MARK TAKAHASHI: So what we have here is
the all new fully redesigned 2018 Ford Expedition.
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MARK TAKAHASHI: Now, this is their big SUV.
Like the Lincoln Navigator, which
shares a lot of its internals, it's really quite good.
Unlike the Navigator, though, I think I
like the grill and the whole front of this a little bit
better.
It's a little more tapered, it's not quite as imposing and flat.
Under the hood, a 3.5 liter twin turbo V6
that puts out 375 horsepower.
Unless you get this, the Platinum Trim, which has 400,
and that's made into a 10 speed automatic transmission.
So you get a combination of good acceleration
off the line, as well as good fuel economy up high.
Right here, 22 inch wheels.
Normally, we're not a fan of wheels
that big because they tend to stiffen up the ride a bit,
but not so much with this because we have
a decent amount of sidewall.
Further down the line, we have some nice chrome accents
on the mirror caps, as well as this bottom of the greenhouse.
Otherwise, it's fairly plain on the side,
and I'm actually OK with that.
One thing that I do really like, though, power
deployable running boards.
With a car this big, it's pretty much a requirement,
especially if you have smaller passengers.
With a top trim SUV like this, you
would expect it to have a hands-free power
liftgate, as this does.
Now, there's not a whole lot of space
back here, just over 19 cubic feet.
One thing back here that's also cool, once we fold this up,
is this split level cargo organizer.
So you drop these tabs here and here,
and now you have this nice little barrier
so that stuff you have here, whether it's grocery bags
or sports equipment, won't come rolling out
if you're parked on an incline.
It also transforms to a shelf like so,
and this glass window here actually flips up
so you have added access.
The problem is, well, it's a little bit tall.
So taller people would not have so much
of a problem getting into this area, but shorter people
probably not so much.
Also, back here we have power folding seats.
So now you have the flexibility of cargo and passengers.
Another thing that's nice is this negative angle here
at the lip of the cargo area.
So if you have fruits and cans or something rolling around
back here and you're parked on an incline, again,
probably won't go rolling down, you
won't have to chase them going down the street.
There's a lot of elements that remind me of F-150,
and that's not entirely a bad thing.
It's a nice angular, almost utilitarian approach
to an interior.
Materials quality is about what you'd
expect from a nicer version of the F-150.
Storage, we have some decently sized cup holders here,
a slide bin here that has a wireless charging
pad as well as two USB ports.
We have here the SYNC 3 Infotainment
System, which is their latest, greatest,
and I actually quite like it.
Add in standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
and it's one of the easier systems to use for sure.
Audio quality from the BMO System
is really quite good as well.
Maybe not super high end audio file quality, but certainly
enough to get some good bass and some nice clear highs as well.
On the steering wheel, plenty of useful buttons for cruise
control on the left and audio on the right, as well
as some voice command buttons as well.
The instrument cluster has two analog gauges
that are flanking a central color display for all your trip
computer fuel economy as well as a bunch of other information
that come in handy as you're driving and even off roading.
The seats themselves are really well-shaped
and generously padded.
In this top trim we also have ventilation,
and a hot day like today, it really proves its worth.
After, let's say, several hours of driving this,
I can't see a whole lot of fatigue
coming from seat comfort.
It's one of the better seats that you
can get and, in this class, that's saying something.
Under my elbow is a massive bin with a sliding tray
as well that's removable.
You're going to fit a ton of stuff down there.
Here in the second row seat, there's plenty of support,
they do recline somewhat.
That's quite a bit of travel right there.
Mitchell's quality, like the front, is also quite nice.
I do like this kind of organic stitching they have here,
and all of your elbow touch points
are really nicely padded.
In this trim we also have a tri-zone climate control
back here, a house of power outlet,
as well as two more USB ports.
Optionally, they do have some rear entertainment headrests
that will either play DVD or even
stream from mobile devices.
So one good smart feature that they built into this
is when you need to access a third row,
just hit the button here and unlocks it.
And that means that this whole thing slides forward and tilts
forward.
So if you have a child seat in here,
you don't necessarily have to take it out.
Of course, you need to take the kid out,
but that's a pretty decent pass-through
to get to the third row.
And it doesn't take that much effort to push it back,
so maybe a kid could actually do it on their own.
As you'd expect with something this size,
the third row space is quite generous.
I'm 5' 10", and I fit back here just fine.
