Auto review: 2020 Ford Explorer puts its best foot forward

It’s raining at LaGuardia Airport as I write this, and it’s led to massive delays for Delta Airlines. Nearly five hours after I was scheduled to depart, I am still waiting to board, something that will allegedly happen four hours from now. Never mind the flight after mine has boarded and left; I have to wait. And what does the airline have to say about ruining my life today?

“So sorry for the delay, but it’s raining. So sorry.”

It’s remarkable that when airlines make these routine snafus, they get away with impunity. In contrast, when automakers make the slightest little slip, there’s hell to pay. And so, here I sit, hour five of a nine-hour delay because it’s raining.

Drivers handle rain — and worse — somewhat better than airlines do, and indeed this is what has made SUVs such as the Ford Explorer the vehicle of choice for so many motorists. With four-wheel drive and an 8-inch ride height, Explorers shrug off any weather.

So it’s big news when the Ford Explorer gets a top-to-bottom redesign, as it has for 2020.

Abandoning the front-wheel-drive Volvo XC90 platform it had formerly used, the Explorer uses new rear-wheel drive architecture, although all-wheel drive is available. The switch can be seen in the new vehicle’s updated styling. Front wheels with little front overhang lend a sportier air to the Explorer’s gently sloping roofline and sharper lines, although its look isn’t radically different from what’s come before.

Base LT, XLT and Limited models come with a 2.3-liter EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder engine that produces 300 horsepower, while the sporty ST and fully optioned Platinum trims get a 3.0-liter EcoBoost turbocharged V-6 engine that produces 400 horsepower in the ST and 365 horsepower in the Platinum.

For the first-timer, a hybrid with a normally aspirated 3.3-liter V-6 and an electric motor that produces 318 horsepower and can tow 5,000 pounds. Base LT, XLT, and Limited trims come with rear-wheel or all-wheel drive, while ST and Platinum models come solely with all-wheel drive. A 10-speed automatic transmission is standard.

Among drivelines, the Hybrid appears to be the best compromise. The base EcoBoost suffers from turbo lag off the line, and at speed it revs higher in the rev range than the other power plants offered, with an engine note that constantly reminds you that it’s the base driveline. This also results in more shifting from the transmission, although shifts are very smooth. In contrast, the ST and Platinum offer effortless acceleration. The ST is very much the raucous frat boy — athletic, strong, and always ready to party — while the Platinum is sober, self-assured adult and nearly as fast as the ST.

Up to seven selectable drive modes tailor the Explorer’s response to road conditions on demand, while Ford Co-Pilot360, a suite of driver-assist technologies, is standard. Active Park Assist 2.0, is available, which automatically parallel or perpendicular parks the Explorer without driver intervention.

While it’s parking itself, you’ll find the Explorer’s first two rows comfortably offer good leg and headroom, although the third row is best left to children or friends you intensely dislike.

Better are the little touches throughout the interior, the vertically tilted wireless charging pad that’s nestled under the lip of the center console bin, keeping it safe from spilling beverages, or the flat surface between the second row seats and the doors that make entry top third row easier.

Small objections aside, the 2020 Ford Explorer proves very satisfactory as an all-wheel drive family bus, with handsome styling, good handling and the latest in technology.

It sure beats flying.