\n<\/p>\n
Ford\u2019s new Android-powered infotainment system is finally coming to a Ford-branded vehicle. The automaker\u2019s so-called Digital Experience<\/a>, which debuted with the 2024 Lincoln Nautilus earlier this year, will power the new 2025 Ford Explorer SUV, the company announced today. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The 2025 Ford Explorer includes many of the Digital Experience\u2019s main features, including built-in Google Maps, Google Play Store, Google Assistant, wireless CarPlay and Android Auto, and digital HVAC controls. It doesn’t have the extravagant 48-inch panoramic screen setup<\/a> that the Lincoln Nautilus has, but from the looks of it, the main 13.2-inch touchscreen has the same interface. And the Explorer\u2019s 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster can project maps for the first time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Speaking of HVAC, it looks like the new Explorer lacks physical climate control buttons. That tracks with Ford\u2019s newly redesigned Maverick truck<\/a>, which also moved its HVAC controls to the touchscreen. The Maverick, however, still runs on Ford\u2019s older QNX-powered Sync 4 software.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The Explorer\u2019s much more subdued screen size, as compared to the Lincoln Nautilus, shows how the system is adaptable to different interiors and use cases. And as we previously reported<\/a>, Ford is not planning to phase out its internal Sync operating system, which runs on similarly sized screens across many of Ford\u2019s vehicles. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Ford is also planning to include its Android-based system in its electric vehicles like the F-150 Lightning and Mustang Mach-E, both of which have a much larger, vertically oriented screen \u2014 and will need a Digital Experience that looks different than the one we see today.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n