The Ford Explorer launched our obsession with sport-utility vehicles. Yes, there was the Range Rover and GM’s Suburban, and a couple of outliers like the International Travelall and the AMC Eagle, but it was the family-oriented, four-door Explorer that really lit the fuse, a full 20 years ago. Previously, we drove station wagons.  

Back then, the highest praise we could give an SUV (the term was new) was that it “drove just like a car!” Sport-utes were essentially pickup trucks with full-length bodies, so this was a compliment. Not until 2011 did the third-generation Explorer leave behind truck-type, body-on-frame construction in favor of today’s stiffer and quieter unibody design. Then it really did drive like a car.

This 2021 XLT belongs to the sixth generation of the Explorer, which arrived in model year 2020. The basic architecture is rear-wheel or all-wheel drive with a 2.3-liter, 300-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder engine set longitudinally under the hood. A 3.0-liter, 400-horsepower V-6 and a 318-horsepower hybrid gas-electric powerplant are extra-cost options. A 10-speed automatic transmission is standard across the lineup.

Drivers who are especially performance-minded, or who tow loads that exceed 5,300 pounds, will want the V-6; the rest of us will be pleasantly surprised by what the smaller Four is capable of, and only under full throttle does it ever sound even slightly strained. The drivetrain is unexpectedly efficient, too; we’re averaging an indicated 28 miles per gallon.

This is without resorting to Eco mode, either. Also available at the twirl of a dial: Tow/Haul, Sport, Normal, Slippery, Trail and Deep snow/Sand modes. Sport mode disappoints somewhat because the loss in smoothness isn’t offset by any perceptible gains in performance. So—on dry pavement, at least—Normal is the preferred mode.

For 2022, the starting price of the XLT—one trim level up from the Base Explorer—is $39,550. The MSRP of our leftover ’21 model was a couple grand less, but it was decked out with $6,590 in options, which gave it a sticker price of $44,910.

Many of these options—such as a heated steering wheel, a power-adjustable front passenger seat, adaptive cruise control and remote starting—are quite nice to have. With them on top of standard features such as the 10-way power driver’s seat, rear-view camera, power liftgate, LED headlamps, automatic climate control and more, our XLT feels like reasonably good value for a large and comfortable three-row family hauler.

It’s only when we cross-shop against similarly priced but more refined SUVs, especially from Korea, that the Explorer loses a bit of its luster. But if the Explorer has no outstanding features, neither does it have any unforgivable flaws.