Overview & Reviews

The 2016 Ford Explorer gets revised exterior styling, a new engine option, updated safety features and a new top-end trim level.

• Abundant high-tech features
• Upscale cabin
• Expected improvement in fuel economy from new turbo engine.

• Less cargo room than many rivals
• Third row only seats two passengers.
• Current model feels big behind the wheel

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 97.00

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  Great family SUV....Horrible My Ford Touch system! - 2016 Ford Explorer
  By Tony Capitule - July 18 - 10:31 am

  We love everything about our Explorer Sport with the exception of the My Ford Touch Sync System. We originally gone one in Jan of 2016. Two weeks into having it, the the My Ford Touch system stopped working. We couldnt get the audio feature to turn on, including with pushing the power on/off button on the system. We calling the service dept, they had no idea what I was talking about and basically thought I was stupid because I didnt know how to turn the radio on. We needed to do three master resets of the My Ford Touch Sync System before it started working again. NOTE: when its not working, voice recognition also doesnt work. Two weeks later it happened again. The audio feature generally turns on automatically. If you had the system turned off, you would just hit the power on/off button and the radio, bluetooth, etc would start playing. When its acting up, nothing works and no buttons help except for doing the master reset multiple times. We brought it back to the dealership where we purchased it and they said theyve never seen this happen. Ultimately they gave us a new Explorer replacement. Weve just hit approx 850 miles and now this new Explorer is also experiencing the same exact My Ford Touch Sync System issues....sooooo frustrating. The next time it happens, Im going to bring it back to the dealership while its malfunctioning so that they can see the problem and hopefully find a resolution as I dont want to swap this one out again. VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH MY FORD TOUCH!!!

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  Exploring with the new Explorer - 2016 Ford Explorer
  By Stan Sala - June 14 - 8:31 pm

  Nice ride for a truck. Feels very comfortable and safe. Handles well. Took it to the snow and had no problems with the traction. Not happy with the location of the drink holder in the back seat. Easy to step on. Great navigation and wifi hook up. Good storage space and easy to navigate the seats. Good mileage for the size and weight, not happy with the size of the gas tank. The tank is too small.

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  2016 Ford Explorer Sport - 2016 Ford Explorer
  By James Alexander - January 22 - 8:06 am

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  THROTTLE BODY ISSUE - 2016 Ford Explorer
  By Rachael - September 17 - 11:35 am

  I have a lease with less than 6,000 miles on the vehicle. I was on a major highway with my 3 year old child when going from 80 mh the car just completely came to a complete stop. I was hysterical crying. The manager at the service dealer informed me shut the car off and restart the vehicle I did it multiple times till finally it started again, he informed me to try and drive it and or call the tow truck i called the tow truck and was informed over an hour wait. so i proceeded to drive to get off the major highway, the vehicle shut off another 5 times before getting off the major highway. The dealer had my vehicle for exactly 17 days waiting on the part. i was hoping it fell under the lemon law being its a lease. My service manager stated he cant guarantee it not happening again. I really am not comfortable driving this vehicle not knowing if this problem would occur while the road with my family.

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  Hurts my Butt - 2016 Ford Explorer
  By Ole Chief - February 22 - 1:29 pm

  Love the vehicle overall. Traded in a 2008 Toyota Highlander Limited. Wanted a new Toyota but could not get one configured the way I wanted it. Wanted Limited without moon roof, AWD or the extras they automatically put on all vehicles like mats and paint protection, etc.. I was able to configure the Explorer the way i wanted it and place an order. Owners manual can be frustrating trying to determine what features actually relate to the vehicle you have. It will list a feature with a note saying "if equipped" but the documentation you have on the vehicle you bought as well as the description on what features you have as listed in the Explorer brochure still dont give you a clue. You are forced to go to the vehicle and try to do or operate the feature and if it happens or not gives you the answer. Touch screen gets finger prints all over it very quickly and trying to look at screen and various controls while driving to change or select something can be very distracting and dangerous. If we think texting and driving can be dangerous just wait for more drivers using features like this vehicle has. The situation is exacerbated when drivers have not read the manual and have a reasonable understanding of the controls and try to do something while driving by just trying different things until they get the results they want, give up or run off the road or worse. Wish that the tailgate window would open separately from the lift gate itself. Many times I want to put things in the back like when Im grocery shopping and want to lean them back against the tailgate. Cant do it on this vehicle. Have to place things carefully so they dont fall out when you open the lift gate to unload things. The absolute MOST DISAPPOINTING FEATURE for me is the front seat seats. The Explorer Limited has contoured seats with raised side bolsters that appear to be sized for someone quite smaller than me. Im not at all large. After driving for about 15-20 minutes the seat pressure on my right hip causes my sciatic nerve to hurt and Im very uncomfortable. My wife has also commented over how extra firm her seat feels. Not real comfortable for driving any distance. My Highlander Limited seats did not have this problem. I noticed that Ford Edge owners have complained about the seat configuration in those vehicles as well. Had I driven the Explorer for 30 minutes before buying it I would not have purchased it and probably bought a Toyota even though it had things I didnt want on it. Ill be web surfing for solutions to the problem and might even consider going to an automotive upholstery business to reconfigure my seat. Will also try to contact Ford for possible solutions. Might be just me, but that is why different people purchase different vehicles. Have not had a real chance to form an opinion on all of the vehicles features and thus the neutral rating given on many of them. Im still optimistic about my future with this vehicle and hope for the best.

