Expedition too big for daily?

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LG_123

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It feels like a real event to take the expedition out to the grocery store and my wife dislikes it. I sometimes wish we had a second, small car for daily driving trips but it’s not worth the expense for us and it wouldn’t be worth sacrificing the awesome cargo space in the Expy for when we have longer trips with our 3 small children.

I’d recommend the Expy over anything smaller and get an ebike or small car for around town when you don’t want to haul out the big Expedition max.
 

MariposaRN

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Another vote for wakeboarder's response! Our Odyssey is our city vehicle. It's a workhorse. For dropping kids off, transporting our large dogs, and hauling groceries, the minivan cannot be beat. It's also easier to get stuff on and off the roof rack than dealing with loading up the roof on our 4WD Expedition. We bought the Expedition to tow our RV, and we considered selling the minivan for a pickup truck thinking the Expedition and minivan would fill the same niche of family car, but the minivan is just so much better for the everyday. We do use the Expedition for all road trips, towing or not. Our 2021 has such a nice ride and we just feel a little safer on the highway, from other vehicles and deer, in the bigger vehicle. I don't see us getting rid of the minivan until the kids are out of the house and probably not as long as we have giant dogs.
 

Rudy Lozano

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My vote is no its not too big, in our case we haul trailers on a regular basis and have 2 germen shorthair pointers that we travel with. The size works very well for both tasks. Even being a EL, I rarely find issues with maneuverability.
 

Lou Hamilton

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As mine is being assessed for damage, my insurance put me in a mid-size SUV. I have been driving a 4Runner for the past week.

Some quick thoughts.

1.) I took two small 1 hour "road trips" and found the highway gas mileage is better by around 1-2 mph based on the dash calculation. However, city driving gas mileage seems to be about the same.
2.) Parking and maneuverability is better.
3.) Interior is tiny. Constantly having elbows fights over the center console. LOL
4.) Towing would need a bunch of upgrades (that is if the rental allowed towing in the first place)

I think it goes to the purpose of the vehicle as others mentioned.

Will this vehicle serve tasks that a smaller vehicle could not perform safely? If it will, then you would need it as a daily driver.

Funny thing is that we never drive my wife's Honda CR-V. She drives it to and from work. It is a 2017 Honda CR-V with only 5000 miles on it. So, even with a smaller vehicle in our personal fleet, the Expedition still is the daily driver and the go-to for anytime we leave home.
 

Lou Hamilton

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I wanted a truck, wife wanted a suv, Espy was perfect compromise coming from a Honda Pilot. Parking is no big deal thanks to the front camera and it maneuvers quite well. Couldn't dream of going back to midsize for me, but we do have a Jeep Grand Cherokee I take to Philly or NYC when I need.
We were int he same situation. I wanted a truck to tow our camper, wife wanted an SUV. The Expedition was, and still is, the most capable SUV for towing a camper.
 

Speed 330

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Do you ever feel the Expedition is too big for daily use? Ever wish you had a midsize SUV like an Audi Q7?

I’m on the fence between those two. We have three kids and our other vehicle is a 2020 Highlander which is borderline okay for road trips with everyone and everything.

Would appreciate your thoughts!
I'm telling you right now Expedition only way to go put in your room does good everyday beautiful vehicle rides fantastic
 

purevw

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The title of the article indicates "daily driver" as the primary use, which to me means going back and forth to work. Shopping at any distance from the house is more of a once a week event. My daily driver is a 94 Ranger with 350,000 miles on it. A daily driver to me is the vehicle you choose to wear out the quickest, as you drive it every day. Neither comfort nor power are considered by me, as it is a daily driver and meant for nothing except simple transportation. Fuel economy is considered, as well as the cost of wear and eventual replacement of the vehicle. Not to mention I can replace my entire Ranger front end for about $200 after a deer collision, which occur on a somewhat regular basis at night in West Texas. My Expy is for longer trips or shopping trips where comfort and capacity is needed. I have no issues with my Expy in city conditions. If a person is intimidated by the size, perhaps they should consider something smaller and accept the lowered amount of cargo or passenger space. I apologize for the rant, but what most people here seem to be describing, is not "daily driver" vehicle usage. Daily driver is your beater vehicle.
 
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