Ford has pushed the limits for decades. From the high-end to the value-friendly, Ford knows what drivers want and wholeheartedly delivers on its lofty expectations. Such is the way with the 2025 Ford Explorer Active. The Ford Explorer has stood the test of time and has been a long-lasting leader in the ever-growing SUV market. Millions of seasoned drivers have heard of, owned, or currently own an Explorer and love their SUVs for many reasons.
Like most vehicles, trim levels are available to push the experience further by adding features the higher up the lineup you go. What this traditionally meant for years, and seemingly still does, is when you examine Ford’s competitors, sticking with base models often isn’t worth it because of too many sacrifices to reach its price. With the 2025 Explorer Active, Ford has done away with all of that. Instead, when you begin driving the SUV, you start to see Ford’s vision for the future, where fantastic performance, features, and other amenities are available at more affordable prices, and it’s a future worth experiencing.
Starting at
The 2025 Ford Explorer Active is one of the best-performing base models of any three-row SUV. Under the hood, it has a standard turbocharged 2.3L I-4 engine paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission. Although the Explorer Active doesn’t offer the option of the turbocharged V6 engine available in higher-end models, the base engine has more than enough for most drivers, and you get better fuel efficiency as a bonus.
Your 2025 Ford Explorer Active outputs 300 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque and can tow a maximum of 5,000 lbs thanks to the standard engine. The Active comes standard with the Class III Trailer Tow Package, so you can begin towing the same day you buy your SUV. As you’ll find on many other 2025 Ford vehicles, the 2025 Explorer Active uses an engine built with EcoBoost technologies: turbocharging, Variable Camshaft Timing, and Direct Fuel Injection.
A turbocharger plays a large role in crafting Ford’s EcoBoost technology. Turbochargers use your vehicle’s exhaust gas to power a small turbine, crafting an intense airflow that quickly passes through an intercooler before compressing and reaching its final destination: the engine under your 2025 Ford Explorer Active’s hood. With more air entering the engine, larger combustion occurs, increasing the engine’s power throughput.
You may believe fuel burns quicker because of the extra work the engine is doing with a turbocharger attached. However, by injecting fuel directly into the engine, the 2025 Ford Explorer Active’s powertrain sips at fuel as needed; the harder you accelerate, the more gas used, and vice versa. The 2025 Ford Explorer Active’s EcoBoost technology comes in clutch with the SUV’s spectacular EPA-estimated ratings of 20 MPG in the city, 29 MPG on the highway, and 24 MPG combined with standard Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD). All-wheel drive (AWD) is available, which slightly adjusts these ratings to 27 MPG on the highway and 23 MPG combined —the 20 MPG in the city remains.
With AWD, the 2025 Explorer Active enables Ford’s Intelligent 4WD System. Having the Intelligent 4WD system installed in your SUV means traveling with AWD by default until the system detects instability—slippery roads, uneven and rocky trails, and general off-roading. Once detected, the system adapts by shutting off the torque throughput on the unneeded axle before passing it through the opposite axle, as a regular 4WD system would. The Intelligent 4WD System also includes Hill Descent Control, meaning you can safely maneuver down hills, and it’s more fun because you aren’t constantly adjusting your foot on the brake.
Your 2025 Explorer Active has six selectable drive modes regardless of drivetrain. You’ll pick between the modes when traveling on the appropriate terrain, when you need to save gas, or when you need additional throttle, like when merging onto the freeway. The six modes included with your 2025 Explorer Active are Normal, Sport, and Eco; the three you’ll likely switch between regularly, and Slippery, Off-Road, and Tow/Haul for more challenging situations.
The Ford Co-Pilot360 suite is a mainstay of the manufacturer’s modern lineup. Ford Co-Pilot360 Assist+ is standard with the 2025 Explorer Active, meaning it comes with extra safety features than what’s included with the traditional Ford Co-Pilot360 package. Pre-Collision Assist with Automatic Emergency Braking is here thanks to the regular Co-Pilot360 package—the Explorer Active can detect if you’re approaching anyone too quickly, whether in a car or walking down the street, and brake.
The 2025 Explorer Active comes standard with rear-facing sensors and cameras. These aren’t found on every competitor’s base models, giving the Explorer a great value edge. The cameras track motion to determine whether a vehicle is traveling within your blind spot or if anyone is passing by before you reverse into a busy parking lot. You’ll be warned not to proceed with your lane shift or reversal if a driver is detected, which can prevent a collision. These features, known as the Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) and Reverse Brake Assist, are perfect examples of Ford not pay-walling potential life-saving amenities once the tech has matured enough.
