Expedition as Long Trip Road Vehicle

[drw1926]

I've taken my '20 XLT FX4 MAX on two fall hunting trips comprised of multiple ~1000 mile legs from NC to Northern MI, to WI, to SD and back to NC over 7 weeks. When I leave home, the vehicle is jammed with dog, dog stuff, hunting gear, ammo (can't rely on buying any anywhere anymore) tools for working on the cabin, hunting clothes for everything from 75 degrees to 0 degrees, light construction to formal dinners. 2 cases of wine, food that can't be bought in the great white north (caviar, limes, dry aged beef, etc.). The MAX is full to the ceiling. My previous long haul vehicle was a 2007 F150 Lariat that is now the around town vehicle with 200K on it.

Biggest surprise is the mileage. I drive 10 mph+ over all freeway speed limits, even in SD (judge away). Lots of off-road 2 tracks, mud, etc. trying to get to places others can't. I average over 19 mpg on 87 octane, while in the economy (leaf) mode. With my truck on the same trek, the best I ever did was 17 and 15 was typical. I've also taken a couple of 5 hour hauls to the beach with bikes on a receiver mounted rack and experienced NO degradation in economy. Trips that cost me 2 mpg with the pick-up.

Tips for long haulers:

Have your brand new Expedition aligned after a 1000 miles or so. The front ends shake down and settle out after a few miles. The Ford specs allow negative toe...Make sure you have a trusted source (or DIY) and stipulate that the front toe be set within the positive side of the spec. Otherwise you'll experience wandering which can get onerous on hour 1, let alone hour 15.

Take your spare tire off, get it balanced (Ford doesn't factory balance the spares) and put it back on with the face facing down. This allows checking/filling it without dropping it in the future. You don't want to do 100 miles on an unbalanced spare, let alone 500.

Read the many comments about the Hellwig stabilizer bars. Many here swear by them. I like the rear so far. I put it on at Christmas. I'm going on a couple of medium (5 hour) trips in the next few weeks...I'll decide whether I want to replace the front or not based on how it feels with the rear only replaced both on and off road.

Disconnect the small antenna lead to the liftgate "kick" sensor located inside the rear bumper cover on the driver's side. The kick sensor on the lift gate NEVER works when you want it to; but, dogs, kids and you will activate it accidentally when you don't want to over and over.

If you're good with computers and vehicles get the cord and the Forscan software. If nothing else, program out the "double horn beep" that ticks you, your wife and your neighbors off every time you step out of the running vehicle with keys in your pocket. Imagine how good it feels...once you stop beating your head against the wall....that's how it feels once the double beep stops. There are lots of other mods you can make with Forscan depending on your wants/needs.

If you plan to use the 110V outlet on long trips, check out my entry on how to tighten it up. Otherwise, you'll have to continuously reach back and re-plug whatever you have plugged in.

Great info, thanks for posting.

 

[NukeLife]

We took a summer trip for 5 weeks this summer (family and dog) Headed out west (from Charlotte) to Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. Pulled a 29 foot camper. Stayed at some great parks and wineries.
Platinum short Expy with a roof cargo carrier.
This vehicle was made for this. platinum trim, CCD suspension, captain’s chairs. Just a great road warrior. Plenty of torque. Luxurious comfort and room. If you don’t get the extended length Max, you NEED a roof top cargo carrier for really long trips. Put all the crap up top so you can stretch out in comfort.

That being said, the shorty has the smaller gas tank, and that sucks. Most of the time it isn’t too bad, but when towing it can be a pain.

You’re not likely to find a better long haul cruiser, outside of an RV.

Now if Ford could solve the cam phaser and transmission problems…
SMH

 

[retired_chemist]

We love the Expedition. We took a 2011 EL 18,500 miles for 3 months of camping in 2013. Across the northern US and back through the south to NH. We packed warm and cold weather tents, clothes and gear. It was 102 F in the Badlands of SD and 25 F in the Sierra Nevada's. At one stop in SD the campground manager said that the had never seen a tenter in such a fancy vehicle. We had a good laugh! If we had room in the back we knew that we had forgotten to pack something. We also took it on a 14,000 mile trip through southern Canada and back thru Utah and Colorado. Great pictures in the Canadian Rockies, Utah and Colorado. The Expedition is a great road warrior.

