New owner first impressions

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JohnSC

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Hi folks,

I have had my Expedition for almost a month now and I thought I would document my experience in case it might be useful to someone considering a purchase. Just a little background first so you understand what I am comparing the vehicle to as my experience and expectations may be different from yours.

I bought this because we want to travel a bit now that we are retired and have sold the other house. The next purchase is going to be a 25-30 foot couples travel trailer to pull around the country. We have a commitment to be in Colorado in June, and are looking forward to this next stage.

First a quick review of my last few vehicles to let you know what I am comparing this with. I have been driving a 2017 BMW X4M40 for 5 years. Before that I had Ford Flex Platinum, and before that a Volvo V70R (from the second generation V70 when they were true performance models and not just looks – 296HP and 295ft lbs torque, 6 speed manual, AWD and Brembo brakes, etc.). Other than the Flex, all of these were very stiffly sprung and had performance in mind. And the Flex with the twin turbo 3.5L engine (first generation version of what is now in the Expys) was not a lot different, just bigger.

When the Expedition was delivered, my first impression was a fear it would not go into the garage even though I had measured very carefully (at least a half dozen times…). But it does fit, and if I center it carefully I do not even have to fold in the mirrors. I was in the midst of recovering from a case of Covid that my son brought with him when he came to visit for Christmas, so I put it away and just let it rest for a few days.

Finally took it out to get the HOA sticker and gate opening bar code for it 4 days later. First impression is that it seems bigger and at the same time smaller than the Tahoe was. Ride is comfortable, more compliant than the X4 which I did not expect. But then the only Expedition I had driven was a XLT 4x2 with all standard suspension bits and mine is a Limited SPP 4x4 with the CCD and ControlTrac. I really do not know why this one seems less bouncy/less firmly sprung unless it is the magic in the CCD and suspension road preview, since this is supposed to have a sport suspension. If so that is most assuredly worth the money especially given the better longevity that has been reported on other threads here.

With the third row seats up, there is plenty of room for groceries for a household of 2 behind the last row. I am not sure about bigger family grocery store visits however. I do sort of wish my garage was a bit longer so I could have stuffed the Max in. In fact, it would go in, but without room to walk around the front of the vehicle. But I digress.

Over the next couple of weeks I used it most every time I went out, but almost all of those were 15 mile or shorter trips. The standard General tires seem OK on both dry and wet roads, I went through some pretty deep puddles and never saw any hint of hydroplaning but this was never above about 40 mph. The biggest issue is that my golf shoes are leaving lots of grass and mud bits in the carpet in back, I have to get some kind of cargo mat quickly to stop that from getting out of hand.

I have never had either adaptive cruise or lane keeping capabilities before this truck. ACC was fairly easy to learn, especially after reading other threads here about setting the following distance. Lane keeping is a different story. I could not get that to function. So I pulled up the pdf of the owner’s manual (can any of you tell me how the hell Ford does NOT hand you a hard copy of this document with the car? This is a #1 issue in my opinion!!!) I think I understand some of the issues I had making this work, but this ‘feature’ is documented to say it only really works if you fight the actions the lane keeping software is trying to take enough that it knows you are sitting there with a death grip on the wheel. So I am not sure it is really well thought out or designed.

I did have to take a longer trip (25 miles, including some freeway travel) this past week. That is where this truck comes alive, and where the ACC and lane keeping really help. Once I got on the interstate and set my following distance, with well-marked lanes, the Expy did very well other than trying to get off at every exit ramp if I stayed in the slow lane. That lane centering seems to prioritize the right side lane marking and follow it every time – so I was jerking it back into the main road each time I passed an exit. As soon as the road went from 2 lanes to 3 in my direction I moved to the middle lane and that issue stopped.

The truck is telling me I am getting about 14 mpg so far. That seems low, but with less than 500 miles on the odometer and mostly very short (3 to 6 miles or less) commutes I am going to withhold any bad thoughts about that. Let’s see what it is like after a couple thousand miles go by or with a bit more highway travel included.

I did install the Raptor engine cover that arrived about 45 days before the truck. I have floor mats on order – after doing days of the google, I settled on https://www.carid.com/2023-ford-exp...ar-floor-mats-5113517027.html?product_ab_v3=1 . I will post pictures when they come in as I don’t think I have seen anyone else using these before. I just really liked the looks of these and the installation video shows some additional hold downs that I have not seen in other competitors products. I have been pretty dedicated to WeatherTech in the past, partly because I used to live about 30 miles from their factory and could drop in to get my order but mostly because of the products ability to contain melting show and ice. Now I won’t have the snow to worry about any more most of the time (we moved to South Carolina) so it is more dirt and grass I need to keep out of the carpet.

And lastly – everyone who sees me with this truck and has an opportunity to say anything complements me on it. Including random people at malls, gas stations, grocery store lots, etc. Those red brake calipers get more comments than I expected.
 

dlcorbett

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Nice review. I'm currently in SC too, maybe I'll see your truck soon.

Somebody in my area has a max ltd spp in stone blue, it looks so good close up.
 
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DFWHD

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The truck is telling me I am getting about 14 mpg so far. That seems low, but with less than 500 miles on the odometer and mostly very short (3 to 6 miles or less) commutes I am going to withhold any bad thoughts about that. Let’s see what it is like after a couple thousand miles go by or with a bit more highway travel included.
We got our 22 Limited Stealth last April and have seen it average at 15.6 - 16 mpg in city/stop and go traffic. Where it shines is on long trips. We go back and forth from Texas to Kentucky several times a year and have seen 20 - 22.5 HWY mpg which is great compared to my former 2013 Expy that got 13 city and 17 HWY. The 22 Expy is a great improvement for us.
 

Going_Going_Gone

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You'e correct in identifying the CCD suspension as the reason for your stable ride.

In response to your garage comment. Two rules about buying or building a house: 1. you can never have too much garage space and 2. you can never have enough "storage" space--closets or actual rooms. We're retired too and built our house with three deep garage spaces not knowing if I would be buying a SuperDuty crew or an Expedition. We have plenty of room to walk in front or behind our Max, even open the lift gate with the garage door down.
 
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Those mats you linked to look nice. First I've heard of them and looking forward to the pictures.

For cargo mat, I'm really happy with the OEM Ford one. It fits very nicely and goes up and dow with the seats.

View attachment 76401
I also have this rear mat. Grass from golf shoes vacuums up easily. It’s nice to use with 3rd tow seats up or down.
 

armoredsaint

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I wish I had those cargo mats that went up too, what a great idea.

And TL; DR :D
 
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JohnSC

JohnSC

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Those mats you linked to look nice. First I've heard of them and looking forward to the pictures.

For cargo mat, I'm really happy with the OEM Ford one. It fits very nicely and goes up and dow with the seats.

View attachment 76401
Thanks. I ordered a set of them from my dealer…. Got plenty of points to pay for them too!
 

khammer

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Went to fordparts.com to buy but currently listed as backordered.
REG = LL1Z-6111600-
I requested a sponsorship from a dealer in my area that I have used heavily this past year so maybe I can reach out to them and check on the part.
 
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