Expedition EL for a spirited driver?

[k9education]

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[cman1120]

Well I don't drive an EL as a daily but I do drive an Expedition daily. The EL is not that much longer than a standard length Expedition. It's a real quick rig for being a 6k brick on wheels. I have beat my buddies tuned PSD in a drag before but haven't taken it to a real track yet but with that being said it has no problems staying up and passing traffic. It'll do 105 no problem but I don't suggest you try turning at that speed lol.

I will say that it handles corners remarkably well for a vehicle of its size and stature. It handles like a big car pretty much. It will not take the twists like a Miata or an S2k or a real track car. However, it will impress you considering its size. I wouldn't try to break any canyon records but it will hold its own. Hopefully someone will chime in with an EL but that is my experience personally. Then again you're talking to someone who drives a 1992 F150 so it damn well handle better lol

 

[andrew_s]

I wouldnt say that a full sized truck is for spirited driving, but like the above poaster Ill agree that the truck does very well for what it is. I whop it hard soemtimes and it does well, but far from designed for spirited driving. Honestly Id say it should handle most of what the mountaineer can in the twisties, but again not the design goal and really just a way to eat up tires.

Honestly if you want bigger but also for such driving Id recomend a crossover or even something like the flex. Almost the same room inside (not as tall inside Id think) but built like a car and not a body on frame truck. Just my $.02 and good luck with your decision.

 

[dlcorbett]

Ive driven both on Test drives and can say the el is not really for Spirit drivin, but is more than capable for everyday driving. The el is softer the the regular length so the handling trade off goes To a more serene ride. I did take the regular up a on ramp at 80 and was surprised it was just as capable as my 15 mazda 6, albeit more top heavy

 

[Lostneye]

I don't have an EL, or an Expy for that matter.... but I will say there is a big difference between my 05 Navi on the stock 285/65 18"s and on the 305/45 22"s. Turn in is noticeably better as well as overall grip. The truck still leans a lot on corners, I will end up upgrading anti sway bars to see if that helps. Overall it does will for a 6000lb truck.

 

[k9education]

Thanks for the replies thus far. I guess there aren't a lot of EL owners out there.

I wouldnt say that a full sized truck is for spirited driving, but like the above poaster Ill agree that the truck does very well for what it is. I whop it hard soemtimes and it does well, but far from designed for spirited driving. Honestly Id say it should handle most of what the mountaineer can in the twisties, but again not the design goal and really just a way to eat up tires.

Honestly if you want bigger but also for such driving Id recomend a crossover or even something like the flex. Almost the same room inside (not as tall inside Id think) but built like a car and not a body on frame truck. Just my $.02 and good luck with your decision.

The standard length Expedition can handle my typical driving without issue; I'm just not sure the EL can. Unfortunately, an urgent work matter came came up on the day of my rental and I didn't have as much time with the EL as I would have liked, whereas I had plenty of time with the regular Expedition and was able to put it through its paces on familiar roads. I did briefly consider a crossover, but I despise the way they drive and most of them offer less floor space in the back than my Mountaineer. The Flex did intrigue me, but I was told by several individuals they drive like a crossover, so I abandoned the idea quickly. Also, while I don't do any off-roading, I do take my SUV up unpaved, unmaintained state/national park roads with potholes that could swallow a Volkswagen, so I think a crossover's tires and suspension would get shredded doing that 2-5 days a week. Anyway, I'm sold on the Expedition and think it bets suits our needs so it's just a matter of standard vs EL.

Ive driven both on Test drives and can say the el is not really for Spirit drivin, but is more than capable for everyday driving. The el is softer the the regular length so the handling trade off goes To a more serene ride. I did take the regular up a on ramp at 80 and was surprised it was just as capable as my 15 mazda 6, albeit more top heavy

I noticed the difference in ride quality as well and am taking that into consideration. It's good to hear others' observations though, since you never know how much of what you experience is down to individual vehicle differences and how much of it is indicative to that model.

I don't have an EL, or an Expy for that matter.... but I will say there is a big difference between my 05 Navi on the stock 285/65 18"s and on the 305/45 22"s. Turn in is noticeably better as well as overall grip. The truck still leans a lot on corners, I will end up upgrading anti sway bars to see if that helps. Overall it does will for a 6000lb truck.

I was wondering if 20"s on the EL would make a significant difference as well - or at least enough of a difference to close the gap in handling I personally experienced between the two. As an aside, I think both standard and EL models handle incredibly well for vehicles of their stature and it's one of the primary reasons why I stick with Fords. The loose, boat-like feeling in the GM counterparts is what draws many people to them, but it's precisely what drives me away from them.

 

[dlcorbett]

The expy is a really good choice, i guess it rele depends on your needs. If i were to Choose it would most definitely be the el just because its the best riding suv and quietest on THe road, well maybe except the newer ones and newer lux suvs, and i wouldnt need an suv to drive like a sports car. The extra space is way more than useful. The 17s have a heavier steering than the bigger wheels and have a less shaky ride, i would try all wheel sizes, the 20s may feel a tad lighter on its feet but will be less absorbent.

 

[cman1120]

I think its a trade off either way so you have to decide what takes priority. If I were spending a lot of time off road I might be tempted to lean towards a standard length Expedition because it will have better departure angles vs an EL and might handle a bit more crisp. On the flip side an EL does have a bit more room for extra gear ect.

