Ford Explorer vs. the competition

For years now, the Ford Explorer has been going strong in the realm of upscale mid-size three-row crossover models. 

Since its introduction to the country, the nameplate from Ford Motor Philippines has seen little changes, except for some light updates. Other parts of the world, however, have already received the refreshed version, but the marque’s local arm is still offering the pre-facelift model, which was first launched globally in 2019. 

Regardless, the model maintains a strong presence in the market - a sign of its desirability among Filipino buyers. But the question now is: what are the main alternatives to the Ford Explorer?

Before answering the aforementioned question, let’s take a good look at the specs of the three-row vehicle’s Limited trim.

Ford Explorer

When it comes to exterior styling, the Ford Explorer, like its chief rivals, assumes a sports utility vehicle-like presence. Its front end wears a large grille, its sides have black plastic claddings, and its rear comes with a large tailgate. Up top, it also boasts a pair of roof rails. 

The Ford model’s notable lineup of exterior equipment includes LED fixtures, power-folding side mirrors, twin-panel moonroof, and rain-sensing wipers - among others. Additionally, the Explorer Limited comes with exterior decorative enhancements listed here: 

• Chrome dual exhaust tips
• Body-color door handles
• Silver front and rear faux skid plates
• Silver-painted grille with chrome bars
• Rear spoiler

The Explorer Limited also rides on a set of 20-inch polished aluminum wheels wrapped in all-season, self-sealing tires. 

Inside, the Ford Explorer Limited offers ample seating for up to seven occupants. All are kept cool by a triple-zone automatic climate control system, and privacy, as well as some measure of sun protection, is offered by second-row sunblinds. 

Additionally, the model comes with a lot of screens, specifically an eight-inch central display and a 6.5-inch digital gauge cluster. The center screen, in particular, boasts Ford’s Sync 3 software, which comes standard with enhanced voice recognition. Smartphone connectivity is also done seamlessly via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. 

Other notable amenities available to the Explorer Limited include the following:

• Push-to-start button
• Wireless smartphone charging pad
• 230-volt AC power outlet
• 12-piece Bang and Olufsen speaker set
• Smart-charging USB ports
• 12-volt auxiliary sockets
• 10 cup and bottle holders
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel with heating
• Auto-dimming rearview mirror
• Remote starting
• Power-adjust front seats
• Ambient lighting
• Drive mode selector
• Electronic parking brake

As expected from a modern three-row ride, the Philippine-spec Explorer comes with a comprehensive basic safety kit. The aforementioned is further reinforced by several advanced driver-assist systems, including blind-spot monitoring, pre-collision assist, automatic high beams, evasive steer assist, intelligent adaptive cruise control, lane keep system, and automatic emergency braking - among others. 

Propelling the Explorer is a 2.3-liter inline-4 gasoline engine, which is the same four-banger utilized by the entry-level Ford Mustang trims. 

For reference, here’s a table detailing the Ford Explorer Limited’s mechanical specifications: 

Model	Ford Explorer Limited
Engine	2.3-liter EcoBoost inline-4
Fuel	Gasoline
Transmission	10-speed automatic
Drivetrain	All-wheel-drive (AWD)
Horsepower	300
Torque	420 Newton-meters (Nm)
Front suspension	Independent McPherson strut
Rear suspension	Independent Integral Link
Brakes	Front and rear discs

 

Pricing for the Philippine-spec Ford Explorer Limited is currently set at P3.498 million. 

Mazda CX-90

Competing against the Ford Explorer in the same vehicle category and roughly the same price range is the Mazda CX-90. 

For reference, it has a price ranging from P3.68 million for the 3.3 all-wheel-drive (AWD) hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) Turbo to P3.78 million for the top-spec 3.3 AWD HEV Turbo Exclusive. 

In contrast to the other three-row crossovers on this list, the Mazda-made model leans more towards a sleeker look. Sure, it still has the size for road presence, but the top-of-the-line Exclusive trim, in particular, forgoes the use of black plastic claddings altogether. It also utilizes a fair bit of chrome, which is used in minute quantities in the other models on this list. 

Like its unibody rivals, the CX-90 boasts a lot of exterior amenities. It comes fitted with sharp-looking LED fixtures, a pair of roof rails, a power tailgate, rain-sensing wipers, a panoramic sunroof, power-folding side mirrors, and a set of 21-inch diamond-cut aluminum alloy wheels. 

The interior of the Mazda model, on the other hand, has a lot of soft-touch leather, leather upholstery, and polished metallic surfaces. Its occupants are kept cool and comfy by a dual-zone automatic climate control system, and it also sports a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, a 10.4-inch heads-up display, and a 12.3-inch central touchscreen. 

The aforementioned touchscreen features wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Other notable interior bits available to the CX-90 include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• Driver personalization system
• Push-to-start button
• Ambient lighting
• 12-piece Bose sound system
• Wireless smartphone charging
• USB ports
• Rear door sunshades
• Auto-dimming frameless rearview mirror
• Drive mode selector
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Power-adjust front seats
• Electronic parking brake

The Mazda CX-90 comes with a comprehensive safety kit and several ADAS features, such as a forward obstruction warning system, lane departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, rear-cross traffic brake support, front-cross traffic brake support, driver attention alert, driver monitoring, and traffic support - among others. 