Cameras and sensors are also used elsewhere to provide the extent of Ford Co-Pilot360 Assist+. They play a large role in bringing features like Adaptive Cruise Control With Stop-and-Go and Lane Centering to life. These features come standard with the 2025 Explorer Active, which uses various information, like speed and the placement of other drivers, to give you a different cruise control experience.
Adaptive Cruise Control utilizes this information to maintain traffic flow by dynamically adjusting speed. The 2025 Explorer Active can even reduce the speed to 0 mph before recapturing the necessary speed once traffic begins moving again, thanks to Stop-and-Go. Lane Centering uses the forward-facing camera’s video feed to trace road markings to accurately determine if you’re accidentally driving over the lane marker. Slight braking and a small steering assist attempt to fix your spot on the road if you fail to reposition yourself accordingly.
The 2025 Ford Explorer Active has many standard features for a base model. Ford has gone to great lengths to ensure the 2025 Explorer Active is value-packed. The most notable tech change between the 2024 and 2025 models is its infotainment center tech and the new standard 12.3-inch Instrument Panel Cluster that finally gives base Explorer options a fully-digitized cluster instead of the 4.2-inch screen and analog gauge hybrid solution from the previous year’s base model.
Replacing the 8-inch or optional 10.1-inch media hub from its predecessor is a new 13.2-inch infotainment center. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are added to the 2025 Explorer Active thanks to the upgraded unit, and a 5G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot arrives, too. 5G provides a far faster internet connection than 4G – 10x greater on average. Your travel companions can stream high-definition movies or cloud-based games with crystal-clear clarity. It’s a tight network connection because it’s password-protected. This means you won’t find random people nearby connecting to your hotspot and sapping away at your data.
Comfort features are spread throughout the 2025 Explorer Active’s interior. For example, a rear auxiliary climate control panel comes standard. The left and right sides of the front row and the full middle row account for three individualized climate zones, so Tri-Zone Electronic Automatic Temperature Control is standard. This means the kids can keep the middle row warm to sleep snugly during nighttime road trips without making you feel hot up in the front row. Alternatively, if your passenger wishes to use the air conditioning on a summer day but you don’t want it turned on, you can each have it your way.
Another upgrade seen with the 2025 Explorer Active is better seats. You’ll get a 10-way power-adjustable seat as the driver instead of the 8-way power seat, and your front-row passenger now gets a 4-way power-adjustable chair rather than the manual chair seen prior. Front-row passengers in the base Explorer trim can be treated to an optional 8-way power-adjustable seat—a first for an entry-level Explorer. Both front seats are heated on the 2025 Explorer Active at no extra charge.
The 2025 Explorer Active has plenty of cargo space and different ways to access it thanks to three seat rows that can be individually folded. In its default configuration, where the middle and third rows are kept upright, you’ll have 16.3 cu.ft. of available cargo room. If you only occasionally require three rows and live in a household of up to five, the 2025 Explorer Active has 46 cu.ft. of space. For these folk, the bonus is an extra row of seats ready to go when the relatives are in town, or you’re driving your kids and their friends to school or practice.
What if you’re selling something online, moving furniture, or buying a large household item from the store and don’t want to pay a company to deliver it to your house? The 2025 Explorer Active flexes its cargo muscle further if you fold down both rear rows of seats. It’s perfect for when you need a large storage boost, with an increase to 85.8 cu.ft. of space once folded.
We don’t waste your time when it comes to helping you find your dream car and driving home in it today. Welcome to DePaula Ford, your next and only destination required to get behind the wheel of an excellent vehicle, like the Ford Explorer Active. Our sales team is ready to chat with you about the exciting world of Ford, and we’re here to show you every new feature added this year by handing you the keys to one of our incredible automobiles for a test drive.
You’ll also meet our financial experts who are excited to help you find the best lender or help you sign a lease for this year’s Explorer Active, and we welcome you to trade in your current vehicle for cash to use anywhere. You can also schedule an appointment with our on-site service center for oil changes, tire replacements, brake work, and OEM parts that you can then hire our team to install for you at a great price. Your future starts today when you see yourself in one of our incredible Ford vehicles, so stop by today.
*Images, fuel economy, and other stats, may reflect higher trim levels, options, or features that may result in a higher cost from the starting MSRP.
MSRP excludes tax, license, registration, additional options, and possible destination charges. Dealers set own prices.
