Inside, the touchscreen commands your attention. At nearly 15in, it dominates the centre console and then some. It also has the novel feature of being able to be tilted at different angles to reveal extra storage at its base and to counter the occasional sunlight reflection these screens are vulnerable to.
The resolution of the screen is also excellent and the graphics are crisp, yet it shares an unwelcome trait with earlier Volkswagen Group MEB cars in being tricky to navigate once you get beyond the initial menu screen and want anything more than a simple function.
Small icons also don’t help, although the climate controls are at least given permanent residence and prominence along the bottom. Alas, with small buttons and a vast screen, there’s a sense here that Ford has more space than it knows what to do with. At least Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility are standard issue and the software is neatly integrated and in general easier to use than the native Sync system.
But what of the fundamentals? They are, in general, good. The blend of various greys in various textures is American in feel, but the driving position is commanding and supportive and there is a huge amount of storage in the front portion of the cabin, not least via the 17-litre cubby underneath the armrest, which is deeper than the Mariana Trench and will swallow laptops and 1500ml bottles.
While the choice of materials is uninspiring and at times outright cheap in feel, there’s very little wrong with the apparent solidity with which the cabin is assembled. The Explorer is a little po-faced, especially in contrast to the plushness of, say, the Renault Scenic E-Tech or the light-filled expansiveness of the Kia EV6, but it feels rugged and practical and has more personality than the ID 4.
Equally, you can’t escape the Explorer’s borrowed Germanic roots. The drive selector is the same awkward, stubby rocker that VW uses, and the same is true for the irritating, semi-haptic controls for the door lock and rear windows (to operate them from the front, you need to select ‘rear’). There’s also the little 5.3in display that suffices for the driver’s instrument panel, although there’s nothing wrong with it and it’s entirely visible through the firm, pseudo-quartic steering wheel (home to some more less-than-intuitive haptic switchgear).
As befits a car whose name is borrowed from a Stateside SUV, passenger space is a strength. The squared-off roof means even six-footers can get comfy in the back and there’s more leg room here than a Focus could dream of offering, not forgetting the Explorer’s flat floor, which means even middle-seat occupants don’t suffer. The panoramic roof fitted as standard on Premium trim also prevents the back from feeling too cosy, although you can’t vary the opacity.
Boot space is less impressive. For one thing, the Explorer has no ‘frunk’, as the EV6 and Tesla Model Y do. Back in the boot proper, the Ford’s 470 litres notably trails the 543 litres of the ID 4, as well as most rivals.
