The Ford Explorer is a large SUV. Ordinarily that’s good news for mounting a device. The good spots aren’t all available in this vehicle but fortunately, we found some good spots. Let’s take a look at what we got.
Mount Analysis
Our typical location for mounting a phone or GPS is the windshield. Not much of an issue here. We also have been liking the air vent. There’s a few challenges but still a good location. The cup holders are one of the few spots to mount a tablet and the Ford Explorer has a few deep ones set in a good location for a small or midsize tablet.
Can’t access the seat bolts as it’s covered with plastic. No go on a CD player mount as they eliminated them in this vehicle. Using the dash is not recommended as the extended console display in the middle partially obstruct this area.
Now let’s recommend a few specific mounts for a Ford Explorer.
Windshield and Vent Mounts for the Ford Explorer
The iOttie Easy One Touch 5 Car Phone Mount provides an extendable rigid base combined with an expandable cradle. Unlike many similar mounts, the iOttie Easy One Touch 5 has an 8-inch extension feature. This extension is a welcome feature in the big Ford Explorer interior. The included cradle expands to by pressing the buttons on each side. The mount swivels 225 degrees.
The Ford Explorer vents are fairly standard and have horizontal slats which makes mounting a phone or GPS very easy. One of our favorites is the Andobil Air Vent Mount. This mount can be used to hold most phone models with or without a case. The ball and socket design facilitates a 360 degree rotation. The included cradle opens to accommodate phones from four to seven inches. The mount uses a unique locking clip to securely attach to horizontal and vertical vents.
Apple iPhone owners can consider the Andobil MagSafe Air Vent Mount which is the same mount but with a magnetic adapter that pairs perfectly.
We recommend using this on the vent to the left of the display.
We did a review of the Andobil car air vent mount which is worth a read if you need more info.
Other Mount Locations on the Ford Explorer
A car seat bolt mount will not work on a Ford Explorer. The seat bolt is completely covered with plastic. While you can use the option to bolt it directly to the floor board, most are not going to want to drill holes into their vehicle’s floor, so we will avoid these.
The Ford Explorer has a pair of cup holders in the middle. This is probably the best spot to mount a small to midsize tablet. The cup holder is a good location for using apps that aren’t interacted with while driving so don’t plan to use it with a GPS app.
Consider the APPS2CAR Cup Holder Mount for Tablets and Phones. This mount includes two different cradles. One for a phone and another for a tablet. The mount is adjustable and solidly made to easily handle the weight of your tablet. You will see a lot of mounts on the market for tablets or cell phones. This is the only car mount kit known of that offers two different cradles, one for the phone, the other for the tablet. The tablet cradle will hold devices up to 11 inches. To reiterate, this is good for apps that don’t need to be referenced while driving. Not good for a GPS app for example.
In Closing
So in summary, the For Explorer supports several good spots for a phone or GPS. We like the windshield and air vent the best. For a tablet, the cup holder is a good spot. The seat bolt and CD Player aren’t available. While the windshield can be used, we don’t like it because of the extended middle console display.