Overview & Reviews

The 2015 Ford Explorer gets a new Appearance package for the XLT trim, as well as some minor changes to standard and optional equipment.

• Abundant high-tech features
• Fuel-efficient turbocharged four-cylinder engine
• Comfortable ride
• Upscale cabin
• Strong turbocharged V6.

• Less rear-seat and cargo room than many rivals
• Feels bigger than it is behind the wheel.

User Reviews:

Showing 11 through 20 of 21.00

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  Best Car for your money - 2015 Ford Explorer
  By aggiewife - March 17 - 2:44 pm

  I traded in my 2008 Honda Odyssey for the new 2015 Explorer Limited and boy do I love it! As much as I loved the function of the minivan, I was ready for something "cooler". It was really hard finding a midsize SUV that could compete with the space of the minivan and believe me I looked! I was just about sold on the Toyota Highlander, but then I decided to look at the Explorer. Im so glad I did because there is a lot more room in the back and the seats are much more comfortable. With 3 children, I had to have something with 3 rows up all the time. It is extremely fun to drive and the boys on my sons baseball team fight over who gets to ride with us. Im finally a "cool" mom! :)

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  Be Careful Before Buying the Sport - 2015 Ford Explorer
  By mjctx79 - February 4 - 1:40 pm

  We love our new Explorer Sport 2015. However, our sales person did not have the full understanding of the model differences between the Sport and the Limited. The Sport was suppose to be the Limited Plus and its not. Its missing additional features like a digital speedometer and heated rear seats. Not HUGE deals but frustrating when you think you are getting everything that comes with the Limited Plus some.

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  Love my Explorer! - 2015 Ford Explorer
  By katandomapa - January 26 - 8:50 pm

  Own a 2015 Ford Explorer XLT 4WD. It has the leather/heated seats, fog lights, roof rack, trailer package, touch screen, voice command, climate control, rearview camera, etc. Wow I love driving this car, you are nice and high up and it feels very sturdy. I have 3 young children so we leave the 2 seats in the 3rd row up all the time. Our 2 older kids sit in the 3rd row and the baby sits in the second row. I love that both back rows have air vents and lights. The third row seats each have their own cup holders and trays. We leave the third row up and there is still plenty of room in the back for groceries or a stroller etc. So happy with the Explorer and love the look of it!

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  Surprisingly efficient and fun - 2015 Ford Explorer
  By edp5 - September 15 - 11:56 am

  We just drove our 2015 Ford Explorer XLT on an 800 mile trip. The ride is very comfortable for a 6 foot tall 200 pound driver. Lots of room and support in the seat. The touch controls took a little getting used to the sensitivity but once that was accomplished they are intuitive and easy to operate. Without studying the owners manual in detail I was able to operate everything except the windshield washer button which I found after reading the manual. The car rides and handles very well at highway speeds and on twisting roads. The gas mileage averaged 23.4 mpg for the trip. The ride was quiet and conversations were easily conducted at all times.

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  Drives Like A Sports Car - 2015 Ford Explorer
  By dngrwill - August 18 - 8:23 am

  We just purchased a 2015 Explorer Sport. Surprised at the power and the launch speed. Even more surprised at the vehicles agility. The sport version drives like our Accord Coupe V6 but has a great amount of room. Ford has upgraded the leather they use (YEAH!) and the in-dash buttons look fantastic and are easy to use. My wife is thrilled with the purchase (her car) and keeps saying how nice it is to have an SUV again.

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  Awesome concept but I must have gotten a lemon - 2015 Ford Explorer
  By Eddie - June 30 - 8:04 am

