Renting a 2018 Limited - Thoughts from a 2016 Owner

[G213]

So while my baby is in the shop getting new shocks/struts all round (can't wait to see how she feels after) I'm driving a 2018 Limited for a couple days. Just some random observations and thoughts from some guy who drove a 2016 to work and drove home a 2018.

TLDR - The 2018 definitely feels less "trucky" and feels slightly smaller inside. For those of you wanting a more car-like ride and feel, you'd probably prefer the 2018. However, if you're like me and want more of a truck ride and feel, 2016/2017 would probably be more up your alley.

Initial Observations
**Disclaimer, my 2016 has a moonroof and this one did not, so that probably factored a bit into how I felt.

Cabin definitely feels smaller to me. I know we lost a small amount of rear cargo space due to the redesigned sloping roof, but even the cockpit just feels a little more confined. To me, this new cockpit feels more like it would say "ok, you are here to drive, here's your tools" vs. my 2016 which feels more like "hey ok, welcome, get comfortable and we'll take it from there"

The Dial Shifter
I drive with my hand resting on the gear shift; it's just a comfortable place for me to rest my hand. Not having that felt odd. Not having a gearshift at all felt odd; but I guess one could get used to it. I seldom use tiptronic shifting, but doing so with buttons now under a dial rather than resting on the side of a shifter would feel odd to me as well.

Auto Start/Stop
**Disclaimer, I hate this technology, regardless of car. But I DID try it out on the way home today.

Honestly, I felt it when it shut off/on and it was an odd feeling. I live in LA, so lots of stop/go traffic. What I found annoying was when I needed to move up in traffic quickly and the engine had stopped, there was a brief delay while the engine turned back on. At longer traffic lights it wasn't as bad but even still, it was there. Not a fan, but if you're after gas mileage, you'd probably be ok with it.

B/O Play Audio
**Disclaimer, I mainly listen to new and old urban/hip hop/gangster rap. But for comparison, I did try some alt rock/metal and eletronica/edm.

Being an audiophile, this was one I was really interested in comparing to the Sony system in my 2016. There's slightly less bass roll off at higher volumes on most songs, that was nice. Also it feels like they designed the system to more evenly distribute bass roles between the front door speakers and the rear subwoofer.

One thing that was very noticeable was the relocation of the tweeters from the top of the front door panels to the A pillars. What this did was move the sound stage further up towards the windshield. Now to me, because of this, the surround sound processing sounded more "processed"; almost like it was trying too hard to create a widened soundstage from stereo tracks. Eventually I got used to it, but if I thought about it, I could tell the difference.

Climate Seats
I don't know what they changed but these new seats cool the back portion of the seat a little better, but do not cool the bottom seat cushion nearly as well as my 2016. Overall though, my cooled seats in the 2016 are definitely colder than these. (It is a rental, so someone may have just beaten on it)

Little Things I Liked
- LED dome lighting
- Ambient lighting in the door handles and door pockets
- Door release level inside of door pocket (cleaner inside look)
- Easily accessible and visible gauges for Oil Pressure, Turbo Pressure, Trans Temp, Tire Pressure etc.
- Heated steering wheel
- Electric parking brake
- Power second and third row seats with auto headrests
- More space in center console armrest compartment
- Charging mat for phone (didn't use though; wired up for CarPlay)
- Current temperature set to display on the knobs
- Different driving modes to choose from
- LED exterior lighting and accent lighting

Little Things I Didn't Like
- Less view of the hood from the cockpit; has more of an angle toward the front of the truck
- Halogen puddle lamps (Not sure if that changes on a Platinum)
- No way to display currently playing song on the multi function display
- No vent holes on leather steering wheel (might change on higher trims)
- Truck really likes to get into and stay in higher gears and is reluctant to downshift (for gas mileage I assume)
- Not sure how different the leather is on the Platinum trim, but this Limited's leather felt very durable? I guess is the word. It's more like airline leather, meaning it's more tough but not as soft to the touch. (Families with kids though would probably appreciate the stiffer material; felt like it would hold up better to wear)
- The moving guidelines on the backup camera (you might be able to shut those off, but I'm just used to the stationary ones that don't move as you turn the wheel)
- Headrests don't tilt forward (idk I'm weird but I like the way the seats look if they have their headrest tilted forward a bit when they are leaned back)

Stuff not on this rental that I would have liked to play with
LED headlamps and fog lamps
Panoramic roof
Auto park
Intelligent cruise control

If I think of anything else I tack it on later.

