Adjustable pedals, a tilt steering wheel, and long seat travel help the Explorer fit a wide variety of body types. Big coat hooks accommodate thick hangers and big loads of dry cleaning, something few manufacturers get right. Nicely designed cubbies with rubber mats provide space for a wallet, sunglasses, a pen, cans, and bottles. A relatively large center console keeps odds and ends in check. The interior door handles seemed a bit awkward at first, but that went away with familiarization. Map pockets on the insides of the doors are handy and swell at the end to hold water bottles, but wouldn't accommodate the one-liter size. The front power outlet was positioned well for a cell phone, but like most, was a reach for a radar detector. The trip computer came in handy, calculating the distance to an empty fuel tank. The optional six-disc in-dash CD player sounds good and is easy to operate, with large, clearly marked controls.

The second row of seats is quite comfortable. Sliding your feet under the front seats increases legroom. Many people prefer the second-row bucket seats available on Eddie Bauer and Limited, which are more comfortable but only accommodate two passengers.

Seatbelts use retractors and pre-tensioners designed to reduce injuries in a hard crash. The second-row center seat has an integrated shoulder belt, a feature not found on all SUVs. All occupants should always wear their seat belts as they are the first line of defense in an accident.

Third-row seating is available. In fact, the decision to add third-row seating drove the design and engineering of the current Explorer. As a result, Ford has done an excellent job of making the third row as roomy as possible, while also making it fold quickly into the floor when it isn't needed. After flipping the second-row seat neatly out of the way, you can climb back into the third row, fold the second-row seat back into position and slide your feet underneath, which provides somewhat tolerable legroom. The third row offers as much headroom as the second row, but legroom and hip room are significantly compromised. It isn't comfortable for an adult. There's little shoulder room, and the seat itself is a bit hard on the outboard edge; it pushes you away from the outboard side toward the center. It'll work okay for small children, but if you need to carry six or seven adults on a regular basis, you may want to consider a bigger SUV, such as the Expedition, or a minivan, such as the Freestar.

The best thing we can say about the Explorer's third row is that it's no worse than the way-back accommodations in GM's stretch-wheelbase Chevrolet TrailBlazer EXT and GMC Envoy XL. Head, hip, and leg room in the Explorer's third row measure 38.9, 45.4, and 34.9 inches, respectively, versus the Envoy XL's 38.5, 45.9, and 31.2. Yet the Explorer rides on a relatively handy 113.7 inch wheelbase, vs. the awkward 129 inches of the extended TrailBlazer and Envoy. It is a tribute to the clever design of Explorer's independent rear suspension that it allows interior space comparable with that of a much longer, live-axle SUV.

There's not much cargo space behind the third row, but it easily folds away. Simply squeeze a lever and lightly push the seat forward. With some practice, it's possible to unlock the rear hatch, open it, and flip the third row out of the way with one hand, important when juggling an armload of groceries. The third-row bench folds neatly into the foot well.

Well, maybe not so neatly. In fact, neither the second- nor the third-row seats fold perfectly flat, so the load surface slopes back toward the rear hatch. A sliding cover bridges the gap between the two folded seats, but you could still lose small items through the cracks, and the platform is not as dog-friendly as we'd like. Five-passenger Explorers (those ordered without the third row) reportedly offer a flatter cargo floor, a bit more cargo capacity, and some useful storage below the floor. Seven-passenger Explorers provide 81.4 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats folded, while five-passenger models offer 87.8.

The Explorer's cargo floor is relatively low, good when loading heavy cargo. Pressing a button on the rear hatch opens the rear glass separately. The lower edge of the rear window is very low, making it easier to lift smaller objects up and through the window, saving time and effort. After raising the rear hatch, a grab handle helps the height-challenged pull the hatch down before closing.

In addition to our XLT test vehicle, we also borrowed a V8-powered Eddie Bauer model for a 2,700-mile cross-country trip. We found its perforated leather seats comfortable through nine-hour driving stints, and its many convenience features pleasant while driving and when stopping.

The Eddie Bauer Explorer comes with the traditional beige steering wheel and pinhole leather seating material. Handsome pecan wood accents lend a luxurious appearance. Light-colored trim on the inside A-pillars and grab handles add to the light, airy atmosphere. It's a successful execution, though the mouse-fur roof liner is nothing to write home about. The leather-trimmed upholstery is attractive. However, we wish Ford would have stitched leather all the way around to the inside edge of the seat bottom instead of using carpet there to save money.

Seat heaters are part of the Eddie Bauer way of life. They keep you warm while the truck is still heating up. But the buttons that control them are mounted in an awkward location, on the sides of seats. Reaching down to the side of the driver's seat, the left hand is confronted with an array of seat adjusters; finding and pressing the seat-heater button is a challenge. When you succeed, however, a small indicator lights up on the climate-control display. Likewise, it isn't always easy to find the seat-height adjuster. Rake is easy to adjust, however, and there's a knob on the up-level seats for cranking in some lumbar support.