Is a Ford Explorer classified as a truck?
In everyday terms, no—the Ford Explorer is not a pickup truck. It is a mid-size sport-utility vehicle (SUV) marketed as a three-row crossover, though some regulatory labels categorize SUVs as light-duty trucks for certain tests.
To understand how it is classified, it’s helpful to separate consumer marketing from regulatory designations, which can differ by agency and purpose.
Marketing vs. regulation
In marketing and dealership materials, the Explorer is presented as an SUV/crossover with three rows of seating, available all-wheel drive, and a focus on passenger space and family utility—clearly not a pickup with a separate cargo bed.
Regulatory classifications
Government and industry labeling varies by agency. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and some regulatory contexts categorize SUVs like the Explorer as light-duty trucks for fuel-economy testing, while safety and consumer guides may label it as a multipurpose passenger vehicle (MPV) or SUV. These classifications influence testing and labeling but do not change the vehicle’s body style or primary market segment.
Design history
The Explorer began as a body-on-frame, truck-based SUV in its early generations, and it was marketed with rugged, truck-like capabilities. Since the 2011 redesign, it has moved to a unibody platform shared with other crossovers, and contemporary Explorers are not built as traditional pickups.
Ford’s framing
Ford positions the Explorer as a family-oriented SUV rather than a pickup, aligning with its three-row seating, cargo space behind a rear hatch, and unibody construction.
Bottom line
Bottom line: The Ford Explorer is classified and marketed as an SUV, not a pickup truck. It may be categorized as a light truck in some regulatory contexts for testing, but that designation reflects testing and labeling conventions rather than the vehicle’s body style or primary use.
Summary
The Explorer is a mid-size SUV/crossover with unibody construction. It is not a pickup truck, though regulatory categorizations can vary by agency and purpose. Its design emphasizes passenger capacity, versatility, and on-road practicality rather than a truck’s open cargo bed.
Is the Ford Explorer a car or a truck?
The Ford Explorer is a range of SUVs manufactured by the Ford Motor Company since the 1991 model year. The first five-door SUV produced by Ford, the Explorer, was introduced as a replacement for the three-door Bronco II.
Can an SUV be considered a truck?
Yes, an SUV can be called a truck because it is legally classified as a "light truck" in the United States and often shares similar construction and capabilities. While modern SUVs are distinct from pickup trucks, the term stuck because many were originally built on truck platforms and are designed for power and capability, making the label understandable for many.
- Legal classification: In the US, SUVs (along with vans and pickup trucks) are often categorized as "light trucks" for regulatory purposes.
- Traditional construction: Many SUVs were originally built on a body-on-frame chassis, the same type of construction as a pickup truck, which is why they are sometimes called trucks.
- Shared capabilities: Like pickup trucks, some SUVs are designed with four-wheel drive and off-road capability, leading to the common association with "trucks".
- Passenger vs. cargo focus: While pickups are designed primarily for cargo (with an open bed), modern SUVs are built with passenger comfort and cargo space in a covered area, which is why they are a separate vehicle class today, but the historical connection remains.
Is an SUV considered a truck for tax purposes?
For tax-deduction purposes, the crossover vehicle is either a passenger car or a light truck, depending on its vehicle attributes. It does not need a truck chassis to be a truck. First-year tax deductions on a truck can vastly surpass first-year tax deductions on a car.
Is Ford a car or truck?
The company sells automobiles and commercial vehicles under the Ford brand, and luxury cars under its Lincoln brand.
