which is most popular Expedition or Expedition EL

[Muddy Bean]

I love our EL. Wouldn’t even consider a normal length Expedition. We use every square inch of that extra space.


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[fordexpylvr]

Beautiful! The rims really set it off!

 

[fordexpylvr]

Muddy Bean, I could see where it may also be an advantage on towing with the extra WB

 

[schulzie]

I traded my F150 Supercrew for the EL. Both were 2012. We're a family of 7, so we wanted the space. It was this or a Suburban /Yukon XL. I felt the Ford had a higher level of trim, for less money. I ended up with a Limited, so it's loaded. From my search, in 400 mile range of Tupelo, MS at the time, it would have been $5k more for a similar Suburban. Plus, I wanted the bucket 2nd row for car seats, not having to mess with the tumble seats.
My wife drives it now, she loves it. She had a minivan previously, and cars before that. Other than continuously smashing the sprinkler head at the end of the driveway, she has no trouble. Plus, with the EL, fold the 2nd and 3rd seats flat, and 4x8 drywall and plywood lay flat with the hatch closed. Better than my truck!
Performance wise, never drove the standard length, but it's a 6k pound beast. Livernois has a great tune that gives a great boost in driveability.
I've pulled a loaded 6x12 double axle uhaul, with the interior loaded (no pax) at 85 mph for 10 hours, with no complaints.
I'd get the EL, just for the cargo, and never look back.

 

[MrTommy]

We bought a 2014 EL specifically so my wife would feel better towing our enclosed Polaris RZR trailer. I tow our travel trailer (with our 2016 F-350 long bed, long wheelbase p/u) and she follows behind with our toys, down to Quartzsite, AZ from northern NV. When it comes to towing, the longer the wheelbase, the better. My opinion anyway. We have no problems parking it anywhere.

 

[JasonH]

I just upgraded from a 2008 Honda Odyssey to a 2017 Expedition EL. The impetus for the upgrade was the need to tow a ~6600 lb trailer, while maintaining room for 8. The Odyssey was also beginning to have too many mechanical issues as it approached 200K. So far, I've taken the EL on three road trips over over 500 miles, including two while towing. My family normally has at least five people when traveling, so we needed the extra length for luggage and the short wheelbase was never in contention. The only other alternative was a Suburban/Yukon XL, but the higher price and cramped third row made us go with the EL. I briefly considered a Mercedes GL/GLS which is rated to tow up to 7500lbs. But despite the Mercedes' superior interior quality, luggage space was lacking when using the third row.

The vehicle is great for what it does. I wish the packaging was a bit better. My 17 mpg average is unfortunately spot on the EPA rating. The gas mileage leaves a bit to be desired both towing and not towing, but I think that's par for the course for this type of vehicle. The high load floor really eats into the interior space, as the Odyssey is roomier in the rear, with a much shorter overall length and gets much better mpg. Folding the rear seats sucks in pre-2017 models. The newer 2018+ models have a simpler mechanism. The high rear load height also isn't the most convenient, but again, I think that comes with the territory with a truck platform. An air suspension option would have been nice, but of course there's maintenance concerns with extra mechanical tech. I've been tempted to get a tune for towing even though its really not necessary. Acceleration hasn't really been an issue even with my 3.31 gears, but premium does wake the engine up a bit. My passengers already notice too much when I really give it the gas. I prefer premium because I don't have to lean into the throttle as much to get going, so there's less "jerk" during acceleration to draw attention to my driving.

I've also noticed it's a bit squirrely on the highway and takes more effort to keep centered, both when towing and not towing. I don't know if that's attributable to tires or the increased interaction with the wind. Parking hasn't been an issue for me, but I've always been the type who always reverses into spots, so it's not much more difficult than my van was. The extra width makes entry and exit a bit more difficult, especially in the rear (no sliding doors).

I can't do a comparison with the regular wheelbase, as I've not driven that model. But if you need to haul at least five people and their belongings, the storage space in the regular wheelbase may be inadequate. One of my trips had six people and we were nearly maxed out for storage while using the 3rd row for passengers. I drive this vehicle purely for practical reasons and it's not a daily driver. But if you're the type of person who likes large vehicles and do not need the extra length, the regular wheelbase is probably fine. Overall I think this is best vehicle in its class for people who carry lots of passengers and tow. I suspect the regular wheelbase is more popular because most people don't really need all the capabilities of a large truck based SUV. I say this because many unibody SUVs, and especially minivans, can carry as much people and things as the Expedition with better fuel economy and driveability. I also rarely see these vehicles towing. But of course everyone is entitled to make the decision that works best for them.

