New Ford Explorer Ranch King Edition Features Spirit of Texas

Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn has introduced the 2021 Ford Explorer King Ranch edition, giving customers in the red-hot midsize SUV market a vehicle the automaker says is worthy of its namesake iconic Texas ranch.
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2021 Ford Explorer King Ranch edition
2021 Ford Explorer King Ranch edition introduces a rugged, premium appearance and brings the King Ranch name to America’s all-time best-selling SUV line. // Photo courtesy of Ford

Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn has introduced the 2021 Ford Explorer King Ranch edition, giving customers in the red-hot midsize SUV market a vehicle the automaker says is worthy of its namesake iconic Texas ranch.

The Explorer King Ranch edition pricing will start at $52,350 MSRP for rear-wheel-drive configuration and $54,350 MSRP for four-wheel drive. It will be available in dealerships this spring.

“In 1853, Captain Richard King bootstrapped the King Ranch in the harsh landscape of southern Texas until it became a shining example of agricultural and livestock innovation and success,” says Lee Newcombe, marketing manager for Ford Explorer. “Ford Explorer families can now enjoy a piece of the King Ranch’s renowned craftsmanship and the multigeneration legacy that still thrives 168 years after its founding.”

Customer feedback and market insights have demanded a more refined interior for Explorer, Ford says. Explorer King Ranch now will come with premium touches and mahogany-colored Mesa Del Rio leather seats with perforated front and second rows with the legendary King Ranch Running W logo. The center console is crafted with a Mesa Del Rio leather armrest and King Ranch logo insert.

The cockpit features leather door trim rollovers, a leather-wrapped, and stitched instrument panel combined with Sapele wood appliqués as well as a leather-wrapped steering wheel with Norias stitching and a Sapele wood insert.

“Introducing King Ranch’s specialty leather, genuine wood, crafted details, and signature colors to Ford Explorer elevates the SUV’s brand,” says Janet Seymour, color and materials manager at Ford. “The warm, earthy Norias colorway, natural open pore wood appliqués, and rope perforation design on the seats are just a couple ways we were able to bring the King Ranch lifestyle to a whole new group of customers.”

Complementing the refined interior is an available Premium Technology Package featuring multi-contour seats with active motion massaging functionality, a 10.1-inch center stack portrait touch screen with swipe and pinch-to-zoom capability as well as a 14-speaker sound system by Bang & Olufsen specially tuned to Explorer’s interior.

Outside, Explorer King Ranch comes with a unique Stone Gray-painted mesh grille insert, 20-inch aluminum wheels with Running W center cap, liftgate scuff plate, and quad chrome exhaust tips. Capping it off is signature King Ranch badging.

The standard 3.0-liter EcoBoost engine under the hood produces 365 horsepower and 380 lb.-ft. of torque with four-wheel-drive and rear-wheel-drive configurations offered, combined with a 10-speed automatic transmission with SelectShift capability. A standard Class III Trailer Tow Package enables towing capability of up to 5,600 pounds.

In addition to Ford Co-Pilot360 technology standard on all Explorer models, Explorer King Ranch comes standard with Ford Co-Pilot360 Assist+, featuring adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go and lane centering, evasive steering assist, a voice-activated touch screen navigation system with pinch-to-zoom capability, SiriusXM Traffic and Travel Link, and speed sign recognition.

For 2021, the company says it is responding to customer demands with not only the King Ranch edition but the introduction of the available XLT Sport Appearance Package, new interior trim finishes, and new exterior colors, with numerous enhancements to the interior including brighter paints, elevated finishes and higher-quality materials for a brightened, more premium ambience.

The introduction of Explorer King Ranch marks 20 years of Ford’s relationship with the iconic Texas cattle ranch, beginning with the 2001 F-150 King Ranch, when Ford and King Ranch teamed up to build a more upscale western-themed truck.

The 2001 F-150 King Ranch was based on the newly introduced F-150 SuperCrew. It featured a leather-covered front console with the King Ranch brand, and front and rear King Ranch leather captain’s chairs, as well as F-150 King Ranch branding throughout the interior and exterior.

Since then, five generations of Ford F-150, four generations of Ford F-Series Super Duty, and three generations of Ford Expedition have worn the King Ranch badge. Today, workers at the Texas ranch use a fleet of more than 300 Ford trucks.