My verdict? I prefer my 2016. But I understand why they made the changes they did and it's still a very nice redesign.

 

[dlcorbett]

Interesting write-up and very informative. Did have some questions/comments on it though:

-the headrests do tilt and actually adjust to a wide degree. They can tilt forward or straighten up to about 5 position, u just gotta tilt it foward.

-what do you mean by vent holes in steering wheel and what does it that makes you miss them on ur truck?

-im surprised the cabin felt cramped. Outside of the smaller windows, the cabin and room improvement was immediately felt goin from my third gen to current 4th gen. The console is wider, but set a bit higher and the steering wheel is bigger, i can see why those factors can change your perspective.

-dont third gens retain holagen puddle lamps as well? My nav and every post refresh model ive been in had halogen puddle lamps.

-i miss the power dome hood on my last truck. Visibility was slightly better all around with that truck.

-i prefer not having the shifter, its more easily accessible to get to the controls and wireless charging pad.

 

[dlcorbett]

Also, doea ur plat have the ccd sus or the lls? By carlike do u mean the newer one feels tighter and stiffer in comparison or less boundy and springy?

 

[cmiles97]

Nice write up. I recently rented a 19 limited max. I didn't like the driver's seating position and sight lines. It reminded me of my 2016 Camaro although not as bad as that. I mean you feel like you are sitting down low in the 19. I know I might be the only one left doing this on USA roads but every time I looked over my left shoulder to clear the blind spot before changing lanes to the left, I couldn't see around the pillar. I had to depend on the blind spot monitoring and view from the side mirror.

I felt the ride was stiffer, more sporty than my 17, which I liked. It handled nice. Loved the driving modes and the brakes felt more responsive. Hated the auto start/stop. It's clunky and the AC shutting off to allow condensed moisture from the coil to go back into the cabin is a terrible idea implemented poorly.

I really liked the new 10 speed transmission. I drove a few days with out seeing the gear display before I figured out how to put it on the dash and felt it shifted smoothly and held the correct gear. I do like it changes gear quickly to meet the demand.

Now that I live in the rust belt, I truly love the idea of non rusting aluminum panels. I also like that the redesigned motor now has duel fuel delivery to clean the carbon off the valves.

It's a nicely updated vehicle but the price of the new ones....YIKES! Then again I'm sure the new bronco is going to give me sticker shock as well.

 

[JExpedition07]

On the cooled seats my older 2007 works great, the seats have both blowers and a TED that cools the air. The newer ones are no longer equipped with the TED for cooling but just blow cab air. I think they still work pretty well though.

 

[LRNAD90]

I really liked the new 10 speed transmission. I drove a few days with out seeing the gear display before I figured out how to put it on the dash and felt it shifted smoothly and held the correct gear. I do like it changes gear quickly to meet the demand.

Now that I live in the rust belt, I truly love the idea of non rusting aluminum panels. I also like that the redesigned motor now has duel fuel delivery to clean the carbon off the valves.

Its really too bad Ford did not give the '17 Expedition the updated engine and transmission in 2017, as they did the F150, that would have made it a stand out year for sure. But I'm sure they were 'saving it' for the 'All NEW' Expedition. Gotta protect sales at all costs..

 

[jeff kushner]

Great write-up's! Opinions from fellow Expy drivers mean much more than random opinions.


One thing though ....The Rust belt isn't called that because of the weather, it got the name when Carter was president, inflation was astronomical, interest rate on mortgages were over 13%(I had one), car loans over 20%(had one of these too) and as a result, may, many factories closed, leaving them to rust......

jeff

 

[JExpedition07]

Great write-up's! Opinions from fellow Expy drivers mean much more than random opinions.


One thing though ....The Rust belt isn't called that because of the weather, it got the name when Carter was president, inflation was astronomical, interest rate on mortgages were over 13%(I had one), car loans over 20%(had one of these too) and as a result, may, many factories closed, leaving them to rust......

jeff

That and a vehicle equipped with aluminum sheet metal vs steel will last the same amount of time in extreme climate. The chassis is what does a vehicle in for good (Frame, Shafts, Springs, etc).....not rusty sheet metal. The chassis is all steel for the added strength. Aluminum panels aren’t doing anything to prolong the service life of the vehicle. Sure maybe it won’t look as ugly when the chassis is all rotted out underneath but it still isn’t safe.

 

[G213]

Thanks everyone! A couple other notes after driving for a day now.

