Rumors of a faster, sportier Ford Explorer have been circulating since early last year, probably because such a vehicle makes huge amounts of sense. Ford’s line of EcoBoost engines holds tremendous performance potential, especially the up-to 365 horsepower 3.5 liter V6 found in the Ford Taurus SHO.
Ford has finally gotten around to releasing the details on this they-had-to-do-it vehicle, and they are (unfortunately) calling it the Ford Explorer Sport. But besides the lackluster name, this performance SUV has a lot to offer soccer moms in a hurry.
With a blacked-out grille, sporty wheels, and high-performance tires, the heart of the Ford Explorer Sport is a 350 horsepower 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6. It will be the least-powerful iteration of the 3.5 liter EcoBoost, as the Taurus SHO and F-150 EcoBoost produce 365 horsepower. But it is still a big power bump for the Explorer, enough to shave a full two-seconds off of the 0-60 mph time.
Slated to sit at the top of the price range for Explorer line (so north of $38,000), the Sport model will come with chassis reinforcements, larger brakes, and a quicker steering ratio. It will also get a swanky interior and paddle shifters for the six-speed automatic. Yes, paddle shifters on a turbocharged SUV. Pretty damn sweet if you ask us.
This is a performance SUV for Ford fans, but how will it stack up to other vehicles in this segment like the Porsche Cayenne and Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8?
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