And, in general, you're not going
to be putting, let's say, adults back here if you don't have to.
In a pinch, it is totally fine, and even for,
let's say, a longer trip, I'd be totally fine back here, too.
Now, look, the materials quality isn't quite as nice
as the first two rows.
This is a pretty hard elbow touch point here
that would get on my nerves after a little while,
but these have a power recline, which is unusual,
as well as another USB port here and on the other side as well.
So you are really well covered.
So from behind the wheel of the Expedition,
I'm not going to say that it drives like a smaller SUV
but it doesn't drive bad at all.
It doesn't feel like it's out of sorts on this
winding mountain road.
The suspension is doing a really good job of soaking up
all the bumps, and you do have the option
for adaptive suspension to stiffen things up or soften
them up as you see fit.
And even right now in the sustained long corner we're in,
there's not a whole lot of body roll.
It's really well-managed.
Now, we are riding quite high.
You'll feel some undulations, especially
with the left to right stuff because you are riding so high,
so it's like being at the end of a whip.
Now, we get to demonstrate its turning circle.
Is it going to need-- no.
Actually, that's a really small turning circle.
So that bodes really well for maneuverability
if you're in a tight parking spot.
And also if you need to do a bunch of U-turns
on residential roads.
So probably a lot fewer three-point
turns than you'd expect.
It's always a good idea to instead of ride
the brakes all the way down is to shift into a lower gear,
let the engine slow you down.
So to do that, you hit the M button here
in a manual mode, downshift, and there you go.
I certainly would prefer to have the buttons on the steering
wheel, either on the wheel itself or a paddle behind it,
but as seldom as most people will use that, it's fine
where they put it.
And we have a rotary selector here for the gears.
It's all right.
I mean, it takes a little getting used to,
but it is better than the push button transmission
that you'll find in some other cars.
As far as road and wind noise, while I'm hearing some of both,
but they're really not that bad.
The stereo is off so if I were to just turn it
up a little bit, it would drown it right out.
There's obviously a lot more noise
coming through than the Navigator,
but this is a good 200 or 300 pounds
lighter than the Navigator, so you're
going to make up those small inconveniences with fuel
economy and driveability.
In terms of visibility, while this A-Pillar is pretty thick,
in a left turn these windows are so wide
and that A-Pillar is positioned at least well far away so
that I'm not having to bob back and forth to see
what's on the other side.
This B-Pillar over my shoulder is pretty thick.
So I'm making a lane change, looking over my shoulder,
I'm not going to see much.
At least the mirrors are wide enough
to give you a better idea.
Combine that with a blind spot monitor,
takes a lot of that guesswork and stress out of it.
And when it comes to towing, the Expedition does it really well.
Just over 9,000 pound towing capacity, I believe.
And, yeah, that's what we like to call best in class.
You do have the reverse trailer assists.
I don't know about you, but for me,
when I'm backing up a trailer into a spot,
I break out into a cold sweat.
That essentially eliminates all the stress out of it
because you're steering with this little dial rather than
the steering wheel.
It uses cameras and a bunch of other sensors
to make sure that you're backing up right into where you want.
It's a smart feature, not particularly new,
but I really love it nonetheless.
So I've spent quite a bit of time
in this, the 2018 Ford Expedition,
and I have to say I quite like it.
There aren't a lot of SUVs that compete
with this at this scale.
The most notable being the Chevy Suburban.
And I would take this over the Suburban pretty much
in an instant.
There are far less things you have to worry about
as far as cargo space.
The Suburban has kind of a three inch lift
that you have to get over, and the ride quality
isn't nearly as nice as this, either.
There are also quite a bit more features
that you can get with the Expedition.
Well, that's obviously a case of this coming out now
versus three years ago when the Suburban did.
But, all in all, I really quite like it.
It drives great, the pricing is pretty reasonable
considering the size of the car, starting around $50,000
for the base model all the way up to about $80,000
for the top trim like this.
Compared to the Lincoln Navigator
on which they share a mutual platform,
there's not a whole lot difference
as far as engine transmission, all that stuff.
But the Lincoln Navigator certainly
has more style and bling.
This is a lot more utilitarian and useful,
but it's also $20,000 less when you're
talking about trim levels from bottom to top.
Now, if you are considering either of them,
honestly, it's going to come down to your budget.
How much bling do you really want?
For more information on the Expedition,
as well as the competition, head over to edmunds.com.
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