 

[k9education]

The expy is a really good choice, i guess it rele depends on your needs. If i were to Choose it would most definitely be the el just because its the best riding suv and quietest on THe road, well maybe except the newer ones and newer lux suvs, and i wouldnt need an suv to drive like a sports car. The extra space is way more than useful. The 17s have a heavier steering than the bigger wheels and have a less shaky ride, i would try all wheel sizes, the 20s may feel a tad lighter on its feet but will be less absorbent.

Yeah I guess I'll have to think on it a bit more in terms of handling vs space. Obviously, one can never have it all - though it would be awesome if we could. I don't need it to drive like a sports car, but I don't want to crawl around the twisty local roads either. That said, the Expedition only adds about 6-7" interior length over my Mountaineer whereas the EL adds about 22", which is awesome. I'll be sinking about $30K into this decision, so just want to consider all angles.

 

[montecarlo31]

Not to burst your bubble but asking for a 6,000 lb SUV to be spirited is a bit of a reach. Either will handle significantly better than your current Mercury. I've owned or had as company vehicles all 3 you are talking about. I had a 1999 or 2000 Ford Explorer V-8 AWD but even with good tires and shocks the handling was marginal at best (on par for what it was and what was the standard for the time). My company issued 2006 GMC 2500 actually handled better in every aspect than my personal Explorer. Eventually they moved me to a new 2008 Expedition EL 4x4. It drove much better than the 2500 Yukon but with a lot less payload capacity. I had the stock 18s with Michelin LTX AT2s and I would say handling was very similar to the 2500 Yukon (the quadrasteer helped the yukon greatly in corners). At the end of the day the expedition's handling isn't even close to sporty or spirited. Car and Driver just tested a 2015 Expedition even with the CCV and 22s it could only muster a dismal .78Gs on the skid pad and 39.2 MPH in the slalom. This is right in the mix with the likes of the Kia Sedona, Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey (yawn). Combine that with mid 16 second quarter miles and it does what it's supposed to haul a lot of crap slow and steady.

If you go back and look (it's hard to find good data on the 2000 explorer or mountaineer) but a 2002 Explorer (significantly improved) only mustered a .66 on the skidpad and the 1991 Explorer pulled in a .64.

As noted before tire wheel combos will make a slight difference but so does the trailering package. If you select the trailering package no matter what wheel tire combo the truck ships with you get the stiffest factory swaybar. There are also aftermarket bars available to help stiffen up the chassis as well.

Lastly you need to realize that no matter what tire wheel combo you select the tires will be crap. They put P metric tires on their to keep their CAFE numbers up as well as improve the perceived ride quality. I would plan on installing a set of nice sticky LT truck tires if you want to really improve things.

 

[k9education]

Not to burst your bubble but asking for a 6,000 lb SUV to be spirited is a bit of a reach. Either will handle significantly better than your current Mercury. I've owned or had as company vehicles all 3 you are talking about. I had a 1999 or 2000 Ford Explorer V-8 AWD but even with good tires and shocks the handling was marginal at best (on par for what it was and what was the standard for the time). My company issued 2006 GMC 2500 actually handled better in every aspect than my personal Explorer. Eventually they moved me to a new 2008 Expedition EL 4x4. It drove much better than the 2500 Yukon but with a lot less payload capacity. I had the stock 18s with Michelin LTX AT2s and I would say handling was very similar to the 2500 Yukon (the quadrasteer helped the yukon greatly in corners). At the end of the day the expedition's handling isn't even close to sporty or spirited. Car and Driver just tested a 2015 Expedition even with the CCV and 22s it could only muster a dismal .78Gs on the skid pad and 39.2 MPH in the slalom. This is right in the mix with the likes of the Kia Sedona, Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey (yawn). Combine that with mid 16 second quarter miles and it does what it's supposed to haul a lot of crap slow and steady.

If you go back and look (it's hard to find good data on the 2000 explorer or mountaineer) but a 2002 Explorer (significantly improved) only mustered a .66 on the skidpad and the 1991 Explorer pulled in a .64.

Again, I'm not expecting it to be sporty. I didn't want to give anyone the impression that I'm one of those idiots whipping around on 2 wheels that raises the insurance rates to ridiculous levels simply because I refuse to accept the limits imposed by basic physics. I already know a regular Expedition will allow me to drive just as I always do. I was just trying to get a feel for whether an EL would do for the most part with the understanding that of course I am going to need to slow it down a little due to the extra length. I didn't get a good enough sense of that from driving a single vehicle for a few hours.

As noted before tire wheel combos will make a slight difference but so does the trailering package. If you select the trailering package no matter what wheel tire combo the truck ships with you get the stiffest factory swaybar. There are also aftermarket bars available to help stiffen up the chassis as well.

Lastly you need to realize that no matter what tire wheel combo you select the tires will be crap. They put P metric tires on their to keep their CAFE numbers up as well as improve the perceived ride quality. I would plan on installing a set of nice sticky LT truck tires if you want to really improve things.

That's a good point you make about the tow package and one I had not considered. In fact, the standard Expedition I drove had the tow package and a set of 20" General Grabber HTS tires on it. The EL, as it was a rental, was a base model without the tow package and had 18" factory Michelins on it. An EL Limited just popped up at a nearby dealership and I'm going to check it out today. It has the 20" tires and the tow package so I will get more of an apples-to-apples comparison, with the exception of the specific tires of course.

 

[andrew_s]

If its not sporty enough sway bar upgrades can sometimes make a world of difference and the expedition can be upgraded for ~$430.