Ford Explorer
It's from 1990, before you were born.
- Iconic generation
- 1991 Ford Explorer (first generation)
- Origin
- Louisville, Kentucky, USA
- Engine
- 4.0L 'Cologne' V6
- Power
- 155 hp / 220 lb-ft
- Layout
- Body-on-frame, RWD or 4WD
- Body styles
- Three- and five-door SUV
- On sale
- March 1990 (1991 model year)
- Production
- 1990-present
About
As of 2026, it's 36 years old.
The Ford Explorer didn't just sell well — it kicked off the entire SUV boom. When it arrived for 1991 (going on sale in early 1990) as a roomier replacement for the cramped Bronco II, it landed at the exact moment American families decided they wanted to sit up high, haul the kids, and feel a little rugged on the school run.
The formula was almost suspiciously simple: a 4.0-liter V6, a tall body-on-frame stance, and four real doors. It wasn't fast and it wasn't fancy, but it was roomy, capable-looking, and affordable — and it utterly remade the American driveway, turning the SUV from a niche workhorse into the default family car.
It wasn't all smooth sailing; the late-'90s Explorer became the center of a notorious tire-and-rollover controversy that dominated headlines. But the nameplate survived, evolved into a car-based crossover, and kept selling by the millions — outlasting nearly every rival from its era.
More than 30 years on, the Explorer is the quiet giant of the SUV story: not the coolest, not the toughest, but arguably the single most influential. Every minivan-defector and crossover commuter is, in a way, following the trail it blazed.
Ford Explorer through the years
The SUV-boom kickstarter
The roomy, four-door Explorer arrives and ignites America's family-SUV craze.
Second generation
A redesign adds refinement as the Explorer becomes a best-seller for years running.
Tire troubles
A high-profile tire-and-rollover controversy puts the Explorer in the headlines.
Goes crossover
The Explorer ditches the truck frame for a car-based unibody and reinvents itself.