 

[RetiredSOB]

We love this car for travelling!! We travel from TX to CO at least 6 times per year, a 12.5 hour trip and it is soo comfortable. The adaptive cruise is a must. We have the second row bench and lay all the seats down flat, put all the luggage in the rear and two full size dog beads on top of the folded second row seats. The dogs love it, they sleep the entire trip other than bathroom breaks. We pack the back half of the car to the ceiling and you wouldn't believe how much junk you can fit in this thing.

Great travel car!!

 

[keny01998]

I just took my 2019 XLT to Atlanta, GA and back. I have 3 kids from 15 to 4 and none of them really complained about road trip. When I was in Atlanta, I usually hauled 4 or 5 adults at once and everyone loved the space. Matching the Expedition with new Michelin Defender tires, it becomes a living room on wheels. The full tank got around 450 miles so we didn't stop much.

Only minor issue I'm having now is the burning plastic smell that would show up and go away after I drove it for a while. Of course dealer couldn't duplicate the smell after they kept it overnight.

 

[Wayne Decker]

Two words: Massage seat.

 

[BAHAExpedition]

I drove my family of three plus three small dogs and the cat, from San Francisco to Atlanta in a 2018 XLT. I towed a 16' Uhaul. I wish the fuel tank was as large as the MAX version. Felt like I needed to refuel way too quick!

It's been an amazing SUV. 31,000 miles and nothing but oil changes so far. My Bridgestone ALL-TERRAIN T/A K02 still look new. Best decision I made.

 

[LG_123]

It's the best road tripping car I can imagine. Extremely comfortable, tons of storage space, it can tow a huge amount, and relatively fuel efficient. I recommend getting a rubber mat to sit in the trunk that fits when the third bench is folded down. It'll make cleanup easier and keep everything looking sharp.

 

[Ex Afficianado]

Our 2018 Expedition Max XLT is a great long-distance trip vehicle. We specifically got it in that configuration because of the ability to sleep comfortably inside it should we choose to do so. We recently did a 7,500 mile trip from Georgia to Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming, and it was awesome. It's just my wife and myself, yet the vehicle was entirely packed full stem to stern with all sorts of gear, equipment, and supplies for this long trip. The mileage (17.5) was pretty decent considering the weight of the vehicle, altitude, and topography traversed during the journey. It is an extremely comfortable ride, and with the Ecoboost V6, there is plenty of power whenever you need it.

We also routinely haul a 3,500 pound boat and trailer combo to local and distant lakes as far away as Florida, and the Expedition does really well there as well with the standard tow package. If you can avoid it at all, try not to get the Hankook tires. They will wear out in a very short time even with tender loving care applied to them. Forscan is a great idea in order to do what was mentioned above and permanently disable a lot of the nanny monitoring of what the truck wants to constantly enforce upon you.

Enjoy.

 

[ryanpe]

We have a '21 Limited with 301A, 302A, Special Edition Pkg, HD towing, 22" rims, 2 row captains, PPF on front end that we use to pull our Lance 1985 trailer for a combined GCVW of 12,500. It rides unbelievably well. We've been on several trips over 1000 miles each and couldn't be happier. Fuel economy when towing is at 9.5 - 10 mpg.

 

[Old Guy]

I have a 03 XLT 4X4. We also have a Toyota Camry. I prefer the Expy to the Toyota for road comfort, cabin roominess, and road noise. I put Michlin pilots on it and they are quiet and have great performance. We have driven from our home in Central Florida to upstate NY and to S.W. Missouri to visit relatives many times. I also tow nearly an 8000# boat on a trailer at least once a month. When it wears out, I will get another one. Does that answer your question?

 

[42pilot]

Our 2020 LTD with tow package has 25,000 miles after one year of ownership. We tow a 6,200 travel trailer around the US. We learned these lessons: the car can tow a lot of weight (almost as much as a F150) but this also means it can be overloaded - do the math; I use manual gear selection when towing, using 7th gear at 64 mph provides best power and economy (11 mpg); the short wheel base sucks on windy days; use a high quality weight distribution unit such as Weigh Safe; always, always, always, change your oil with the best premium quality synthetic oil possible (I use Pennzoil Ultra Platinum - mostly for crankcase ventilation being dumped into intake manifold (helps keep top of intake valves clean even with supplimented port injector and low speed pre-ignition problems - I change every 5,000 miles; and make sure you get into wide open throttle turbo operation fairly frequently to ensure waste gate operates properly (they carbon up on low RPM operation over time).

