Is Ford’s Family SUV Right for You?
By MotorTrend
The Ford Explorer is recognizable all over America. With millions of units sold, it’s helped define the family-oriented crossover as we know it today. A full redesign for 2020 put the SUV on a rear-wheel drive platform with a choice of turbocharged or hybridized engines. The 2021 Explorer is available in six- or seven-seat layouts.
By Mark Rechtin – Words; Wes Allison – Photos – MotorTrend
Brand loyalty makes purchasing a new vehicle an easy call for most folks; you belong to a Ford family or a Toyota household, and you never cross that line.
But there also are plenty of people who are looking for the best deal, or the latest thing, or the most popular vehicle in their particular class, brand be damned. In the case of the Ford Explorer and Toyota Highlander, both are the latest thing in the three-row sport-utility segment, and they’re perennial best-sellers, to boot. So, if you were new to either brand and looking to see what all the fuss is about, which would be the better choice?
By Nick Yekikian – Words, Wes Allison – Photos – MotorTrend
Which American automaker makes the better three-row SUV? Bad news first: Both the 2020 Ford Explorer and 2019 Chevrolet Traverse feature a number of off-putting compromises. Neither is revolutionary on the road, and both come with interiors that must be better in order to justify their price points. Luckily, if you’re a parent in need of an American three-row SUV—in both name and country of origin—with a lot of room for the kiddos, one of these three-row family haulers is still much better than the other.
