On an Expedition [Update]

"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck) 08/04/2017 at 10:49 • Filed to: None

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[Update]: After 300+ miles of mostly highway driving, I have a few thoughts about this boat. I reset the trip odometer on the way out, so for the first leg of our journey, it averaged 21.5 mpg. Not bad for something so big! We did a little city driving and then returned home. I admit to having a heavy foot and this thing accelerates much harder than it should for something so big. It was hilariously fun to romp the gas and hear all six passengers gasp in response. :) The downside to all that fun was the effect on fuel economy. I thought another 150 miles of highway driving would make up for my transgressions, but in the end, the damage was done. We wrapped up the day at 19.1 mpg.

Driving the Expedition is like driving a very large beer can with wheels. While the road noise isn’t too bad, my wife’s Explorer is noticeably quieter. As the driver, I couldn’t hear the conversation in the third row even though the radio was off. We ended up playing a game of telephone with the people in the middle row relaying the conversation back and forth. That got old really quick and led to two ongoing discussions, one in the front, one in the back, and the middle row passengers were constantly confused.

Being so big and square, the Expedition is really affected by wind. Just about everything on the road displaced enough air to push us around. We would pass a car, sway a little in the breeze, then the Expedition would settle back into place. It felt like it was an old truck with just a little play in the suspension and steering. In comparison, the Explorer feels much more planted. Even the big box van I rented from U-Haul felt more solid than the Expedition.

I didn’t have much time to fiddle with the electronics, but I have to say again that I really liked having physical buttons. The layout looked neat, but I think the focus was more on looks than functionality. The steering wheel buttons were poorly placed and fairly useless. Reaching them required moving my hands to the bottom of the steering wheel and feeling around with my thumbs. Not optimal.

The driver’s seat was comfortable, but the cloth was cheap. I think they did well with their seat control choices - manual where they could, but electric where it would provide the most benefit, namely the seat height and fore/aft position. The seat back tilt and the lumbar support were easy to use and provided enough fine control to make adjustments easy.

Parking was easy enough, but going into the garage was a bit scary. I felt like my head was going to scrape the beams even though it cleared the headknocker at the entrance. The Expedition felt, dare I say, nimble, even in the narrow confines of the garage.

This is one beast I would not buy over the Explorer unless I needed the extra 1,600 lbs towing capacity or needed the extra 3 inches of third-row legroom.

[Update over]

Well, in one. This is my rental for the day. We have a two hour drive with 7 people on board. After a few hours of torture (public meeting), we have to turn around and do it again. At night. Wish me luck!

Man, this thing is big!

The steering wheel controls are awkward. Having the wipers, blinkers, and high beams on one stalk sucks.

Real buttons are awesome!

Deal Killer - Powered by Focus > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/04/2017 at 11:00

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Wow, modern conveniences! I leave today on a road trip to D.C. with the wife & kids in this..

It drives like OK, but it is a gas hog of the first degree. I’m wondering if it will get over 20mpg on the highway. I doubt it.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Deal Killer - Powered by Focus 08/04/2017 at 11:04

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Sounds like fun! Have a great trip!

AfromanGTO > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/04/2017 at 11:12

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I’m surprised you got 21mpg. I only averaged 15 or 16 when I rented one....

j250ex > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/04/2017 at 11:13

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What really surprised me was how hard the ecoboost pulls. I was used to driving a expedition with the 5.4 and then tried the 3.5 ecoboost. Night and day difference. The expedition is way faster than it has any right to be.

Dark chocolate > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/04/2017 at 11:23

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We own the 2014 Navigator L with the V8. I got a stellar deal on that with 18k off -because this happened in 2015 and the lat was saturated with the 15s and two the end of the month.

Any-who, I have had multiple 200-400 mile trips in the navigator L and I have NEVER average more than 16.5.

In city we usually get 11.5-12.5.

Wind noise - yes - the Navigator is loud. We have to make extra effort to talk to my son in the third row.

But the damm thing is roomy.

Three kids in their car seats and one twin stroller plus the occasional grand parents. We, the entire family, once, actually had dinner in our Navigator.

DAWRX - The Herb Strikes Back > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/04/2017 at 11:37

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I sat in one of these with leather seats and wasn’t impressed, they were cheap feeling and uncomfortable. So it’s not just the cloth seats.

Actually after I got my wisdom teeth removed we passed an expedition and I made great pains at great length to make sure everyone in the car knew how bad I thought the seats were.

TheRealBicycleBuck > AfromanGTO 08/04/2017 at 11:44

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The trip was 150 miles of freeway, ~10 miles of city, followed by another 150 miles of freeway. That may have had something to do with it.

TheRealBicycleBuck > j250ex 08/04/2017 at 11:45

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No kidding. The acceleration was addictive. :)

TheRealBicycleBuck > Dark chocolate 08/04/2017 at 11:55

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Oh what a difference the Ecoboost makes!

My wife has an Explorer. There’s no doubt the Expedition looks bigger. I parked it behind the Explorer just so I could see. The driver’s space feels more cramped, but I attribute that to the grab handle on the a-pillar. I didn’t sit in the second row or third rows to compare, but the rear cargo space felt about the same with the third row in use.

TheRealBicycleBuck > DAWRX - The Herb Strikes Back 08/04/2017 at 11:57

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My wife’s Explorer has factory leather and I wasn’t that impressed with it either. The Expedition’s cloth seats were squishy enough and supportive enough, but there was a lot of room for improvement in the cloth.

Deal Killer - Powered by Focus > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/04/2017 at 12:05

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I hope to, we’re doing 4-5 hours today, then getting to D.C. early tomorrow. The only downside at the moment is I think Aunt Flow is coming along for the ride, which will make my wife a might cranky. I’m just grabbing some coffee and driving with my tunes on.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Deal Killer - Powered by Focus 08/04/2017 at 12:19

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Oh, man. We didn’t need to know that.

Stock up on Midol.