.. Other hardware for safety and driver assistant also comes fitted as standard.
Prices for the Explorer PHEV in Germany starts at 76,000 Euros. The plug-in hybrid SUV from America will first go on sale in Europe before making its way to international markets.
