Never Owned a Ford Before

[tjcin]

I am looking at a new Expedition EL. I am in the market for a full size SUV to haul my wife, dogs and travel trailer. I have only owned GM products and currently have a Dodge Ram. My choices are narrowed to a Suburban and the Expedition. I know this site is biased, but please give me some real world input. Does the 5.4L drop any cylinders when cruising to help MPG? Thanks ahead of time for your thoughts. Tim C

 

[toms89]

I have not heard of ford implementing this method of variable displacement for fuel savings.

 

[FordandPolaris]

http://www.expeditionforum.com/f39/why-did-you-choose-expedition-over-yukon-tahoe-suburban-20696/

The thread linked above is worth reading through. It was posted a couple of days ago. There is a new generation Expedition coming out soon, so it might be worth waiting for that one.

Here is a thread discussing the new gen:

http://www.expeditionforum.com/f39/new-2014-ford-expedition-19185/#post151150

I am not thrilled by the looks, but the new 5.0L will be in that, and that motor will be much better than the 5.4L

 

[bricekin]

Go drive the Chevy and then drive the Expy. You'll wonder why you've never driven a Ford before. 2 worst vehicles I have ever driven in my life were a 2012 Impala and a 2010 Tahoe. I drive ALOT of vehicles for work. I'll talk crap on Chevy and Dodge all day long, but if they do something right, I'm not afraid to admit it. The looks (in and out) of the GMs are awesome but when it comes down to fit, function, and performance, look elsewhere if you want the full package.

 

[tojohnso]

Tim - I have a friend who has the 8 lug Yukon XL and a father in law with a regular Yukon XL. Neither compare to the '11 Expedition EL I purchased in March. The ride is better and interior is of better quality too.

As for fuel milage - can't compare it to the GM products as I don't have long term real world experience with them. Meaning I haven't filled them up and calculated the MPGs. But - I can tell you that I get between 10 MPG and 15 MPG around town with mixed hwy / city driving (my morning commutes are short and kill all MPG ratings). On our recent trip though, we got between 16 and 18 MPG. All of this calculated, not reported by the truck computer. I have found the truck computer MPG calculation to be about 1+ MPG higher than calculated with few exceptions. I do have a 24' travel trailer but have not towed it camping yet.

 

[tojohnso]

One more thing - FordandPolaris mentioned the 2014........though the 5.0L may be better than the 5.4L, I'm not sure I would buy a new 2014 since it will be a new design. I'd wait at least until 2015 for them to work out the bugs. Unless of course, it really is an oversized Flex (yuk!) which has been around for a while LOL.

 

[capitlj]

I doubt that Ford will go the crossover route with the new Expedition like they did with the Explorer. The 5.0 wouldn't fit and guys like us are living proof that there is still a market for big, truck based SUV's with lots of passenger space and towing capacity. Ford does not as yet use any kind of a displacment on demand system. Opting instead to go with variable valve timing.

 

[andrew_s]

The Ford does not drop cylinders, but the 6 speed does do a wonderful job of keep the RPMs low and good MPGs for a truck this size.

As for Ford or GM honestly it will have to come down to a test drive. While the GM gets 1MPG estimated better the ford has a larger tank and thus a farther range. Very slight differences but again youre not losing out on either truck.

Some other features to sway you ford:
Fold flat seats
more torque
Cheaper pricetag/more for your $$$

Some features to sway you gm:
More HP
option for 2500 level truck
Better aftermarket

I, as well as my whole family, have been 90% ford/jeep but this time around I wanted to put my bias away and buy the best truck. Honestly both GM and Ford are tied in my mind in every category, but Im happier then a pig in mud with my 2008 Expedition. Good luck!

 

[bricekin]

Some features to sway you gm:
More HP

Sure doesn't feel like it. The one I drove was a pig. Either way OP... go drive them both. I'm confident you'll like the Expedition a million times better than the GM.

 

[andrew_s]

Sure doesn't feel like it. The one I drove was a pig. Either way OP... go drive them both. I'm confident you'll like the Expedition a million times better than the GM.

I agree. The 5.3 doesnt feel as powerful and I think thats due to the Ford having more torque. besides torque > HP for truck applications.

 

[bricekin]

torque > HP

Indeed... however, I prefer torque in any application.

