What You Need to Know Before Taking This Thing Into the Dirt
The 2017 Ford Explorer Sport runs a 3.5L EcoBoost V6 making 365 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque, mated to a 6-speed automatic. It weighs about 4,500 pounds dry, which matters more than you'd think when you're picking lines over rocks. The Sport trim got the sport-tuned suspension, 20-inch wheels, and a different calibration for the Intelligent 4WD system. Base trims share the same engine but the handling and tire setup diverge pretty quickly once you leave pavement. I spent about eight months running my Sport on trails—mostly moderate difficulty, some technical stuff, a few rocky creek crossings. What I learned doesn't match the brochure numbers. The EPA ratings say 16 city, 23 highway, but you won't see those numbers in the woods. Expect 12 to 14 MPG when you're crawling at low speeds with the engine under load. The 21.7-gallon tank gives you roughly 260 to 300 miles of range on a full fill, and that's optimistic if you're running auxiliary lights or winching. The approach angle sits at 20.8 degrees and the departure angle at 22.4. Breakover is around 18.6 degrees with the stock suspension. Those numbers look fine on paper. In practice, the long wheelbase of 117.9 inches means the low point hits obstacles faster than shorter vehicles. I bottomed out the underbody on a moderate incline at a local trail because I wasn't accounting for the wheelbase properly. The workaround was simple—pick a line where the ridgeline of the obstacle aligns with the midpoint between axles instead of trying to mount it head-on.
The 4WD system uses a clutch-based transfer case, not a proper part-time system with a low range. That's the single most important thing to understand. You get auto, snow, sand, and a customizable trail mode. The trail mode lets you tweak throttle mapping, shift points, and traction control intervention. It works well for packed dirt, loose gravel, and mild mud. It does not work well for rock crawling or sustained low-speed crawling where you need engine braking and precise torque delivery. There's no 4Low. Period. Ground clearance is 8.7 inches unloaded. With a full tank, driver, and any cargo, you lose maybe half an inch. I added a lightweight aluminum skid plate for the oil pan and transfer case—about $180 on Amazon—and it made a real difference. The factory plastic bash plate covers the radiator and lower grille but leaves the undercarriage mostly exposed. For anything beyond easy trails, the skid plate is worth the install time. The removal of three bolts and the two clips takes about 20 minutes with a ratchet and extension. The tires came stacked with 265/45R20 run-flat all-seasons. They're terrible off-road. Hard compound, minimal tread, and the run-flat sidewalls resist flexing, which means poor traction on loose surfaces. I switched to 265/70R17 Toyo Open Country A/T II's mounted on 17-inch wheels from a junkyard Explorer XLT. The lower profile number gives more sidewall flex, which improves grip on rocks and roots. You lose about 0.3 inches of ground clearance from the smaller wheel diameter, but the tire volume gain more than compensates. The speedometer reads about 3 MPH low at 60 after the swap, which is annoying on the highway but irrelevant when you're below 20 MPH on a trail.
Suspension travel is limited by the Sport tune. The springs are stiffer and the dampers are firmer than the base models. That sounds like an advantage but it's the opposite in most off-road scenarios. The wheels lift off obstacles instead of articulating over them. I learned this the hard way during a rocky section where the inside rear wheel completely lost contact with the ground. The traction control cut power immediately, and the Explorer stalled because the drivetrain couldn't find grip anywhere. The fix was lowering tire pressure to about 22 PSI and driving at walking pace. It found traction again after the tires conformed to the surface. One thing nobody mentions about the 2017 model year is the transmission behavior in trail mode. The 6-speed will hunt for gears when you're crawling slowly, especially in warm weather. The fluid gets hot around 200°F and the PCM starts treating the transmission like it's in normal drive. I noticed the shifts becoming harsh and delayed on a hot afternoon after climbing a sustained grade. The workaround is to use manual mode and hold second gear, or let the transmission cool between runs. There's no external cooler available from Ford for this model year, so an aftermarket one is your only option if you plan on repeated steep climbs. Wading depth is listed at 20 inches. That number assumes the vehicle is stationary and the water is still. Moving water at even moderate flow reduces effective wading depth because of bow wave action. I tested this on a creek crossing that looked manageable from the bank. The current pushed water up against the front bumper and the intake area got wet. I stopped and waited for the water to settle, then crossed at a slower speed with the engine revved slightly above idle to keep the exhaust pressurized. The Explorer made it across without issue, but I'd call that 16 inches of safe wading depth in real conditions, not 20.
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Recovery points are bolted to the frame and they hold. I've used the front hitch receiver as an anchor point with a come-along and it didn't budge. The factory tow hooks are there but they're more decorative than functional on the Sport trim—the base models get real recovery hooks. If you need dedicated recovery points, add a set of D-rings to the frame rails. They cost about $40 and take an hour to install. The fuel door releases electronically, which is a problem if you need to jump-start the battery and the 12-volt system is dead. The manual release is located in the trunk behind the side panel, but you have to remove trim to access it. I figured this out after my battery died at a trailhead with no cell service. A spare key fob battery or keeping a manual release tool in the glovebox would prevent that headache. Overall, the 2017 Explorer Sport is a competent light trail vehicle if you understand its limits. It's not a Ranger, not a Wrangler, not a Grand Cherokee Trailhawk. It's a unibody SUV with a powerful engine and an AWD system that handles dirt and gravel well but falls apart under sustained off-road stress. The modifications I described—skid plate, tire swap, and tire pressure management—cost under $800 total and transformed the driving experience. Without them, it's fine for fire roads and packed forest service routes. With them, it becomes something closer to the vehicle people describe when they call it an offroad companion.
The biggest pitfall is overconfidence. The EcoBoost makes enough power to pull this SUV through situations it shouldn't be in. That power masks traction limitations until you're stuck or damaged. Drive slower than you think you need to, check your line before committing, and know when to turn around. The trail will always be there another day.
