2025 Ford Explorer Active RWD First Test Review: Kinda Fun?

There is logic in buying a bare-bones SUV. You get into a family hauler for cheap, and so long as you understand that, you’ll most likely have a positive if uninspiring experience. After all, if the kiddos just make messes and your life hard, why not just stick with something that gets them from point A to point B as affordably as possible? The 2025 Ford Explorer Active with rear-wheel drive plays that role in the Explorer lineup.

It’s not fancy—at all—but there are glimpses of the better Explorer models in this basic SUV. After all, you get the same turbocharged four-cylinder engine used by other Explorers delivering the same acceptable performance and hearty exhaust note here, as well as the Explorer’s fine driving manners, only for less money. Standard equipment isn’t even penalty box level, either; heated front seats (10-way power adjustable for the driver) join Ford CoPilot360 active safety features, a power lift gate, tri-zone automatic climate control, a proximity key entry with keyless access on all four doors, and rear parking sensors on the included list.

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As in other Explorers using this same EcoBoost four-cylinder, the Active asks a lot of the relatively small engine. Even without all-wheel drive, the rear-drive Active (without many of the fancier features on the Explorer ST-Line, ST, and Platinum models) still weighs 4,274 pounds—a lot for 300 hp and 310 lb-ft to contend with.

But acceleration, objectively, is relatively strong, with the Explorer Active reaching 60 mph in 6.1 seconds, a decent figure among midsize three-row SUVs. (A Jeep Grand Cherokee L, with a less powerful V-6, needs about 7.7 seconds to reach 60 mph, while the also-weaker-V-6-powered Kia Telluride requires around 7.0 seconds, depending on trim level.) Oh, and a bawdy engine soundtrack accompanies such full-throttle runs in the Ford. Thing is, that exhaust note is present even when you’re only toeing the throttle pedal, so it helps to occasionally glance at the speedometer for confirmation of your actual speed. Going on sound alone, you may think you’re in the Indy 500 even while calmly merging onto freeways.

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While the Explorer shrugs off its mass nicely at the track, its weight equates to so-so fuel efficiency that even the 10-speed automatic and its myriad ratios can’t make up for. According to EPA ratings, the Active RWD delivers 20/29/24 mpg city/highway/combined. That’s better by a couple highway mpg than the all-wheel-drive Explorer, the rear-drive version of Jeep’s Grand Cherokee L, and the two-wheel-drive Kia Telluride, and it’s slightly better than the four-cylinder-powered, front-drive 2025 Chevrolet Traverse variant.

By those estimates, you can expect a range of 430 miles from a full 17.9 gallons of fuel. Just be sure to fill the Explorer with premium gas to get that 300 hp; the power drops with lower fuel grades.

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With that soundtrack, you’d probably expect the 2025 Explorer Active RWD to be sportier than it is. You’d be wrong. Sure, you can easily toss the Ford around thanks to its (unusual for the class) rear-wheel-drive chassis and low-grip Hankook Kinergy GT tires on 18-inch wheels, but good luck feeling when that grip is coming and going.

The steering is heavy, slow, and numb—all things to expect from a family crossover but not what you'd expect from one with a name like “Active” and the sound the EcoBoost I-4 makes. Hit the brakes hard, and you’ll encounter dive and some squirreling, though the feel and response of the brakes themselves seems strong. We recorded a 127-foot best stop from 60 mph, shorter than the Jeep Grand Cherokee L but a few feet longer than the Telluride’s best.

Despite not performing like you'd expect of something with an “Active” name, the 2025 Ford Explorer Active RWD does do a lot of SUV things right. It seats all occupants comfortably, you get up to 85.8 cubic-feet of cargo room with the second and third rows folded down, and even the EcoBoost engine can tow a 5,000-pound trailer. It is, in short, the same solid package as more expensive Ford Explorers, only with slightly less weight to carry around, fewer features on board, and a lower price.

If you’re looking for an entry-level SUV that can seat seven (six with the second-row captain’s chairs like our test vehicle), the $41,380 entry price isn’t exorbitant; even our test vehicle’s $44,790 price tag lands below the average transaction price for a new vehicle in America today.