Here are the mechanical specifications for the top-spec Mazda CX-90 Exclusive: 

Model	Mazda CX-90 Exclusive
Engine	3.3-liter Inline-6 48-volt mild hybrid
Fuel	Gasoline
Transmission	Eight-speed automatic
Drivetrain	AWD
Horsepower	280
Torque	450 Nm
Front suspension	Double wishbone
Rear suspension	Multi-link
Brakes	Front and rear discs

Hyundai Santa Fe

Also rivaling the American-made Ford Explorer is the South Korean-produced Hyundai Santa Fe. 

Like the other models on this list, the Santa Fe is a unibody, three-row ride available with an AWD trim. Price-wise, the Philippine-spec Hyundai model ranges from P2.41 million-P3.33 million, with the Calligraphy HEV standing in as its top-spec variant. 

Similar to the GAC GS8, the Hyundai Santa Fe comes with a boxy body filled with modern aesthetics, such as its pair of H-shaped LED fixtures and the H-shaped motif on its front bumper. The aforementioned contrasts with its rather standard SUV-like proportions, except for its rear end, which sports one of the largest tailgates, at least when compared to its competitors. 

Other notable exterior bits for the Santa Fe include power-folding side mirrors, roof rails, a tailgate spoiler, a power sunroof, rain-sensing wipers, a power tailgate, and a set of 21-inch alloy wheels - among others. 

For its screens, the South Korean marque’s premier three-row crossover was kitted out with a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and a similarly-sized central touchscreen. Both displays are seamlessly linked together to form a large widescreen display. 

Handling connectivity for the Hyundai model is wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It also comes with a six-piece speaker system, and a wireless smartphone charging pad. 

Here are the other noteworthy amenities inside the Santa Fe, particularly the top-spec Calligraphy HEV trim: 

• Ultraviolet-lighted cargo tray
• Heads-up display
• Push-to-start button
• Electronic parking brake
• USB ports
• 12-volt power outlets
• Power-adjust front seats
• Drive mode selector
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Dual-zone automatic climate control
• Rear window curtains
• Electrochromic rearview mirror

The Hyundai Santa Fe has a comprehensive basic safety kit, just like its rivals. It also comes with a wide array of ADAS features, which include blind-spot monitoring, lane-following assist, lane-keeping assist, forward-collision avoidance, collision-avoidance assist, manual speed limit assist, and adaptive cruise control- among others. 

Here are the mechanical specifications of the Hyundai Santa Fe Calligraphy HEV:

Model	Hyundai Santa Fe Calligraphy HEV
Engine	1.6-liter turbo inline-4 hybrid
Fuel	Gasoline
Transmission	Six-speed automatic
Drivetrain	AWD
Horsepower	231
Torque	367 Nm
Front suspension	MacPherson strut
Rear suspension	Multi-link
Brakes	Front and rear discs

GAC GS8

Another alternative to the Ford Explorer is the Chinese-made GAC GS8, which, in the Philippines, has a price ranging from P2.398 million-P2.648 million. 

Similar to its rivals listed above, the GS8 is available with AWD and is a three-row, unibody crossover. Style-wise, it is similar to the Hyundai Santa Fe, as it leans more towards a boxy SUV-like shape filled with modern design touches. 

For starters, it gets a humungous grille, large but dazzling LED fixtures, and a set of 20-inch wheels. Plus, it also comes standard with rain-sensing wipers, a power tailgate, a panoramic sunroof, power-folding side mirrors, and roof rails. 

Its interior, meanwhile, is filled with the following creature comforts: 

• Triple-zone automatic climate control
• Leather steering wheel
• Power-adjust front seats
• Auto-dimming rearview mirror
• Drive mode selector
• Electronic parking brake
• USB ports
• Wireless smartphone charging pad
• Eight-piece speaker system
• Passive entry and start

For its screens, the GAC model comes with a 14.2-inch central display and a seven-inch digital gauge cluster. The large center screen is equipped with Smartphone mirroring and Bluetooth. 

Safety-wise, the GS8 depends on several ADAS features like adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, lane-keep assist, traffic jam assist, and integrated cruise assist. 

Refer to the table below for the GAC GS8 4x4 versions' mechanical specifications: 

Model	GAC GS8 4x4
Engine	2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4
Fuel	Gasoline
Transmission	Eight-speed automatic
Drivetrain	AWD
Horsepower	248
Torque	400 Nm
Front suspension	MacPherson strut
Rear suspension	Multi-link
Brakes	Front and rear discs

Final thoughts

To sum it up, the Ford Explorer’s rivals are largely cushy rides that will do great as family rides or people movers. The Ford, however, sits on top as the most powerful in terms of making horsepower and torque. 

On the one hand, the Mazda CX-90 is the most expensive out of all four models. Plus, both the Mazda and the Hyundai Santa Fe may prove attractive to buyers due to their status as coding-exempt hybrid rides. The most affordable, meanwhile, is the GAC GS8, which still offers a lot in terms of performance and amenities. 

In the end, buyers looking for a three-row crossover should take all four models listed above for a test drive. All are comfy vehicles on paper, but testing them out will definitely make for a more informed purchase. 

Also read: 

Hyundai Santa Fe: 4 enticing trims

Hyundai Santa Fe: pros and cons