Dexter — Like America’s No. 1 movie, Ford has gone “Inside Out” to sell tickets.

The handsome Explorer exterior now has interior toys to match. On course to load up on cider ‘n’ doughnuts at Jenny’s Farm Stand and Cider Mill in Dexter, I poked the BlueCruise button on my $50K 2025 tester’s steering wheel and the midsize ute drove itself down I-94. Look kids, no hands! No one does driver assistance better than Ford’s BlueCruise and GM’s Super Cruise — not even luxury leaders like Tesla, Mercedes and BMW.

Jenny’s has lots to see, but if one of your tots gets tired, the Explorer’s tablet screen interface is as familiar as a smartphone. Tap the left margin’s square icon and the touchscreen reveals familiar avatars for Spotify, Google Maps and so on. Want a game to play? Search in the Google Play Store.

So ferocious is the midsize SUV piranha tank that segment pioneer Ford is throwing all its weapons into the fight. Ford has surrounded the luxury-class Blue Cruise with a premium interior incorporating elements of the Lincoln Navigator. Gone is the uninspired, plastic, did-this-come-out-of-a-2010-Fusion? interior. Gorgeous, hoodless 12.3-inch digital instrument and 13.2-inch infotainment displays complement a nicely trimmed dash. The displays pop with Unreal Engine-based computer graphics from gaming developer Epic Games.

That should impress gamers who have grown out of their wee Fiesta ST hatchbacks, tied the knot and now need room for kiddies. But they don’t have to leave ST behind.

Like BMW bringing its famed M performance badge into its midsize $68K X5 SUV with X5 M performance and M Sport style trims, the Explorer offers sporty ST and ST Line badges. ST fondly recalls the playful Focus ST and Fiesta ST hatchbacks that Michigan motorheads still bring to weekend autocross courses.

So coveted is the ST experience that 20% of sixth-generation Explorer sales since 2020 have gone to the ferocious 400-horespower, V6-powered ST model despite its pricey sticker. For thousands less, let me recommend the new ST Line for 2025.

Starting at $46K — the next step up from a base $41K ACTIV model — ST Line brings all the style of the ST, but substitutes the big, longitudinal V-6 with a sippier, still potent, 2.3-liter turbo-4 cylinder. So potent that you might not notice you don’t have a six under the hood.

The 2.3-liter, after all, is the same 300 horsepower/310 torque beast that powers the saucy Mustang coupe. I buried my size 15 foot through Hell’s twisties and the engine growled like a cornered badger. The Explorer’s handling is no match for a Mazda CX-90, but most buyers will be content with the three-row family SUV’s authoritative voice and strong interstate merge.

More significantly for a family mule, Ford has taken a page from Asian rivals and loaded ST Line (and all models) with standard connectivity and safety features, including wireless Apple Car Play/Android Auto, adaptive cruise control, lane centering, blind-spot assist, heated seats and USB ports in all three rows.

One of the things I love about mainstream vehicles versus their luxury betters is their ergonomics. While luxe brands (looking at you, Merc) try to wow with clean, button-free displays, Explorer gives you nice, raised steering wheel buttons so that you can easily adjust speed and volume without taking your eyes of the road. That said, the Explorer’s rotary shifter is clunky — with PARK just another point on the dial, rather then making it an easy push button in the middle. Sigh, beware situations where you have to do quick REVERSE/FORWARD maneuvers.

The Chevy Traverse also has good ergonomics (and a better steering wheel-mounted shifter) and standard features. The Motown rivals are two of the most compelling affordable vehicles in the segment.

GM pioneered Super Cruise on the Cadillac CT6 six years ago and now offers it on a mainstream ute. GM has been at this game longer and Traverse will go hands-free (like Tesla) on designated secondary roads as well as divided highways. But it’ll set you back an extra $3,280.

Ford practically gives BlueCruise away on the ST Line trim (and above) for $700 and a one-year trial. I’m betting most SUV owners will find non-highway hands-free driving as useful as a bicycle for a fish, and will only use BlueCruise on, say, interstate drives up north. Rather than plunk down $3,280, they’ll prefer Ford’s one-month $80 subscription plans, like my Tesla-owning friend Chris, who pays the monthly fee whenever he plans a long trip.

