Randy Schmidt
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Just traded in my 2018 Expedition Max Platinum on a 2020 Navigator L Reserve. Absolutely loved my Expedition, I mean loved it! Has anyone else done something similar?
Expedition vs Navigator
- Thread starter Randy Schmidt
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Just curious if you loved it so much why did you trade?
I have not made the switch but there was a guy on the forums that owns both and did an in-depth write of each and ironically he preferred the Expedition of the Navigator.
I have not made the switch but there was a guy on the forums that owns both and did an in-depth write of each and ironically he preferred the Expedition of the Navigator.
Deadman
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I have an 18 Black Label Navigator L 4x4 and an 18 Expedition Max 4x4 302A.
The Navigator in comparison rides very rough, you feel every seam in the road because its stiff as a board. The headrests in the Navigator force my head forward and give me a sore neck, the cam phasers have been done 3 Times on the Navigator and it just turned 20,000 miles. The Revel Speakers all screech on hi pitch songs if you turn the treble up over half, the second row passengers don't have a lot fo room to get in because the big bulky TV screens are in the way. The muffler bellers like an old Harley Davidson, its stupid loud for a luxury vehicle. The gross big touch screen looks like a 5 year old ate cheetos and then adjusted the radio, but its actually just my wifes fingerprints on it, so gross looking.
What I like, the 30 way seats (minus the damn headrests), the power, and that's about it.
I never drive the Navigator because in my opinion it rides like complete garbage. (both my vehicles have identical tires, identical wheel size, etc) We just went from WI to Miami and my wife and I BOTH chose to take my Expedition because it rides so much smoother and its SOOOOO much quieter. The muffler alone would give my wife a migraine after a couple hours of listening to it DRONE. at 80mph its just a steady "BLAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" noise that won't go away unless you let off the gas pedal. If it was mine (its my wifes), I would of traded it shortly after buying it. The HO 3.5 is stronger for sure, but its not worth the noise penalty.
The Navigator in comparison rides very rough, you feel every seam in the road because its stiff as a board. The headrests in the Navigator force my head forward and give me a sore neck, the cam phasers have been done 3 Times on the Navigator and it just turned 20,000 miles. The Revel Speakers all screech on hi pitch songs if you turn the treble up over half, the second row passengers don't have a lot fo room to get in because the big bulky TV screens are in the way. The muffler bellers like an old Harley Davidson, its stupid loud for a luxury vehicle. The gross big touch screen looks like a 5 year old ate cheetos and then adjusted the radio, but its actually just my wifes fingerprints on it, so gross looking.
What I like, the 30 way seats (minus the damn headrests), the power, and that's about it.
I never drive the Navigator because in my opinion it rides like complete garbage. (both my vehicles have identical tires, identical wheel size, etc) We just went from WI to Miami and my wife and I BOTH chose to take my Expedition because it rides so much smoother and its SOOOOO much quieter. The muffler alone would give my wife a migraine after a couple hours of listening to it DRONE. at 80mph its just a steady "BLAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" noise that won't go away unless you let off the gas pedal. If it was mine (its my wifes), I would of traded it shortly after buying it. The HO 3.5 is stronger for sure, but its not worth the noise penalty.
i for one prefer the SD dash cluster & seats / overall layout of the expy. and all the stuff @ deadman said as well. i had the choice to get either at the time of purchase & chose the expy. mainly it was simpler = better.
+ that hi gloss screen is a dealbreaker. why all screens are not satin at this point is beyond me. zero benefit except cheaper probably
i must admit did yearn for the navi projector headlights & 30way massage seats - but once i upgraded the headlight bulbs i was a happy camper in my limited. + i had a lot of $ left over in comparison, so i could just blow it on wraps & rubber & the wish list keeps growing
+ that hi gloss screen is a dealbreaker. why all screens are not satin at this point is beyond me. zero benefit except cheaper probably
i must admit did yearn for the navi projector headlights & 30way massage seats - but once i upgraded the headlight bulbs i was a happy camper in my limited. + i had a lot of $ left over in comparison, so i could just blow it on wraps & rubber & the wish list keeps growing
Calidad
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Wasn’t the 18 first yr for this platform? its really hard for me to think comparing a first version to even my 19 that had all sorts of tweaks I had not expected at all. Cast aluminum oil pan for one was a big shocker when I went to do my first oil change. I was totally confused even sat there under the truck searching on my phone to figure out what I as missing lol.
