Contemplating..

[sandbuster]

Currently own a beloved 2019 Toyota 4Runner TRD-OR. Love the vehicle but comes up short on towing capacity and I recently acquired a 26’ TT that is about 600lbs above the 4Runner’s capacity. Have owned 2 previous Expeditions and had no issues with them other than the 5.4 is a little lame. So I’m looking at a used 1 owner 2017 Limited with the 3.5 and am hoping that I could get a good/bad report from this forum? Yup just signed up so I’m a nubie here but I did spend 25+ years as a Ford tech so I have plenty of knowledge on older units but not on the later models. Thanks in advance.

 

[Timo2824]

First gen 3.5, plenty of power. Plan on a throttle body, water pump (some don't have issues), intake valve cleaning, rear shocks, and spark plugs in the first 60-80k miles. Some people add a catch can, some drill a weep hole in the intercooler. I did a weep hole, haven't done a catch can yet.

6R80 transmission: Bulletproof, I've had 5 of them, currently still have 3, zero issues on any of them.

I have a 2017 limited 4wd with the hd tow package, I pull a 4,000lbs enclosed trailer with it across Kansas regularly. It has electronic steering assist instead of hydraulic, so Ford got creative with it. It has a stability control programmed in, think of a side wind and having to turn the steering wheel into the wind, the software does it for you. It also has a towing stability program, it works but adds a weird feeling feedback into the steering wheel. I got used to it after several hundred miles, but the first time you tow with it, it feels weird. The hd tow package includes the auxiliary trans cooler, while towing it stays at 203°, without the trailer it's at 195°ish. I like that you can monitor it from the dash.

Currently I've got 42,000 miles on my 17 and tires and rear turn signal bulbs are all I've had to replace. On the last oil change I noticed the rear shocks have started leaking, so I ordered some replacements but haven't installed them yet. I've been impressed with the brake pad life, but I use tow haul mode and engine braking as much as possible.

Things that could be better:
Heavier hood, this thin one flexes a lot when big trucks go by and I don't like seeing it.

Third row side window seals, they leak air sometimes when the blower is turned up, I have to open them and then close. High powered car washes will leak a little water down them, not enough to puddle, but you have to wipe the inside to get the runs off the glass.

20 inch rims are dumb on an SUV, they should be 17's.

Lug nuts suck, I had a flat and discount tire fubared the nuts on that wheel. I'll probably put solid metal ones on next tire rotation.

Fuel mileage:
15mpg average, highway is 17-18, towing the enclosed trailer is 8-10mpg at 70mph.

 

[Speedboosted]

I have pretty much the same experience as above with my 2017 EL XLT w/ 202a package (leather/nav/HD tow/etc). At 75k miles I noticed the rear shocks leaking, currently at 78k and still haven't replaced them but I know I need to. My hood seems okay and I don't notice any flex, that's a weird one. Catch can and spark plugs were done around 72k miles shortly after I bought it, and boy were the old plugs horrible.

Towing a 5500lb open trailer with a Corvette on it, I get anywhere from 11-15mpg hand calculated and have never seen the trans temp go over 204, even climbing the Siskiyou pass in Southern Oregon at 55-60mph the whole way. My is tuned by Juggernaut, the extra power and better shifting is welcomed but certainly not needed. I use a basic Fastway E2 WDH which I really like due to the odd feeling of the IRS under load. It's truly a dream to drive anywhere setup like that. Also running LT tires in the stock size, Grabber ATX, but looking to go a size or two up in the future.

I'm not sure what you use your 4Runner for currently, but just understand there's a big difference between the Expo and 4Runner both on road and off road. The Expo will be much better on road (more power, better steering, more comfortable, more capacity). It will obviously not be as good off road. Don't expect to go rock crawling with one, but they are PLENTY great as a true camping rig. I've used mine a lot for weekend trips all over Central Oregon.

A good friend had a 5th gen 4Runner for a while so I've spent some time around both. You'll enjoy the switch (unless you are an offroad nut). The offroad support for the Expedition is a bit lacking unfortunately. Have you considered a Sequoia? If I were to do it over again, I’d likely get one of those.

 

[guzzon]

Similar experience here to the previous posters. I have a 2015 Limited 4wd (comes with the HD tow), and a few years ago I towed a ~7000 lb travel trailer all over the west coast, probably around 6,000 miles or so of towing. Honestly I was incredibly impressed with how easily it handled it, including going over some 8-10k ft passes. The 3.5L had no problems with steep grades and I only got the engine temperature to increase slightly above "normal" towing up a steep pass with 8 people in the car, a full water tank, and 95° outside . Only issue we had during towing was an ignition coil that went bad, but luckily we could limp into the dealership at Eureka, CA to get a warranty replacement. Similar story to the previous comments on transmission temperature.

