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Ford Explorer PHEV Attempts To Hit Its Top Speed On The Autobahn: Video

The Ford Explorer PHEV, or plug-in hybrid model, launched in Europe last spring. Unfortunately for North American buyers, the most powerful Explorer on earth isn’t available on that continent, leaving them with the Explorer ST as their sole performance-oriented model. That somber fact cuts even deeper after we saw this video showing a Ford Explorer PHEV exploring its top speed limit on the German Autobahn.

The plug-in hybrid Explorer is powered by Ford’s 3.0L EcoBoost V6 gasoline engine that’s paired with an electric motor, generator, and 13.6 kWh lithium-ion battery. Output comes in at 450 horsepower (457 PS) and 608 pound-feet of torque (825 Nm), which makes the Ford Explorer Plug-In Hybrid more powerful than both the Explorer Hybrid and the Explorer ST. Even better, that power flows through Ford’s 10-speed automatic transmission to standard all-wheel-drive.

Needless to say, those are impressive numbers for a crossover of any type. and as we can see in this video, they translate to some impressive real-world performance as well. From a standing start, the Explorer PHEV adds on speed very quickly, easily reaching 150+ kilometers-per-hour (93 miles-per-hour) before the numbers begin to climb a little slower. The crossover keeps plugging along until it hits 225 kilometers-per-hour (140 miles-per-hour) and the driver lets off.

However, on the second run, the driver manages to reach 239 kilometers-per-hour (148 miles-per-hour) before the Explorer PHEV stops climbing. That’s an impressive number for a large brick of a crossover like the Explorer, and is indicative of just how much power this thing is packing under its hood. It’s also bound to make folks who don’t live in Europe even more disappointed that they can’t buy one, we’d bet.

We’ll have more on the Explorer PHEV soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford Explorer news and non-stop Ford news coverage.

Brett's lost track of all the Fords he's owned over the years and how much he's spent modifying them, but his current money pits include an S550 Mustang and 13th gen F-150.

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Comments

  1. Just after they turned off the camera, the fire department showed up and put out the fire and got the driver out safely. 🙂

    Reply
  2. Well I own an ST, and I’ve had it up to 150, so whats all that extra HP for if you just get beat by my slow ass?

    Reply
    1. It’s the plug in hybrid model meaning that it will have a lot quicker acceleration but because of the battery and hybrid motor it has a lot more weight compared to the normal ST mode

      Reply

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