I dialed up SPORT mode and the hoodless instrument display lit up with rich, red graphics. To my right, I downloaded Webex on the infotainment screen. The video conferencing application can be played with full video when the car is stationary — or you can hold an audio-only conference call when driving. Ford uses Webex internally and says similar Zoom and Microsoft Teams should follow as well as a variety of games and other apps.

That’s because Explorer’s tablet is run by the same Android operating system you’ll find on a smartphone. Tap the left margin’s square icon and the touchscreen reveals familiar avatars for Spotify, Google Maps and so on. Want more? Search in the Play Store like your phone.

The console of the 2025 Ford Explorer has two shelves to maximize storage space for phones and other objects. Wireless charging is available on the top shelf with the Premium Package. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Attention to detail is everywhere in the cabin, from the double-pull hood release (so you don’t have to fish for the release under the hood) to dash graphics for the skylines of Detroit and Chicago (where Explorer is assembled) to the two-shelf storage console (so you don’t need cupholders for storage).

SUV pioneers Ford and Jeep have a natural customer base given their segment longevity, but they can no longer afford to be unaffordable. Standard features and premium interiors are the norm. Explorer has evolved from a truck based-ute to one of the sportiest high-tech utes in segment.

It’s a segment with enormous variety. Toyota complements its two-row Highlander with a three-row Grand Highlander. Chevy hit a home run with Traverse. Kia Telluride, Hyundai Palisade, Nissan Pathfinder and VW Atlas have jumped into the three-row ring with notable models. Even sporty Mazda has gone big with a three-row CX-90 that can give a BMW X-5 a run through the twisties.

If you’ve read this far, you might ask if I’ve left something out.

Payne, is there a hybrid or off-road Explorer on offer?

Yes and no. Hybrids are trendy, but Explorer found little demand. Its hybrid version is now made exclusively for police forces who value its long range. As for the off-road Timberline model, it was axed (along with Limited, King Ranch and XLT) as Explorer simplified its lineup for ‘25 — a curious choice given the popularity of rugged badges from competitors like Traverse Z71, Pilot Trailsport, Telluride X-Pro and so on. Expect Timberline to make a comeback.

Loaded with all-wheel drive and other goodies to $50,350, my ST Line tester is one of the most competitive SUVs in segment. And with 483 miles of gas range, three rows, BlueCruise and an exhaust note like a Mustang, it’s an engaging trip companion.

2025 Ford Explorer

Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear- and all-wheel-drive, six- or seven-passenger SUVPrice: $41,350 base, including $1,595 destination fee ($50,350 ST Line as tested)

Powerplant: 2.3-liter, turbocharged inline-4 cylinder; 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-6

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Power: 300 horsepower, 310 pound-feet torque (turbo-4); 400 horsepower, 415 pound-feet torque (V-6)

Performance: 0-60 mph, 6.0 seconds (Car and Driver, turbo-4); towing capacity: 5,000 pounds

Weight: 4,565 pounds (as tested)

Fuel economy: EPA est. 20 city/27 highway/23 combined (turbo-4 AWD); 18 city/25 highway/21 combined (V-6 AWD)

Report card

Highs: Pleasing interior upgrades; stout turbo-4

Lows: Clunky rotary shifter; no head-up display

Overall: 4 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.

Pontiac — I’m old enough to remember the tin cans with roll-up windows that Hyundai displayed at the Detroit Auto Show in 2000. You’ve come a long way, baby.

The Hyundai Sonata has been one of the most stylish mainstream sedans in the U.S. market since its breakout, sixth-generation 2010 model — alongside the most stylish mainstream compact in the market, the Elantra. For the 2024 model year, Sonata has turned up the volume again. The 2019 model strutted down the runway with big front headlights and accompanying LED extensions that ran dramatically up the side of the hood.  For 2024, Sonata changes spectacles for a more sci-fi look — think Cyclops from the X-Men superhero movies.

