Ford is introducing the first-ever King Ranch edition of the Explorer SUV. The Explorer, one of the best-selling SUV lines in America, now gets the rugged, yet refined King Ranch trim that F-150 buyers have known since 2001. The 2021 Ford Explorer King Ranch continues the brand’s long relationship with the legendary South Texas cattle ranch.

See, this is news to me. As a sports car guy, I always thought Ford’s King Ranch pickups were just a name. Like, there’s the “King” and then the “King Ranch.” Sort of like there’s the “Vente” and there’s the “Grande.”

It turns out the name is from an actual place called The King Ranch. It’s in Texas (of course). A fellow named Captain Richard King (he was a riverboat captain) started the place in the 1850s. And while the history is fascinating, what we have here in the 2021 Ford Explorer King Ranch is a very nice and swanky family hauler for the modern-day.
The King Ranch Treatment

With premium features like rich leather and real wood, the 2021 Ford Explorer King Ranch is all about meticulous attention to detail.

Ford found after doing lots of customer research that people desired a more refined interior for the Explorer. And for 2021, the Explorer King Ranch delivers with mahogany-colored Mesa Del Rio leather seats with perforated front and second rows. To really put things over the top, the seats have that nifty o...