For many years, the Ford Explorer has been one of the best-selling SUVs in the market. A capable tow vehicle and off-roader, the Explorer also offers the generous interior space, comfort features and safety technologies necessary for day-to-day tasks.

For 2010, the Ford Explorer carries over with small changes to standard equipment and an efficient ordering strategy. A manual-folding third-row seat is now standard on Eddie Bauer trims, providing seating for up to seven passengers. Additionally, all-wheel drive Explorer models are no longer offered in the Eddie Bauer trim level.

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Body Styles, Trim Levels, and Options

The 2010 Ford Explorer is a four-door midsize SUV available in XLT, Eddie Bauer and Limited trim levels. Seating capacity jumps from five to seven passengers when it’s equipped with the available third-row seat.

Entry-level XLT models seat five and come with 16-inch alloy wheels, cruise control, air-conditioning, power windows and door locks, and a CD/MP3 stereo with an auxiliary audio jack. The XLT with the Sport Package adds black exterior accents (including the wheel arches, side-step bars and front fascia) along with 20-inch alloy wheels and white-faced instruments.

Compared to the regular XLT, Eddie Bauer models add two-tone paint, 17-inch alloy wheels, leather upholstery, a power driver seat, heated front seats, a manual third-row seat, auto-dimming rearview mirror, the Sync electronics interface and satellite radio.

The top-of-the-line Explorer Limited features monochromatic paint, 18-inch alloy wheels, rear parking sensors, dual-zone automatic climate control (with a separate rear air-conditioner), perforated leather upholstery, a power front passenger seat, driver memory functions, power-adjustable pedals and a power-folding third-row seat. Also included with the Limited is an upgraded audio system with an in-dash CD changer and steering-wheel-mounted controls.

Powertrains and Performance

The Ford Explorer’s base engine is a 4.0-liter V6 that puts out 210 hp and 254 pound-feet of torque. For 2010, the optional 4.6-liter V8 engine with 292 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque is only offered on Eddie Bauer and Limited models. A five-speed automatic transmission is standard with the V6 engine, while the V8 comes mated to a six-speed automatic.

Both engines come with standard rear-wheel drive or an optional 4WD system that includes a push-button low-range transfer case designed for negotiating slippery or uneven surfaces on or off road.

Also optional is a full-time all-wheel-drive system, but it requires the optional 20-inch wheels. Properly equipped, a V8 2WD Explorer can tow nearly 7,300 pounds.

Safety

All major safety equipment is standard on the 2010 Ford Explorer, including antilock disc brakes, stability control, front-seat side airbags and first- and second-row side curtain airbags. The stability control system includes rollover sensing and trailer sway control.

Interior Design and Special Features

Most of the climate and audio controls are comprised of lots of similar-looking black buttons, and the regular audio head unit still displays its info in Ford’s old-school, ’80s-look green font.

The sharp two-tone color schemes make this workaday SUV feel a little more upscale, though, and the optional Sync phone/MP3 voice activation and hard-drive-based navigation systems are both effective and modern.

It’s feasible to carry two adults in the third-row seats, but choosing the third-row option slightly reduces the available cargo space and results in a not-quite-flat load floor. Seven-passenger Ford Explorers max out at 83.7 cubic feet of cargo space, while five-passenger versions offer 85.8 cubic feet.

Notably, the back of the second row’s split bench seat reclines only if your Explorer has a third-row seat. The “quad seating” option on Limited models places reclining captain’s chairs in the second row with a storage console between them, but drops passenger capacity to six.

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