2018 Expedition Max rental

[metaldrgn]

So I had to rent a large SUV for a week and a half and ended up getting a 2018 Expedition Max. I really don't see why everyone is so crazy about it. I still don't like the exterior. The hood, since I'm looking at it more, is hideous. I don't like seeing it from the driver's seat. It looks a lot like the hood on the 201x GM trucks and just seems overly bulky. I do like the black interior. I don't know why it seems like so many vehicles don't have that for an option. The materials interior wise are nice, but nothing that great compared to other vehicles I've owned. Position and general feel seem very similar as my wife's '04 Expedition EB. I do like the seats (leather, I didn't see what package, but pretty sure it's the higher end). The ecoboost is nice. I like the performance. I don't mind that it isn't a v8. Some little bastard in a minicooper tried to change lanes and pass me in busy traffic right after a turn so I accelerated and he ended up just going behind me again (win!). The gas mileage is also good considering the performance. I can't stand the knob shifter (all the knob items for that matter). I think it's the worst one yet. I think those knobs in general just seem cheap, look ugly, and are less functional than their predecessors. The lay flat back is definitely a bonus. The instrument panel is ok. There's a lot of useless info and tools. Only a few items really help.

All in all I wouldn't buy one. Even money aside there are many other vehicles I would rather have. In the meantime I'm just going to stick with my used vehicles and save my money for things that will give me a greater return on my investment.

 

[edizzle]

LOL!

 

[aggiegrad05]

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.

 

[dlcorbett]

To each his own. I drove a rental silverado yesterday and i realized i hate column shifters lol. Id rather have my flat but out of sight, ergonomic and space efficient knob than a clumsy, inaccurate, plastic stick that juts out to the radio and blocks buttons. Looks are also objective. Love mines even with all her problems. Metal also named y im crazy bout mine too, the comfort, space, capability, speed and efficiency...seems like enough to be crazy about it most new cars dont even get that many great things.

 

[Blackscreen67]

The perfect car for the OP....

 

[Flexpy19]

I rent cars for business travel and it never occurred to me to go on the enthusiast forum for the car I rented to say how average the car was. The OP might need a hobby.

 

[JExpedition07]

The perfect car for the OP....

Great, now a 4th gen owner is going to want to retrofit this.

“Will this mod void my warranty on my new 2019 Expedition?” I can see it now...

 

[metaldrgn]

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 giving my review of the vehicle. I've always been a fan of the Expedition, but less and less because they put in minimal effort to make it better. I know why though. The buyer base is low compared to some of their other vehicles and effort is cost (among other things).

Also '04 is second gen. Third is '07-'17.

To each his own. I drove a rental silverado yesterday and i realized i hate column shifters lol. Id rather have my flat but out of sight, ergonomic and space efficient knob than a clumsy, inaccurate, plastic stick that juts out to the radio and blocks buttons. Looks are also objective. Love mines even with all her problems. Metal also named y im crazy bout mine too, the comfort, space, capability, speed and efficiency...seems like enough to be crazy about it most new cars dont even get that many great things.

Yeah I prefer the shifter on the console that goes back and forth. The position the column shifter is when in drive on my Yukon made it a nice place to rest your arm when playing with the stereo.

I rent cars for business travel and it never occurred to me to go on the enthusiast forum for the car I rented to say how average the car was. The OP might need a hobby.

I had posted my dislike of the 4th gens previously, but without actually having hands on experience I couldn't definitively give a great assessment. I could have fallen in love with this thing so I was giving it that chance. Now that I have I feel like I can and did so.



I would rather own a 2010 Tahoe Hybrid than this vehicle. Better gas mileage even though it would not have as much power.

 

[Garrett]

What current like-vehicle is better, save the Navigator?

 

[Flexpy19]

“You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, and there's still going to be somebody who hates peaches.” Probably no one cares that one person disagrees with the major automotive press (who have been critical of previous generation Expy/Navi models.) It’s more just finding it odd that the OP would post a so-so review of a car he rented to an enthusiast site. That wouldn’t make me feel good about myself, but then again everyone’s entitled to their opinion.

 

[dlcorbett]

"Yeah I prefer the shifter on the console that goes back and forth. The position the column shifter is when in drive on my Yukon made it a nice place to rest your arm when playing with the stereo"

I did like the console shifter on my nav and the f150 and it was odd at first but after owning it i dont miss it. Especially since my hand is always down there due to the wireless charger, the shifter would jus get in the way. Btw i def dont see the hybrid tahoe getting better mpgs than my truck. Im avg 18 in mines with majority city driving, hwy 25+ easy. Tahoe was rated 21/20 so i dont see it. And its far less comfy.

