2018 Ford Explorer vs 2018 Toyota Highlander

The first generation of the Ford Explorer lineup was released during the 1991 model year. That’s 17 model years ago. That makes it all the more amazing that the 2018 Ford Explorer lineup enters the new model year on a 25-year hot streak as the best-selling SUV in the US. As you can tell from that best-selling streak, people almost instantly fell in love with the Ford Explorer, and those feelings haven’t dwindled at all.

In fact, thanks to all of the updates, improvements, upgrades and enhancements made to the new Ford Explorer lineup, that love affair is only going to grow stronger. So, where does that leave all of the other SUVs on the market today? Well, if the 2018 Explorer has anything to say about it, it leaves them in the dust, as you’ll quickly see in this 2018 Ford Explorer versus 2018 Toyota Highlander head-to-head model comparison.

2018 Ford Explorer    VS    2018 Toyota Highlander
290 HP and 255 lb-ft.    Standard Power Ratings    185 HP and 184 lb-ft.
365 HP and 350 lb-ft.    Top Available Power Ratings    295 HP and 263 lb-ft.
22 MPG    Top Available Combined Gas Mileage Rating    23 MPG
151.5/21.0 ft.3    Interior Space (Passenger Volume/Cargo Capacity w/Seats Up)    144.9/13.8 ft.3

Let’s start our 2018 Explorer lineup versus 2018 Highlander lineup comparison by taking a look at the horsepower and torque ratings offered by each lineup. As one would expect from a model lineup as impressive as the 2018 Ford Explorer lineup, it offers higher standard and available power ratings than the 2018 Toyota Highlander lineup. More specifically, the standard engine of the new Ford Explorer lineup offers 290 horsepower and 255 pound-feet of torque while its most powerful available engine offers 365 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque. The standard engine of the new Toyota Highlander lineup offers only 185 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque while its most powerful available engine offers only 295 horsepower and 263 pound-feet of torque.

Getting more power doesn’t have that much of a negative effect on your gas mileage either, as both model lineups are almost identical when it comes to fuel efficiency – which is pretty astonishing considering all that extra horsepower and torque you’re getting with the new Explorer lineup.

Once you head inside the two models, you’ll quickly learn that the new Ford Explorer lineup is also far more spacious, comfortable and functional than the new Highlander lineup. That’s because it offers far more passenger and cargo space than the new Toyota Highlander lineup.

For more on the 2018 Ford Explorer, please contact our Brandon Ford staff in Tampa, FL.