The LEDs run horizontally across a big black grille anchored by twin flying buttresses. Almost lost in the design are the small, mid-mounted headlights that recede into the dark corners of the fascia. It’s quite a piece of work and a real departure, not only from the last-gen Sonata but from sedans in general with their anthropomorphic front ends. It’s the first time I’ve seen a car mimic the mid-fascia headlights of bigger, more upright vehicles like GM SUVs and pickups.

The visual drama continues rearward across deeply scalloped side sheet metal that sweeps to a lovely rear deck wrapped in horizontal, red LED taillamps. The rear facia, too, has been updated with hip light graphics that made a nice light show as I walked up to my upper-trim N-line tester after dark.

My N-line adds to that drama with a 100-horsepower steroid shot — a boost from the base SEL’s 190-horsepower turbo-4.

On slick roads leading south of Pontiac, I floored the throttle and the front wheels spun like tops trying to channel the extra grunt. Strange, the Sonata offers all-wheel drive on the base 190-horse model — but not the 290 horsepower N-line, where it’s really needed. Product planning ain’t easy.

Into the twisties I toggled SPORT mode on the console and the Sonata labored through S-turns — a B student compared to class leader Honda Accord and its tight chassis. Here, all-wheel drive would also help the Sonata, especially since the Accord has ditched its high-horsepower model — optioning only a turbo-4 and hybrid in order to meet onerous fuel economy rules.

The Sonata, on the other hand, gives you more choice with turbo-4, hybrid and my N-line on ‘roids. But without AWD, the N-line falls shy of its potential.

That’s not the case for the interior, which gets major upgrades to match that of some luxury vehicles. How premium? The dash looks like BMW 3-series with its twin 12-inch gauge and infotainment displays housed under one piece of curved glass that arches across the dashboard. It’s a Hyundai signature and is repeated on models from Elantra up to the luxurious Genesis GV60 electric model that I recently had in my driveway.

To step above the Sonata, the GV60 adds fancy bits like a floating console and shifter that rotates from a glass glob to a rotary shifter when you enter the vehicles. OK, these are pretty cool features. But my point is the Sonata does a nice imitation of a premium interior.

That premium feel is aided by a gear shifter that has been relocated to the steering column, opening up more console space for goodies like a wireless charger for your phone.

The wireless charging complements wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto — which will drain your phone battery over a long road trip. Hyundai offers its own navigation system, of course, but it is inferior to Google’s. For all of its physical panache, the Hyundai system is a little slow, lagging industry-best systems from Ford and Stellantis (speaking of which, looking forward to the next-gen Dodge sedans!).

Better is the Hyundai’s multiple gadgets that make the car more fun, taking advantage of the digital wizardry that we all love about our phones.

Two of my favorites:

—A configurable instrument display so that I could, for example, use a digital tachometer. Shifting at 6.5 (x 1,000 RPM) with the paddle shifters is kinda’ cool compared to a familiar round analog display.

—Customizable steering wheel button that can be programmed to, say, turn media on/off, or go into Quiet mode, or (in my case) use as a shortcut to driver assistance settings, which I like to play around with.

Digitization has also made column shifters much easier to use (I remember me mum’s wrestling match with her ‘60s Pontiac’s column shifter!). The Hyundai is as simple as turning a tab for DRIVE, NEUTRAL, REVERSE. Park? Just push the end of the stalk. Mercedes and Tesla made column shifters cool again, and the Hyundai is better for it.

Better than the average sedan is the Hyundai’s palatial front legroom at 46 inches, which will make tall drivers happy. That comes at a sacrifice of legroom behind the driver though — 34.8 inches — which is less than class competitors (the Accord is truck-like 40.8 inches). Nonetheless, I could still sit my 6’5” frame behind myself with no problem.

Cargo space is a generous 10 cubic feet and Hyundai adds helpful levers in the rear boot so you flatten the rear bench and pass long items through the cabin. In an SUV world, clever features like that make the sedan utilitarian — to go with its knockout looks.

Auto segments are funny these days with SUVs and EVs ascendant. EVs are considered a luxury item yet my gas-fired $37K Sonata N-line blows away a $60K, 248-mile-range Genesis GV60 with 509 miles of range. What’s more, the Hyundai won’t keep you waiting, filing up in one minute compared to one hour for the Genesis. What’s luxurious about being made to wait?

