Ford Authority was the first to report that the 2021 Ford Explorer King Ranch and Timberline would be joining the Ford Explorer lineup back in October of last year. Since then, we’ve spied multiple Explorer King Ranch prototypes out driving around, mostly uncovered. Earlier this week, Ford teased the new trim level in a short video, but now, the 2021 Ford Explorer King Ranch has officially been revealed to the world.
The 2021 Ford Explorer King Ranch is the latest addition to the Explorer lineup and celebrates 20 years of Ford’s collaboration with the legendary South Texas cattle ranch, beginning with the 2001 Ford F-150 King Ranch, when Ford and King Ranch teamed up to build a more upscale western-themed truck.
Since then, five generations of the Ford F-150, four generations of the Ford Super Duty, and three generations of the Ford Expedition have worn the King Ranch badge. Today, workers at the Texas ranch use a fleet of more than 300 Ford trucks to get the job done every day.
“In 1853, Captain Richard King bootstrapped the King Ranch in the harsh landscape of southern Texas until it became a shining example of agricultural and livestock innovation and success,” said Lee Newcombe, Ford Explorer marketing manager. “Ford Explorer families can now enjoy a piece of the King Ranch’s renowned craftsmanship and the multigeneration legacy that still thrives 168 years after its founding.”
On the outside, the Explorer King Ranch features a unique Stone Gray-painted mesh grille insert, 20-inch aluminum wheels with a “Running W” center cap, a liftgate scuff plate, quad chrome exhaust tips, and signature King Ranch badging.
Inside, the King Ranch offers hand-stitched premium touches and mahogany-colored Del Rio leather-trimmed seats with perforated front and second rows with the Running W logo. The center console features a Mesa Del Rio leather armrest and King Ranch logo insert, along with leather door trim rollovers, genuine Sapele wood instrument panel appliqués, plus a leather-wrapped steering wheel with Norias stitching and a Sapele wood insert.
Complementing the refined interior is an available Premium Technology Package featuring multi-contour seats with active motion massaging functionality, a 10.1-inch center stack portrait touch screen with swipe and pinch-to-zoom capability, and a 14-speaker sound system by Bang & Olufsen specially tuned to the Explorer’s interior.
In addition to the Ford Co-Pilot360 technology standard on all Explorer models, the King Ranch comes standard with Ford Co-Pilot360 Assist+, featuring Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop-and-Go and Lane Centering, Evasive Steering Assist, a voice-activated touch screen navigation system with pinch-to-zoom capability, SiriusXM Traffic and Travel Link, and Speed Sign Recognition.
As Ford Authority was the first to report, the Explorer King Ranch is powered by Ford’s 3.0L EcoBoost V6, which produces 365 horsepower and 380 pound-feet of torque, mated to FoMoCo’s 10-speed automatic transmission with SelectShift capability. The King Ranch offers the first application of rear-wheel drive in combination with the 3.0L EcoBoost in the Explorer range and is also available in all-wheel-drive configuration. A standard Class III Trailer Tow Package enables a towing capability of up to 5,600 pounds.
The Explorer King Ranch will start at $52,350 in rear-wheel-drive configuration and $54,350 for all-wheel-drive models and will be available in dealerships this spring.
We’ll have more on the new Explorer King Ranch soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford Explorer news and continuous Ford news coverage.
Comments
I hope this reveal means the Timberline will soon be introduced. I really like this, especially the interior. Gotta watch the price, though; if it’s too close to the Aviator, I’d take the Aviator.
I have my GRAND MARQUIS in for service and FORD dealer actually gave me a brand new EXPLORER(only 67 miles) as service rental which surprised me since they usually give me something lousy like an ESCAPE but I digress. Set aside all of the quality issues that these things have and I have to say that this is a nice car!! Mine is the LIMITED model 50k and that 4 cylinder is surprisingly smooth and certainly has great power and torque. I will likely have this thing for today so I can’t figure out what most of these buttons are for since they are obviously international symbols. Hey, I go to work when it’s dark and wasn’t about to fool with them other than the controls I need to use. The ever present curmudgeon in me thinks that a V6 should be standard equipment across the board given that they are still smoother running but these new 4’s have improved in smoothness so I guess I can live with it if my next car has to be a 4 if the repairs on my GRAND MARQUIS are too much at some point.
I hope the Timberline has at least a 2” lift, bilstein shocks, 30” tires and ST tuned Motor.
At least the lift. If there isn’t significant improvement in ground clearance, even through the use of an air-lift suspension, then what’s the point? Also, if it’s priced like a post-discounted F-150…. I’m sticking with F-150s.
Nice to see Ford using the King Ranch package across the brand F150, Super Duty, Expedition and now Explorer. Lincoln is quickly because the “ Keep it moving people nothing to see here “ company. Ford has No focus on its luxury brand at all Genesis has more to offer sad
So what’s your idea? Just stay locked down until 2043 and feel sorry for ourselves. If FORD wants to do this then let them. If someone wants to buy one of these and can afford it, all the more power to them. They can’t build them if people don’t want to buy them. Let the market bear this out. Stop listening to Fraudci.
Where I am from, the King Ranch line is very popular – across 250 and 150 mostly. I suspect this line of explorer will sell very, very well.
With all of the Electric Grid Power outage problems here in California and now Texas not to mention the Grid outages due to ice storms on the East Coast, we should have all been taught a lesson. The new F-150 Hybrid with onboard 7.2Kw Generation is a welcome solution, but I don’t want a Pick-Up. Ford needs to add the F-150 3.5L Hybrid Power Plant with 7.2 Kw on board Generation to this new King Ranch variant and they need to do it quickly. You say why don’t I purchase a home electric generator? Try to live with the onerous rules and regulations here in California and you will have your answer. It is totally ridiculous! Ford; if you are listening, you need to move quickly! Thanks.