Test Drive...?

[Mike Wolfe]

Abs

Absolute pressure is just a better way of measuring boost pressure, Psig can also be used. I think what you meant to say was that turbos are more efficient therefore are less affected by the lack of oxygen at higher altitudes.

Absolute pressure measurement is not the same as psi. Mechanical Gauges measure in psi but are effected by lower atmospheric pressure on the exterior of the bourbon tube. So even though the air density is lower at high altitudes, the turbo's will still produce the same absolute pressure at high altitudes as sea level. Therefore the turbo engines will produce the same power at 14000ft as at sea level whereas the n/A & supercharged engines will lose power.

 

[JExpedition07]

Abs

Absolute pressure measurement is not the same as psi. Mechanical Gauges measure in psi but are effected by lower atmospheric pressure on the exterior of the bourbon tube. So even though the air density is lower at high altitudes, the turbo's will still produce the same absolute pressure at high altitudes as sea level. Therefore the turbo engines will produce the same power at 14000ft as at sea level whereas the n/A & supercharged engines will lose power.

Still won’t change the fact there are two cylinders less and less than 4 liters of displacement. Anyone can have a turbocharger added to their bigger N/A engine and it will always produce more power. Many people who live at elevation have these modifications done and some have been well documented online. More cubic inches is more cubic inches. If you add forced induction to a bigger motor it always will be capable of more power than a smaller engine. More displacement means more potential to compress atmosphere and fuel always. You can’t escape physics. I don’t live at a higher elevation so power loss is not on my list of concerns, but if it was you are absolutely correct a turbocharged engine is much less effected by elevation so I’d probably have the modifications done to my V8 or buy a stock turbo engine such as a ecoboost.

 

[J_82]

Abs

Absolute pressure measurement is not the same as psi. Mechanical Gauges measure in psi but are effected by lower atmospheric pressure on the exterior of the bourbon tube. So even though the air density is lower at high altitudes, the turbo's will still produce the same absolute pressure at high altitudes as sea level. Therefore the turbo engines will produce the same power at 14000ft as at sea level whereas the n/A & supercharged engines will lose power.

Right, psig and absolute are not the same. I said absolute reading is better for measuring pressure but psig can be also be used.
I am saying it’s just a method of reading pressure it has nothing to do with how efficient an engine is. In other words you can use absolute pressure reading on a supercharged engine or a NA engine and it will not make a difference in how efficient the engine is where ever you may be.

 

[J_82]

Abs

Absolute pressure measurement is not the same as psi. Mechanical Gauges measure in psi but are effected by lower atmospheric pressure on the exterior of the bourbon tube. So even though the air density is lower at high altitudes, the turbo's will still produce the same absolute pressure at high altitudes as sea level. Therefore the turbo engines will produce the same power at 14000ft as at sea level whereas the n/A & supercharged engines will lose power.

Did you mean bourdon tube not bourbon?

 

[Joshua DeHaan]

So I joined because we own an '04 XLT and just ordered an '18 Platinum Max last week after a test drive. I was able to test drive a Ruby Red Platinum Max with captain's chairs and it's definitely a massive upgrade over both our old Expy and my lifted '12 4Runner. We really liked the CCD soaking up the bumps as well as the overall quietness in the cabin on the road and comfy seats.

We ended up ordering a Max vs a regular because compared to our old expy the rear lift gate opening is 4" smaller than the '04, which combined with the more sloping roof doesn't allow us to put a very large dog crate into the new expy without taking it apart as well as the fact our '04 expy is the 4.6L V8 and can't really tow our 5000lb+ travel trailer in the mountains.. We plan to build the crate in place since our dogs go everywhere with us and don't really move the crates in and out. It'll be the primary road trip vehicle/towing vehicle for our RV/travel trailer (it's just her and I and the two dogs). I didn't take as much time as I would have liked to fiddle with the tech from an adaptive cruise control and park assist perspective but SYNC 3 is very easy to manage. We checked out a bench seat in a loaded XLT and liked the softness of the captain's chairs in the platinum (our parents are in their late 60s/early 70s and visit often) as well as the ease of access to the 3rd row in times when we have our friends that have kids in town. The acceleration of the 3.5L EcoBoost is phenomenal, especially in comparison to the 4.6L V8 and 4.0 V6 in the 4Runner, I'm really looking forward to towing with it.