At $37k, the Sonata offers not only range, but practicality compared to the small, similarly priced two-door electric Fiat 500e. The Fiat may be a fashion statement, but the stylish Sonata will dart from 0-60 mph while carrying six-footers in the back seat.

Hyundai has come a long way with its tech-tastic Sonata, but it’s also kept its eye on the fundamentals.

2024 Hyundai Sonata

Vehicle type: Front-engine, front- and all-wheel-drive, five-passenger sedan

Price: $28,650 base, including $1,150 destination fee ($36,100 N Line as tested)

Powerplant: 2.5-liter inline-4 cylinder; 2.5-liter turbocharged, inline-4 cylinder; hybrid 2.0-liter inline 4-cylinder combined with electric motor

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic (SEL, N Line); 6-speed automatic (hybrid)

Power: 191 horsepower, 181 pound-feet torque (standard SEL); 290 horsepower, 311 pound-feet torque (N Line); 192 horsepower (hybrid)

Performance: 0-60 mph, 5.0 seconds (Car and Driver est.); top speed: 155 mph (est.)

Weight: 3,534 pounds (N Line as tested)

Fuel economy: EPA est. 25 city/36 highway/29 combined (SEL); 23 city/32 highway/27 combined (N Line); 44 city/51 highway/47 combined (hybrid)

Report card

Highs: Upscale style inside and out; drivetrain choices

Lows: Laggy screen; AWD with performance N Line model, please

Overall: 4 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne

Waubaushene, Ontario — When I arrived at Quiet Waters Sailboats on Georgian Bay from Detroit, owner Rick and I met each other with exclamations.

“Man, you poor guys are paying $6 a gallon for premium gas!” I blurted.

“Man, that Jeep Grand Wagoneer is the biggest thing I’ve ever seen!” Rick said.

I had just filled up the Grand’s 30.5-gallon fuel tank (91 octane recommended) at a cost of $2.05 Canadian per liter — a total of $183 American. Ouch. But Jeep’s mega-ute was the perfect mule to deliver a Precision sailboat from Quiet Waters to a friend’s boat club in Charlevoix, Michigan.

The Jeep’s massive tanks and corresponding 610-mile range could complete the 447-mile trip across the top of remote Georgian Bay’s wilderness without stopping for gas. Its 9,450-pound towing capacity could easily shoulder the boat-and-trailer’s 1,350 pounds and high aerodynamic drag. And the Jeep’s palatial interior could easily swallow the boat’s accessories while comfortably hosting me (and passengers, if necessary) for 7.5 hours.

I opened the Grand Wagoneer’s automatic hatchback and dropped the third-row bench seat. Then Rick fed the 9.5-foot-long boom into the interior. And fed, and fed.

“Wow, we can get the entire boom through this thing with room to spare,” said Rick as the boom slithered between the second-row captain’s chairs, coming to rest on the back of the front center console. “I think we can get everything in the Jeep and nothing will be rattling around in the boat for your trip.”

Can’t say that about a pickup.

Pickups move the world, but even the longest-available eight-foot box on Rick’s Chevy Silverado pickup couldn’t fit the Precision’s boom without dropping the gate and sticking a red flag on it. Detroit automakers figured out years ago that they could take the rugged ladder-frame chassis of their trucks, bolt on a SUV top hat and offer customers pickup-like capabilities with the convenience of a sheltered cargo bay and three-row family comfort.

The Jeep Wagoneer and my (more luxurious) Grand Wagoneer tester were late arrivals to this universe, following hugely successful fleets of Chevy Tahoe/Suburbans, GMC Yukons, Ford Expeditions and Lincoln Navigators. Like its luxury peers from Lincoln and GMC Denali, Grand Wagoneer is posh, available in a long version, and can quickly eclipse 100 grand.

My $120K Jeep was loaded to the gunwales with the latest tech and features. That’s a lot of coin, but if the bank repossesses your house, you can just move into The Grand. Standard features include trip essentials like tow hook, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot assist and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Google and I talked a lot.

Hey, Google, navigate to Waubaushene, Ontario.

