Ford Explorer Coloring Page: Free Printable PDF Sheet

Ford Explorer: History & Fun Facts

The Ford Explorer is recognizable by its tall glass area, stacked headlamps, and boxy three-row body built to carry a full family and their gear. Those proportions turn a simple line drawing into an unmistakable modern SUV.

The 1990 Launch That Started an SUV Boom

Ford introduced the Explorer for the 1991 model year, going on sale in March 1990 as a replacement for the smaller Bronco II. It arrived just as American buyers were shifting away from station wagons and minivans, and the Explorer became the vehicle that pushed the mainstream SUV into millions of driveways. Within a few years it was the best-selling SUV in the United States, a title it held for most of the 1990s and helped define what a family SUV was supposed to look like.

Five Generations on a Truck Frame

The first four Explorer generations - 1991-1994, 1995-2001, 2002-2005, and 2006-2010 - all used body-on-frame construction borrowed from the compact Ranger pickup. That layout gave the Explorer real towing muscle but a stiffer, truck-like ride. Owners who remember the early Explorer's high step-in height and firm suspension were driving one of those first four generations.

The Unibody Switch in 2011

Everything changed with the fifth generation in 2011, when Ford moved the Explorer onto a car-based unibody platform shared with the Ford Taurus and Lincoln MKS. The switch smoothed out the ride, improved fuel economy, and let Ford offer front-wheel-drive versions for the first time. It marked the Explorer's shift from truck-based hauler to family-friendly crossover, even though the body still kept its familiar boxy profile.

Back to Rear-Wheel Drive for Generation Six

The current sixth-generation Explorer, launched for 2020, switched again - this time to a rear-wheel-drive-based CD6 platform shared with the Lincoln Aviator and Police Interceptor Utility. That layout improved towing capacity back up to 5,600 pounds on properly equipped models and gave performance versions like the Explorer ST sharper handling than any Explorer before it.

Police Interceptor Roots

Many police departments across the country patrol in a Ford Police Interceptor Utility, which is built on the same platform as the civilian Explorer and assembled at the same Chicago plant. That shared engineering is one reason the Explorer's frame and running gear have been tested under some of the toughest daily-use conditions any SUV faces.

Hybrid Power and the ST Performance Trim

Modern Explorers offer a hybrid powertrain pairing a V6 with an electric motor for improved fuel economy, alongside a twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 in the performance-tuned Explorer ST that makes 400 horsepower. That range, from efficient hybrid to genuine performance SUV, shows how far the model has grown since its truck-based origins.

Timberline Trim for Off-Road Fans

Ford added a Timberline trim to the Explorer lineup with all-terrain tires, extra ground clearance, and skid plates, giving the family SUV genuine light off-road ability without leaving the unibody platform. That trim sits alongside the Platinum and King Ranch versions, which lean into leather upholstery and quiet-cabin comfort instead.

Why the Shape Reads Well in Line Art

The Explorer's tall doors, straight beltline, and simple roof rail bars give a coloring page large, open panels that are easy for small hands to fill in. The stacked headlamp shape and wide grille bars add just enough detail near the front to make the SUV instantly recognizable without crowding the page with tiny lines.