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By ANN M. JOB
For The Associated Press
Ford’s long-running Explorer SUV goes upscale in a big way with the new-for-2016 Platinum model that rivals traditional luxury SUVs with its numerous high-tech features, quilted-stitched leather seats and exclusive sound system.
The Platinum model, which comes with standard front and rear cameras, automatic parking system for parallel and perpendicular parking maneuvers, 20-inch wheels and a Sony 500-watt audio system, is accompanied by a luxury-like starting retail price of $53,915, making it the most expensive Explorer. A base front-wheel- drive model is $31,995.
The 2016 Platinum model also has standard four-wheel drive and the most powerful engine offering for the 2016 Explorer – a twin-turbocharged, EcoBoost V-6 that generates 365 horsepower and 350 foot-pounds of torque. Until this model, that engine had been reserved for the Explorer Sport, which, as its name implies, is designed with a firm suspension and quick steering response. The Explorer Platinum offers a still-controlled but less firm ride and its steering feels more mainstream.
Like all 2016 Explorers, the Platinum model has fresh exterior styling, including a grille that reminds some people of a Range Rover.
But it’s the interior styling, breadth of features and unique touches that sticks with a driver. In the test vehicle, the leather multi-contour front seats, which are new and wide, had quilted stitching that is reminiscent of an Audi; there was even leather and stitching on the dashboard.
A good amount of seat movement fore and aft makes it easy to apportion comfortable legroom in these two rows.
The driver’s seat comes with power-adjustable pedals that move up and down to help every driver get comfortable. Everyone in the vehicle sits up high and has good views out, though the thick pillars at the sides of the windshield obscure views when making turns. But the Explorer Platinum’s 180-degree front camera – below the grille and comes with a washer to keep it clean – can help when pulling out of a driveway or parking lot. The camera is in addition to ultrasonic sensors on the bumper that alert a driver when the vehicle is getting too close to an object in front.
The 3.5-liter, double-overhead cam, turbocharged Ecoboost V-6 gives this vehicle spirited power, even while delivering more than 18 miles per gallon in combined city/highway travel. The only transmission is a six-speed automatic.