Ford, who have strong connections with west Cork are going through a transitional phase. The brand with the famous blue logo has ceased productions of old reliables like the Mondeo, Focus and Fiesta, cars that were very popular with Irish motorists.
Right now the only petrol/hybrid cars that Ford has for sale in Ireland are the Puma and the Kuga. The Mach-e Mustang, which was expensive, didn’t sell very well, but now Ford is hoping to do better with the solid-looking and more affordable Explorer EV.
The Explorer is the first of several new electric models coming from Ford and is built using the ‘MEB’ platform from the Volkswagen Group and there are several touches to remind you of VW in the car. That means it shares the same underpinnings as the Volkswagen ID.3, ID.4, Skoda Enyaq and Cupra Tavascan. But sharing platforms is normal practice in the motoring industry nowadays.
Not that you’ll be able to tell from the outside that it’s strongly linked to VW, as Ford’s designers have given the Explorer a boxy SUV shape but with softened edges to give a less aggressive appearance.
Yes it has a boxy look, but my test car came in black and somebody commented that they thought it looked like a limousine. Apart from Henry Ford’s favourite colour, the only other colour on the outside of the car was five silver-coloured images on both sides at the back, but inside those images revealed small windows.
Black on the outside, but the interior is very bright thanks to a full-length sun roof. Overall it’s modern and practical and as with most modern cars the 14.6-inch infotainment screen dominates the dash.
The screen’s angle can be adjusted by pressing a handle on its base. The screen did take a day or two to get used to, but like many things in life, it’s easy once the workings are explained to the driver.
You can slide the screen inwards to put the screen at a more upright angle, which will also help prevent glare. In doing so, another small storage area that includes USB-C charging ports is revealed.
As usual the first question when driving a fully electric car is the range. In this case the quoted figure of 500km is attainable, in good weather.
Plenty of space in the back seat for three well-built adults and if you only have two back seat passengers, you can leave down the cup-holder. The boot is a decent size, but no spare wheel.
I do like cars with a catchy name, not something like Ford EV1 or Ford EV2. A name like Explorer gives you a feeling that you should get away from the computer and television for a while and explore the countryside and of course it’s also a sub-editor’s delight.
Enjoyed my time in the Explorer and so did my family, who availed of a lift. Their only complaint was that sometimes I forgot to close the rear windows.
The driver has to select ‘front’ or ‘rear’ when opening and closing the windows.
Two different batteries are offered, a 77kWh pack for the single motor with 286 bhp and the 79kWh pack for the dual motor should give you 340bhp.
Prices start at €43,591 for the Select model; the Premium version starts at €48,006.
I have always had a soft spot for Ford cars, maybe because I began my working life in Cork. I still feel a sense of loyalty to the brand and that now includes the Explorer also.