The one thing I noticed and could be a turn off (but I didn't override it) is the auto start stop. I actually didn't notice the auto start stop until we were at a light and realized we were in the wrong lane and when to turn the wheel to change lanes without rolling forward and the steering wheel wouldn't budge because the engine stopped and the power steering pump had no power. As soon as I lifted off the brake it fired right up and I was able to switch lanes but it was the first time that I noticed it.

Because we're looking to make it our primary towing vehicle we've already decided to get rid of the 22" wheels and tires for some aftermarket 18s with load C all terrains. Not sure if we'll sell or trade the 22s yet. I'm looking forward to getting it because it is very comfy for long trips with plenty of space and storage for all of our adventures.

We aren't looking to take delivery until late March of '18 so it gave us flexibility to order what we wanted (Mag Grey with Ceramic Interior) and we are fortunate to have "Z" plan through my wife so we'll get a pretty decent deal in the timeline we want it in. They took until Dec. 1-4 to start showing up in the Seattle area and even then there were only maybe 10 between 3 or 4 dealerships, so we didn't see any discounts but we didn't dig deeper because we weren't looking to make a day of purchase. Overall, it's a great vehicle and a definitive upgrade from previous generations.

We were always set on a platinum vs a loaded Limited so we didn't test drive anything else.

 

[dlcorbett]

If you ordered the magnetic gray and can acquire either the fx4 grey wheels or the f150 raptor/sport wheels, your gonna have one clean lookin expy. Idk how the ccd will be affected with the smaller wheels though.

 

[MiddKid]

We aren't looking to take delivery until late March of '18 so it gave us flexibility to order what we wanted (Mag Grey with Ceramic Interior) and we are fortunate to have "Z" plan through my wife so we'll get a pretty decent deal in the timeline we want it in. They took until Dec. 1-4 to start showing up in the Seattle area and even then there were only maybe 10 between 3 or 4 dealerships, so we didn't see any discounts but we didn't dig deeper because we weren't looking to make a day of purchase. Overall, it's a great vehicle and a definitive upgrade from previous generations.

We were always set on a platinum vs a loaded Limited so we didn't test drive anything else.

Which dealer did you test drive the Max at? We've had a Max Platinum on order from Evergreen in Issaquah, but they are saying ours will be their first one in (January). Would love to test drive one now to confirm.

 

[ExpeditionAndy]

So I joined because we own an '04 XLT and just ordered an '18 Platinum Max last week after a test drive. I was able to test drive a Ruby Red Platinum Max with captain's chairs and it's definitely a massive upgrade over both our old Expy and my lifted '12 4Runner. We really liked the CCD soaking up the bumps as well as the overall quietness in the cabin on the road and comfy seats.

We ended up ordering a Max vs a regular because compared to our old expy the rear lift gate opening is 4" smaller than the '04, which combined with the more sloping roof doesn't allow us to put a very large dog crate into the new expy without taking it apart as well as the fact our '04 expy is the 4.6L V8 and can't really tow our 5000lb+ travel trailer in the mountains.. We plan to build the crate in place since our dogs go everywhere with us and don't really move the crates in and out. It'll be the primary road trip vehicle/towing vehicle for our RV/travel trailer (it's just her and I and the two dogs). I didn't take as much time as I would have liked to fiddle with the tech from an adaptive cruise control and park assist perspective but SYNC 3 is very easy to manage. We checked out a bench seat in a loaded XLT and liked the softness of the captain's chairs in the platinum (our parents are in their late 60s/early 70s and visit often) as well as the ease of access to the 3rd row in times when we have our friends that have kids in town. The acceleration of the 3.5L EcoBoost is phenomenal, especially in comparison to the 4.6L V8 and 4.0 V6 in the 4Runner, I'm really looking forward to towing with it.

The one thing I noticed and could be a turn off (but I didn't override it) is the auto start stop. I actually didn't notice the auto start stop until we were at a light and realized we were in the wrong lane and when to turn the wheel to change lanes without rolling forward and the steering wheel wouldn't budge because the engine stopped and the power steering pump had no power. As soon as I lifted off the brake it fired right up and I was able to switch lanes but it was the first time that I noticed it.

