Ford Expedition: A car for those who think big
Long ago, in some faraway English class, we were taught to distinguish among big, bigger, and biggest as comparative adjectives.
Another lesson dealt with using good, better, and best as comparatives and superlatives.
Today’s test car, the 2016 Ford Expedition 4×4, may not be the biggest family vehicle on the road, but it’s up there. And it definitely is bigger, and better, than most at what it does.
Size, of course, is relative. When you see an Expedition on the highway, it may not look all THAT big. A few years ago, I felt the same way about a Toyota Tacoma pickup. It didn’t look too big on a dealer’s lot, but things changed when I took it home.
Normally, we have enough space to fit three vehicles side-by-side in our home parking spots. A pickup truck takes up more than its share … and so does a large or XL-size SUV such as the Expedition.
It makes things snug.
Of course, Ford once made an even bigger SUV, the Excursion. Its run ended about 10 years ago, but it was almost 2 feet longer than the Expedition (20 inches), and it had an 18-inch longer wheelbase.
These vehicles are suited to a niche market. They are made for those who need to tow and/or carry up to eight passengers with room left over for cargo.
The Expedition is a throwback to the original SUVs, remaining a body-on-frame, truck-based SUV when most manufacturers are switching to car-based crossovers. As such, it fits in a group with the aging Toyota Sequoia and GM’s Tahoe-Suburban-Yukon family.
These vehicles make great family haulers. Over the years, we’ve owned a Suburban and a pair of Ford Econoline passenger vans.
On the day before the great Blizzard of 1978 (the storm struck late afternoon and overnight), my dad and I spent hours negotiating the purchase of a Chevy Suburban.
At the time, new auto emissions regulations were strangling cars.
We decided that a Suburban, with a 350 ci. V-8 and no real emission controls, would run a whole lot better that our wagon at the time. It did, and we drove it for more than 100,000 miles, a run that ended soon after Mrs. G snagged a VW (belonging to a Melrose police officer) in the downtown parking lot and dragged it for a bit.
For empty-nesters, such a big vehicle is no longer needed. For a vibrant family that heads out on weekends or tows a boat or trailer, it’s ideal.
And it’s still fun for the rest of us to drive for a while.
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Take a closer look at the 2016 Ford Expedition King Ranch Edition
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I drove the Expedition home from Worcester late on a rainy night on Rte. 495. It was a reassuring vehicle. You sit up high, the headlights do a great job of illuminating the road, and the vehicle is pretty stable—until the 40 mph wind gusts shook it a little.
Big is a good thing when you need the interior space but a bad thing when you want to park downtown. I’m usually a confident parallel parker, but a lot of potential spaces were just too small.
But when you are on the road, the Expedition is plenty powerful. Ford’s 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 engine generates 365 horsepower and 420 lb.-ft. of torque (the real pulling force).
Gas mileage is what you’d expect. EPA numbers are 15 mpg in city, 20 on the highway, and 17 overall for an all-wheel-drive version like the King Ranch model we drove.
We averaged 18.6 mpg for the week. There’s a caveat with that. We made several highway trips, on which I was happy to poke along at an economical pace, letting the world blast past us. The good news is that this car runs on regular gas and there’s a 28-gallon fuel tank. That’s a livable fill-up at $2 per gallon, not so easy at $3.50 a gallon.
For a body-on-frame vehicle, the Expedition handled well with four-wheel-drive available at the turn of a dashboard button.
The second-row seats had both sliding and reclining features. They also flipped forward to fold flat for expanded cargo-carrying.
That made access easy for the third-row seats. There’s room for adults back there, but it’s still easier for children to scramble in back, which also enables them to keep their distance from mom and dad.
Expeditions come in four trim levels, XLT (wasn’t that the top level ‘back in the day?’), Limited, King Ranch, and Platinum.
Our King Ranch edition was well equipped, which should be no surprise at a starting price of $61,105 (including destination). It had a bottom line of $62,380.
The main options were power deploying running boards that extended from the rocker panels when you opened the doors ($995) and load-leveling suspension ($220).
A rear camera (with center line display for backing up) is a standard item.
Our test vehicle had Ford’s new Sync3 infotainment system, a significant improvement over its predecessors.
The running boards are a mixed blessing. You need to step carefully. Miss the step and, at best, you can dirty-up your clothes or wrench an ankle. However, used judiciously, they’re a big help.
The King Ranch edition is much like the top-level Platinum except for its Western-themed badging and “branded’’ leather interior.
Should the Expedition not be quite big enough for your needs, there is an extended-length version available that adds another 15 inches.
The text car is not a vehicle I need in my life, but it was a welcome guest for a week.
And it’s easy to see how it would be a perfect fit for many families.
2016 Ford Expedition King Ranch Edition
THE BASICS
Price, base/as tested (with destination): $61,105/$62,380. Fuel economy, EPA estimated: 15 city/20 highway (estimated). Fuel economy, Globe observed: 18.6. Drivetrain: 3.5-liter turbocharged V-6, 6-speed automatic transmission, 4-wheel-drive. Body: 8 passenger SUV with a steel body, fully boxed frame.
THE SPECIFICS
Horsepower: 365. Torque: 420 lb.-ft. Overall length: 206 in. Wheelbase: 119 in. Height: 77.2 in. Width: 91.8 in. (w/mirrors). Curb weight: 5,789 lbs.
THE GOOD
Strong EcoBoost engine. Size, the spacious interior with flexible seating options.
THE BAD
Also size. It’s big and you need to be careful maneuvering, especially while parking.
THE BOTTOM LINE
A capable family hauler with ample towing capacity.
ALSO CONSIDER
Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe, GMC’s Yukon, Toyota Sequoia.
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