Three-row sport utility vehicles are ubiquitous in the United States of America. So ubiquitous that minivans are being steadily pushed out despite being more practical and lower priced than family-sized crossovers. But rather than harrumphing over the increasing lack of automotive diversity on stateside roads, bear in mind that large crossovers are somewhat diverse in their own right.
The models in the video below stand testament to that. Starting with the sharp-looking Mazda, this particular CX-90 is the inline-six turbo with mild-hybrid assistance. Mazda further offers a plug-in hybrid, although that one's built around a four-cylinder turbocharged mill instead of a sixer.
Next up, the gargantuan Toyota Grand Highlander can be had in three flavors: 2.4L turbo, 2.5L naturally aspirated hybrid, or 2.4L turbo hybrid. Obviously enough, this particular Grand Highlander is the 2.4L turbo hybrid, meaning that it's rocking a torque-converter automatic instead of an eCVT, plus a rear-mounted electric motor.
The final entry is the Ford Explorer. In this case, Ford's most performance-oriented Explorer. You won't find a four-pot under the hood, but rather a twin-turbo V6 with 400 horsepower and 415 pound-feet (562 Nm) to its name. A rear-biased sport utility vehicle, Ford's Explorer ST further sweetens the deal with a 10-speed automatic as opposed to eight gears for the Mazda and six for the 'Yota.
From a displacement of 3.3 liters compared to 3.0 for the Explorer ST, the high-output I6 powering the Mazda is rated at 340 ponies and 369 pound-feet (500 Nm). The Grand Highlander Hybrid MAX slots bang in the middle, for it packs 362 hp and 400 lb-ft (542 Nm) at 2,000 revolutions per minute.
Photo: Sam CarLegion on YouTube
Care to guess which one's capable of running 13s in the quarter mile? That would be – obviously enough – the Ford Explorer ST, which clocked a best of 13.9 seconds at the Dunnville Autodrome in Canada. The other two posted 15.2 and 14.4 seconds, respectively, with the Grand Highlander Hybrid MAX being the faster of the two.
The Ford Explorer ST was quicker to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) as well, posting 5.2 seconds compared to 5.6 for the Toyota and 6.3 for the Mazda. Not bad given their 4,900-pound curb weights (over 2.2 tons in the metric system).
Everyone was expecting the Explorer ST to make easy work of the CX-90 with the high-output engine and the punchiest Grand Highlander available for model year 2024. However, it's hard to believe that Grand Highlander Hybrid MAX is faster than the Mazda from a roll. Be it 37 mph (60 kph) or 50 mph (80 kph), the Toyota makes easy work of the better-sounding rival from the Land of the Rising Sun.
The Grand Highlander is produced in Princeton, Indiana, whereas the Explorer hails from the Ford Motor Company's Chicago Assembly Plant in Illinois. At $50,105 before destination, the Explorer ST is the priciest SUV of the bunch. The CX-90 3.3 Turbo S starts at $49,850 at the moment of writing, whereas Grand Highlander Hybrid MAX Limited will set you back $54,390 sans taxes and options.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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