One other datapoint: I was towing with the 22" stock wheels and the CCD suspension. The CCD did seem to handle the added weight fairly well, and continued to damped out oscillations. I've since "downgraded" to a standard suspension (b/c $$$) when the CCD struts started leaking, and moved to an 18" wheel to better handle off-road. I haven't yet towed anything nearly as big as I was towing with the old setup so I'm not sure how different it will handle.

In terms of off-road: with decent wheels/tires that you can air down it can 4-wheel remarkably well, at least for the types of stuff I do (true backcountry roads to get to camping spots rather than seeking out challenges). Some people have built pretty cool overland rigs with these things. I chose not to lift it, though that is an option with the 3/2" ReadyLift, but I haven't had clearance issues even on fairly rocky roads. But yeah, its not going to rock crawl like a 4Runner. Also agreed that there isn't great off-road support for these, but I have added the OEM transfer case skid plate and an RCI engine skid plate for some added peace of mind (and additional clearance from removing the air dam).

 

[gkretro]

I have a 2017 XLT 2wd and tow a 22' travel trailer. The truck handles this easily with a WD hitch. Milage varies, 10-12 is typical for towing, city driving is 15 mpg or better. I totally love this vehicle for towing, also have done some non towing long haul trips, its very comfortable. I've used the 8 person seating a couple of times, kind of cozy but it works. I have 70K miles, have not noticed any shock leakage, guess that's in store for me. I have replaced the throttle body and battery, not sure what else has been done since I'm the second owner.

 

[sandbuster]

To the above - thank you, your input is highly valued to me! I pulled the trigger on a 2017 EXP limited EL 4WD with HD towing with 70K miles. Only experienced (to date) a couple of things - not happy with the head light output (LEDs replacements arriving today). Acceleration seems inconsistent, sometimes fine & other times boggy - might be my throttle methods? I have ordered a Pedal Commander to see if it is effective (worked wonders on the 4Runner). So here's some questions:

1. What's with the oil cooler "weep hole" mod?
2. Why are you changing out your throttle body?
3. Same question on water pump - are they problematic?
4. The suspension feels like it needs to be stiffened up some - recommended HD struts - do they exist, best ones?
5. I so agree about the 20" wheels - why did they do that?

On first road test at dealer vehicle fell flat on it's face during on ramp acceleration (check engine lights & all). Dealer subsequently changed spark plugs - next road test okay. Being an old Ford tech that didn't make sense to me but it sure fixed the issue.

Driving off dealer lot I had lots of reservations on what I had just done - 20 miles later I was "in love".. I'll post back with results of Pedal Commander (good or bad decision) - I already know I'll be happy with upgrading the headlamps.

 

[sandbuster]

02/21/2023 Update: Replaced OEM headlamps with LEDs (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088ZT28XY?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details). Not sure if they would compete with "brightest of brightest" but accomplished exactly what I was looking for - improved visibility. On low beams a substantial improvement - high beams simply light up the world.

Awaiting arrival (today) of Pedal Commander. Other than maybe a strut upgrade from OEM (not so much for lift but to firm up ride a little) the PC, I hope, cures my biggest concern of the Expedition and that is I never know what to expect on accelleration - at times when I don't really command it the vehicle accels remarkably but when I need to accel quickly nobody's home. It's just not a very consistent throttle experience so I'm hoping the Pedal Commander will cure that. I'll update again with how the PC works out.

 

[sandbuster]

02/21/2023 Update 2: Pedal Commander arrived. Counting the time I took carefully removing the product out of the box and installing it I say maybe 4 minutes lapsed. The the road test. The unit defaults to Sport+ but I changed it to City mode setting enhancement to 3 (previously had one in my 4Runner and know that Sport+ mode is ridiculous. There are 4 modes: Eco (which is worse that stock and almost dangerously sluggish), City mode, Sport mode and then Sport+ mode. The road test was in City mode. By the time I backed into the street I knew I had a new animal under the hood. Throttle response is immediate. It literally feels like I just added 200hp and yet these devices don't add 1 iota of horsepower but gives you the sensation that you got a new tiger under the hood. Those of us that spend the (really) big bucks for performance mods do it for the sensation of power - this gives you that sensation without crazy modifications to your power plant. There are competitors out there that claim they were the first to market with such a device and they are 10-20 dollars cheaper but, they are really chincy looking and for us older guys their small digital readout is a little difficult to see. These units seem to be built very well using a heavy duty cable vs the competitor unit. Here's a couple pictures of the installation:

It is a $300 bill but you'll forget that the first time you drive it...