Expedition as Long Trip Road Vehicle

[rpw2021]

As I wait (not very patiently!) for my 2022 Limited Max to arrive sometime in March, I though I'd ask the hive-mind's wisdom and insights on using Expys as distance haulers. This car's primary use is for long road trips: back and forth to the summer house (15hrs each way), back and forth to Florida (15+), kids to and from colleges (6+), and towing a racing sailboat to regattas all over the eastern half of the US.

So .. what experiences has everyone had with long road trips in their Expeditions? Any tips? Key upgrades or accessories?

We've got two kids who will both be in college this fall. Two dogs. Boat is only 2500lbs so an easy tow.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts and insights.

(We are a longtime Volvo family -- and of course I have TWO Volvos in the shop today at the same time! Argh.)

 

[Anerbe]

HD Tow
Captains 2nd if you have only 2 kids, and pass thru for dogs.
Max if you have larger dogs that you want some bed space for them.

It's a great ride - I'd do CCD personally, but this is a forum debate on it's characteristics in certain road conditions.

 

[fvernet]

We have a 2011 XLT and have used it for countless long distance trips (over 205k miles on the odometer so far). It is very very very comfortable. I feel perfectly fine and rested after a 8-10 hour drive - no road fatigue. We do not have any upgrades or accessories. We are looking to replace our 2011 with a 2022 Limited or Platinum - wife wants as much comfort as possible

I think you will be quite happy with the 2022 as a long-distance hauler. Our experience has been nothing but good.

 

[ROBERT BONNER]

I've taken my '20 XLT FX4 MAX on two fall hunting trips comprised of multiple ~1000 mile legs from NC to Northern MI, to WI, to SD and back to NC over 7 weeks. When I leave home, the vehicle is jammed with dog, dog stuff, hunting gear, ammo (can't rely on buying any anywhere anymore) tools for working on the cabin, hunting clothes for everything from 75 degrees to 0 degrees, light construction to formal dinners. 2 cases of wine, food that can't be bought in the great white north (caviar, limes, dry aged beef, etc.). The MAX is full to the ceiling. My previous long haul vehicle was a 2007 F150 Lariat that is now the around town vehicle with 200K on it.

Biggest surprise is the mileage. I drive 10 mph+ over all freeway speed limits, even in SD (judge away). Lots of off-road 2 tracks, mud, etc. trying to get to places others can't. I average over 19 mpg on 87 octane, while in the economy (leaf) mode. With my truck on the same trek, the best I ever did was 17 and 15 was typical. I've also taken a couple of 5 hour hauls to the beach with bikes on a receiver mounted rack and experienced NO degradation in economy. Trips that cost me 2 mpg with the pick-up.

Tips for long haulers:

Have your brand new Expedition aligned after a 1000 miles or so. The front ends shake down and settle out after a few miles. The Ford specs allow negative toe...Make sure you have a trusted source (or DIY) and stipulate that the front toe be set within the positive side of the spec. Otherwise you'll experience wandering which can get onerous on hour 1, let alone hour 15.

Take your spare tire off, get it balanced (Ford doesn't factory balance the spares) and put it back on with the face facing down. This allows checking/filling it without dropping it in the future. You don't want to do 100 miles on an unbalanced spare, let alone 500.

Read the many comments about the Hellwig stabilizer bars. Many here swear by them. I like the rear so far. I put it on at Christmas. I'm going on a couple of medium (5 hour) trips in the next few weeks...I'll decide whether I want to replace the front or not based on how it feels with the rear only replaced both on and off road.

Disconnect the small antenna lead to the liftgate "kick" sensor located inside the rear bumper cover on the driver's side. The kick sensor on the lift gate NEVER works when you want it to; but, dogs, kids and you will activate it accidentally when you don't want to over and over.

