In the past, the Ford Explorer was not a vehicle to consider when desiring to have a quick or fast ride. Obviously, there was a few stands out such as the Saleen XP8 or a nitrous-assisted small-block two door that try to persuade you otherwise. However, those were not out of the box quick from the Ford factory. Ford changed all this in 2020 when they decided to put a twin-turbo 3.0-liter engine in its mid-size sport utility vehicle and add ST to the suffix. When Ford included the 10R60 10-speed transmission and a highly tunable ECU, you get a reasonably quick family hauler. But what if you were to push the Explorer ST a little further?

David London decided that his Explorer ST needed a little more power, so he sent it off to Evolution Performance. There, a lot of work went underway to the Explorer. The factory turbochargers were replaced with CR Performance stage 5 turbos. A Nostrum stage 1 high-pressure pump was installed along with a set of Nostrum stage 1 injectors to keep up with the increased fuel demand and other performance parts that would help airflow, such as an AFE cold air intake and a Velossa Tech big mouth ram air snorkel. To let the EcoBoost sing, SPD Performance catted downpipes and a Thermal R&D Performance 2.5-inch catback exhaust system were added. The Explorer ST was then sent to be tuned by Adam at ZFG Racing.

With the modifications complete, it was time for London to hit the track. There, the newly modified Explorer blasted-off three consecutive ten-second passes in a row, including a 10.94, 10.95, and 10.96 at 125 mph. A feat that would shock most people who did not recorgnize the potenticy of Ford’s mid-size weapon. This was all done without modifying the 10-speed transmission.

While most Explorer is still not the first thing that comes to mind when most people think of something fast, we believe the tide could be turning. Can you imagine the look on a Camaro owner’s face as he gets smacked down at the track by an SUV? We must admit, it would be pretty fun to let them explore a world of hurt.