Because we're looking to make it our primary towing vehicle we've already decided to get rid of the 22" wheels and tires for some aftermarket 18s with load C all terrains. Not sure if we'll sell or trade the 22s yet. I'm looking forward to getting it because it is very comfy for long trips with plenty of space and storage for all of our adventures.

We aren't looking to take delivery until late March of '18 so it gave us flexibility to order what we wanted (Mag Grey with Ceramic Interior) and we are fortunate to have "Z" plan through my wife so we'll get a pretty decent deal in the timeline we want it in. They took until Dec. 1-4 to start showing up in the Seattle area and even then there were only maybe 10 between 3 or 4 dealerships, so we didn't see any discounts but we didn't dig deeper because we weren't looking to make a day of purchase. Overall, it's a great vehicle and a definitive upgrade from previous generations.

We were always set on a platinum vs a loaded Limited so we didn't test drive anything else.

Joshua, welcome to the forum. Congratulations on your new Truck it sounds great. If I am not mistaken, you can purchase a pet grate that mounts behind the third row seat and allows you to give your dogs access to the space behind the third row, or you can put it behind the second row if your need more room.

 

[shane_th_ee]

Which dealer did you test drive the Max at?

I second the motion for you to name the dealer...

 

[gtnator]

So I joined because we own an '04 XLT and just ordered an '18 Platinum Max last week after a test drive. I was able to test drive a Ruby Red Platinum Max with captain's chairs and it's definitely a massive upgrade over both our old Expy and my lifted '12 4Runner. We really liked the CCD soaking up the bumps as well as the overall quietness in the cabin on the road and comfy seats.

We ended up ordering a Max vs a regular because compared to our old expy the rear lift gate opening is 4" smaller than the '04, which combined with the more sloping roof doesn't allow us to put a very large dog crate into the new expy without taking it apart as well as the fact our '04 expy is the 4.6L V8 and can't really tow our 5000lb+ travel trailer in the mountains.. We plan to build the crate in place since our dogs go everywhere with us and don't really move the crates in and out. It'll be the primary road trip vehicle/towing vehicle for our RV/travel trailer (it's just her and I and the two dogs). I didn't take as much time as I would have liked to fiddle with the tech from an adaptive cruise control and park assist perspective but SYNC 3 is very easy to manage. We checked out a bench seat in a loaded XLT and liked the softness of the captain's chairs in the platinum (our parents are in their late 60s/early 70s and visit often) as well as the ease of access to the 3rd row in times when we have our friends that have kids in town. The acceleration of the 3.5L EcoBoost is phenomenal, especially in comparison to the 4.6L V8 and 4.0 V6 in the 4Runner, I'm really looking forward to towing with it.

The one thing I noticed and could be a turn off (but I didn't override it) is the auto start stop. I actually didn't notice the auto start stop until we were at a light and realized we were in the wrong lane and when to turn the wheel to change lanes without rolling forward and the steering wheel wouldn't budge because the engine stopped and the power steering pump had no power. As soon as I lifted off the brake it fired right up and I was able to switch lanes but it was the first time that I noticed it.

Because we're looking to make it our primary towing vehicle we've already decided to get rid of the 22" wheels and tires for some aftermarket 18s with load C all terrains. Not sure if we'll sell or trade the 22s yet. I'm looking forward to getting it because it is very comfy for long trips with plenty of space and storage for all of our adventures.

We aren't looking to take delivery until late March of '18 so it gave us flexibility to order what we wanted (Mag Grey with Ceramic Interior) and we are fortunate to have "Z" plan through my wife so we'll get a pretty decent deal in the timeline we want it in. They took until Dec. 1-4 to start showing up in the Seattle area and even then there were only maybe 10 between 3 or 4 dealerships, so we didn't see any discounts but we didn't dig deeper because we weren't looking to make a day of purchase. Overall, it's a great vehicle and a definitive upgrade from previous generations.

We were always set on a platinum vs a loaded Limited so we didn't test drive anything else.

Congrats on ordering your new Expy. And thank you for the detailed account of your test drive. I'm curious, did you compare the 2018 Expy to any other vehicles, like the Suburban, before making the decision to order the Expy?