 

[metaldrgn]

What current like-vehicle is better, save the Navigator?

I would need to do some research first to really pick others that I like and I haven't done so already because they don't offer anything that is life altering or worth the exorbitant price. The only vehicle I can think of similar that I like the style of is the latest gen Grand Cherokee.

 

[Trainmaster]

The column shifter on an Expedition SSV also gives you a nice place to rest your hand when playing with the radio.

 

[JExpedition07]

Column shifter for the win, knobs and center console shifters suck. Wasted real estate and a cheap cheesy gimmick to save $$$.

 

[metaldrgn]

"Yeah I prefer the shifter on the console that goes back and forth. The position the column shifter is when in drive on my Yukon made it a nice place to rest your arm when playing with the stereo"

I did like the console shifter on my nav and the f150 and it was odd at first but after owning it i dont miss it. Especially since my hand is always down there due to the wireless charger, the shifter would jus get in the way. Btw i def dont see the hybrid tahoe getting better mpgs than my truck. Im avg 18 in mines with majority city driving, hwy 25+ easy. Tahoe was rated 21/20 so i dont see it. And its far less comfy.

I haven't actually ridden in the 07+ Yukon/Tahoe, but I know my 01 Yukon and 02 Tahoe were comfortable. Also my 03 expedition with cloth seats were surprisingly comfortable. I'm averaging 15.9-17MPG in the city and just for comparison I typically get 14.6-15.6 with my 01 Grand Cherokee under the same driving style. I would say the Tahoe should still get better MPG (city mainly) seeing how it's a hybrid.

 

[Andy C]

If you are looking for 7 passenger, all adults to be comfortable for duration of the drive, there are non. Even for family of 5 or 6, fully grown kids to be comfortable for a family trip, there are no vehicles in this class that can accommodate that. 4 people, it’s a toss up. I give some credit to ford engineers in interior design and use of the space, however, they could’ve done bit more. Everyone has different requirements and what they like and not, so I don’t fault OP for sharing his own opinion. If he didn’t like certain things, he is entitled to say that.
It is a review of OP, and he doesn’t have to like it regardless how negative it sounds. I think we could all point to many short comings of this vehicle as we compare to others, but there are no perfect vehicle. People buy it for their own needs and purpose.

Good luck to OP on driving his own vehicle until he can find one that meets his needs and looks. Certain things I don’t agree with OP, but that’s my opinion as well.
OP did say couple of nice things about this vehicle, right?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Artie]

Since everyone is expressing their opinions on shifters I’ll add mine.... I love the lack of column and console shifter, it frees up so much space! I don’t have the dial but I have the push button and it will be hard for me to go back to a, in my opinion, antiquated physical shifter. They only way I would acquire a vehicle with a physical shifter on the column or console is if it also comes with a clutch pedal.

 

[aggiegrad05]

Since everyone is expressing their opinions on shifters I’ll add mine.... I love the lack of column and console shifter, it frees up so much space! I don’t have the dial but I have the push button and it will be hard for me to go back to a, in my opinion, antiquated physical shifter. They only way I would acquire a vehicle with a physical shifter on the column or console is if it also comes with a clutch pedal.

I’m with Artie on this one. I loved the column shifter in my F150, but that’s pretty old school tech (yes, I know, “old school” = “time-tested”).

The dial is cool (I actually like it) but it doesn’t save any space. You don’t have a thing sticking up out of the console, true, but you also can’t make any use of that space. Artie’s dash-mounted push buttons are the only option that save any actual space; the Merc stalk shifter is good in that regard as well.

The dial is gimmicky as it’s only advantage over a lever is appearance. If they wanted to save space the Lincoln buttons would have been the way to go.

 

[barrydu4]

We looked at the 2017 Demo with only 11,000 miles & 2018 Expedition Limited. We chose the 2107 because we felt the 2018 looked like a big Explorer. And of course, the great discounts with the Demo helped....lol

 

[edizzle]

I would need to do some research first to really pick others that I like and I haven't done so already because they don't offer anything that is life altering or worth the exorbitant price. The only vehicle I can think of similar that I like the style of is the latest gen Grand Cherokee.

but you said "Even money aside there are many other vehicles I would rather have"