Interested in getting a 2012 Ford Expedition EL to replace a 2006 cadillac escaped esc and just had a few questions. Can someone give me their driving impression / review. Issues / problems? are there years to stay away from? I was also told to look at the extended navigator but there doesn't seem to be much of a difference. any help would be much appreciated.
Expedition El, Quick question for owners
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catmandu
Well-Known Member
18 months and 25k miles into ownership of an 07 EL. It would fit your family well, as the third row is more suited to two vice three on a regular basis. 'the truck has a very nice ride and decent handling, my 'GM 'til I die' Uncle is always impressed when he rides in it. It is just big enough that you need to think about parking situations, but the turn radius is such that I have yet to have a problem. Only minor issues for me: accelerator pedal needs to be calibrated every once in a while to get a smoother response (I suppose I could replace it, but not yet to that point), and the brake pedal is a bit 'softer' than other vehicles (again, I found an adjustment here that takes care of it, but have yet to do it).
mrford60
Full Access Members
I have a 12 non EL and I love it, it has 25k on it right now and I have had no problems and the brakes are much better than my 07 that I had before. the only thing I wish is that I had gotten an EL but I don't haul more than 5 people and stuff that often. good luck I think you will be happy with it.
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01yellerCobra
Full Access Members
Bought my 08 in October of 2012 with 50k on the clock. I'm currently at 83k. I can't say it was trouble free though. I had to get the driver seat track replaced, a cam and follower, and the steering rack. The last two were recent and covered under warranty. It seems that this is in the minority as far as problems. Other than that I love it. I think it rides great. It fits my family with no problem. I've learned to back into most parking spots. Makes leaving a lot easier. I do wish I had the back up camera at times, but not enough to have an aftermarket one installed. Stock it towed my boat with no issues. It did even better with the tune. I have yet to tow with the muffler and cats installed.
misspelledone
Active Member
I can probably give you a pretty good comparison, we came out of a similiar year Suburban.
The Expedition provides a different experience than the Bow Tie products. With the independent suspension, I find the ride quality and handling to be much better in the Ford than it was in the Chevy. Definitely sit up higher in the Ford with a better view around (women tend to love that for some reason). We have an Eddie Bauer Expedition and it carries much more equipment than the Suburban did like power running boards and air conditioned seats....... but coming from a Caddy you may have had those already. The Expedition has a MUCH better turning radius making it way easier to park which is a big deal for us. Also another huge selling point for us was the second row seats. Our Suburban had second row bench and you could only get into the third row from the passengers side. The Expedition is much easier to get in and out of the third row and you can do it from either side, driver or passenger. Third row is also larger (leg room) in the Expedition. Suburban has more room in the trunk, but I think the space in the Ford is more useful. Little storage in the floor and the cargo shelf makes a big difference. The center console is larger and more useful in the Ford, but being larger takes up more space. We had owned several Suburbans over the years and what it came down to this time around was more features for less money in the Ford. We paid about $10,000 less for our used Expedition than we would have for a similar used Suburban. So initially it was a money decision, but now having owned it for a while I can honestly say I prefer the Ford. I would highly recommend driving one if you haven't already. And if you have any specific comparison questions, feel free to ask. I will be more than happy to help out. By the way for comparison sake, we have 5 kids aged 9 down to 1 and we have soccer, gymnastics, and so on. Hope this helped a little
Cheers!
Misspelledone
The Expedition provides a different experience than the Bow Tie products. With the independent suspension, I find the ride quality and handling to be much better in the Ford than it was in the Chevy. Definitely sit up higher in the Ford with a better view around (women tend to love that for some reason). We have an Eddie Bauer Expedition and it carries much more equipment than the Suburban did like power running boards and air conditioned seats....... but coming from a Caddy you may have had those already. The Expedition has a MUCH better turning radius making it way easier to park which is a big deal for us. Also another huge selling point for us was the second row seats. Our Suburban had second row bench and you could only get into the third row from the passengers side. The Expedition is much easier to get in and out of the third row and you can do it from either side, driver or passenger. Third row is also larger (leg room) in the Expedition. Suburban has more room in the trunk, but I think the space in the Ford is more useful. Little storage in the floor and the cargo shelf makes a big difference. The center console is larger and more useful in the Ford, but being larger takes up more space. We had owned several Suburbans over the years and what it came down to this time around was more features for less money in the Ford. We paid about $10,000 less for our used Expedition than we would have for a similar used Suburban. So initially it was a money decision, but now having owned it for a while I can honestly say I prefer the Ford. I would highly recommend driving one if you haven't already. And if you have any specific comparison questions, feel free to ask. I will be more than happy to help out. By the way for comparison sake, we have 5 kids aged 9 down to 1 and we have soccer, gymnastics, and so on. Hope this helped a little
Cheers!
Misspelledone
MightyMouse
Member
Avoid 2007's for the spark plugs..
Avoid power running boards because they fail and cost $800+ to replace the motor..
Watch paint condition for bubbling..
Outside of that, if you can find one in good condition you'll be happy you bought one.
We had an Excursion before this Expedition.. haven't had it long, but we LOVE this truck.. I cannot believe how much I enjoy driving and owning it.. We had one as a rental in Colorado last year and the entire time I had it I was thinking I need to buy one. I'm so glad we sold the Diesel and bought this and I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy owning one as well. You still get your power fold seats, just like the suburban, but you have a little more leg room and the rear storage tray is great.. My wife loves that feature and so much more about her truck.. The ride is great and the towing capacity is even better than the suburban 2500, which is pretty impressive. We get about 19MPG highway at 70MPH and about 15MPG regular rural/city driving..
Avoid power running boards because they fail and cost $800+ to replace the motor..
Watch paint condition for bubbling..
Outside of that, if you can find one in good condition you'll be happy you bought one.
We had an Excursion before this Expedition.. haven't had it long, but we LOVE this truck.. I cannot believe how much I enjoy driving and owning it.. We had one as a rental in Colorado last year and the entire time I had it I was thinking I need to buy one. I'm so glad we sold the Diesel and bought this and I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy owning one as well. You still get your power fold seats, just like the suburban, but you have a little more leg room and the rear storage tray is great.. My wife loves that feature and so much more about her truck.. The ride is great and the towing capacity is even better than the suburban 2500, which is pretty impressive. We get about 19MPG highway at 70MPH and about 15MPG regular rural/city driving..
I bought a 2011 EL limited a year ago. Moved up from Explorer to Expy and now the EL. I LOVE it. Mine has the 2nd row captains chairs - nice option for passengers. It also makes the 3rd row seats more useful...the person in the middle has unlimited leg room! Ride is great, gas mileage as expected for a large vehicle, and the rear storage is very large - big iprovement over the standard Expy. Enjoy!
01yellerCobra
Full Access Members
Early 08's have the same plugs. Easiest way to check is if it has brown COP boots then it has the better spark plug.
Mangina
Full Access Members
I don't have much to add, but definitely look at the EL version. Tons of trunk space even with all 3 rows up.
