‘25 Expedition or ‘24 Navigator

[DieselMonk]

We are leaning towards staying with the Expedition order. The numbers don’t add up to making enough difference to sway us. If it was all about the financial numbers we should probably get a ‘24 Expedition. There are some big discounts out there. Probably the biggest thing to me is having a vehicle that looks new vs looking up to 7 years old to the untrained eye. My wife likes the sliding console and the new tailgate amongst a few of the other things. Sounds like a lot of the upgrades from the Navigator are getting included in the higher trim Expeditions. Thanks for the replies!

The split tailgate has advantages and disadvantages same as the single tailgate. Had both on different SUVs half a life time ago.

You can sit on a split tailgate without getting dirty. But loading cargo wise it is a headache, as you can’t reach inside the SUV as far, since you are standing further back. It also may be more prone to leaking water inside. This tailgate is ether a gods send or a boon, depending on how you look at it. For me I prefer the single tailgate, since I load and unload stuff out of the rear and not use it as a party bench. It really makes a big difference if you load or unload something in the rain.

 

[sixstring]

Loading in the rain is worse and also loading 40 pack water bottle cases from costco is awkward and a strain on the back..

 

[Armin]

Plus you cannot open the window-gate anymore when a bike rack is attached to the hitch. I was near 100% guaranteed customer for the '25 model, but now 50-50% vs the Tahoe/Suburban just for that. Having to hurt my back to tilt the rack each time I need to grab something from the back during bike road trips is a HUGE issue for me.

I wonder if Ford truly did a wider customer survey, whether people a) cared, and if they did b) they thought it was positive. I suspect many people don't care that much. Also, I suspect the total manufacturing cost actually went up vs the old window-gate considering the extra bench and tray-mode that was added to compensate.

 

[bb37]

I suspect that some Ford engineer or product planner saw a BMW X7 split liftgate and said "ooh, we gotta have that". I think it's a neat idea, but I think it's probably more expensive to make and may have sealing problems down the road.

Hadn't thought about the upper part of the lift gate not clearing a bike rack. I occasionally SAG for organized bike rides and the window on my 2015 Expedition always cleared the bike rack. Handy to reach in to grab the air pump or a bottle of water for a rider along the route.

 

[sixstring]

The dirtiest part of any expedition that I ever owned was the back of the vehicle.

Why they put that gloss black piano finish back there is beyond comprehension.

 

[Mothnuts]

The dirtiest part of any expedition that I ever owned was the back of the vehicle.

Why they put that gloss black piano finish back there is beyond comprehension.

This 110%!