  I test drove a bunch of SUVs in this class during my search and I must say the overall design and appeal of Explorer captured my attention and made it stand out. I test drove a fully equipped sport edition first and while I absolutely loved the performance of EcoBoost, it lacked some safety features such as lane assist or blind spot monitoring and only came in AWD, which here in Phoenix area isnt needed much. So I opted for Limited Edition for its safety/equipment/price and settled for the somewhat mediocre performance of the regular 3.5L V6. Purchase process was smooth and I drove off the lot at Bell Ford in Phoenix same day. First few days were fine and I bragged to everyone I know how much I love the vehicle. Engine performance was nothing to write home about, but brakes were great, instrumentation and sound system were great, the vehicle was very roomy even with 7 in the car. 3rd row is one of the most spacious in the class for sure. Overall ride quality is very nice. Ride softness could be improved as during otherwise very quiet operation one could feel every crack in the pavement. But that stiffness gave it very stable ride, which is a great plus on highways and in tight turns. My whole family loved the car! Now the bad - At around 700 miles things went south and have been deteriorating since. I spent years working on cars when I was younger, and bought / sold many in the last 25 or so years of driving. So I may feel the car a bit more than an average driver but I dont consider myself picky when it comes to overall performance of any vehicle. I dont normally look for perfection but what I started experiencing is something completely off. The transmission began slipping from second to third gear, pretty badly at that too. It felt like the definition of slippage. Torque was almost completely lost while shifting from second to third gear, RPM would shoot up another 1000 or so, and then the gear would re-engage a second later. Im not heavy footed either, by any stretch of imagination. And the tranny would do this at any level, higher or lower RPM, gunning or taking it easy. I brought the car to Bell Ford for inspection at 800 miles and after a day in the shop was told that no issues were found. I drove off and given that its all under warranty continued driving as-is. Things, got worse with milage and soon more symptoms of trouble were apparent. Transmission would jolt and jerk shifting during very easy driving shifting from second to third, and even later in the stack from 4th to 5th. Slippage still occurs to this day although a lot more prominent while cold and less when hot. Jerking and kicking happens at any temperature. I took the car to another dealer at 10K - Peoria Ford, after leaving the car there for two days while paying for my own rental, I was told the specialist could not re-create any of the issues I mentioned :(. This was the last draw as even my 10 year old could sense the abnormal, unpredictable behavior with the tranny while riding around with me. My wife refuses to drive the car now altogether. Im afraid to drive it long distances. I just drove to Denver and back and after couple of hours on the freeway if I got off to get food or gas, the transmission shifting issues were more pronounced than ever. The slipping, hesitation, jolting got worse. Im not sure where to go from here but I would hesitate to ever buy another ford given the dealer support and expertise I received so far. This is actually my second run-in with Ford transmission issues as I had problems with a 2011 Taurus I owned before with very similar issues but at around 55K miles. But all that is for another review. Update 10/27/16 with 26K miles: Transmission issues persist but two different dealers could not identify it, so were still driving it around until it completely dies, which seams to be the only way for Ford to "look into" it. Im really starting to dislike the Sync system as its getting slower and less responsive with age. Every touch takes one to few seconds to respond, and since 95% of all function manipulation is through Sync touch system, it really gets to you after a while. I know on 2016 models they improved instrumentation with more real buttons for stereo, climate, seats...etc, but the 11-15 gen is all touch. A very recent new development (havent had a chance to have our dealer look into this) - every once in a while Ill start the car, and as soon as gear is shifted to R the moonroof opens, literrally slides back by itself with no input whatsoever. I just close it and move on with my life for now, but its certainly one of the weirdest things Ive experienced with this car. Now the good - milage per gallon is still great, around 21MPG mixed driving, which is awesome for this size vehicle. It is still very comfy for long drives. Mountain driving in steep hills is a bit challenging still due to engine performance, but overall our long drives to CA, northern AZ, CO, NV, NM were all fun.

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  Fits family and budget - 2015 Ford Explorer
  By Dave fulkerson - October 8 - 10:45 am

  After nearly 2 years of ownership theres nothing not to like about our Explorer. We haul kids, camping gear and sports gear long and short distances very comfortably. There is no reason to pay $50000 or more for a quality family utility vehicle. The cost of ownership makes the Explorer a much better choice than the foreign snob-mobiles.

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  Well optioned, functional design, smooth, comfort - 2015 Ford Explorer
  By john adams - May 12 - 1:28 pm

  Expert reviewers have 2nd and 3rd seat leg room comments wrong. Not only is almost 40 inches for 2nd row plenty, you can adjust them. And 33 inches plus in the 3rd makes an adult possible for the 3rd row. Plenty of space for storage with 3rd seat down and useful space with it up. Bucket seat configuration for second seat allows access to 3rd row without having to fold seats. Push button option for 3rd row makes very easy to use. Limited model has great features to include heated and cooled front seats and heated 2nd row seats. Push button folding rear view mirrors helps in tight parking spaces. Back up camera great size and easy to use. Ride is smooth, comfortable, and quite. Gas mileage is low to mid-20s in combination of city and highway driving. Brakes are solid. Functionality of design and fun to drive and ride in are hard combination to beat. While competitors may have some features that stand out more than the Explorer in some areas, few are able to optimize the real world usefulness that this car has. The standard for the 3 seat SUV is here.

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  Love this Explorer! Breaking system? Meh. - 2015 Ford Explorer
  By Jennifer - June 17 - 10:55 pm

  I love my Explorer. Almost everything about it! The only thing I was somewhat disappointed in was the traction in a small amount of snow/ice. There was just a little bit and it was more towards the front end of the car when I was breaking. I could hear the breaking system engaging but I was still sliding out into the busier street. I did not have it in 4 WD at the time. I figured AWD would have been sufficient for such a small amount of snow/ice. This actually happened twice.

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  Test Drove Today - 2015 Ford Explorer
  By Bobbie - June 9 - 5:42 am

  Im looking for a newer car. I have a 2007 Buick Rendezvous and looking to upgrade. I originally did not come to the dealership to test this particular car, it caught my eye and my husband and I decided to go for it. I had pros and cons for our family. Pros: This baby defiantly had power. I barely pulled out of the lotand it was doing 60mph. The ride was very smooth and quiet, like my Buick in its earlier days. The front had lots of leg room. Im 5ft 10in and my husband is 6ft abd both us were very comfortable. I didnt even have my seat all the way back abd still had plenty of leg abd head room. Cons: The car is not very good on turns. It does not turn smoothly. I also found the cargo space lacking. I work in direct sales and haul a lot of stuff to customers, anddo a lot of vendor shows as well as drive my kids around. Cargo space is a must have for my family. I dont think there is much leg room for my kids as they get older. The car sits a lot lower than Im used to. Overall its a pretty good SUV, but if you need a family car or cargo space you might want to check other options.