I do think Ford has quietly added tweaks and fixes to these vehicles every yr since they hit the show room.
I do think Ford has quietly added tweaks and fixes to these vehicles every yr since they hit the show room.
Mac Attack
Active Member
I think Deadman got his Navigator used. Maybe his issues are why the PO got rid of it too. I wouldn't settle for a droning vehicle on the highway as it's supposed to be a luxury ride.
I shopped for both Expedition Platinum or Lincoln Navigator. It came down to getting a deal on a new Black Label Navigator for the same cost of the loaded Expy so my decision became an easy one to make. I found the Lincoln dealers were much more open to negotiating than the Ford dealers in a 200 mile radius around me.
My Navi roars on startup only and has a somewhat rough ride that I'll hopefully fix soon with new 20" aftermarket wheels and Michelin tires that are currently trapped in a CA harbor. Yes, the headrests on the 30 way seats are too far forward IMO, but I'm not a large person (150lbs), so maybe I wasn't in the target demographic. Sound is very subjective, but the Revel is pretty good IMO. Beats the Acura ELS system in my MDX by far. My home theater system uses Vandersteen speakers, a couple kWs of power, and stand-alone DSP processors.
The Navi headlights could be a bit better. The fog/driving lights are for looks only, but the engine is sweet. Especially with a JB4 added.
I shopped for both Expedition Platinum or Lincoln Navigator. It came down to getting a deal on a new Black Label Navigator for the same cost of the loaded Expy so my decision became an easy one to make. I found the Lincoln dealers were much more open to negotiating than the Ford dealers in a 200 mile radius around me.
My Navi roars on startup only and has a somewhat rough ride that I'll hopefully fix soon with new 20" aftermarket wheels and Michelin tires that are currently trapped in a CA harbor. Yes, the headrests on the 30 way seats are too far forward IMO, but I'm not a large person (150lbs), so maybe I wasn't in the target demographic. Sound is very subjective, but the Revel is pretty good IMO. Beats the Acura ELS system in my MDX by far. My home theater system uses Vandersteen speakers, a couple kWs of power, and stand-alone DSP processors.
The Navi headlights could be a bit better. The fog/driving lights are for looks only, but the engine is sweet. Especially with a JB4 added.
Deadman
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I drove a brand new Black Label from a dealership lot and it ROARS just as loud as this one. It's the muffler design on the HO, they used twin pipes and such to make it breath and make power.
I'm 5'11" 185 lbs and the headrests are retarded for my body size as well.
The ride gets better in Conserve mode, but then the transmission shifts so horrible that you almost can't get going. I drive it in conserve once I get up to speed, it smooths out a lot. It just rides like complete garbage in all the other modes. They must have thought performance rough ride was the new luxury thing.
The headlights are not impressive at all. My wife asked me how to make them better many times. Its cool that they turn with the steering wheel, but they simply aren't bright.
Turn that Revel treble up and turn the tunes up, and the rear speakers are notorious for screeching. The tweeters are known to bottom out and they can't fix them. Dealers willing to replace them but said the ones they replaced all did it again. They even replaced the amp trying to address it, and no gain.
Its an Ok vehicle, but for the price I expect ALOT more than I got. I bought mine with like 15,000 miles on it and got almost $40K off of it, so thats the only reason I bought it.
Mac Attack
Active Member
The treble is already bright enough at mid-setting and I don't turn it up louder than 12, so I haven't had any problems. Actually, the Lincoln Revel system compares well with the MB Burmeister and Volvo B&W systems from my test comparisons.
