Ford Expedition

The base turbocharged 400-horsepower, 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine delivers abundant, smooth power delivered with a satisfying V8-like growl. It brings an uncanny athleticism to this heavy beast, with effortless acceleration and smooth shifts from the 10-speed automatic transmission. A softness to the accelerator pedal’s action adds a premium feel, with a gentle tip-in awakening the twin-turbo power plant and enabling effortless passing. We experienced the optional 440-horsepower engine in a Navigator. It sounded even more robust when pushed. Technically, the added oomph would help with pulling a large trailer, but in daily driving, we didn’t see a meaningful advantage. The regular turbo V6 is so potent that most drivers won’t pine for more power. And based on Environmental Protection Agency figures, the more powerful engine does drink a bit more fuel (naturally), and clearly, no one wants that.

The engine rumbles when appropriate, such as with a hasty highway merge, but it’s otherwise subdued. We considered the previous generation Expedition to be quiet for the class, and the cabin in the new one may be even quieter. As speeds increase, there’s a bit of wind noise on the highway, and some road surfaces can be heard. We were generally impressed with noise suppression, although some luxury models and even the Nissan Armada may be more hushed based on initial impressions.

The ride quality is improved, and overall, it’s good for a mainstream, full-sized, body-on-frame SUV—riding on 22-inch wheels, no less. The front and rear independent suspension seems quite polished at first, with settled body motions and decent absorption of broken pavement and such. But as your travels broaden, some road aberrations and expansion joints strike through in a noticeable way, shuddering the body and sending vibrations through the steering wheel. On the highway, the SUV feels a bit floaty. Generally, the Expedition’s ride is comfortable most of the time, a notable feat given the wide range of capabilities, from transporting as many as eight passengers and cargo to tugging up to a 9,600-pound trailer. Overall, we expect the typical buyer will be pleased.

With the second-row captain’s chairs, crawling into the aft seat is as easy as one could hope for. There’s a decent path to step through between them; you just need to duck a little. It’s much easier to go this way than to move the slide-and-tilt seats forward and climb in.

The Expedition has one of the roomiest third rows in the business, even with the standard wheelbase. Similar to the Jeep Wagoneer, the rear frame rails have been modified significantly compared with the pickup truck it’s based on to allow for a much lower floor. Where most third rows are penalty boxes for children old enough to buckle themselves in, the Expedition has true adult-scale space. In fact, some passengers found that their hips and knees were better positioned than in the second row, and there was adequate knee space even with those captain’s chairs pushed back. Rear riders have cup holders, air vents, USB ports, and storage nooks. All in all, it’s a very usable, hospitable space.

When you use a turn signal, a display illuminates in the high-mounted instrument panel with a video feed, looking down the appropriate side of the SUV. This may be the best application of this concept we’ve experienced due to how high those displays are; the driver’s eyes just have to glance down near the base of the windshield to see that extra view. In other vehicles, like those from Honda and Hyundai, using the same idea, the screen is often down low by the steering wheel, drawing the driver’s attention far away from the road. Here, they add confidence when using BlueCruise for automated lane changes. Another visibility trick: A front camera turns on automatically at low speeds, which is a big help in seeing what’s right in front of the giant vehicle.

The Expedition’s driving position is upright and commanding. With the wide instrument panel screen at the foot of the windshield, there are no concerns about the steering wheel blocking the view of key gauges or information. This was especially appreciated by drivers who favor a low steering wheel position but often find it hinders the ability to see the key information, such as turn signal lights. The adjustable brake and accelerator pedals are a nice touch, one that has long been offered by Ford. It allows drivers of different sizes to find comfort. A couple of testers noted that the left footrest (aka dead pedal) is so far away that they couldn’t use it. The door and center armrests aren’t quite symmetrical. Being a large vehicle, it’s no surprise that the cabin is spacious, with ample room for either big hair or a big hat.

The interior is creatively designed, with the wide screen recessed and a flat dash top combining to make the cabin feel especially roomy. There are nice textures, such as the padded dash and carbon-look trim, and ample stitching. And notably, there are limited seams, making the interior have less visual clutter than many other vehicles. But the staff discovered occasional rough edges, such as behind the steering wheel, the turn signal and wiper stalks, the pillar-mounted grab handle, and the door storage pockets. The powered center console retracts to expose hidden storage. This is a fun idea, but the console has a bit of side-to-side play, leaving us wondering how it will hold up over time. There are some nice details, like the padded window ledges, smooth air vent adjustments, and satisfying detents on the volume knob.

Ford’s hands-free active driving assistance system works really well, performing its magic on about 130,000 miles of divided highways in North America. Activating it is as simple as turning on cruise control. BlueCruise essentially combines adaptive cruise control (ACC) capabilities with lane centering assistance (LCA) to take over driving on highways. Activate the turn signal, and the SUV will even change lanes on its own when safe. The driver is meant to stay engaged, just in case of a complex situation, and the driver monitoring system ensures that the driver is looking at the road. Some of our testers experienced false alerts from the monitor, causing them to deactivate BlueCruise. The system operates smoothly on fairly straight roads, though on even gentle turns, you can feel the steering making many micro-adjustments to the travel line, whereas a human driver tends to turn in a consistent arc. Plus, it can allow the SUV to wander slightly in a lane, rather than remain centered. This can be unnerving in an 85-inch-wide vehicle when the adjacent motorist may likewise drift a bit.