 

[positivemojo]

The Expedition is one of the best road trip vehicles made. If you are taking a lot of stuff, buy two things that will make a difference. First is a car top carrier bag, one you can easily unload during an overnight stay at a hotel for security reasons. The hard carriers are great, but they just make an evil person wonder what valuables are inside. We always just empty the bag and leave it strapped in and flat on the roof, then fill it back up the next morning. Also good if you are parking in a garage, empty it at the valet and your car will fit in the garage.

The second is a folding step to put over any wheel. This will save much frustration when accessing your roof top carrier. Quick and easy. It folds up and is easily stowed inside. You will thank yourself for making this investment.

Powerbuilt 647596 Folding Heavy Duty Tire Steps for Truck SUV RV, Red, Large
by Amazon
Learn more: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002Q8TWI/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_ZFT8JQF2AAF2RQM1JEFP

 

[klimford]

We've towed a 6,000# trailer over 12,000 miles with our 2020 Max with Anderson anti-sway hitch. Cruise control at 63 mph yields around 10 mpg on 91 octane. Wife added a memory foam cushion on her passenger seat. I wish the driver seat had more adjustment up and down but all in all a comfortable and powerful ride.

 

[John Ferrero]

Highly recommend whatever pkg now includes LED headlights and CCD. We have taken our 2018 Max w/302A PKG on countless trips of 1k+ miles. 6+ people, 2 dogs, +/- 4500lb boat (all in) and no complaints.

Lastly, the OEM hankook HT tires are terrible, if they are still outfitting with them highly recommend a second set of wheels/tires for winter at a minimum. I went with 18-in rims blizzak dmv2... I have been on interstates that have been closed and had no concerns with my ability to get through safely, and keeping pretty good pace and been up in the Rockies with over a foot of snow overnight again with no issues.

Happy trails!

 

[VBreithaupt]

I have 46,000 on my 2020 Max. Need I say more! Its the best riding and towing vehicle I have had. I like to use the manual setting when I'm towing to reduce the down shifting in cruise control. I have the towing package and 3.7 rear end. I manually put my approx 6200 camper trailer in 8th gear running at 2200 rpm and cruises, taking all the minor hills without shifts

 

[NukeLife]

I drove my family of three plus three small dogs and the cat, from San Francisco to Atlanta in a 2018 XLT. I towed a 16' Uhaul. I wish the fuel tank was as large as the MAX version. Felt like I needed to refuel way too quick!

It's been an amazing SUV. 31,000 miles and nothing but oil changes so far. My Bridgestone ALL-TERRAIN T/A K02 still look new. Best decision I made.

Glad to hear good stories. hope it keeps going that way for you. My 2018 was perfect until about 50,000 miles. And then the nightmare began.

 

[paulmaximul]

I've been on a few long trips in an Expedition, and it's been a great experience. The Safety Index is 83 gives you peace of mind. It handles well on highways and has plenty of space for all your gear and passengers. The seats are comfortable, so even long drives don't feel tiring. I also appreciate the advanced safety features, which are a big plus when you're spending a lot of time on the road. The gas mileage isn't too bad either for a vehicle its size. It also has a strong engine that can handle different terrains. If you're planning on doing some camping or off-roading, it performs well in those conditions too. I would say it’s a solid choice for a long road trip. You get a good mix of comfort, safety, and performance.

 

[Dice Roll]

This is THE road trip vehicle. I tow, I go. Whatever I want. It just flat out does what needs to be done.

 

[Left Coast Geek]

Just got home last month after 4+ months traveling through Mexico towing a 5000 lb trailer, total mileage was 9960 miles.. We bought this 2019 Expedition Limited a few months before we left to replace my old F250 longbed 7.3 diesel as our tow-mobile. The Expy was a dream. All kinda gnarly bad roads, we went virtually everywhere in Mexico except Baja. Only car mishap was, a couple weeks before our stateside reentry, it developed a coolant leak, which turned out to be a heater hose. Mexican shop bypassed the heater core temporarily to stop the leakage as a new hose would have taken a week+ in Mexico, and we had to complete our journey on schedule. Expeditions are *very* rare in Mexico. Lots of F150's, badged LOBO in Mexico.

Rancho Betania on April 28th, our last day before crossing over to Nogales AZ.



re HD Tow, I opted to go out of our way looking for an Expy with it, because I wanted the proper 4WD with 4L and a rear locker. When I wear out the cheap OEM Wranglers that are on those 18" F150 wheels that I swapped for the stupid 22" "Stealth" package wheels, I plan to install BF Goodrich KO2 or KO3 tires for better offroading.