Lots of interior space, a pleasant ride and enough power to keep up with the herd is more likely to show up here. Still is, in fact. Ford's initial cure for the basic V6 blahs was an optional 210-h.p. And as you'd expect, the extra power does wonders for the Explorer's forward progress, which is quite deliberate with the base engine. You can't quite say that for the base engine.
More power also means more towing and hauling capability.
The are only a couple of down sides here. The first is that you can only get an automatic transmission on Explorers equipped with the new V6 and the V8. A five-speed manual transmission is available only with the base engine, and a manual can come in handy when the going gets rough. There's also a small penalty in rated fuel economy. But that distinction is small enough to be eclipsed by your driving style, and in any case fuel economy doesn't seem to be a big concern of folks shopping for sport-utilities.