2016 Ford Explorer: Base Model Price Unchanged, New Platinum Trim is $53,495
By Joe Bruzek
March 5, 2015
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The refreshed Ford Explorer may have a new face, but it doesn’t have a new base price: The 2016 Explorer starts at $31,595, according to Ford’s consumer site, the same as the outgoing 2015 version; all prices include a destination charge. Ford plastered a bolder face on the 2016 SUV and added new features, a new turbocharged four-cylinder engine and addressed tech complaints on the inside by replacing touch-sensitive controls with tactile buttons.
Other trim levels see an increase in pricing this year given the new content like a hands-free power liftgate, heated steering wheel and dual cameras included on the Limited model. Perhaps most interesting, however, is the pricing of the new luxury-oriented Platinum trim level.
Ford is packing more luxurious features in the Explorer Platinum with unique leather upholstery and wood trim to compete with the Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit and GMC Acadia Denali, which with all-wheel drive start at $52,590 and $50,615, respectively. The Platinum, with its standard all-wheel drive, will start at $53,495 when the Explorer goes on sale next summer.
XLT, Limited and Sport trims will return for 2016; XLT trim levels are $400 more expensive, Limiteds are $3,100 pricier while the Sport trim with twin-turbocharged V-6 and standard all-wheel drive is $200 costlier than the 2015 model. The new turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder replaces the less powerful 2.0-liter; Ford says overall efficiency remains unchanged. So does its cost: $995 for the 2.3-liter on XLT and Limited trim levels.
Cars.com photo by Evan Sears
Joe Bruzek
Managing Editor Joe Bruzek’s 22 years of automotive experience doesn’t count the lifelong obsession that started as a kid admiring his dad’s 1964 Chevrolet Corvette — and continues to this day. Joe’s been an automotive journalist with Cars.com for 16 years, writing shopper-focused car reviews, news and research content. As Managing Editor, one of his favorite areas of focus is helping shoppers understand electric cars and how to determine whether going electric is right for them. In his free time, Joe maintains a love-hate relationship with his 1998 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am that he wishes would fix itself.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-bruzek-2699b41b/