I'm doing another road trip! AMA?

"Mercedes Streeter" (smart) 11/22/2016 at 15:31 • Filed to: Ford Expedition

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At around 5pm today, my parents and I will be leaving to visit family in Georgia for a week...a measly 14 hour trip. Since it’s just 14 hours, I’m going to make it a time to beat instead. We’re taking the Expedition EL...thankfully without the trailer as towing that mother is a drag on my energy when it’s windy.

Since California was uh, a learned lesson...mum will be my co-driver in case I get tired.

I will be doing a full review on the EL when we get there. So far I’ve only driven it to tow that trailer various places and states, so this will be my first time getting any significant wheel time without it being loaded down.

So far, my initial observations?

- The 5.4 V8 sounds glorious...5.4 L of AMERICAN FREEDOM!

- Oh dear god, it only gets 5 mpg while towing. That’s not much better (if better at all) than the Excursions it was meant to replace! Looking at Ford forums, apparently they do that bad on fuel no matter what you’re towing.

- Rust, rust is beginning to appear everywhere at an alarming rate. The tailgate is being consumed at record pace. Now I will give it a slight pass because it’s a 5 year old SUV with 100k on it...but Tucker has 120k, is just as old, and not even a sign of rust...sooo yeah...

- Acceleration is absurd for a vehicle this size, I LOVE it.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Mercedes Streeter 11/22/2016 at 15:34

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Yeah towing kills your mileage. Towing a trailer about that size with a Nissan Titan got a group of us about 7 MPG. Also, going through Birmingham?

TysMagic > Mercedes Streeter 11/22/2016 at 15:36

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IT HAS RUST ALREADY?! That seems incredible. Was it from somewhere with bad winters?
(that being said I know some of the new explorers have paint defects around the front of the hood resulting in rust bubbles)

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Mercedes Streeter 11/22/2016 at 15:40

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>not towing the trailer with the Smart

wimp

gmctavish needs more space > Mercedes Streeter 11/22/2016 at 15:41

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Seriously it’s already rusting? That would be expected on an older Mazda, but that seems insane on this

Mercedes Streeter > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 11/22/2016 at 15:48

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Seems legit

Mercedes Streeter > TysMagic 11/22/2016 at 15:51

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They bought it used, so I just want to assume it’s somehow never been to a car wash? The salt would definitely get it to rust, most Expeditions in my area have rust, regardless of generation...save for of course, really new ones and liveries.

Mercedes Streeter > gmctavish needs more space 11/22/2016 at 15:54

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Explorers and Expeditions rust like crazy here in Illinois, pretty much just as bad as MB Sprinters do. Just, idk why really.

Mercedes Streeter > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 11/22/2016 at 15:55

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TIL: A Nissan Titan has very respectable towing numbers. :O

And unfortunately no, looks like our route completely misses AL by a hair. :(

gmctavish needs more space > Mercedes Streeter 11/22/2016 at 15:56

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Oh god Sprinters rust so bad. They’re the only new or near-new vehicles I see in Vancouver that visibly rust

Saracen > Mercedes Streeter 11/22/2016 at 15:58

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That is why towing = diesel.

Also, that’s a shocking amount of rust. My ‘99 F250 is practically rust free. Though maybe I’m lucky.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Mercedes Streeter 11/22/2016 at 16:00

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It was a first generation but trailer was over 5000 pounds.

TysMagic > Mercedes Streeter 11/22/2016 at 16:07

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additional unrelated question, would you come to Nashville for an oppo meet?

Mercedes Streeter > gmctavish needs more space 11/22/2016 at 16:19

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I honestly can’t wait until MB finally ditches that platform of Sprinter...it was engineered waaaaaaaay back deep into the DaimlerChrysler days, and it just isn’t aging well as a platform.

Obviously, MB has their rust protection sorted out now, all of their post-DaimlerChrysler generational updates are pretty bulletproof, but the Sprinter is one of the last holdouts of a time when MB had awful quality control.

Mercedes Streeter > TysMagic 11/22/2016 at 16:20

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When? :D It can’t be during this trip, I won’t really have free reign of the Expedition to drive.

Mercedes Streeter > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 11/22/2016 at 16:23

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Our Adirondack (I hate RV names) weighs in at like 7.5 thousand pounds, it’s the very reason they went on got something with a 9 thousand pound tow capacity.

I love towing with the Expedition. Sure, it’s a fuel hog, but other than the obvious physics behind tongue weight, you can’t even tell you’re hauling a huge trailer.

That is, until it gets windy...even with an anti-sway friction bar on the hitch, that trailer gets wicked squirrely in a decent crosswind.

Mercedes Streeter > Saracen 11/22/2016 at 16:27

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Most F250s in my area have rust in the wells of the bed, like this:

And some have progressed much worse and look absolutely similar to this Bronco:

EL_ULY > Mercedes Streeter 11/22/2016 at 16:27

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Expedition EL......

......

.......

.......

....

....ULY :] lolololol

Saracen > Mercedes Streeter 11/22/2016 at 16:28

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It’s probably because my truck has resided on the west coast for its entire life.

Mercedes Streeter > EL_ULY 11/22/2016 at 16:28

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Don’t make me name it after you. :P My mum would have no idea why or even what the name means. xD

EL_ULY > Mercedes Streeter 11/22/2016 at 16:30

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We’ll trade, you name the Expo after me and i’ll name my grandpa’s new to her Smart ForTwo (which i have to take care of lol) after my buddy Miss Mercedes :]

gmctavish needs more space > Mercedes Streeter 11/22/2016 at 17:16

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Oh that’s right, that’s very true. I forgot they’re that old, I hardly ever see the really early ones around here

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Mercedes Streeter 11/22/2016 at 17:35

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I’ve never towed an enclosed trailer with the 4runner and definitely am scared to. the thing gets shoved all over the place by even the slightest crosswind. can’t imagine how it would be with a trailer.

TysMagic > Mercedes Streeter 11/22/2016 at 17:55

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Spring time! So plenty of time to plan a smart trip

AfromanGTO > Mercedes Streeter 11/22/2016 at 17:59

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Just remember the ecoboost gets just as horrible fuel economy in the Expedition EL........

shop-teacher > Mercedes Streeter 11/22/2016 at 19:58

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Don’t give the rust a pass. It’s five years old, and this isn’t 1978.

shop-teacher > gmctavish needs more space 11/22/2016 at 20:00

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That’s because they’ve all dissolved by now.

Vicente Esteve > Mercedes Streeter 11/23/2016 at 09:01

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My mother has an Expedition EL Eddie Bower and it does sound unbelievable. Acceleration is not what I’d call brisk, but that is why I floor it everywhere which turns into aural pleasure all the time.

We don’t live anywhere near snow but we do go to the beach often. It is rusting just the tinniest bit in the tailgate. Best full size SUV we have ever had.

V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > Mercedes Streeter 12/30/2016 at 10:26

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Rust on any new vehicle is unacceptable in my book. My 20 year old LS400 has been driven in winters its entire life and it doesn’t have a bit of rust on it anywhere. Same story with my 12 year old S class.