When you first look at the Ford Expedition, all you can think is, it’s huge.
The sheet metal used to jazz up what is basically a truck gives the Expedition its super-sized, unmistakable proportions.
Four large doors give easy access.
Running boards are placed so that even full-sized adults can make use of them for access as well as standing on to scrape the morning frost off the windows.
Rear access is available through the full-size rear hatch or by popping the window glass latch.
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Most of the time I opened the well-balanced hatch because I had difficulty reaching in when I just popped the glass open. My wife, who is a bit smaller than me, never opened the glass.
The cargo space doesn’t look like much, but we managed to fit in a two-week supply of groceries without folding down the third row of seats.
If you need extra space, the third row is a 60-40 split unit. In keeping with the luxury theme of an Eddie Bauer Edition, it can be electrically lowered to provide a flat floor for cargo.
If you want to turn this $60,000 luxury pickup with a one piece truck cap into a full cargo monster, you can fold down or remove the second row of seats. This lets you haul pretty much a full kit for a 10 x 10 garden shed in the back, as long as you stick build the trusses.
Cargo capacity is rated for up to 733 kilograms, which includes people, so you can actually load in more stuff than you can legally carry.
Maximum trailer towing capacity is 4,037 kg when properly equipped. Maximum hitch capacity is 400 kg, except for the four by four version, which has a hitch capacity of only 360 kg.
Seven-pin and four-pin wiring harnesses are part of the trailer towing package.
Ride comfort took a huge leap forward this year.
Ford increased chassis rigidity by more than 60 percent, which means fewer squeaks and rattles will appear over time.
The more rigid chassis also means the suspension and mounting bushings can work better at absorbing the imperfections on our rural roads.
Ford also replaced the solid rear axle that trucks have used since the beginning of automotive time with a fully independent rear suspension that uses upper and lower A arms in a short-long arm set up with coil springs and gas shocks.
If that isn’t enough, there is an optional four-corner air suspension to further enhance ride stability and comfort.
I have only two small complaints about the fully appointed leather interior.
One is the seat heater switch. Most heaters have a rocker switch for low and high. The Expedition has a rocker switch that lets you pick between heating and cooling, and a thumb wheel to pick the comfort level. I darn near froze my butt off before I noticed I had pushed the switch the wrong way.
I was also unhappy that the traction control switch was on the centre console down near the cup holders and utility storage bin, rather on the dash. I used the space to store my gloves and toque, and occasionally I would depress the switch and turn the system off. Fortunately, there is a warning symbol on the dash, but I would like to see the switch moved.
I like full-sized trucks, so it is no surprise that I really enjoyed the Expedition.
Ford has made this truck so comfortable and convenient that nearly anyone can drive it in comfort, thanks to features such as adjustable foot pedals, tilt steering and power adjustable front seats.
Visibility is excellent, parking is no worse than the average pickup and road manners on and off pavement are excellent.
I was particularly impressed with the improved handling on grid roads with loose gravel and washboard sections.
For safety, front dual-stage air bags, side curtain air bags and a sustained rollover protection system are all standard.
Vehicle stability systems such as traction control, stability control and ABS brakes are standard.
Tire pressure monitoring systems, along with a low pressure warning system, are standard.
Bumper height has been lowered to be compatible with car bumper systems, providing increased safety for other car drivers and fewer worries about going over guard rails or other highway safety equipment.
Side impact beams have been moved, so that if you get pegged by a car or truck, you have the same protection against intrusion.
Only fuel economy hasn’t been addressed the way ecologists would like. They say 20 miles per gallon is terrible and that 12 miles per gallon in town is even worse.
Maybe it’s because I like the Expedition, but I look at things a bit differently. My old crew cab got 12 miles per gallon on the highway, and 15 on a good day. It had air and a lumpy seat. That long wheel base made it a monster in town and it was two-wheel drive to boot.
So now I have a new truck that seats up to nine instead of six, has heated seats, four-wheel drive, although two-wheel drive is available, gets slightly better fuel economy and to top it off, the cargo area is heated.
Except for the purchase price, it sounds like I win, the ecologists win, although maybe not as much as they want, and an old truck goes to the bone yard.
Make up your own mind about what you need, and if you decide on a full-sized sport utility vehicle, which is a truck by any other name, make sure the Expedition is on the test list.
Charles Renny is a freelance automotive columnist and a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada. The opinions expressed in this column are the personal views of the writer.