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  Loves this car conditionally - 2016 Ford Explorer
  By Jim Ives - September 3 - 2:59 am

  I went to the Explorer Limited after having a MKX. What I like about the Explorer is the light steering, the room with all the seats down, and the third power folding row seating. I have the two seat configuration in the 2nd row to allow for moving them back or forward for more legroom in the third row. I wish the auto fold didnt fold and tilt. I usually only want to fold the second row rather than tilting. What Im not pleased with is the short drivers seat, and the narrowness of the seat. Far more uncomfortable than the MKX. Im not the smallest person, but not overly large either, and they feel like a kids seat rather than an adults seat. I think they are more suited to a lean person. I am also not pleased with the power plugs. They are nicely placed, and I like the 110 plug in the front console. The problem is they arent always on. They shut down not long after shutting down the car. When camping, I need an always on plug to recharge a lithium ion battery I have, which means I have to run the car for 3 hours to recharge it. This was not the case In my MKX. I like the adjusting pedals as my wife has shorter legs than me, I like the 3 seat memory buttons, and the power tilt wheel. I also think the voice recognition has improved. The phone hang up button works much better than my MKX. All in all, I like the car with just the few issues I show above. If they fix those items, I would buy another one.

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  Nice vehicle...but oh, those seats! - 2016 Ford Explorer
  By paul dekoekkoek - April 13 - 1:50 am

  Full disclosure--Im reviewing based on a week traveling with this as a rental vehicle as sort of an extended test drive before making an expensive purchase! Maybe this wont get published as a result and interpret accordingly. Ive read all the online reviews of the 2016 model, looked at all the specs, compared to several other competing models that Ive researched and test driven, and had some extended seat time before arriving at my conclusions. Disregard required ratings for things that can only be evaluated with months and years of ownership time like reliability, maintenance costs, etc. under the "Reliability" and "Value" categories. Overall, this is a great vehicle and I understand why many people ultimately decide to purchase one. It has the combination of luxury, styling, technology and performance thats hard to beat. The turbo v6 is a treat and I averaged 22-23mpg across over 500 miles of driving 70-75mph. City mileage in true urban/suburban traffic leaves a bit to be desired as I was more in the 12-14mpg range then, though perhaps not appreciably different from the normally aspirated standard v6. I also appreciate the lane-keeping assist (though not always reliable even when lanes clearly painted and favorable conditions for it to work). Most of the electronics and "Sync" were good, though I kept getting a "usb input error" message on screen from one of the charging ports used to charge phones that I dont get anywhere else. Will chalk that up to Microsoft and perhaps the next generation Sync3 on next years model will improve some of these little annoyances. The highway ride is quiet and smooth, with minimal steering adjustments required to keep it tracking straight. I enjoyed driving it and all the electronic parking aids are useful though I didnt try the parallel parking assist. In the interest of keeping this review fairly short, wont go into all the details of everything I checked, but overall found the technology and features in this model to be very good. Its not going in my garage, however, for one simple reason--seat comfort. I plan for this vehicle to be the family roadtrip hauler and this is the fatal flaw for me. I can nitpick a few other items that I wasnt thrilled about, but could learn to live with, but seat comfort is a major problem area for me at least. Even with the Platinums "Nirvana" leather and seemingly infinite amount of adjustment (including massaging seats), I eventually developed significant lower back pain over the course of many consecutive hours behind the wheel. Im not sure if the highly inboard dead pedal placement is part of the equation, but the seat cushions contours felt too narrow and the bottom cushion too short (at 6 1", Im not tall enough to expect that to be an issue) resulting in sciatica symptoms. I tried to wish them away as I really liked the vehicle enough to strongly consider buying one. Could just be the way it fits me, though Im apparently not alone given what Ive read here and elsewhere. For reference, both the Dodge Durango and Toyota Highlander (the latter with its inflatable front seat edge extender for more thigh support) feel much more comfortable to me. There may be other vehicles in this class with even better seat comfort, though I have ruled them out for other reasons. My recommendation--try to get some extended seat time to confirm long-haul comfort if traveling on long trips is part of the intended use. Such a nice vehicle, though it wont work for me.