 

[tjcin]

thanks for all the input. HP and torque are a concern for me. My Ram has 390hp and 450ft/lbs and currently pulls the travel trailer well. I have driven a new Surburban and my brothers 2007 Expedition. The power difference between the Ford, Chevy and my Ram is very noticeable. There are a few leftover 2012's on the Ford dealer's lots. Can anyone tell me how come the 2012 has 20 less hp than the 2013? I will agree that the price of a new Ford is alot less than the new Chevy. I am going to drive a new Expedition this weekend. I just thought joining this forum before making a purchase was a good idea, to maybe find out about some potential problems you guys are having. Keep ht einput coming, thanks, Tim C

 

[andrew_s]

thanks for all the input. HP and torque are a concern for me. My Ram has 390hp and 450ft/lbs and currently pulls the travel trailer well. I have driven a new Surburban and my brothers 2007 Expedition. The power difference between the Ford, Chevy and my Ram is very noticeable. There are a few leftover 2012's on the Ford dealer's lots. Can anyone tell me how come the 2012 has 20 less hp than the 2013? I will agree that the price of a new Ford is alot less than the new Chevy. I am going to drive a new Expedition this weekend. I just thought joining this forum before making a purchase was a good idea, to maybe find out about some potential problems you guys are having. Keep ht einput coming, thanks, Tim C

The 3rd gen (2007-2014) has two hp numbers 300 (2007) and 310 (2008+).

 

[obageegee]

I have owned Ford vehicles for the past 30 years or so, some good some bad. 73 Maverick, good. 72 Lincoln Continental, better. Merkur XR4Ti (not really a Ford but close) Excellent. 92 F-150, nickled and dimed me to death. 2000 Explorer V-6, ran it into the ground with 170,000 miles, I could not kill it. 2002 Expedition V-8, absolute piece of junk.

3 months into my Expedition, love it. Extremely smooth ride, very quiet, everything laid out well, lots of room. Surprisingly tight turning radius for a big vehicle. TONS of power, I haul a lot of stuff too, boat, camper, utility trailer etc. 5.4 Triton has some known issues but nothing major.

Good luck!

Rob

 

[tjcin]

Thank you. I am going to test drive one today.

 

[tjcin]

Well, if anyone asks if I have driven a Ford lately I can say yes. Went to a fairly small dealership today that had a 2012 leftover on their lot. Very smooth ride and extremely quiet inside. I must say I was impressed. Even though it has slightly less HP than a Suburban, I thought it just as snappy. The particular Expedition I drove is $11000 less than the sticker but has 3000 miles on it. They are selling it as new, but I would not get those 3000 miles on the 3/36 warranty. And it has already depreciated one year's worth of value. Any thoughts?

 

[mtondreo]

odd to hear that it is a 2012 leftover because the 13's have been out for a while. someone will probably chime in - I can tell you I was only able to get around $8k off of sticker on my 2013 when it was brand new (a little over a year now) and it was the only one they had regular length with towing package. That may be a reasonable deal - still odd that it is a 2012, I think. We absolutely love ours - it is our second Expy though. It is the perfect family vacation vehicle. I looked at Burbans, Tahoes, Armada, Sequoia. The Expy seemed to be the best value for what you get and the most comfortable. Keep in mind that the new motors may be coming soon - not sure if they are going to make it this year. I am a fan of the 5.4, but I just got an F150 with the 5.0 and it is a lot of fun. This may help you in a few ways as it should depress the prices on any 2013's around.

 

[tojohnso]

tjcin - go to KBB.com and NADA.com and check the used car values for how that truck is set up. Then, check out trucks for sale online to see what people are asking for them. That's the only way you are going to find out if you are getting a good deal.

I bought my '11 with 15K miles on it. Factory warranty until the 3yr 36K comes up. Bought the extended warranty at a major discount so I'm covered until 74K/78K (forget which right now).

 

[tjcin]

Thanks. I did go to KBB and check the value of a used 2012 with 3000miles on it. The value was around 5k less than the dealer wanted for this Expedition. One of the things that is in my head is that the "value" of getting a leftover, leftover needs to exceed the depreciation of a 2012 in the marketplace. No matter how deeply discounted it may be, I will still own a 2012. That will be a factor for my trade in or real world value when I decide to buy a new vehicle. I am going to a closer, larger dealership tomorrow to drive a 2013 and see what they can do. Tim C

 

[tojohnso]

Then I would say they need to drop another $5K at least. Did you ask them? I'm curious on how a "new" 2012 can have 3K miles on it.....did they use it as a "demo" that one of them drove periodically?