10 Ford Explorer Competitors in 2018

by Jason Fogelson

・

July 1, 2018

・

5 min. Reading Time

2018 Ford Explorer Sport driving ・ Photo by Ford

Remember that football player in high school who always wore flannel shirts, jeans, and lumberjack boots? But when you found him years later on Facebook, he was dressed in a suit and tie, and looking like a track-and-field athlete? Well, that’s kind of the journey of the Ford Explorer. It started out as a rugged, truck-based body-on-frame SUV in 1991, and was built that way for four generations until 2011 when the fifth-generation vehicle emerged as a car-based, unibody crossover vehicle.

The 2018 Ford Explorer is a mid-size three-row crossover vehicle with standard front-wheel drive and optional all-wheel drive. It's available with three engine choices: a 3.5-liter naturally aspirated V6; a 2.4-liter EcoBoost turbocharged inline four-cylinder; and a 3.5-liter EcoBoost turbocharged V6. Five trim levels are available: Base (starting at $32,140); XLT (starting at $34,175); Limited (starting at $42,090); Sport (starting at $45,950); and Platinum (starting at $53,940). Here are 10 of its competitors.

2018 Chevrolet Traverse

The Chevrolet Traverse is fully redesigned for 2018, marking the start of the second generation for the mid-size three-row crossover vehicle that launched in 2009. The 2018 Traverse shares a platform with GM’s other three-row crossovers, the Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia. All three compete directly with the Ford Explorer, with the Traverse as the popularly priced example.

The Traverse excels as a family-hauler, a minivan alternative with an easily accessible and genuinely roomy third row. Traverse buyers choose between a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine or a 3.6-liter V6 that’s naturally aspirated (non-turbo), both with a nine-speed automatic transmission and choice of front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. Prices start at $30,925 for L FWD and go up to $53,595 for High Country AWD.

Photo by Chevrolet

2018 Dodge Durango

Similar to the Explorer, the 2018 Dodge Durango has made the transition from rugged to refined over the years since its initial introduction. With available seating up to seven passengers, the Durango is a mid-size unibody crossover with a range of engine selections. The base engine is a 3.6-liter V6 with variable valve timing. A 5.7-liter Hemi V8 is available, and a 6.4-liter Hemi V8 is available in the performance-oriented SRT model.

Pricing starts at $29,995 for the base SXT RWD and goes up to $62,995 for the SRT AWD. The Durango shares many mechanical and engineering features with the popular Jeep Grand Cherokee and can be seen as a sleeper alternative to that popular vehicle — as well as a good competitor for the Ford Explorer.

Photo by Dodge

2018 Honda Pilot

Honda’s largest crossover, the Pilot, has been around since 2003 and is now in the middle of its third generation of production. The 2018 Pilot is a three-row mid-size crossover with unibody construction and standard front-wheel drive with optional all-wheel drive. Following design trends, the Pilot got sleeker and more dynamic-looking in 2016, and shed its truck-like appearance in favor of an athletic appearance.

The Pilot’s particular strength is the availability of the Honda Sensing suite of advanced driver assistance, which includes adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, lane-departure intervention, forward emergency braking, and more. All Pilots get the same 3.5-liter V6 engine. LX, EX, and EX-L models come with a six-speed automatic transmission, while upper trim level Touring and Elite models get a nine-speed automatic. Prices start at $30,00 for LX FWD and go to $47,470 for Elite AWD.

Photo by Honda

2018 Hyundai Santa Fe

Remember that football player in high school who always wore flannel shirts, jeans, and lumberjack boots? But when you found him years later on Facebook, he was dressed in a suit and tie, and looking like a track-and-field athlete? Well, that’s kind of the journey of the Ford Explorer. It started out as a rugged, truck-based body-on-frame SUV in 1991, and was built that way for four generations until 2011, when the fifth-generation vehicle emerged as a car-based, unibody crossover vehicle.

Photo by Hyundai

2018 Kia Sorento

The Sorento is one of the vehicles that made buyers realize that Kia is a car brand to reckon with, and the 2018 Sorento is a worthy crossover to consider if you’re looking at the Ford Explorer. Starting at $25,900 for a front-wheel drive L and peaking at $46,300 for an all-wheel drive SX Limited model, the Sorento comes with a choice of 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder direct-injected naturally aspirated, a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline four-cylinder, or 3.3-liter direct-injected naturally aspirated V6 engine.