If you're good with computers and vehicles get the cord and the Forscan software. If nothing else, program out the "double horn beep" that ticks you, your wife and your neighbors off every time you step out of the running vehicle with keys in your pocket. Imagine how good it feels...once you stop beating your head against the wall....that's how it feels once the double beep stops. There are lots of other mods you can make with Forscan depending on your wants/needs.

If you plan to use the 110V outlet on long trips, check out my entry on how to tighten it up. Otherwise, you'll have to continuously reach back and re-plug whatever you have plugged in.

 

[aggiegrad05]

HD Tow
Captains 2nd if you have only 2 kids, and pass thru for dogs.
Max if you have larger dogs that you want some bed space for them.

It's a great ride - I'd do CCD personally, but this is a forum debate on it's characteristics in certain road conditions.

Man, I am going to get skewered for this....

If you're primarily going to keep it on the highway, and will only be towing 2500#, you may think about skipping HD Tow. The gearing in the HD Tow will hurt your MPG over the long term, and 2500# is WELL within the capability of the standard gearset.

I will now retire to the corner and prepare to be yelled at.

 

[rick619]

I also prefer the middle row captain's chairs to give passengers more privacy and less 'HE/SHE KEEPS TOUCHING/LOOKING AT ME'. lol

Also plenty of charging cables, extra headphones, some blankets. We keep a small stash of bottled water in it to avoid paying for water on the road.

 

[rpw2021]

HD Tow
Captains 2nd if you have only 2 kids, and pass thru for dogs.
Max if you have larger dogs that you want some bed space for them.

It's a great ride - I'd do CCD personally, but this is a forum debate on it's characteristics in certain road conditions.

I ordered the Captains chairs in the 2nd row for the reasons you suggest. I also ordered the HD tow and the eLSD - probably not strictly necessary for my use case but good for resale value and flexibility down the road.

 

[rpw2021]

I've taken my '20 XLT FX4 MAX on two fall hunting trips comprised of multiple ~1000 mile legs from NC to Northern MI, to WI, to SD and back to NC over 7 weeks. When I leave home, the vehicle is jammed with dog, dog stuff, hunting gear, ammo (can't rely on buying any anywhere anymore) tools for working on the cabin, hunting clothes for everything from 75 degrees to 0 degrees, light construction to formal dinners. 2 cases of wine, food that can't be bought in the great white north (caviar, limes, dry aged beef, etc.). The MAX is full to the ceiling. My previous long haul vehicle was a 2007 F150 Lariat that is now the around town vehicle with 200K on it.

Biggest surprise is the mileage. I drive 10 mph+ over all freeway speed limits, even in SD (judge away). Lots of off-road 2 tracks, mud, etc. trying to get to places others can't. I average over 19 mpg on 87 octane, while in the economy (leaf) mode. With my truck on the same trek, the best I ever did was 17 and 15 was typical. I've also taken a couple of 5 hour hauls to the beach with bikes on a receiver mounted rack and experienced NO degradation in economy. Trips that cost me 2 mpg with the pick-up.

Tips for long haulers:

Have your brand new Expedition aligned after a 1000 miles or so. The front ends shake down and settle out after a few miles. The Ford specs allow negative toe...Make sure you have a trusted source (or DIY) and stipulate that the front toe be set within the positive side of the spec. Otherwise you'll experience wandering which can get onerous on hour 1, let alone hour 15.

Take your spare tire off, get it balanced (Ford doesn't factory balance the spares) and put it back on with the face facing down. This allows checking/filling it without dropping it in the future. You don't want to do 100 miles on an unbalanced spare, let alone 500.

Read the many comments about the Hellwig stabilizer bars. Many here swear by them. I like the rear so far. I put it on at Christmas. I'm going on a couple of medium (5 hour) trips in the next few weeks...I'll decide whether I want to replace the front or not based on how it feels with the rear only replaced both on and off road.

Disconnect the small antenna lead to the liftgate "kick" sensor located inside the rear bumper cover on the driver's side. The kick sensor on the lift gate NEVER works when you want it to; but, dogs, kids and you will activate it accidentally when you don't want to over and over.

