2018 Expedition Max rental

[ElliottM]

[QUOTE="BTW, something else the bugs the hell out of me is the controls on the steering wheel. Do the engineers not understand button separation? It causes a steeper learning curve to make it muscle memory so you don't have to take your eyes off the road. Mainly it's the cruise control buttons since I use them the most, but they are all a bit wonky. They need edge lips or something to let you know where you are and maybe some sort of tactile variation so it's easier to learn. I think they just need to redo the steering wheel entirely.[/QUOTE]
I do agree with this, and I should have commented on this in my post comparing the 2018 vs. 2016. it seems like the engineers are heading in the direction of giving us Formula 1 steering wheels. Cram as many multi-function buttons as you can on the wheel, and put the info on the dash for the options to select/change. I don't remember the cruise control specifically, as we rented the 2018 in Hawaii, where using cruise control just wasn't practical, but it does seem like the steering wheel buttons are getting too complicated.

 

[rjdelp7]

The 'knob' shifter is not on the F150(that shares parts with the Expy). Ford made the Expedition, more appealing to women. Knob shifter, fuel efficient V6(no v8 available) and various mini van, interior copies. They want men to buy the high profit, F150. The Expedition is no longer a truck/SUV. It is more soccer mom mini van/SUV.

 

[Blackscreen67]

The 'knob' shifter is not on the F150(that shares parts with the Expy). Ford made the Expedition, more appealing to women. Knob shifter, fuel efficient V6(no v8 available) and various mini van, interior copies. They want men to buy the high profit, F150. The Expedition is no longer a truck/SUV. It is more soccer mom mini van/SUV.

Winner winner winner, exact thing I said months ago!

 

[Andy C]

Shifter back in the days actually was connected to the transmission...Now, it is just wire connected to the onboard computer what gear the driver has put it in. The shifter knob that is on f150 is as cosmetic as the shifter knob on Expy. Could've ford done better with the knob and its location? Sure. Location could've been in better location to really utilize the center console space. Just have to deal with the knob, if you drive one or choose to get one, as there are no alternatives for the knob. Honda/Acura has the button shifter, Mercedes has it on the steering column...every automaker will do whatever they want to do. I am sure knob was chosen based on the demographic research they conducted and showed favorable feedback. With time, you will get used to it.

Edit: So as most of the components are not all electronically driven...brakes, steering, etch, where it used to be physical cable/rod connected to the components. Oh well. that's way things go...hope there is no EMP event...only classics will remain running on the road then.

 

[aggiegrad05]

The 'knob' shifter is not on the F150(that shares parts with the Expy). Ford made the Expedition, more appealing to women. Knob shifter, fuel efficient V6(no v8 available) and various mini van, interior copies. They want men to buy the high profit, F150. The Expedition is no longer a truck/SUV. It is more soccer mom mini van/SUV.

Obviously I disagree (it's a body-on-frame vehicle with available 4wd and a locking rear that can tow 9000lbs and has almost 10" of ground clearance, I am not sure what mini vans you know of like that).

But even if I did agree with you...SO WHAT?!?!

Ok, they made it more appealing to women. Those damn suits on the top floor and their desire to make money by appealing to a wider demographic...how dare them?! (If you can't see me, I'm shaking my fist at the sky.)

And if "more soccer mom mini van/SUV" means I can have comfortable leather, lots of room, heated and cooled and massaging everything, retractable running boards, lots of power, good sound system, a unbelievably comfortable ride, 10" of ground clearance, etc...SIGN ME UP. Me and any women that want to buy one too. All the men who don't want to buy one because "it's sissy" can go buy a "real truck". And have essentially the same thing I do, but no third row and no covered/enclosed cargo space.

 

[Blackscreen67]

For the record I like the knobs, then again I like twisting small pointy objects to turn them on....

 

[shane_th_ee]

You can only push the envelope so far, the full size SUV was always a value truck based vehicle for working people and families.

