The 2025 Explorer is the first Ford to get the new Android-powered infotainment system

Ford’s new Android-powered infotainment system is finally coming to a Ford-branded vehicle. The automaker’s so-called Digital Experiencewhich debuted with the 2024 Lincoln Nautilus earlier this year, will power the new 2025 Ford Explorer SUV, the company announced today.

The 2025 Ford Explorer includes many of Digital Experience’s key features, including integrated Google Maps, Google Play Store, Google Assistant, wireless CarPlay and Android Auto, and digital HVAC controls. It doesn’t have the extravagant 48-inch widescreen setup that the Lincoln Nautilus has, but from the looks of it, the main 13.2-inch touchscreen has the same interface. And the Explorer’s 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster can project maps for the first time.

Speaking of HVAC, it appears the new Explorer doesn’t have physical climate control buttons. This tracks with Ford’s newly redesigned Maverick truck, which also moved its HVAC controls to the touchscreen. The Maverick, however, still works with Ford’s older Sync 4 software, QNX.

The Explorer’s much more moderate screen size, compared to the Lincoln Nautilus, shows how adaptable the system is to different interiors and use cases. And as we previously reported, Ford isn’t planning to discontinue its in-house Sync operating system, which runs on similarly sized screens in many of Ford’s vehicles.

Ford is also planning to include its Android-based system in its electric vehicles, such as the F-150 Lightning and Mustang Mach-E, both of which have a much larger, vertically oriented screen – and will need a digital experience that looks different than before. the one we see today.