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  Great vehicle - 2016 Ford Explorer
  By Me - December 17 - 6:29 pm

  Overall this is a great vehicle if you want the combination utility vehicle and general purpose car. I would have given it 5 stars, but I believe Ford could do better with acceleration and gas mileage, even with the tow package option. The navigation system is quality, but has difficulty learning voice pronunciation; could have used a better onboard GPS system. The ride is very smooth and the vehicle handles very well, even with significant water accumulation on the road, etc. Interior is well appointed, controls are well located and responsive. My purchase has the tow package and the 6 cyl. engine did extremely well pulling my utility trailer. Frankly, if they could improve the overall mileage on the 6 cyl. (when not towing), this will be an excellent all around choice. Personally, I am very pleased with my purchase so overall the car really ranks high in my opinion when compared to the others in this SUV slot.

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  ...after 9 months of owernship - 2016 Ford Explorer
  By Jill P. - November 25 - 10:10 pm

  I purchased my brand new Explorer in April of 2016. Here we are nine months later and despite loving my car I find it to be quite "buggy." First of all, the alignment was off since day one. Finally took it in to get looked at today and its not covered by the warranty because Im over the mileage limit – despite being an issue since purchase. In August, turned on the car and drove away. Within 50 feet I experienced a loss of power. The car stopped and I did all I could to move it to the side of the road instead of stopping directly in the middle. Dealer was great and knew what it was before even looking at it. They had a backlog of 2016 Explorers that needed the Throttle-body replaced. Luckily they had one in stock so I was only without my car for two days. Nothing else major has occurred. But small things, e.g. going in reverse the back-up camera comes on and then stays on for several miles, even when shutting the car off/on or Ive had "Park Aide Fault" messages – in other words the sensors around the car that help me park werent working. Then my Navigation wouldnt connect for about a day. The Sync wouldnt pair with my phone for a couple of hours. Also, it doesnt have enough cup holders or small storage areas. Despite all this, I love driving the car. Its very roomy and comfortable and will hopefully will serve us well when we start our new family. Although, I am nervous about the future and what major repairs may be in store for us.

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  2016 Explorer Sport. Great Family SUV - 2016 Ford Explorer
  By C.M. - August 24 - 3:04 pm

  If you want a SUV that has great acceleration, the bells and whistles technology has to offer and fits your family comfortably for long road trips this is the car for you! I originally had a 2014 Limited Ford Explorer but 290hp is not enough for a heavy SUV. (aka CUV) So I traded it in for a 2016 Explorer Sport and WOW love this one! With 365 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque its the engine my Explorer needed. My husband and I tested it in the real world. We were able to get 0-60 in 6 seconds flat, not bad for amateur drivers;). This car is so comfortable for long road trips. Traveled straight for 9 hours with my husband (um we did stop for bathroom breaks three times) , my 81yr old mom, my 61 tall son and his girlfriend and every one was so comfortable. I know people think the third row leg room is small, but my son is 61 and he rode in the third row just fine. My 81yr old mom is able to get in second row seats very easily because the design of the foot entry is lower then other SUVs. For example she couldnt get in the Jeep Grand Cherokee I was thinking of getting before I bought my Ford. I also love the new additional front camera on my Sport it helps me menuever tight corners like at some fast food drive thrus. My Sport is loaded with Adaptive Cruise Control thats a definite plus, we used it all the time during our 9hr road trip. Sorry to read some reviewers Explorers breaking down on road trips, but my personal experience with my 2014 Explorer Limited and now my 2016 Explorer Sport is that they both have been driven with no problems except the Sync system shut down twice and we had to reboot it by turning off the car and then on again, other than that absolutely no problems with engine, comfort or technology.