FWD is standard, and AWD is a $1,800 upgrade on all but the base L model. In addition to sharing a platform with the Hyundai Santa Fe, the Sorento also comes with an equally generous 10-year/100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty.

Photo by Kia

2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee

One of the best off-road capable crossovers, the mid-size Jeep Grand Cherokee also gets excellent marks for comfort and on-road performance. The 2018 Grand Cherokee starts at $30,895 with rear-wheel drive and a 3.6-liter V6 gasoline engine. Prices go up to $86,200 for the Trackhawk, which comes with a 6.2-liter supercharged V8.

Along the way, the Grand Cherokee accumulates surprising levels of luxury and technology with 12 available models and special editions tailored to the tastes and needs of a wide range of buyers. From the Laredo supplying basic transportation to the Trailhawk providing maximum off-road ability to the Overland dripping in luxury to the SRT and Trackhawk muscling their way down the road, there’s a Grand Cherokee for every need (and budget).

Photo by Ron Sessions

2018 Mazda CX-9

All-new in 2017, the CX-9 is Mazda’s flagship crossover vehicle. With three-row seating and great handling dynamics, the 2018 CX-9 is the driver’s crossover. The CX-9 comes with standard G-Vectoring Control, a torque-vectoring system that manages engine output to subtly shift vehicle weight on turn-in and cornering, resulting in less effort and smoother handling.

Starting at $32,130 for Sport FWD models and going up to $44,315 for the Signature AWD, the CX-9 comes with a 2.5-liter SKY-ACTIV-G turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 250 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque and a six-speed automatic transmission. AWD is an $1,800 option on Sport, Touring, and Grand Touring models, and standard on the Signature. The CX-9 gives the Explorer a run for its money when it comes to fun-to-drive character.

Photo by Mazda

2018 Nissan Pathfinder

Like the Ford Explorer and several other crossovers in this competition, the Pathfinder started out life as a rugged body-on-frame (truck-based) SUV and evolved over generations into a mid-size three-row crossover. Unlike most of the other Ford Explorer competitors listed here, the Pathfinder uses a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) in each of its variants, as opposed to a conventional geared automatic. This feature may be transparent to most drivers, but it can take some getting used to for the enthusiast driver.

Each 2018 Pathfinder comes with a 3.5-liter direct-injected gasoline V6 engine. Front-wheel drive is standard and all-wheel drive is a $1,690 option. Pathfinder prices start at $37,750 for the S FWD and run up to $44,260 for the Platinum 4x4.

Photo by Nissan

2018 Toyota Highlander

The Highlander started life as a car-based little brother to the truck-based Toyota 4Runner, and it has grown into a mid-size three-row crossover vehicle with a style all its own. The 2018 Highlander starts at $31,230 for the base LE front-wheel drive model while the loaded Limited Platinum all-wheel drive model will set you back $46,860.

The Highlander’s secret weapon is a hybrid gasoline-electric engine, available in Hybrid LE AWD trim (starting at $36,870) and in trim levels up to Hybrid Limited Platinum AWD (starting at $48,480). Fuel economy ratings are 30 mpg in the city and 28 mpg in the highway. Since the Highlander Hybrid’s gasoline engine is a 3.5-liter V6, its combined horsepower rating with electric motors is 303 hp, so you don’t have to sacrifice performance for hybrid efficiency.

Photo by Toyota

2018 Volkswagen Atlas

The biggest Volkswagen crossover yet, the 2018 Atlas is all-new for this model year. Starting at $30,750 for S 2.0T front-wheel drive and going up to $48,740 for SEL Premium V6 4Motion AWD, the Atlas is a mid-size three-row crossover — the first time VW has offered a three-row vehicle that wasn’t a van or Microbus.

Two engine choices are available for Atlas: a 2.0-liter turbocharged direct-injected inline four-cylinder powerplant and a 3.6-liter direct-injected naturally aspirated V6 engine. A seven-speed automatic transmission is standard with both engines. VW’s People’s Warranty provides six years/72,000 miles of bumper-to-bumper protection, fully transferable to the next owner within the warranty period — an impressive factory feature among competitors to the Ford Explorer for 2018.