We found the periodic pop-up messages announcing that BlueCruise is available to be distracting. A simple, consistent light would work better without grabbing the driver’s attention. This is particularly annoying if, on a given trip, you have no intention of using the system, but it keeps flashing at you like an online pop-up ad. Fortunately, this feature can be deactivated.

Rather than a giant, barn-door-sized liftgate, the Expedition uses a split gate. The top ¾-hatch hinges up, as is tradition on SUVs, while the remaining lower quarter forms a tailgate. This little tailgate is easy to lift most things over, and it prevents contents from spilling out when parked on an incline. When you’re done loading, you can power both parts to close with a single button press.

As expected, the Expedition has generous cargo space. The hidden console storage up front is novel. We like the angled slot for charging a phone. Large cup holders hold oversized water bottles and to-go cups. The door pockets are wide and deep, with nooks for water bottles. There’s good space behind the third row with the seat upright, even in this standard wheelbase version. There’s enough volume for luggage, sports gear, or groceries. Rear-cargo-area buttons can be used to tip each seat forward, aiding loading from the rear. The seats fold quite flat, which explains some comfort trade-offs for the second row. For tailgating, there’s charging out back via USB, a 120V outlet, and a 12V power point. Should you need even more space, there is always the Expedition MAX, which is about a foot longer.

By far, the point of greatest frustration is the squared-circle steering wheel. It’s squared off on the top and bottom to aid the view of the instrument screen and create pass-through room for the driver’s thighs when entering or exiting the vehicle. But the high-mounted screen negates any concerns about the steering wheel blocking the view. And this giant vehicle has space to spare. The driver is left with a clever steering wheel design that feels utterly unnatural to use. Parking maneuvers feel like rotating a book: horizontal, vertical, horizontal. It’s fine when driving on a straight road with hands in the 9 and 3 o’clock positions, but turning is a problem.

Yes, we have one more gripe with the steering wheel: the unlabeled touchpads. Most uses require a couple of delicate manipulations to select the desired function on a separate screen, whereas other vehicles just have dedicated physical buttons with icons for functions like volume and setting distances for cruise control. It feels like much of the flashy tech in the Expedition is meant to dazzle buyers in the dealership showroom rather than make driving easier. As one engineer wrote in the logbook, “It is a usability nightmare.”

The hazard button that causes all four turn signals to blink is something you hope to never need, but when you do, you typically need it urgently. That’s why we get frustrated when the buttons are hard to see and reach, as is the case with the Expedition, where this shiny black button is positioned to the right of the rotary gear selector.

The team is evenly split on access thus far. There’s agreement that the powered running boards have well-timed deployment and are easy to use. It’s a modest step up to enter the Expedition. The grab handles are well placed, making it easy for even shorter drivers and passengers to climb aboard. But some taller folk found that if they stepped on the running board, they needed a deep duck to enter. And once inside, the interior door release is awkward to use. Second-row access is a little more difficult due to the elevated seat height and narrower foot path to step through.

Feedback was mixed from the team on the front seats, with several essentially saying they didn’t suit them. Critics mentioned bolsters on the seat base that extended only halfway, leaving your legs to feel their pressure as they splay outward. The lumbar support also garnered many logbook comments, with drivers saying the lower back support was too pronounced even in its most dial-back seating. But a couple of drivers with back problems found the seat comfortable, complimenting its width and softness. The key with any seats is that the experience is a very personal one. The lesson here is that shoppers should take their time to evaluate their fit with the Expedition.

The Expedition is a straight-line machine, bred for highways and boat ramps. Handling just isn’t an expected skill. It has notable body roll in turns. Beyond its ample girth, the dull steering, lackluster response, and odd steering wheel shape further deter taking turns with enthusiasm. Overall, handling isn’t bad for the class, but the oblong steering wheel is a serious demerit.

Initial experiences with the infotainment system saw most drivers compliment its quick phone pairing and integration of Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. We’ll dive deeper into this in the full road test.

The second-row seats are wide, with generous space for passengers in all dimensions. Some occupants had similar feedback about the front seats, such as the half-length thigh bolsters, and said the seatback felt lumpy due to its uneven support. But others thought it worked well.

The Expedition comes standard with Ford’s Co-Pilot 360 Assist 2.0, which incorporates several active safety and driver assistance features, including automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, a blind spot warning system that can incorporate a trailer into its geometry, lane keeping assistance, intersection assistance, and a parking assist system with trailer assistance, which helps hook up a trailer. Also standard is a surround view camera system.

Upgrading to Ford Co-Pilot360 Active 2.0 adds BlueCruise hands-free lane centering assistance with adaptive cruise control. But Ford says the hardware for it will be installed on all new Expeditions, and buyers who don’t spring for the optional suite will get a free 90-day trial included in their purchase. It also says the Active features can be continued after the trial by paying short-term subscription fees or by paying one lump sum to keep them in perpetuity.