Hybrid/Plug-in Hybrid

Ford Explorer, Lincoln Aviator to Lose Hybrid Option

by Guillaume Rivard
Ford Explorer Limited hybride
All photos
Photo: Julien Amado

Ford is dropping its two electrified midsize SUVs for the 2024 model year. A company spokesperson has confirmed to The Car Guide that both the Explorer Hybrid and Lincoln Aviator Grand Touring (plug-in hybrid) will not return.

“To meet continued strong demand for the Ford Police Interceptor Utility hybrid and other Ford hybrid vehicles, the 2024 model year Explorer will only be offered with the fuel-efficient 2.3-litre four-cylinder EcoBoost and the 3.0-litre EcoBoost V6,” the Ford Canada rep said.

Those two engines, which produce 300 horsepower and up to 400 horsepower, respectively, account for the vast majority of Explorer sales in Canada as well as in the U.S. The Explorer Hybrid, meanwhile, was only available in Limited trim. It delivered 318 horsepower and achieved 9.6 L/100 km thanks to the addition of a small electric motor.

Photo: Julien Amado

For 2024, the Aviator will only be offered with the 3.0-litre EcoBoost V6 (400 horsepower). “Given timing, the 2024 Aviator is a limited production run and as such, we are focusing on our most popular offering on the Aviator,” Ford said to justify its decision to eliminate the PHEV variant (494 horsepower, 630 lb-ft. of torque, 34 km of EV range).

Both the Explorer and Aviator are manufactured at the same assembly plant in Chicago.

Changes in Store for 2025

A year later, for 2025, the two SUVs are expected to receive a significant refresh including new front grilles, headlights, bumpers and wheels, not to mention updated interiors. Under the hood, the gas engines will return unchanged, or so we assume.

Ford has previously promised electric variants of the Explorer and Aviator (completely unrelated to the smaller Explorer EV that was announced for Europe earlier this year), but will they arrive at that time?

Photo: Ford

Remember, back in May, Ford CEO Jim Farley and Ford Model e boss Doug Fields talked about a future three-row electric SUV that would be like a “personal bullet train.” They referred to it as a brand new product for the North American market, designed from the onset as an EV and offering a range of up to 350 miles (563 km).

This model will ride on a new platform called “T3” and launch in 2025 as a member of Ford’s more sophisticated and more advanced next-generation EV lineup. Intrigued, yet?

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