Will the 2023 Explorer be redesigned?

A mid-life-cycle update for the sixth generation Ford Explorer was set to launch at the now-postponed Beijing Auto Show. However, photos and specifications of the SUV have popped up in China giving us a good idea of the updates for the local market model. Besides the styling tweaks, the Chinese-spec Explorer will benefit from more tech inside the cabin, changes that may also be applied in the future in the US-spec range, though this is just speculation for now.

Starting with the exterior, the Explorer retains the familiar silhouette with redesigned front and rear ends. We had already seen those in previous leaks, but the new pictures from China’s ministry give us a better look at the changes.

Related: China’s 2023 Ford Explorer Caught Undisguised With Fresher Looks And Gigantic Screen

The new LED headlights appear similar to the facelift of the fifth generation, with a narrower shape than in the current Explorer. The grille looks massive with a different pattern depending on the variant (honeycomb for the sporty ST-Line), but don’t forget that the Chinese Explorer already had a significantly larger grille compared to EU-spec and US-spec models. The front bumper has slimmer side intakes with chrome accents and without the DRLs of its predecessor.

The profile remains unchanged besides the new wheel designs. However, the new bumpers have resulted in a slightly increased length, with the updated model measuring 5,063 mm (199.3 inches) compared to the 5,050 mm (198.8 inches) of its predecessor, while retaining the other dimensions. At the back, the LED taillights are now connected, highlighted by a decorative chrome strip merging with the indicators. The lower part of the bumper got a new skid plate and larger dual tailpipes finished in chrome. Finally, the Explorer logo has moved on the tailgate, also appearing above the grille at the front.

Inside the previous portrait-orientation touchscreen gives way to a more impressive landscape widescreen covering most of the redesigned dashboard and giving more control of the infotainment to the front passenger. This is combined with a standard 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a head-up display. Other changes include the slimmer and lower positions of air vents, the ambient lighting, and the new rotating dials on the center console, likely for controlling volume and temperature. Overall, the updated interior design of the Explorer is more in line with the China-only Evos and Mondeo even though the touchscreen is not as impressive as the 27-inch 4K unit of the aforementioned models.

See Also: 2023 Ford Mondeo ST-Line Debuts In China With Sporty Kit And Massive Screen

Under the bonnet lies the same turbocharged 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine, producing 272 hp (203 kW / 276 PS) and 425 Nm (313 lb-ft) of torque. Power is sent to the rear wheels through a 10-speed automatic gearbox. Chinese buyers don’t get the larger displacement engines or the performance-oriented Explorer ST trim that are available in North America due to tax reasons.

The Chinese-spec Explorer is produced by Changan Ford. The market launch of the facelifted model is expected sometime in the coming months. Some of the changes could also be applied to the US-spec and EU-spec Ford Explorer in the future, although Explorers from different markets will most likely retain some level of differentiation. Mind you, Ford has recently updated the Explorer range in the US for 2022, with the addition of the ST-Line trim.

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Ford has taken the wraps off the updated Explorer in China as the new flagship of its range with a redesigned exterior and a new massive screen inside the cabin. The Chinese website calls it a brand-new model although it is better described as a comprehensive facelift of the sixth-gen Explorer that was introduced in 2019.

The model made its first appearance on spy shots last February, with detailed but unofficial photos surfacing on the Chinese Ministry Of Industry and Technology back in April. Now, Ford has officially revealed it online, since the Beijing Auto Show where it was supposed to debut has been postponed without a set date. Thus, the SUV is expected to make its official debut at the Chengdu Auto Show in late August.

See Also: New Ford Equator Sport Debuts In China As A Smaller Sibling To The Equator

The 2023 Explorer is instantly recognizable from the side view due to the carry-over body panels, but everything else has changed. At the front, there is a significantly larger grille flanked by slimmer bumper intakes, and new LED headlights that are connected through an LED strip. There is also an Explorer lettering on the bonnet.

The rear end is also tweaked, with a new set of LED taillights mounted horizontally. Between them, there is a chrome strip, while the revised rear bumper got a more prominent skid-plate with dual exhaust pipes. The grille pattern and the bumpers will be different depending on the trim level, with the ST-Line version getting the sportiest treatment. Due to the redesigned front and rear ends, the Explorer is slightly longer than before, measuring 5,063 mm (199.3 inches).

The most important update happened inside the cabin, where the dashboard has been overhauled inspired by the “high-tech cockpit of yachts”. The highlight is the new horizontally-arranged 27-inch infotainment touchscreen which replaces the portrait-orientation unit found in the US-spec Explorer. The screen looks smaller than in the Mondeo and Evos but this might have to do with the increased width of the SUV.

Ford designers made the climate vents slimmer and brought the center console higher, while creating a more premium atmosphere thanks to the ambient lighting and the leather upholstery. Besides the 27-inch infotainment touchscreen that comes standard in all trims, equipment includes a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, heads-up display, a B&O audio system, tri-zone climate control, plus an array of ADAS giving it L2+ autonomous capability.

The Chinese-spec Ford Explorer retains the turbocharged 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine that produces 272 hp (203 kW / 276 PS) and 425 Nm (313 lb-ft) of torque, just like in the outgoing model. A 10-speed automatic gearbox sends power to either the rear wheels or to all four through an intelligent AWD system. Ford didn’t go into specifics about any updates on the CD6 platform which is shared with the Lincoln Aviator.

The Explorer is produced by Changan Ford in China, with a market launch expected in the coming months. We don’t know if the styling and tech updates will find their way into the US- and EU-spec models in the future, but there are some reports suggesting that they will be reserved for the Chinese-spec model bringing greater differentiation than before.

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