Since recently stepping into my role as the Brand Marketing Manager for the Ford Explorer®, I’ve had a front-row seat to something truly special.
For the past several years, the Explorer ST has been a cheat code for drivers who refuse to compromise. It rewrote the rules of the family hauler, proving three rows of seats could still be performance tuned.
The ST badge became a pride-point for a community of enthusiasts who don’t just drive their SUVs. Rather, they live in them and treat them as an extension of their identity.
Ford is rewarding that passion by taking the ST badge and paying homage to the aftermarket community who’ve made it their own.
Today, we’re providing a first look at the new Explorer ST Sinister package — a factory-original, bold, high-performance salute to the ST community.
The optional Sinister package rolls out with a blacked-out, aggressive appearance featuring dark-accented ST badging, amber glowing running lights, and massive 21-inch gloss-black wheels — all delivering that Sinister aesthetic.
Beyond the styling, this machine is built to move. With a sport-tuned suspension and twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6 delivering 3851 horsepower, the Explorer ST provides sports-car acceleration and handling in a family-sized package.
Ford ST Experience Returns
And to ensure customers get the full capability of their new ST, we’re excited to announce the return of the Explorer ST Experience.
The purchase of a new 2026 or 2027 Explorer ST includes an exclusive invitation to a one-day professional driving school.
Launching in the fall of 2026, this tour is traveling across the country to teach you how to harness the power of the ST exactly the way the engineers intended.
As proud as we are of the engineering behind ST, the true magic of the brand is the everyday customers who treat it as a starting point for their own unique after-market creativity.
One of those customers is Tyler Clark — an ST enthusiast whose personal journey with the Explorer ST represents the very heartbeat of the community that inspired us. Here's what he had to say about it.
Fueling the Obsession: A Love Letter to the ST Community
For me, the Explorer has always felt close to home.
Long before I became a recognizable voice in the Explorer ST community, I grew up around the nameplate.
My grandfather worked for Ford, and Explorers were simply a part of life.
I don’t know what it is about my family, but I’ve been riding in Explorers since childhood. My parents, grandparents — somebody always had one.
The connection deepened when I got an Explorer of my own. When my wife and I were expecting a baby in 2020, I realized my Mustang GT wasn’t the most practical car, but I couldn’t see myself in a “dad wagon” either.
The Explorer ST model piqued my interest, and it ended up being the perfect fit for our growing family.
What started as a childhood memory and a practical need quickly turned into hands-on creativity. Early on, I saw videos of people tinkering with their ST models and was inspired to start doing my own mods.2
If my grandpa could ride in my Explorer now, he’d lose his mind. He’d never imagined what these vehicles could become.
The team in Dearborn looked at what we owners were doing in the real world — gloss-black wheels, blacked-out trim, dark accents, and those subtle details that make the Explorer ST feel personal — and saw a clear opportunity to bring that attitude straight to the factory.
The result is Sinister: a package that feels like it came right out of our enthusiast community and onto the assembly line.
For me, that connection is incredibly meaningful. As a digital creator and community voice, I’ve spent years sharing my Explorer and hearing from owners who say my content inspired their own builds.
Knowing those conversations helped influence a factory package in Dearborn is proof that our community is truly part of the process.
The Explorer ST Sinister package is more than just a styling package. It is a reflection of a community that pushed the platform forward, and of a team at Ford who listened closely and turned our passion into something real.
Tyler Clark is a Ford Ambassador and certified ST enthusiast who’s owned and modified2an Explorer ST for many years.
Travis Pearce is the Brand Marketing Manager for the Ford Explorer.
What to Read Next
1 Horsepower and torque ratings based on premium fuel per SAE J1349® standard. Your results may vary.
2 Mention of modified vehicles is not intended to endorse, nor does it constitute an endorsement of the vehicle modifier, vehicle modifications, or use of the vehicle by Ford Motor Company. Ford Motor Company has made no assessments regarding the effects these modifications may have on regulatory compliance of the vehicle to federal, state, or local legal requirements. Ford Motor Company has not evaluated or tested the vehicle as modified.