 

[Dorzak]

I drove a rental 2017 Expedition and bought a 2016 Expedition EL 4WD. I prefer the EL for cargo space, but could have been happy with the standard wheel base. Driving around my area I see far more of the standard wheel base.

EDIT: To address some things others have mentioned.

I learned to drive in a 1988 VW Vanagon, drove regularly over the years a 1990 F-150, a 1969 VW Bug, 2000 Ford Focus, 2003 Chevy Venture LWB, and 2006 Dodge Caravan.

I driver regularly over the causeways between Sacramento <-> Davis and Sacramento <-> Woodland. Every few years there will be stories of trucks being blown over the edge of those causeways. With my seat of the pants experience the worst for being pushed around by the wind was the VW Bug followed by the VW Van, then I would say the Chevy and the Dodge were about tied followed by the Expedition being close.

It isn't just size to catch the wind but also weight. The Expedition is the heaviest.

For Cargo space the Dodge Caravan did not have very much room behind the back seat. Sure it had more vertical room, but horizontally about just enough for one paper bag longways or a suitcase sideways between seat and door. The newer Grand Caravans have even less when I was looking at them.

The Chevy Venture LWB had more, than the Caravan and would do for most uses. The EL still has more in my opinion especially when you don't want to stack vertically too much.

 

[fordexpylvr]

I just upgraded from a 2008 Honda Odyssey to a 2017 Expedition EL. The impetus for the upgrade was the need to tow a ~6600 lb trailer, while maintaining room for 8. The Odyssey was also beginning to have too many mechanical issues as it approached 200K. So far, I've taken the EL on three road trips over over 500 miles, including two while towing. My family normally has at least five people when traveling, so we needed the extra length for luggage and the short wheelbase was never in contention. The only other alternative was a Suburban/Yukon XL, but the higher price and cramped third row made us go with the EL. I briefly considered a Mercedes GL/GLS which is rated to tow up to 7500lbs. But despite the Mercedes' superior interior quality, luggage space was lacking when using the third row.

The vehicle is great for what it does. I wish the packaging was a bit better. My 17 mpg average is unfortunately spot on the EPA rating. The gas mileage leaves a bit to be desired both towing and not towing, but I think that's par for the course for this type of vehicle. The high load floor really eats into the interior space, as the Odyssey is roomier in the rear, with a much shorter overall length and gets much better mpg. Folding the rear seats sucks in pre-2017 models. The newer 2018+ models have a simpler mechanism. The high rear load height also isn't the most convenient, but again, I think that comes with the territory with a truck platform. An air suspension option would have been nice, but of course there's maintenance concerns with extra mechanical tech. I've been tempted to get a tune for towing even though its really not necessary. Acceleration hasn't really been an issue even with my 3.31 gears, but premium does wake the engine up a bit. My passengers already notice too much when I really give it the gas. I prefer premium because I don't have to lean into the throttle as much to get going, so there's less "jerk" during acceleration to draw attention to my driving.

I've also noticed it's a bit squirrely on the highway and takes more effort to keep centered, both when towing and not towing. I don't know if that's attributable to tires or the increased interaction with the wind. Parking hasn't been an issue for me, but I've always been the type who always reverses into spots, so it's not much more difficult than my van was. The extra width makes entry and exit a bit more difficult, especially in the rear (no sliding doors).

I can't do a comparison with the regular wheelbase, as I've not driven that model. But if you need to haul at least five people and their belongings, the storage space in the regular wheelbase may be inadequate. One of my trips had six people and we were nearly maxed out for storage while using the 3rd row for passengers. I drive this vehicle purely for practical reasons and it's not a daily driver. But if you're the type of person who likes large vehicles and do not need the extra length, the regular wheelbase is probably fine. Overall I think this is best vehicle in its class for people who carry lots of passengers and tow. I suspect the regular wheelbase is more popular because most people don't really need all the capabilities of a large truck based SUV. I say this because many unibody SUVs, and especially minivans, can carry as much people and things as the Expedition with better fuel economy and driveability. I also rarely see these vehicles towing. But of course everyone is entitled to make the decision that works best for them.

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[barrydu4]

We had a 2015 Expedition Limited but it was totaled in an accident. We both came out okay. We then bought a 2017 Explorer but after 1 year my wife was not liking it. She missed her Expedition. So we traded the 17 Explorer in for a 17 Expedition Limited that was a demo. It had only 6000 miles and was maintained well. The wife loves the size and ride of the Expedition. Gotta keep her the little women happy!

 

[fordexpylvr]

wow thats a beautiful Expedition. Yes I can see why she would be unhappy with the Explorer. They are too small and although they sell Lotts of them the Expedition is full size and you got a great one there.