2019 Ford Explorer vs Toyota Highlander

Sport utility vehicles are popular for all kinds of reasons today, from looks to driver seating position to popularity. But let's say you're the kind of person who wants to buy an SUV for the same reasons people used to buy sport utility vehicles. Truck-like power, tons of towing capability, and storage in spades. In this comparison guide, we'll be looking at these oft-overlooked abilities. In this competition, we've chosen some of the bestselling SUVs on the market today: the 2019 Ford Explorer and Toyota Highlander. Which of these popular SUVs deserves to be called rugged, sporty, and useful? We'll find out.

Performance: 2019 Ford Explorer

The 2019 Explorer has a trio of engine options. Smart move, Ford. There's the base 290-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 engine, a fuel-efficient 280-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder, and a 365-horsepower twin-turbocharged V6. If those numbers don't mean much to you, suffice it to say that the Ford Explorer is anywhere between totally capable and a veritable powerhouse. We recommend getting at least the turbocharged engine, or the twin-turbocharged if funds permit. With all that power at your disposal, you'll go zero to 60 in a swift 5.8 seconds while drivers of the Toyota Highlander will get a good view of your receding tail pipe.

The Highlander's base engine, a 185-horsepower inline-4 is too weak for a vehicle this size. On top of that, this engine gets pretty poor fuel economy, even less than the Highlander's optional engine. We recommend passing over the base engine in favor of the 295-horsepower V6. That gets the job done, but with no turbocharged option, what you see is what you get and what you get isn't much. You might feel good being behind the wheel of a capable hauler but you won't feel exhilarated by any means.

Towing: Tie

This may come as a surprise, but both the Ford Explorer and Toyota Highlander are slated to tow 5,000 pounds, when properly configured. The power with which you tow is still dependent on your engine however, so expect the Explorer to feel more athletic even when pulling all that weight than the Highlander would.

Cargo space: 2019 Ford Explorer

If you purchase the Ford Explorer, you're probably interested in, at least sometimes, filling all three rows with passengers. That's why, even though the Toyota Highlander technically has 3 more cubic feet of storage overall, the Explorer still wins this category. That's because the Explorer offers more cargo room behind the third row of seats. A lot more. The 2019 Ford Explorer gives you a whopping 21 cubic feet of storage behind the rearmost seats-excellent for a three-row SUV-while the Toyota Highlander offers only 13.8 cubes. The Explorer also offers more with one row of seating down. So unless you keep the seats folded down, the Explorer offers more readily available cargo space than the Highlander.

If you want an SUV that's more truck-like than car-like, the Ford Explorer is worth your time for a test drive.