The original Explorer was one of Ford’s greatest hits during the 1990s. It played a tremendously important role in shaping the SUV as we know it in 2020 and democratizing it across America. The nameplate was popular enough to survive the devastating Firestone scandal in the early 2000s but it almost disappeared until some of the same basic guidelines that shaped Boeing’s 787 saved it.

Join us as we celebrate the Explorer’s 30th birthday by looking at six generations of highs and lows – no famished dinosaurs, we promise: