Compare the2023 Ford ExplorerVS 2023 Tesla Model X

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Explorer are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Model X doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Explorer has standard Post Collision Braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Model X doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Explorer (except Base/XLT/Limited/Timberline) offers an optional Reverse Brake Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Model X doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Explorer 4WD’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Model X doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

The Explorer (except Base) offers an optional 360-Degree Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Model X only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Explorer’s standard Cross Traffic Alert uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side and automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. The Model X doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

The Explorer has standard 911 Assist, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Model X doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Explorer and the Model X have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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, driver alert monitors and available all wheel drive.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Ford Explorer is safer than the Tesla Model X:

	Explorer	Model X
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Stress	167 lbs.	207 lbs.
Neck Compression	26 lbs.	33 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.5 inches

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Ford Explorer is safer than the Tesla Model X:

	Explorer	Model X
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	65	101
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	573 lbs.	625 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Explorer the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 55 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Model X has not been tested, yet.

Warranty

There are almost 20 times as many Ford dealers as there are Tesla dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Explorer’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Ford vehicles are better in initial quality than Tesla vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford above average in initial quality. With 59 more problems per 100 vehicles, Tesla is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Ford vehicles are more reliable than Tesla vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Ford 1 place higher in reliability than Tesla.

Brakes and Stopping

The Explorer stops much shorter than the Model X:

	Explorer	Model X
70 to 0 MPH	161 feet	172 feet	Car and Driver

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Explorer’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Model X (275/45R21 vs. 265/35R22).

Having a flat tire is dangerous, inconvenient and expensive. The self-sealing tires available on the Explorer can automatically seal most punctures up to 3/16 of an inch, effectively preventing most flat tires. The Model X doesn’t offer self-sealing tires.

The Explorer has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Model X; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

Suspension and Handling

The Explorer has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Model X’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Explorer’s wheelbase is 2.4 inches longer than on the Model X (119.1 inches vs. 116.7 inches).

The Explorer ST 4WD handles at .85 G’s, while the Model X pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Explorer’s turning circle is 2.4 feet tighter than the Model X’s (38.4 feet vs. 40.8 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Explorer Timberline has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Model X (8.7 vs. 8.1 inches), allowing the Explorer to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The Ford Explorer may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 400 to 850 pounds less than the Tesla Model X.

Passenger Space

The Explorer has 1.9 inches more front legroom, 3.5 inches more front hip room, 1.1 inches more front shoulder room, .3 inches more rear legroom, .2 inches more rear hip room, 5 inches more rear shoulder room, 1.8 inches more third row headroom, 2.4 inches more third row legroom, 2.2 inches more third row hip room and 13.9 inches more third row shoulder room than the Model X.

Cargo Capacity

The Explorer’s cargo area provides more volume than the Model X.

	Explorer	Model X
Behind Third Seat	18.2 cubic feet	15 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	47.9 cubic feet	33.8 cubic feet

The Explorer’s available rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The Model X 6-Passenger doesn’t offer folding rear seats.

Pressing a button automatically lowers or raises the Explorer’s (except Base/XLT/ST-Line) optional third row seats, to make changing between cargo and passengers easier. The Model X doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Explorer’s available liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Model X doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Towing

Maximum trailer towing in the Tesla Model X is limited to 5000 pounds. The Explorer offers up to a 5600 lbs. towing capacity.

Ergonomics

The Explorer’s entire steering wheel hub sounds the horn, facilitating hitting the horn in an emergency. The Model X has a small, single button on the steering wheel spoke that can be hard to find quickly in an emergency.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Explorer’s available exterior PIN entry system. The Model X doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Explorer has a standard rear wiper. The Model X doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

The Explorer’s standard side window demisters help clear frost or condensation from the side windows in the winter. The Model X doesn’t even offer side window demisters, so the driver may have to wipe the windows from the outside to gain side vision.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Explorer has standard extendable sun visors. The Model X doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The Explorer’s sun-visors swivel front-to-side to block glare from the side windows. The Model X’s visors are fixed into the windshield header.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Explorer to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Model X doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Explorer has a standard center folding armrest for the middle row passengers. A center armrest helps make middle row passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Model X doesn’t offer a middle row seat center armrest.

The Explorer ST/King Ranch/Platinum offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Model X.

The Explorer (except Base/XLT) offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Model X doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Model Availability

The Explorer is available in both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Model X doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Explorer owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Explorer will cost $8550 to $12315 less than the Model X over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Explorer is less expensive to operate than the Model X because typical repairs cost much less on the Explorer than the Model X, including $556 less for a water pump, $57 less for front brake pads, $166 less for front struts and $221 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Ford Explorer will be $45643 to $55774 less than for the Tesla Model X.

Recommendations

The Ford Explorer outsold the Tesla Model X by almost 9 to one during 2022.