Without missing a beat, or stumbling over my West Virginia accent, she mapped the way. If you’re a frequent road-tripper (guilty), I recommend the L for its added cargo room behind the roomy third row. The base all-wheel-drive Wagoneer L starts at $75K.

We loaded the boat’s outboard motor, sails and rudder into the back of the Grand — plus my suitcase, tennis bag and computer case with room to spare. So ginormous is the Jeep that I could have added my family of four and their luggage.

I was on my way — land yacht trailering sailboat.

As government regulations force the elimination of new gas vehicle sales in the next few years, I am mindful of electric vehicle limitations on tow journeys. Halfway up Georgian Bay I tried an experiment.

Hey, Google. Find a gas station.

In the middle of Canada’s remote, pine ‘n’ rock wilderness, Google found four nearby.

Hey, Google. Find an electric charging station.

The closest result? Petoskey, Michigan, 356 miles away. Oh. If I were driving my Tesla Model 3 (or a Cybertruck), I could have accessed three Tesla Superchargers on my route. But towing’s weight and aerodynamic challenges also favor gas vehicles.

The Grand was a tow champ.

Though I could have made the trip on one tank of fuel, I navigated to one of the nearby service stations in the harbor town of Pointe au Baril off Route 400 North. Like Michigan with Marathon stations, Ontario’s lake-side highways are peppered with big Esso drive-thru service stations to accommodate truck and boat trailers. Just my luck, I chose a Shell station that seemed to date from the 1950s.

My loooong boat and trailer took up all three pumps — an inconvenience that would have caused a riot at an EV station, where vehicles need to charge for long periods. My mule quickly topped up on 5 gallons of gas (another $30 drained from my wallet). I popped into the station for a washroom (Canadians call restrooms “washrooms”) and was on my way in minutes.

Remarkably, that five gallons would take me 75 miles — and the full tank 455 miles — at 15 mpg. That’s just a 21% degradation off the Grand’s EPA-advertised 19 mpg. When I towed a similar Precision boat to Charlevoix from Detroit with a Ford Explorer Wilderness, mileage degraded by 65% (to 9.5 mpg of its advertised 21 mpg range. The Ford Lightning EV, meanwhile, suffers 70% range degradation when towing (as tested by my friends at TFL Truck).

I was hardly soft-pedaling the Jeep’s 510-horsepower, twin-turbo inline-6 cylinder Hurricane engine while pulling the tall boat up Georgian Bay’s tall grades at 75 mph — keeping pace with Canadians who (like Americans back in the bad ol’ days of the 55-mph speed limit decree) ignore their 60 mph speed limit.

Indeed, with its 500 pound-feet of torque and independent rear air suspension, the Jeep didn’t feel like a truck-based vehicle at all. More like a luxury Merc cruising the Autobahn.

Which is what the Grand is meant to be. Forget the rugged Wrangler brand halo, this Jeep is on par with the world’s finest luxe-mobiles. With four screens of digital information up front (including a head-up display and a passenger screen), three more in the second row and a camera monitoring the cabin, I might have been living in a New York penthouse.

The center console even had a fridge — keeping my favorite Snapples cool for the journey. I crossed the majestic Mackinac Bridge and arrived in Charlevoix at 8 p.m. feeling refreshed. I unhitched the boat, unloaded the accessories and had a late dinner. Piece of cake.

Next time, maybe I’ll deliver a boat across Saskatchewan.

Next week: 2024 Hyundai Sonata

2023 Jeep Grand Wagoneer

Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear- and-four-wheel-drive, six- or seven-passenger SUV

Powerplant: 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged, inline-6 cylinder

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Price: $93,945 base, including $2,000 destination fee ($121,350 as tested)

Power: 510 horsepower, 500 pound-feet torque

Performance: 0-60 mph, 4.7 seconds (Car and Driver); towing capacity: 9,450 pounds

Weight: 6,704 pounds (as tested)

Fuel economy: EPA est. 14 city/19 highway/16 combined (14.7 mpg observed on towing trip)

Report card

Highs: Luxe ride, luxe interior; impressive towing range

Lows: May not fit in your garage; few can afford

Overall: 4 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.