The Android Automotive-based system debuted on the Lincoln Nautilus and now has made it to the first Ford vehicle.
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Ford’s new Android-powered infotainment system is finally coming to a Ford-branded vehicle. The automaker’s so-called Digital Experience, which 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 the Digital Experience’s 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 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 looks like the new Explorer lacks physical climate control buttons. That tracks with Ford’s newly redesigned Maverick truck, which also moved its HVAC controls to the touchscreen. The Maverick, however, still runs on Ford’s older QNX-powered Sync 4 software.
The Explorer’s 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, Ford is not planning to phase out its internal Sync operating system, which runs on similarly sized screens across many of Ford’s vehicles.
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 — and will need a Digital Experience that looks different than the one we see today.
