Back in 2022, a refreshed version of the Ford Explorer debuted in China sporting a variety of updates, including a full-width light bar, 21-inch Turbine fan wheels, a C-pillar graphic that echoes the mast of a luxury sailboat, an updated front end with a larger grille, and a massive 27-inch coast-to-coast screen inside the cabin. As for the North American market, it didn’t receive a refreshed version of the long-running model until the recent debut of the 2025 Ford Explorer – which looks quite different than the Chinese model, though there are reasons for that.
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- Chinese Ford Explorer
According to the Ford Explorer team, the model sold in North America is different than its refreshed Chinese counterpart because both models use different development teams, plants, and suppliers. This means that those entities are free to do what they want in China, regardless of what North America choose to do with its own version of the Explorer. This is why there are so many key differences between the two, it turns out.
That includes not only some exterior and interior styling and tech variations, but also, the fact that the Explorer Timberline is currently available in China, though it wasn’t included as part of the initial 2025 Ford Explorer lineup – however, as Ford Authority previously reported, that off-road-focused model is expected to return at some point. That isn’t the case with the King Ranch, however, as it has been dropped from the Explorer lineup altogether.
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- Ford Explorer Timberline China
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- Ford Explorer North America
Following its debut for North America in early February, the refreshed 2025 Ford Explorer has already begun to arrive at dealers, and features a host of updates compared to the ongoing model in addition to its trim level shakeup. Those include the typical mid-cycle actions such as a mild exterior makeover, some interior tweaks, the addition of some nifty Easter eggs, and, perhaps most notably, the deletion of the outgoing model’s hybrid powertrain for retail customers. The 2025 Explorer does utilize the new version of the turbocharged 2.3L I-4 EcoBoost engine that debuted in the 2024 Ford Mustang, however.
We’ll have more on the 2025 Ford Explorer soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford Explorer news and comprehensive Ford news updates.
Comments
What this article tells me is the Chinese development term is far superior to the American team who did the 2025 Explorer here. The interior is light years ahead over the American model. Very disappointing
I agree fire the North American group bring the euro, chinese and aussie team here. Because the North American teams suck with all the customer convenience stuff they take out of our models, that the rest of the world gets. The Ford Everest is what the market wants not a water downed Explorer that pales to the Chinese one in luxury.
The Chinese Explorer has much better build quality