Things are not going well for Ford, previously the purveyor to the ordinary hardworking Dutch citizen. Another Kodak drama seems to be on the horizon. Ford, previously one of the major players in the automotive industry on both sides of the ocean, did not see the energy transition coming. It was surprised by the new Henry Ford, that bastard from Tesla, and dramatically delayed the electrification of the range. The first real plug-in Ford, the Mustang Mach-E, which was too expensive for the average Ford driver, arrived too late and is well outdated after four years. For between 40 and 60 grand you can buy more for less from competitors; better tech, faster loading.
The numbers don’t lie. Ford’s Dutch market share shrank from 12.17 percent in 1984 to 3.47 percent in 2024, the year in which the previously marginal Korean Kia became the best-selling brand in the country. An SUV like the Ford Kuga plugin hybrid is doing reasonably well here, but little is left of the traditional authority relationships in the car industry. In Europe, Ford has already cut 3,800 jobs and another 4,000 are at risk. In the meantime, it still does not have a complete and competitive electric range. Although it is now catching up to the best of its ability with the compact Puma Gen-E and the Capri coupe-SUV, Ford could not move those mountains entirely on its own. A partner was needed to get on the plug train at the eleventh hour. That was precisely the VW that was in dire straits. The new Ford Explorer and Capri were sentenced to the MEB platform of the VW ID.4 and ID.5, SUVs for the representative whose father drove a Ford Mondeo.
Click on the points for an explanation of the details.Photo Merlijn Doomernik
For the family man, the Explorer is a bull’s-eye. It’s dull and gray, it’s spacious, it drives well and the performance is as chill as VW, with a top speed of 160 and acceleration to 100 in 8.5 seconds. Expected from Ford, this is a compliment, not a hysterical show of extreme power. You get it with 204, 286 or 340 hp and indeed, you knew those figures from the VW that supplied the technology. Is there anything Des Fords about it? It will be a long search, but its favorable price/quality ratio and down-to-earthness are virtues of the house. For just over 40 grand you get a lot of car, and I have rarely seen an interior with literally so little color and flair. A color picture of the furniture looks like a black and white photo. It won’t bother pragmatists. Whether the renaissance of the brand is thus assured remains to be seen. Tesla, China and Korea innovate faster. Bright spot: he looks nice. Through the cloud of gray you see a stronger, more coherent design than the Fisher Price-esque Volkswagens. Only the model names are dramatically wrong at Ford. The historic Explorer was an SUV when that term in the US still stood for off-road family cars. And how drunk do you have to be to make the Mustang and Capri sports cars return as good SUVs? Any idea what that does to your credibility, board of directors? Answer: No. People think and feel fossils.
Incredibly tasty
In one respect, Fords were always underrated cars. They rode incredibly well. Anyone who still encounters neat, hard-working citizens in Fiestas or Focussen does not realize how happy these people are. A twenty-year-old Focus handles like a GTI regardless of its engine. You don’t have to count on that lightness in the 2,100 kilo Explorer. Don’t expect sparkle. This is a must in survival mode. Yet, if you had not heard the story behind this brand, you might think in the Explorer: things are going well there.
Photos: Merlijn Doomernik
Which one should you have? Simple: the cheapest. For well over half a ton you get an Explorer Premium that doesn’t buy a dog. Take the Limited with a 79 kWh battery for 40,800 euros. For that you get 544 kilometers of range, make that 400, and you can quickly charge up to 185 kW, a decent pace for a car of that price. The driver’s seat adjusts electrically, the steering wheel is heated, there is a fun storage compartment behind the screen, the cruise control is adaptive and the assistance systems box can also be turned off – I have forgotten how. If you don’t care about cars or you think the ID.4 is too ugly, feel free to buy it. If you all do that now, representatives with Ford genes, your main supplier might start making swinging models again.