The mid-size SUVs won't offer hybrid powertrains for 2024, but we do expect to see refreshed versions arrive for 2025. Here's the info you need on all the changes.
The Blue Oval's pair of three-row mid-size SUVs, the Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator, are receiving several changes. The first update is for the 2024 model year, as Ford and Lincoln spokespeople confirmed to C/D that the hybrid versions of both models will be dropped. Soon, we expect to hear about refreshed 2025 Explorer and Aviator models, and we've already spotted the Ford's new styling out and about with no camouflage (pictured). Small Commercial Vans
The Explorer previously offered a hybrid powertrain with a 3.3-liter V-6, while the Aviator Grand Touring model had a plug-in-hybrid setup with a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 and an EPA-rated electric range of 21 miles. Neither hybrid will be offered for 2024. Ford cited high demand for the hybrid version of the Explorer-based Police Interceptor Utility, along with demand for other Ford hybrids, as the reason for the Explorer hybrid's discontinuation. Lincoln did not provide a specific reason, but the Aviator is built at the same Chicago factory as the Explorer, so it's likely that the causes for its discontinuation are related.
Notably, the Aviator Grand Touring was one of the few plug-in-hybrid models eligible for the full $7500 tax credit as part of the new Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) rules. The 2024 Aviator is now available only with a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 gas engine, while the 2024 Explorer is offered with the same 3.0L V-6 or a turbocharged 2.3-liter inline-four base engine.
While the nonhybrid Explorer and Aviator models are unchanged for the 2024 model year, we expect to see updated 2025 versions soon with a new look. These photos show what the 2025 Ford Explorer's new front and rear ends will look like, including reshaped headlights and taillights, a larger grille, and different fascias. We can also see new wheel designs, and it's likely there will be updates for the interior as well.
We're not sure if Ford or Lincoln plans to bring back the hybrids as part of this update, but Ford did say that the 2.3L and 3.0L engines make up "a majority of Explorer sales," so it's possible the hybrids are done for good. Ford has previously promised that an electric version of the Explorer is in the works, and is already selling a smaller EV in Europe that also uses the Explorer nameplate.
Look for more information to come soon on the 2025 Explorer and 2025 Aviator, as these refreshed models will likely go on sale within the first half of next year.
Despite being raised on a steady diet of base-model Hondas and Toyotas—or perhaps because of it—Joey Capparella nonetheless cultivated an obsession for the automotive industry throughout his childhood in Nashville, Tennessee. He found a way to write about cars for the school newspaper during his college years at Rice University, which eventually led him to move to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for his first professional auto-writing gig at Automobile Magazine. He has been part of the Car and Driver team since 2016 and now lives in New York City.
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