If you're good with computers and vehicles get the cord and the Forscan software. If nothing else, program out the "double horn beep" that ticks you, your wife and your neighbors off every time you step out of the running vehicle with keys in your pocket. Imagine how good it feels...once you stop beating your head against the wall....that's how it feels once the double beep stops. There are lots of other mods you can make with Forscan depending on your wants/needs.

If you plan to use the 110V outlet on long trips, check out my entry on how to tighten it up. Otherwise, you'll have to continuously reach back and re-plug whatever you have plugged in.

These are all great tips, thanks!

 

[fjordexpedition]

I did about 5k miles in mine over the course of a month and a half, including 2 1500 mile hauls. I would highly suggest the captains chair configuration. With the mobile wifi and captains chairs, it's like a rolling living room. With all the drivers assistance features, like advanced cruise control, it's a very easy vehicle to just eat up miles. I was also very pleasantly surprised at the mileage on the highway. One of the 1500 mile hauls we did in a straight 24 hours of driving, only stopped for a couple of meals and bathroom breaks / fuel. Kids were plenty happy to watch movies, play games, and sleep in the captains chairs. Wife and I swapped off driving, and I was able to get some sleep in the front seat. I really cannot think of a better road trip vehicle outside of maybe one of those Mercedes vans. For a family of 4 it is more than enough.

 

[Deadman]

You can't beat these for long trips. We run my 18 Max from Northern, WI to Miami every year and its as comfortable as anything. Front sway bar makes for a real corner carving Titanic!

 

[Alwaysthinkin]

You can't beat these for long trips. We run my 18 Max from Northern, WI to Miami every year and its as comfortable as anything. Front sway bar makes for a real corner carving Titanic!

Made a long trip this summer, put around 5,000 miles on vehicle, and couldn't believe how comfortable I was. Made a push for returning home from Denver to Kansas City on one day and Kansas City to south of Atlanta the second day. Couldn't believe how comfortable the trip was and how fresh I felt at the end compared to other vehicles I have done road trips with. You can see my signature line for the changes I made to my Expy prior to the trip.

 

[Frugala]

My 2015 expy pulled a 30 foot camper, and 6 people on board for a cross country trip to yellowstone. It performed wonderful and was very comfortable and easy to drive. I learned about a new feature on that trip; on a windy day, a semi met and passed, crazy wind buffet started to sway the trailer, the truck automatically tapped the trailer brakes to stop it before it got really going! Pretty cool.

 

[Alwaysthinkin]

Take your spare tire off, get it balanced (Ford doesn't factory balance the spares) and put it back on with the face facing down. This allows checking/filling it without dropping it in the future. You don't want to do 100 miles on an unbalanced spare, let alone 500.

Thank you @ROBERT BONNER for this piece of information. Just pulled my spare and plan on getting it balanced tomorrow. As Harry of the show Resident Alien would say, "That's some bullsh*t!"

 

[ExplorerTom]

Hopefully the rear captains chairs are more comfortable in the 4th gens than the 3rd gens. I sat in the back for 2 hours on a road trip this summer- I was super happy to get back in the driver’s seat. But if they are high school/college aged….. they’ll be fine.

On a different road trip, I used a dog barrier to keep the dogs in the back. Otherwise they come up in between the captians chairs but are too big (and too dopey) to figure out how to reverse back into the back.

 

[dlcorbett]

Hopefully the rear captains chairs are more comfortable in the 4th gens than the 3rd gens. I sat in the back for 2 hours on a road trip this summer- I was super happy to get back in the driver’s seat. But if they are high school/college aged….. they’ll be fine.

On a different road trip, I used a dog barrier to keep the dogs in the back. Otherwise they come up in between the captians chairs but are too big (and too dopey) to figure out how to reverse back into the back.

