I drove the new Ford Explorer SUV – I like the way it drives and looks but there are two big problems

WHAT do you do when something isn’t working?

You switch it off and then back on again.

2

2

Wifi, phone, even your car.

And if your car company freezes, do that as well.

Bosses admitted Ford was flatlining and needed a total reboot.

So rather than having a big range of unprofitable cars, they decided on a smaller range of more profitable cars.

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But are they the kind of cars that people want to buy?

We’ll see.

The first of three “bold iconic electric vehicles” coming our way in the next few months is the five-seat Explorer SUV.

We like the way it looks.

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We like the way it drives.

We like being in it.

We just don’t like the price and the time it has taken to land.

It’s at least nine months late.

Deep breath.

Explorer starts at £39,875. I repeat, £39,875.

That’s a lot of your hard-earned for a 170hp family Ford that will do a maximum of 239 miles from a 52kWh battery.

The top-spec Explorer is 340hp, all-wheel drive and accelerates faster than a Focus ST.

But . . . wait for it . . . it costs £53,975. The 79kWh battery has a 328-mile range.

The sweet spot is undoubtedly the 77kWh rear-drive Explorer that’ll do 374 miles for £45,875.

It’s plenty fast enough, handles like a Ford should, yet can out-turn a London taxi if you take a wrong turn and need to spin round.

All versions get an upright tilting touchscreen that doubles as the door of a lockable safe for hiding stuff.

Plus wireless phone chargers, heated and massaging seats and a neat soundbar atop of the dash.

Now I should remind you Ford is using the bones of a Volkswagen ID4 for this car.

But Explorer is better.

Engineers have reworked the suspension, and tuned the electric steering response and ESC software to make it feel more Ford-like, which basically means more fun.

Good job.

To give you some idea of its size, Explorer is 9cm longer than a Focus – so it’s easy to position on the road and to park – but the interior space is more akin to a Mondeo.

Next up from Ford is Capri.

That’s right, the legend is returning as a four-door electric sports crossover.

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Then Puma, Britain’s No1-selling car after the demise of Fiesta, gains an all-electric version before the end of the year.

The new Ford starts here.