2019 Exp Max vs Suburban

[sjwhiteley]

I like the Suburban and traded a 2009 for a 2019 Expedition. I was in the ‘trucks need a V8’ camp, but driving past a Ford dealership, nothing better to do that day, decided to test drive one. The engine felt great. Comfortable, heated seats and wheel (of course, you can get those in the Suburban/Yukon).

The major things for me we’re the lay flat cargo area (4x8), and the amount of passenger room in the rear rows. The dedicated temperature controls. I also like the look of the front end in this 4th gen.

Finally it had a deep discount on the specific vehicle. I’ve had no problems in 21k miles.

 

[Gumby]

Big thing for me comparing the new Denali (or Suburban) to the Expy is the seat size. I felt the narrow seating set up of the front and 2nd row seats cheapened the Denali for no good reason. The expy seats felt supportive and larger....Just my $0.02

 

[TX-EXPMAX]

I've got nothing but good things to say about my 2019. When looking, I actually wanted a Yukon XL Denali because of the big V8 and overall look. When I went and looked at both, it was a no brainer with how much room there was in the second and third rows of the Expedition. The ecoboost in the platinum gets you an extra bit of HP (I think right at 400 total) and I run premium fuel in it. I've been very impressed with the power it produces and moves pretty good. Finally, the interior just seemed to bet set up nicer and more aesthetically pleasing to my eye than the Denalis. I really don't think you can go wrong either way, but I'm a Ford guy through and through despite giving the Denali an honest chance.

 

[BMW2FORD]

What sold me on the Expedition is the interior, especially rear third row seats seemed to be much more thought out for people, 10 speed trans, independent rear suspension, it’s built on the tried and true F150 hydro formed frame and front suspension and just about everything else in the truck as well, I got the max and can fit 4x8 sheets of anything in it with great flat gold down seats and to top it off the body is aluminum so no worries of it rusting away which is common problem for cars and trucks in New England where I live. I did like the Suburban / GMC line up but the displacement on demand engine lifters are big problems. The engine in the GM vehicles is the tried and true LS but to remove cylinder heads to replace lifters is not so much fun. The earlier GM’s especially that had the 6.2’s like the Cadillac Escalade and Denali didn’t have that system so you see them running well over 200k and usually only needing a transmission at about 125 - 150k but after 2010, all the engines have it and the Jury is still out on the 8 speeds in the 2015 - 2020 models. It is optional now as of 2021 to not have the DOD system in GM trucks and they also have the 10 speed trans same as Ford’s (joint venture but Ford got it first and did most of the Engineering / design) and independent rear so more rear seat room so time will tell what the next truck I might buy will be but Ford trucks overall are pretty good and usually easy to repair.

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

What sold me on the Expedition is the interior, especially rear third row seats seemed to be much more thought out for people, 10 speed trans, independent rear suspension, it’s built on the tried and true F150 hydro formed frame and front suspension and just about everything else in the truck as well, I got the max and can fit 4x8 sheets of anything in it with great flat gold down seats and to top it off the body is aluminum so no worries of it rusting away which is common problem for cars and trucks in New England where I live. I did like the Suburban / GMC line up but the displacement on demand engine lifters are big problems. The engine in the GM vehicles is the tried and true LS but to remove cylinder heads to replace lifters is not so much fun. The earlier GM’s especially that had the 6.2’s like the Cadillac Escalade and Denali didn’t have that system so you see them running well over 200k and usually only needing a transmission at about 125 - 150k but after 2010, all the engines have it and the Jury is still out on the 8 speeds in the 2015 - 2020 models. It is optional now as of 2021 to not have the DOD system in GM trucks and they also have the 10 speed trans same as Ford’s (joint venture but Ford got it first and did most of the Engineering / design) and independent rear so more rear seat room so time will tell what the next truck I might buy will be but Ford trucks overall are pretty good and usually easy to repair.

"Only" a transmission at 125-150k? lol That's a major expense unless you're doing it yourself with a junkyard transmission. Heck, it was $3,500-3,700 to drop a warrantied reman in my wife's Mazda (we opted to junk it instead). I have to imagine it's even more for a full-size SUV/truck. Early transmission failures like that is why most people avoid used Escapes, last gen Rogues and some Subies like the plague.

 

[BMW2FORD]

"Only" a transmission at 125-150k? lol That's a major expense unless you're doing it yourself with a junkyard transmission. Heck, it was $3,500-3,700 to drop a warrantied reman in my wife's Mazda (we opted to junk it instead). I have to imagine it's even more for a full-size SUV/truck. Early transmission failures like that is why most people avoid used

"Only" a transmission at 125-150k? lol That's a major expense unless you're doing it yourself with a junkyard transmission. Heck, it was $3,500-3,700 to drop a warrantied reman in my wife's Mazda (we opted to junk it instead). I have to imagine it's even more for a full-size SUV/truck. Early transmission failures like that is why most people avoid used Escapes, last gen Rogues and some Subies like the plague.

I don’t think there’s any car that will never break. Maybe I should have rephrased that from something different than “only” but that’s the reality of something mechanical.

 

[BMW2FORD]

The other thing that have to give Ford credit on is in case you do run into the bad luck and need a 10 speed transmission, the price is a tad over $3000 and that’s new from a dealer (check the online parts catalogue). A 3.5 Ecoboost is $3500. Not saying it’s good to have to replace these but some cars and trucks are near $10k for a trans and $20k plus for engines. Now on the other hand, the maintenance schedule on Expeditions is way to drawn out and cutting all the recommendations in half or following the severe duty service schedule is more realistic if you want it to last.

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

I don’t think there’s any car that will never break. Maybe I should have rephrased that from something different than “only” but that’s the reality of something mechanical.

There's a long way between 125k and never. I don't expect my vehicle to go forever, but I do expect 200k out of a well-maintained vehicle before it needs a major repair. 125k would mean I would need a new trans every 5-6 years. :x

 

[Jettix2]

Newer 2015+ Suburban are hardly guaranteed to run to 200k without issues. They’ve had major issues with torque converters failing on the 8 speed automatics, cam/lifter issues on the 6.2 and 5.3 due to the AFM system (improved over the 07-14 Gen but it’s still an issue), and strange harmonic/vibration issues too. We thought we had dodged the bullet when we bought our (previous generation) 2014 Escalade and we’re still bummed out when the torque converter went at 70,000 miles. That was the final straw that convinced us to upgrade to a 2018 expedition platinum max this summer. From 30-72k miles, that Escalade required a ton of repairs. Our GM extended warranty paid out over $6k in repairs. Funny thing is our friends who had a 15 Denali XL had every major catastrophic repair possible on theirs (torque converter, body control module, lifters and cams, AC compressor failure), all pocket out of pocket (ouch!) and they still went and bought a new ‘21 Denali this summer LOL. That 14 Escalade was my 3rd lousy GM full-size truck, and will be my last.

 

[Jettix2]

Ps my parents had a new 15 Escalade and used 15 Denali that both ate torque converters (8 speed) under 50k miles, and my friend has a 15 Suburban 5.3 that needed a full trans replaced at 175k.