A new longer “EL” Expedition

For 2007, Ford has refreshed the front fascia on the second-generation Expedition and  added a new six-speed automatic transmission. With its new Extended Length (EL) model, the Expedition, which was originally launched in 2003, can finally compete bumper-to-bumper with the Chevrolet Suburban and GMC Yukon XL. At this trim level, the overall length is extended by 15 inches, and 12 inches are added on to the wheelbase.

The enhanced Expedition fills a void left by the discontinued Excursion that was manufactured by Ford from 2000-2005.  The Excursion never really caught on and was out-sold by Suburban at a rate of 6-to-1. Despite being a self-described “truck company,” Ford never directly competed in the “Suburban” market until now.

I recently spent a week driving both a fully loaded Eddie Bauer Expedition and the new Limited EL.  Both are massive vehicles and definitely made for those who have to carry up to eight people with luggage and gear, or tow a trailer, camper or boat — up to 9000 pounds.

While the sales of full-sized truck-based SUVs are down and rapidly giving way to crossover (car-based) SUVs, they still remain popular as kid-haulers for back and forth trips to school and running errands to the grocery store. 

For 2007, Ford is offering the Expedition in a choice of four trim levels, each with either rear-wheel or four-wheel drive.  The entry-level XLT ($29,995) replaces the XLS  and has a base price that is $5,485 less than the 2006 model.  The Eddie Bauer and Limited model Expeditions are $3,200 and $3,500 less expensive than their 2006 counterparts, respectively.  The top of the line Limited EL 4X4 has a base price of $43,395; my well-equipped tester stickered at $51,035.

The same 300-horsepower, 5.4-liter V-8 linked to a new six-speed automatic transmission powers all Expeditions.  Despite the vehicle’s size and weight, the engine easily and smoothly handled all of my driving needs.  I did not, however, tow anything with either vehicle. 

Both Expeditions are exceptionally easy to drive, handle and park.  Perhaps that explains, to some extent, their popularity.  Highway driving is sedan quiet and I especially enjoyed the longer-EL wheelbase’s smooth ride. 
Conversely, fuel economy remains dismal with an overall 13.8 miles per gallon in combination city/highway driving.  

Inside, the Expedition can seat up to nine occupants across three rows of seats.  Unlike GM’s Tahoe, Yukon and Escalade, full-size SUVs which have a solid rear axle, Expedition uses a more advanced independent rear suspension that permits the third-row set of seats to fold flat into the floor and provides more leg and knee room for occupants.  Power-folding seats for the third row are optional, as is a power tailgate.

Second-row seats are split 40/20/40. The center section can slide forward up to 11 inches to provide passengers in the front bucket seats access to a child in a safety seat.  I first saw this feature on the Volvo XC 90 SUV and thought it was great.  Individual captain’s chairs are a second-row option.  Seating position is high and provides a commanding 360°  view of your surroundings through oversized windows.  However, third-row headrests are unusually large and block rearward visibility when the seats are in the upright position. 

I thought the dash looked dated with low-grade hard plastic textures and materials.  The metallic-looking trim seemed out of place and the faux-wood trim is not at all convincing.  There was too much hard plastic on the dash and door panels.  In fact, there isn’t one soft-touch surface on the entire area.

My Eddie Bauer featured two-tone black and cream leather seats, a look I found far from designer-quality in appearance, and touch, fit and finish are well behind the competition.  I much prefer the interior treatment on the newly restyled Chevy Tahoe.

Other things that disappointed me were rear windows that don’t go all the way down and a tilt-only steering wheel.  Telescoping should be required on a vehicle at this class level.

All major safety features come standard on every Expedition, including stability control and Ford’s Roll Stability control to help mitigate rollover accidents.  Front, side and side-curtain airbags are standard.  The Expedition earned the highest five-star frontal-impact crash-test rating from the NHTSA.  SUVS are not side-impact crash tested.

Expedition slugs it out with formidable competition in the full-size truck-based SUV category, with vehicles like the Nissan Armada, Toyota Sequoia, Chevy Tahoe, GMC Yukon, Audi Q7, Mercedes-Benz GL450 and Dodge Durango.  With high gasoline prices fueling the competition, the Expediton’s biggest challengers seems to be the increasingly popular car-based crossover SUVs.