Yeah, but it's not anymore. Sure, every year, Ford sold eleventy-billion 1st gen Expeditions. But that was back in 1997-2002 when your 7 passenger vehicle choices were limited to minivans and full size BOF SUVs. Then along came the Toyota Highlander and offered a 7 passenger cross-over. It didn't look like a minivan, it sipped fuel like a Camry, it didn't ride like a truck, and it cost almost 25% less than an Expedition. And then followed a parade of car based 7 seat crossovers, including Ford's own Explorer which went from the Ranger platform to the Taurus platform with an added 3rd row. And then from the truck side, t one year after the introduction of the Highlander, Ford introduced the four full-size door "Super Crew" F-150, which was quickly copied by GM and Ram. At the same time, the big 3 truck makers also engaged in a race of making their 1/2 trucks more and more "civilized" for grocery getting and errands to Home Depot. For the "I don't want a minivan, but need 6+ seats" shoppers, the full size BOF SUV no longer made any sense when compared to the CUV. For the family with 2-4 kids who needed the capability of a truck, the dual cab 1/2 ton pickup could provide the capability they needed in a cheaper package. These didn't need to be a loud, noisy, vinyl and rubber proposition, but could be optioned up with the fancy accoutrements expected in a family vehicle.

So who's left buying full-size SUVs? Families that have expensive toys (big boats, travel trailers, horses, etc) and families who want something bigger/more powerful than a seven seat cross over. It's either a fashion statement or it's the gateway into expensive toys.

At the same time, distance between the middle class and the upper-middle class was growing. (The upper-middle class now has their own grocery store chains, fast food chains, and appliance brands. None of these existed in 1997 when the 1st Gen Expedition was introduced.) Ford tried to split the difference and the 3rd gen was the "value priced leader" compared to the GM. But, particularly after 2008, the value shoppers went off and bought CUVs, the "capability/dollar crowd" bought crew cab pickups and the upper end of the market was happy digging a little deeper and buying the better but more expensive GMs. For the 4th Gen, Ford dropped all pretense of offering something for the value shoppers and went all in on making a better mousetrap than the competition (cf the goldmine hill thread which gets into Ford's overly complicated and expensive rear diff locking mechanism). So far, that strategy seems to be working, particularly given the fact that the only ones sitting on dealers lots are the cheapest trims and packages....

And, yes, it is a bit of a shame that we've lost the good old days of a full size SUV being nothing more than a 1/2 ton with a permanent cap and an extra row of seats bolted into the bed. And it's bigger shame that Americans no longer shop at the same grocery stores, play the same sports, eat at the same restaurants, etc...

 

[hueyf4i]

Hey, the guy’s got moxie...

”Imma go onto the forum full of folks that drive and love this vehicle and tell them how ho-hum it is.”

If there were curse words or he declared how inferior it was to his 3rd Gen, I’d declare the return of JSki.

I'm just here because I couldn't afford a comparable Chevy Suburban. I still miss the extra cargo space(at least 18 inches longer) I had in my 01 LT...and my sunroof that never leaked a drop. I feel a little better knowing I can carry a piece of my Suburban with me even now The only plus if the Expedition EL limited is the extra leg room between the 2nd and 3rd row. . . . .

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[shane_th_ee]

I'm just here because I couldn't afford a comparable Chevy Suburban....

"Ford tried to split the difference and the 3rd gen was the "value priced leader" compared to the GM..."

 

[Blackscreen67]

I'm just here because I couldn't afford a comparable Chevy Suburban. I still miss the extra cargo space(at least 18 inches longer) I had in my 01 LT...and my sunroof that never leaked a drop. I feel a little better knowing I can carry a piece of my Suburban with me even now The only plus if the Expedition EL limited is the extra leg room between the 2nd and 3rd row. . . . .

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

That's actually funny.

Saw a bumper sticker the other day of a guy driving an SUV and his sticker said "I used to be cool".