Your complaints with the exhaust drone also makes me think you have an issue with the active noise cancelation. The exhaust on the two Navigators I test drove were silent like the one I ended up purchasing (except for 10 seconds after startup). It was subjectively a tad quieter than the 2020 Expy Platinum I drove.
Either way, both the Expedition and Navigator are pretty nice overall. My point is if you are in the market for a Platinum Expedition, you should consider the Navigator as you might find better deals to narrow the price difference.
Calidad
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I found the platinums don’t sell but all the mid trim and special package stuff like the FX and blacked out Expeditions sell fast. So dealers won’t deal on Limiteds and similar versions. But a Loaded platinum can be had for about $500 more than a Loaded Limited. The Navi’s no doubt don’t sell as good as Platinums again sticker shock a big factor so yes they probably are willing to deal big on them. But I highly doubt a Navi can be had for $73k. The Limited they wouldn’t deal on was not HD but pretty optioned lowest they would go was 72k in my area because the Limiteds sell fast and also are popular lease choices making them big money makers for them. The Platinums just take up parking spaces all yr and end up getting sold at deep discounts
Mac Attack
Active Member
I paid $82k out the door on my new '19 Black Label L with the colors I wanted. Only problem was that I had to drive 5 hours to get it out of state. It was worth it.
Deadman
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I'm not trying to argue about the exhaust, but I'm telling you we own BOTH and daily drive them and the Navigator is stupid loud in comparison. My wife absolutely hates the exhaust racket it makes. We've taken it in numerous times for the exhaust noise and they and we have put decibel meters on a brand new Navigator and ours side by side and they made identical DB's. The muffler just breathes too much and barks on the highway.
We had the amp on the active noise control replaced a month ago and it changed nothing. The dealer suggested that would help the noise and it did nothing.
My neighbor actually told me he hears my wife drive out on her way to work EVERY single morning. He asked me why we put aftermarket muffler on it, and I told him its all stock. He literally wouldn't believe me. He said he can't hear my expedition, but her Navigator just makes an annoying deep vibrating drone tone every morning she leaves for work.
My Lincoln dealer told me we were the 3rd noise complaint they received on recent Navigators and thats just how they are as they test them side by side with new ones. I tested them myself and they're just retarded loud. I'm looking into welding in additional mufflers into the exhaust. I'm just not sure if its the muffler case giving off the noise or if its all from the tailpipe. It almost sounds like its the muffler case resonating sound into the second row floor.
Mac Attack
Active Member
Sorry to hear about that. Hope you get it worked out.
OP
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Randy Schmidt
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The Navigator to me, seems much smoother and quieter inside. The ride quality feels significantly better than the Expedition. Both have CCD suspension, but the Navigator just seems smoother. The additional 50 hp stock is noticeable, but then again, I also had a 5Star tune on my Expedition and that was a huge difference. The Navigator has black interior, where the Expedition had the lighter tan interior. Getting used to the black and will have thoughts on that in the future. The black at first appearance in the Navigator lends to a more elegant look.
OP
OP
Randy Schmidt
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I made the switch because I have always wanted another Navigator, but this time in the new body style. Absolutely nothing wrong with the Expedition, awesome vehicle. The Navigator is just awesomer. lol
When the time comes, the wife and I want to compare thenm side by side so we can decide which one would be a better purchase. From what I felt, the nav seems to have a smoother and quieter ride in most conditions, but the expy was far easier to use due to its buttons and control locations. I feel like the reserve and bl trims have a slightly different suspension tune because I see a lot of bl owners complain about the ride but those with reserve or select trims don't complain nearly as much.
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Randy Schmidt
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My Navigator exhaust isn't any louder than my Expedition Platinum exhaust at startup. Actually at highway speeds, its much quieter. I don't experience the stiff ride you guys do as well. Its much softer of a ride compared to the Expedition. Im no expert, but I really like the Navigator better than the Expedition.
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Randy Schmidt
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Yea, maybe my Reserve trim level has a different suspension that leads me to feel like its smoother than the Expedition.
Deadman
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I'd believe that because my wifes Black Label absolutely slams over every crack in the road.
