Compare the2022 Land Rover DiscoveryVS 2021 Ford Explorer

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Land Rover Discovery have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Ford Explorer doesn’t offer pretensioners for the middle seat belts.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Discovery. But it costs extra on the Explorer.

Both the Discovery and the Explorer have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

Warranty

The Discovery comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Explorer’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The Discovery’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Explorer’s (6 vs. 5 years).

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Discovery’s reliability 17 points higher than the Explorer.

Fuel Economy and Range

The Discovery has 5.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the Explorer Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (23.8 vs. 18 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Discovery has 3.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Explorer V6 Turbo’s standard fuel tank (23.8 vs. 20.2 gallons).

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Land Rover Discovery higher (7 out of 10) than the Ford Explorer (5). This means the Discovery produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Explorer every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Discovery’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Explorer:

	Discovery P300	Discovery P360	Explorer	Explorer ST
Front Rotors	14.3 inches	15 inches	13.6 inches	14.3 inches
Rear Rotors	13.8 inches	14.4 inches	12.4 inches	13.8 inches

The Discovery’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs standard on the Explorer ST are solid, not vented.

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Discovery’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Explorer (285/40R22 vs. 275/45R21).

The Discovery’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Explorer’s standard 65 series tires. The Discovery’s optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Explorer’s optional 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Discovery has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Explorer. The Discovery’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 21-inch wheels optional on the Explorer.

The Discovery offers an optional full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Explorer; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

Suspension and Handling

The front and rear suspension of the Discovery uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the Explorer, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

For greater off-road capability the Discovery has a 3.2 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Explorer (11.1 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the Discovery to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The Discovery is 3.7 inches shorter than the Explorer, making the Discovery easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The Discovery has 1.3 inches more third row legroom and 1.1 inches more third row hip room than the Explorer.

Flexibility is maximized at the game, campground or a drive-in theatre in the Discovery when its optional tailgating rear seats are deployed, allowing people to sit facing out of the liftgate. (Do not use while vehicle is in motion.) The Explorer doesn’t offer tailgating seats.

Cargo Capacity

Pressing a button automatically lowers or raises the Discovery’s second and third row seats, to make changing between cargo and passengers easier. The Explorer doesn’t offer automatic folding second row seats.

Towing

The Discovery’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Explorer’s (6613 vs. 3000 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Ford Explorer is only 5600 pounds. The Discovery offers up to a 8200 lbs. towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

The Discovery uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Explorer uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system optional in the Explorer (except Base/XLT), the Discovery offers an optional driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The Discovery offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Explorer doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Discovery’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Explorer’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the Discovery the driver can close them all from a distance using the remote. The driver of the Explorer can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Discovery has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. A locking fuel door is only offered on the Explorer Hybrid.

The Discovery’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Explorer’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the Discovery to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Explorer doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Discovery offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Explorer doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The Discovery’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Ford only offers heated mirrors on the Explorer XLT/Limited/ST/Platinum.

When the Discovery with available tilt-down mirrors is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Explorer’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Discovery offers optional heated front, second and third row seats, which keep the driver and passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Ford doesn’t offer heated seats in the third row of the Explorer.

The Discovery HSE has standard front air conditioned seats and offers them optionally in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The Explorer doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.