Camping and Family Travel In the 2021 Ford Explorer XLT

We are very thankful to have had the opportunity to test drive a 2021 Ford Explorer XLT for a week. Partly because it’s summer and our personal vehicle at the time had no AC, but also because we are very intrigued by the Explorer and wanted to know what it would be like for a family of 5. In regards to vehicle reviews we like to do a combination of staged vehicle photos, but then also include a few real-life photo moments. Our goal is to give you a true look at what it was like for us when test driving any vehicles. All thoughts shared in this review are our own. If you have any questions, please leave us a comment and we will do our best to answer them. 

LOADED UP AND WENT CAMPING

Let’s get right into it. Within a few hours of picking up the 2021 Ford Explorer XLT we had it loaded and Jason and the girls headed off to go camping. Camping always feels like the ultimate test for any vehicle, especially when it comes to going camping as a family. Can you fit everything and the kitchen sink, plus the kids and car seats into the vehicle? This is a 3rd-row vehicle. The model we were driving had two captain’s chairs in the second row and then a third row 50/50 split-fold-flat seat in the back. If you’re using the 3rd row, you are limited to 18.2 cubic feet of packing space. Behind the 2nd row, you then have 47.9 cubic feet of packing space. This is a bit more space than what is available in a 2021 Honda Pilot. We always find that a more boxy shape to SUVs gives just that bit more room that is so appreciated for family road trips and going camping. 

PRICE AND SEAT CONFIGURATION

The XLT starts at $45,669 and the price goes up from there depending on the model and different configurations you may select. As mentioned above, there were second-row captain’s chairs with E-Z entry, armrests, and center floor console. There are different options available, such as having 3 seats across in the middle. As a family of 5, we would be leaning to a vehicle with the option to have 3 seats across the second row, though the captain’s seats were really nice, it’s currently more beneficial to us to have as many seat configuration options as possible. We don’t want to be forced into having to put a child in the 3rd row unless we have to.

We did appreciate how easily the captain’s seats would move and fold so that someone could get into the back row. All of the car seats were also installed quickly. We use rigid latch for all of our car seats and I believe my husband installed all of them in record time in this vehicle. The doors open nice and wide, with no issues getting a large rear-facing child seat in or out. Another thing we greatly appreciated and were surprised to see was the “check rear seats” warning that came up on the display when we parked and turned the car off. This is brilliant! Accidents have happened and this is something that will hopefully be helping prevent that. 

LOOKS, MILEAGE, AND DRIVING

I’ve mentioned before that my sister had the more boxy style Ford Explorer. I am really liking the direction Ford has gone with the shape of the Ford Explorer now. The exterior looks really sharp. Would you believe this is the 6th generation of the Ford Explorer? It has definitely come a long way from the first model. For a 3-row, midsize SUV it has a great look to it. Not too round, a bit rugged. The lights are unique and the front end grill has an agressive look to it. There are different options for the exterior that can be added on, like a sports package. Highly recommend the Atlas Blue or Rapid Red for the exterior paint.

In regards to the interior this is where things feel a bit unbalanced. The seats are comfortable. As someone who is plus size and tall, seats can be too narrow or too short. These were great. My husband also commented on how comfortable it was to sit it and drive. I was able to sit in the second row and have decent leg room, the third row was a bit more snug, but not an issue at all for our oldest daughter. The interior quality was also not entirely where we would like to see it. It’s the little things like seams in the paneling not lining up nicely. Which causes conern for potential damage/breakage down the road. For the price point, even with the base model, we would love to see the looks of the interior just be stepped up a smidgen. 

Ford has fitted the Explorer with a 2.3L turbo four-cylinder engine. It is a 10-speed automatic transmission with 300 hp. It is also all-wheel drive. The official fuel figures come in at 11.7 L/100 km city, 8.6 highway, and 10.3 combined. We noticed that we were between 10 and 12 for combined driving highway and through the city. With the cost of gas skyrocketing here in the Lower Mainland, this is something we would love to see all vehicle makers address and see if they can improve on. Can we get better fuel milage in these mid-size SUVs?

The drive itself was really nice. We were impressed with how quiet it was in the cabin of the vehicle. Not too much road noise making it difficult to hear our kids talking to us in the back seats. The Explorer had decent power to get up the hills in our area, including when we had it fully packed for camping. The turning radius really surprised us. This does not feel like a mid-size SUV, it feels much larger when you are in it. So when we were able to pull out from a stall and make it around to the driveaway in one smooth motion, no having to back up and do a multi-point turn, we were shocked. Pretty sure my husband and I both had our jaws on the floor. 

OVERALL THOUGHTS

We’ll be honest in confessing that we hadn’t considered a Ford Explorer as a potential larger vehicle for our family of 5. Ford has definitely entered the running and has us considering it when the time comes for us to change our family vehicle. The girls were won over by the twin-panel moonroof. Though their one reuqest is for vehicles to have this and a rear DVD player. It’s far from being a dull vehicle to drive, it brings comfort and a responsive infotainment system to you. Making it an all around great drive. 

We would love to have you follow us on social media, find us here:
Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // Pinterest