What’s better for family-friendly traveling, the 2025 Ford Explorer or the 2025 Honda Pilot? Our comparison guide dives into these midsize SUVs’ many features!
Key Takeaways
- While these SUVs are competitively priced, the Explorer gives you more for your money!
- Both the Explorer and Pilot treat your family to long-haul comfort and modern luxury.
- With its all-new infotainment system, the Explorer is the savvy choice!
- Thanks to Ford’s innovative safety aids, the Explorer helps keep your family extra safe.
Best Price: 2025 Ford Explorer
These midsize SUVs’ competitive price tags reveal just how much they try to keep pace with one another! While the 2025 Explorer (starting at $39,785) offers the lower MSRP, the 2025 Pilot (from $40,200) is incredibly close behind. Their respective base models even deliver many of the same features, including LED headlamps and smartphone-friendly infotainment.
On closer inspection, however, you’ll see that the Explorer actually gives you a lot more bang for your buck. The entry-level Explorer Active includes items that cost extra on the Pilot Sport, such as a power liftgate and digital instrument cluster. It even comes with safety aids that aren’t available on the Pilot at all!
Cruising Comfort: It’s a Tie!
Both three-row crossovers put your family’s comfort at the forefront. In the 2025 Ford Explorer, all-weather comfort features are included on every trim model, including heated front seats and three-zone climate control. Higher trim models only get more luxurious, with upgrades like leather upholstery and heated second-row seats. And thanks to the Explorer’s smooth ride and well-cushioned seats, road trips are endlessly enjoyable.
The 2025 Honda Pilot comes standard with the same comfort features, helping you ward off winter chills and summer heatwaves in equal capacity. And it, too, offers more features on higher trim models, giving you and your loved ones the luxury treatment with leather-trimmed seats and a panoramic sunroof.
Road-Trip-Ready Infotainment: 2025 Ford Explorer
As one of the first models to roll out the all-new Ford Digital Experience, the Explorer has the edge when it comes to infotainment. Every trim model now includes a 12.3-inch digital gauge display and a 13.2-inch central touchscreen (along with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, of course). The system’s Google-based software is intuitive and compliant, and it even includes standard navigation via Google Maps. You can even use Google Assistant voice controls to alter settings without looking away from traffic!
Back on the Honda Pilot, the infotainment isn’t nearly as modern. Both the standard 7-inch touchscreen and 9-inch upgrade are a little small for the times. We can report, however, that the system itself is easy to figure out, and its wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto controls offer a seamless experience.
Modern Safety: 2025 Ford Explorer
When it comes to driver safety aids, Ford’s midsize SUV also offers the more impressive technology. For starters, the Explorer comes standard with the longest list of safety aids, including advanced items like intersection collision mitigation and evasive steering assistance. It’s also available with Ford’s hands-free driving system, BlueCruise (subscription required).
The 2025 Honda Pilot doesn’t offer evasive steering assist, but it does come standard with plenty of street-smart driving systems. Like the Explorer, it includes adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist on every trim model. Unfortunately, Honda has yet to launch its hands-free driving system, Honda Sensing 360+, in the U.S. But it should be here by 2030.
Launch Your Family Adventures in Style
In the end, the new Ford Explorer earns the title of Best Family-Friendly Midsize SUV in Fayetteville NC 2025! Not only does this three-row crossover deliver everyday comfort and cutting-edge technology, but it offers a lot of features that aren’t available on the 2025 Honda Pilot at all. Come see what all the fuss is about — visit us at Lafayette Ford to test-drive America’s most iconic SUV.