Additional Little Things I Like
- Keypad entry is integrated into the B pillar door; not actual buttons
- Intelligent access is actually intelligent; (on my 2016, grabbing the door handle does nothing, as there's no sensors in the handles. You have to press a button on the keypad to unlock)
- Swift kick to open tailgate
- B&O Sound continues to impress; many of the additional songs I've tried sounded great.
- Auto up/down on all windows
- Remote window open/close
- Washers on front and rear cameras (my rental doesn't have a front camera, but I've seen it in the specs)
- Side windows on doors got smaller, which raised the door frame a bit higher. Makes the truck feel bigger from that angle, which I like
- Auto folding mirror option at lock/unlock (I don't use it, but cool feature. But you might be able to get this on a 2016 via a ForScan tweak)
- Tweeters in rear doors and D pillars (although D pillars might be mids...2016 only has the D pillars)
- Storage pockets on center console by your leg
- Defroster lines on the windshield under the wiper resting position.
- Automatic setting ability for rear climate
- Ability to set fan speed ranges when in auto climate mode. (VERY handy if you want to use auto climate but need to take a phone call without the wind sound in the background)
- Retained climate seat settings after ignition cycle.

Why It Feels Less Trucky To Me....
(which I personally do not like, just my two cents)

- I think most of you know this but just in case, the 2018+ has no 4WD low or high range settings. It's either 2 high or 4A (All wheel drive). Even though I know many of us don't have a regular use for a 2 speed transfer case, this was one of the biggest things to me which makes this new generation feel much less like a truck and more crossover-ey.

- The rounded corners on everything.

- The fin antenna dead center on the front of the roof.

- The extended "spoiler" on the rear hatch. (On the Tahoe, they store the rear wiper up there, which ok I can get with that. But ours is still on the glass but they still did that extended lip. I feel like it's just a place for dirt to get trapped. Unless it was done for glare reduction or something...maybe you know better than I)

- The sloped roof and smaller rear windows.

Other Stuff I Noticed...
On morning cold start, absolutely zero rough idle and this truck has 37k on it. That was very nice. Not sure if that's because of the dual port/direct injection system on the new 3.5L EBs but if so, it makes a very big difference.

This truck has a very prominent dead pedal. I typically never use it, but it was nice once I discovered it was there.

They moved the front side window defroster vents from the dashboard to being right on the door panel itself, pointing at the glass.

If the BLIS system sees a car in your blind spot and you turn on your signal in that direction, the BLIS indicator on the corresponding mirror will blink to alert you of the car it's seeing. (My 2016 will only flash the BLIS indicator if it sees a car coming when you're backing up; otherwise it just stays solid, even if you have a directional on)

I discovered this morning that the front seat headrests actually DO tilt forward; I just had to play with them a little bit. I don't like how there's a gap between the top of the seat and the bottom of the headrest regardless of it's position...but that's just me being super type-a.

They moved the button to close the power hatch from the left side panel in the cargo area (2016) to the bottom of the door itself, so it's facing out when you open the door; very similar to other cars. Personally, either one would work for me.

Again, this truck really really likes to get to and stay in those higher gears. I noticed a few times I was in 5th gear before hitting 20mph. Not a problem though, just different.

Power running boards stay out an additional 2 seconds more than my 2016.

If you have the electric parking brake set and you put the dial in Drive, it does not release the parking brake automatically, you still have to push the button down by the headlamps dial.

The front seats don't have that felt cover which hides the underside of the front seat when looking from the rear. Without the cover there, which covers the seat tracks and such, it looks kinda tacky to me.

Haven't gotten used to the lack of shifter, but eventually I would.

So all in all, I'll stick with my 2016, assuming it has the mods I've done. But if I was in the market, I'd probably consider a 2018/2019...still it would have to be a platinum. But like mentioned above, price goes up pretty quick.

 

[nate6966]

......

Why It Feels Less Trucky To Me....
(which I personally do not like, just my two cents)

- I think most of you know this but just in case, the 2018+ has no 4WD low or high range settings. It's either 2 high or 4A (All wheel drive). Even though I know many of us don't have a regular use for a 2 speed transfer case, this was one of the biggest things to me which makes this new generation feel much less like a truck and more crossover-ey.
.......

Just wanted to let you know that the HD Tow Package gives you the 2H, 4Auto, 4 Low, and locking rear differential (3.73 gear ratio).

......
If you have the electric parking brake set and you put the dial in Drive, it does not release the parking brake automatically, you still have to push the button down by the headlamps dial.
.....

The parking brake will release automatically for you as soon as you start to push the gas pedal in gear.