What are you able to be taught from the incorrect aspect of the automobile in quarter-hour on sluggish suburban roads?

Well, we actually cannot confirm or refute Ford‘s lofty claims that the Ford Explorer can be extra dynamically adept than its Volkswagen Group platform-mates, though our chauffeur appeared to relish the chance to place it in Sport mode and throw it into among the tighter bends on our route, if that is any indication…

What struck me, watching from the passenger seat, was the extra overtly sporting posture facilitated by the ‘squircle’ (that is Ford parlance, categorically not mine) steering wheel, in contrast with a traditional spherical merchandise.

It appears to encourage a extra purposeful grip and exacerbates the responsiveness of the steering that, even from the opposite aspect of the centre console, appeared to be without delay extra direct and communicative than something I’ve tried on the MEB platform to date.

We have been within the single-motor rear-driven Explorer so had a ‘mere’ 282bhp at our disposal on the straightaways, which after all is greater than ample in such a practicality-focused proposition.

In Sport mode, there was a perceptible urgency to its acceleration, albeit delivered in a easy, fluid method that mitigated the uncomfortable head-lolling that you just is likely to be prone to as a passenger in different SUVs with this a lot energy.

I can inform you that the Explorer rode compliantly and quietly over the worst bits of our lap of Nice, with no particularly overt tyre roar or wind noise to talk of – though we solely breached the heady heights of 30mph on just a few events.

It’s most likely greatest to attend till we drive it to make any categoric conclusions on these dynamic attributes, however the parts I can speak about with a point of conviction at this stage occur to be those who Ford is keenest to point out off.

The inside design, for instance, is a reasonably radical departure from the Ford cabins to which we have turn out to be accustomed.

At as soon as extra daring in its putting, multi-layered surfacing and extra thoughtfully organized, it compares effectively with the likes of the Skoda Enyaq and Hyundai Ioniq 5 for outright aptitude and ergonomics, whereas giving promising indicators of how Ford could make its interiors as interesting as its exteriors – lastly.

Unfortunately, the Volkswagen Group’s affect extends to the much-derided haptic steering-wheel controls. Ford makes a lot of the development alternatives afforded by a six-month delay in launching the Explorer however confoundingly hasn’t rectified this. Here’s hoping for the facelift…