Used 2012 Ford Explorer Limited for sale 

The 2012 Ford Explorer is a large crossover SUV available in base, XLT, and Limited trim levels. Standard equipment includes 17-inch steel wheels, privacy glass, integrated blind spot mirrors, roof rails, cruise control, a six-way power driver seat (manual recline), a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, MyFord advanced trip computer, and a six-speaker sound system with a CD player and an auxiliary audio jack. The XLT adds 18-inch cast-aluminum wheels, automatic headlamps, fog lamps, rear parking sensors, upgraded cloth upholstery, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, a keyless entry code pad, Sync (voice-activated telephone/entertainment interface), and satellite radio (optional on base).

For the Explorer XLT, Ford offers the Rapid Spec options suite that adds a rearview camera, dual-zone automatic climate control, an eight-speaker sound system, and the Driver Connect package, which includes an auto-dimming rearview mirror, MyFord Touch electronics controls (includes two configurable displays, two USB ports, and audio/video input jacks) and the Sync Services upgrade (includes turn-by-turn directions and traffic reports). The next-level Rapid Spec package includes all of the former plus leather upholstery, heated front seats, an eight-way power driver seat with a power-adjustable lumbar, and a six-way power passenger seat.

We Recommend

The 2012 Ford Explorer, offered in three trim levels, they're all quite desirable, and the best choice hinges on your need for space, the driving experience you prefer, and the high-tech features that make you comfortable. However, XLT is the one we recommend based on the features provided and also the features available.

Without the body-on-frame design it sported through the 2010 model year, the current Ford Explorer simply handles more like a passenger car, with a much smoother ride, and much more responsive steering, while generating much better fuel economy numbers.

The 2012 Ford Explorer comes standard with a 3.5-liter V6 that produces 290 horsepower and 255 pound-feet of torque. Four-wheel drive (there is no low-range gearing) is optional and includes Ford's Terrain Management System, a selectable four-mode system that optimizes traction electronically for different conditions. Hill descent control and hill start assist are also included.

With 290 horsepower, it's coupled to a six-speed automatic transmission, whether it's motivating the front wheels or all four wheels. It's a sweeter version of the same powertrain that's been in the Ford lineup since the 2005 model year, running more quietly, and in fact, more powerful than the V-8 in the last-gen Explorer. There's strong acceleration off the line, and on some models, the Sport mode tweaks the transmission and throttle to give it even more urgency, though the Explorer doesn't get paddles for shifting as the Edge and even the Flex do. Still, it will aggressively hold lower gears when told, and that alone makes it the most responsive Explorer drivetrain ever.

Since the Explorer outweighs the Edge by about 400 pounds, it doesn't quite hit the same 30-mpg heights on the EPA highway cycle. However, the new turbocharged, direct-injected, 290-horsepower six-cylinder does earn estimated EPA ratings of 20 mpg, which is about 25 percent higher than the last-generation Explorer did in base form. If you're shopping for fuel economy, know that this combination is only available in front-drive form, and it's only rated to tow up to 2,000 pounds.

The Honda Pilot and the Ford Explorer tops the list being the most fuel-efficient SUVs here, with the Ford along with the Honda giving you an identical combined mpg of 20. Chevy Traverse just got marginally pushed back as it recorded a combined mpg figure of 19. Although Traverse has a higher fuel capacity than the rivals, hence the pit stops you make to fill the gas would be almost the same as the other two SUVs.

The 2012 Ford Explorer can't match its own sibling, the Flex, for ground-hugging. The long-wheelbase space makes it a snap to carry people and cargo. However, the Explorer's seating and cargo space are laid out pretty well, with huge headroom available and flexible seating for all the missions a family might have in mind.

The front seats fall into the latest Ford mold, they have softer cushions and active headrests that don't protrude too much, correcting a problem with Ford's first pass at those safety devices in the 2009-2010 Flex and Lincoln MKT. The console doesn't intrude on the knee room, and neither do the door panels, and headroom soars overhead, even when the optional sunroof is specified.

In the back seat, it's equally spacious for adults looking up. The sunroof still leaves about four inches of space for six-footers, and once they've climbed inside, there's little doubt the Explorer is wider than before, by up to about five inches. Two adults will fit with ease, and with room for a small kid between them to spare on versions with a middle bench seat. The Ford Explorer outperforms almost all the cars it names as rivals, and some others too. There is enough head and legroom for even the tallest kinds with an inch of knee room to spare. Major interior features include-

• Ambient interior lighting
• Steering Wheel Controls
• Optional Heated steering wheel
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Adjustable steering wheel column
• Heated Front Seats

2012 Ford Explorer SUV Infotainment System

The Explorer's dash feels soft to the touch, the switchgear operates with precision (or is touch-operated with the optional MyFord Touch), and the overall look is quite rich. A loaded Explorer is actually just as nice as any Lincoln. Our affections do not carry over to MyFord Touch, however.

The touch buttons can be difficult to identify at a glance and too often get pressed accidentally or don't respond properly. As for the touchscreen itself, the small icons on the black background are difficult to see and press when you're concentrating on the road ahead. The redundant steering wheel controls and the LCD screens in the instrument binnacle could also use a bit of fine-tuning. Few key features are-

• AM/FM Stereo
• Auxiliary Audio Input
• CD Player
• MP3 Player
• Satellite Radio (Optional)
• Onboard Hands-Free Communications System (Optional)
• Wireless Cell Phone Hookup

The 2012 Explorer nails the finer points while still speaking that particular SUV dialect of straight lines and square angles, with a modernist flip or two, here or there. Trace the lines around its sheet metal, and you'll see the genetic material it's carried since the name was new in 1991.

Big glass and tall body sides meet up in front with a three-bar grille like the ones on an F-150, and even on the rear end, the tailgate avoids the cardinal sin of crossovers, which is looking too much like a minivan. The look telegraphs "SUV" more than you'd think was possible from a vehicle that has more in common with the Taurus SHO than it does with the Expedition, even if the perforated grille pieces and winged tail lamps do seem to cross over into car territory.

The Explorer still looks reassuringly ute-like, though its rounded corners and subtle details register on a carlike plane. The heaviest is the Ford, but lengthier is the Traverse. Widest is the Ford, but taller is the Pilot. And when it comes to the wheelbase, Traverse leads the way, followed by our Explorer and finally the Pilot. Explorer makes plenty of room for lots of people or lots of stuff, and it does it much more efficiently than it ever did in the past. Few major exterior highlights of the SUV are-

• Tire Pressure Monitoring System
• Fog Lamps (optional)
• Auto-Off Headlights
• Reverse camera
• Sunroof/moonroof

The latest Explorer gets the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick award, which means it earns good scores for all the agency's vital tests and offers standard stability control. While it's a winner on that scale, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) hasn't yet published Explorer crash scores, likely because it changed its testing criteria and calculations for 2011, and is busy updating scores. We'll let you know when they do.

The promising safety scores are largely the result of the Explorer's comprehensive safety package. Not only does the Explorer offer standard curtain airbags and traction control, as well as "curve control" that adapts throttle and brake to upcoming corners, it's also been outfitted with a slew of available safety technologies that Ford believes are important to family car shoppers. Some of the important ones are- 

• Electronic Stability Control
• Child Safety Locks
• Traction Control
• Curve Control
• Curtain Airbags

It's been named a North American Truck of the Year, as voted by this continent's most respected journalists, and it's truly a 21st-century SUV, as Ford wants you to think. With solid on-road dynamics, decent fuel efficiency, and an accommodating high-class cabin, the 2012 Ford Explorer is a top pick for a large crossover SUV.