Buying an SUV you also buy into the idea of a more outdoorsy style and Ford is promoting that idea with the new dealer-fit accessories it’s showing at the 2019 Chicago auto show. The move also aims to hint at the vehicle’s off-road capability and encourage future owners to use their Explorer to... do more exploring.

Craig Patterson, Ford SUV brand manager explained that “Explorer drivers are doers, they’re adventure-seekers. The availability of Yakima accessories in our Ford showrooms is one more way we can help people own the Explorer that best fits their adventure.”

In order to be able to offer these extras, Ford has partnered with Yakima, a Washington-based company that calls itself “the world’s leading brand of car racks.”

There’s also a single-key system which essentially allows the driver to unlock several pieces of equipment with just one key. It sounds like it’s especially useful if you opt both for a roof-mounted carrier and a hitch mounted one, plus additional accessories that require locking, and you don’t want to carry a separate key for each one.

Next up to get them will be the F-150 and Super Duty trucks, but Ford did not say when exactly, but for all these pieces of equipment it does offer separate finance options - their cost is not factored into the car’s total cost and they can be paid for separately in monthly installments.

Further reading

2020 Ford Explorer ST has 400 HP, wants to be taken seriously as a performance SUV

Read our full review on the 2020 Ford Explorer.

Read our full review on the 2016 Ford Explorer.