Comfort levels btw 3rd and 4th gen aren't even close. I upgraded from 09 nav with cpt chairs to 4th gen expy with bench. 2nd row space, comfort, and seating position far outmatched the navs seat.

 

[Boostedbus]

I couldn’t be happier with my 17 EL. I do a short 2 1/2 hr. trip almost every weekend out to my mountain cabin. I’m so spoiled that I hate to drive my pickup out there anymore. It’s just a smooth, quiet, and powerful ride and it’s only an XLT. I did just put new Michelin Defenders on this past summer….. what a big improvement for traction, ride, and quietness. I do take a couple 5-6 hr trips down south every year also. I can’t imagine taking a long trip in anything any smaller now. We have a 17 Explorer also and it’s not even considered for a long trip. I like a fighting chance on the Interstates around all the distracted drivers also.

 

[balthisar]

Oh, man, I've had a lot of road trips in Expeditions.

I think my first one was a 1999. I bought it used in Arizona in 2004 to use when I lived in Hermosillo. When that job was done, we took 10 days to head home to Michigan via the national parks (the ones that hadn't closed for the winter). Two adults and a dog, plus a year's worth of household accumulations filled it right up, but it was comfortable, solid ride.

I sold it in 2007 or so in order to pay for a new kitchen, but I missed it so bought a newer, 2004 in 2008, and kept it until just a few weeks ago. I used it mainly for camping and especially camping where we wanted our tent trailer. Since six hours to the Upper Peninsula isn't a "road trip" I won't count these.

From late 2009 to early 2011 I had use of a 2010 Expedition Max. This was Mexico, so "Max" was correct for this model year. This is still the vehicle that I'm most fond of when I recall every vehicle I ever had. In any case, during my year and half living near Cuautitlan, we put close to 40,000 km on it. It was a road trip beast. From Mexico City to Cancun, from Mexico City to Chiapas, to Acapulco, to Puerto Vallarta, to Manzanillo 15 to 20 times, we crossed neat parts of Mexico on road trips many, many times. Usually just the two adults and our dog. The Max was kind of a waste for us, though, although it was nice having space for groceries behind the third row.

In 2019 I had a company supplied 2019 Expedition that we took cross country. This time with a different wife, no dog, but plus one kid. Michigan to Washington to California, Nevada, Utah and back. Because most of it was meant to be camping, it meant we went fully loaded, including stuff lashed to the roof. I really missed not having the Max on this trip, but we made due. When we met my folks in Taho, it was a PITA to unload everything into their condo just so we could use the third row while with them.

In late 2021 and early 2022, we took the 2004 back and forth across the country! Michigan to states along I-20, to Puerto Peñasco Mexico, then to Las Vegas and back home. This time with another kid but still no replacement dog. It was loud. It's easy to forget how loud our trucks were back in time. Road noise, tire noise, wind noise, engine noise. Nothing like the silence in the 2019 or even the 2010.

I've got a 2022 on order. I can't wait to take it for a road trip!

 

[deactivatedacct]

19 Max XLT, made a great trip from North Texas to St. Louis and back, then 2 weeks later, North Texas to Fayetteville AR and back, with hubby and I plus 6 teenagers and all there stuff! Great drive, no kid complained about space. The only complaint was that it’s so big, those in the 3rd row felt like they were left out of the conversation.

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

Just a lowly 3rd gen here, but I've been very happy with it for long trips. We just did a 9 hour round trip about 10 days ago and my bad back wasn't complaining at all. The EL definitely makes a difference vs the standard in terms of ride quality (my buddy has a standard that I ride in often).

 

[Anerbe]

I ordered the Captains chairs in the 2nd row for the reasons you suggest. I also ordered the HD tow and the eLSD - probably not strictly necessary for my use case but good for resale value and flexibility down the road.

Definitely resale and if you do decide to get a camper or a larger boat.

Never thought I'd be a boat guy, but now with 3 young kids, 2 into mountain biking and skiing, I find myself looking at new wake boats for the summer.