The engine is connected to a new six-speed automatic transmission, which Ford says will help improve fuel economy over the previous Expedition’s four-speed automatic.įord’s high-tech roll stability control system is standard on both models.Īn optional three-row Safety Canopy rollover-detection system adds side-curtain air bags. It’s powerful enough to tow up to 9,100 pounds. Under the hood is Ford’s 5.4-liter Triton V-8 engine, rated at 300 horsepower and 365 foot-pounds of torque. It rides on an entirely new chassis and has suspension, safety and interior improvements as well. But there were other major changes to the vehicle last year besides styling. The newest generation of the Expedition has an exterior design that was inspired by the company’s F-series trucks. Two of every 10 Expeditions are sold to Texas consumers.īoth automakers introduced completely redesigned large SUVs for 2007, and this year GM is rolling out gasoline-electric hybrid versions of the shorter-length Tahoe and Yukon.įord and GM are struggling over weak sales and declining profits from their cash cows – trucks and SUVs – both of whose sales have fallen in response to the higher gasoline prices.īoth automakers are working to shore up their car offerings so that they can depend less on truck and SUV sales for the bulk of their per-vehicle profits. Lincoln has a similar, new long version of the Navigator that competes against the Suburban-length Cadillac Escalade ESV.Įven though GM is dominant in the large SUV market here, Texas is Ford’s leading market for the Expedition. Those sales include the luxury Hummer, Cadillac and Lincoln models. Total GM large utility vehicle sales in Texas last year were about triple those for Ford. About one-fourth of all Suburban/Yukon XLs produced by General Motors are sold in Texas.
Its best year was its first – 2000 – when 50,786 were sold total sales for 2005 were just 16,283 overall.Īlthough sales of large truck-based SUVs have slipped further this year as gasoline prices have spiked above $3 a gallon, Ford believes that the Expedition EL is still a viable product that gives Ford fans an alternative to the Suburban.īut taking on the Suburban is no easy task. The Excursion eventually became a target for radical environmental activists, and some owners reported vandalism to their vehicles after leaving them parked at malls or on city streets in California. notoriety and ridicule, particularly in liberal hot spots such as California – even while the Suburban continued to be one of the most popular sport utilities on the market. It also became a symbol of excess for Ford and the SUV genre as a whole. The Excursion originally was intended by Ford to compete directly against the Suburban, but its behemoth dimensions and poor fuel economy made it unsuitable for most people who might have considered it an alternative to the Suburban.
The EL model replaced the much-larger Excursion, which was discontinued after 2006. Introduced for 2007 along with the second-generation Expedition, the EL returned for 2008 with some new standard equipment and a new King Ranch version, another variation designed to lure Texas buyers. It’s even slightly bigger, with an overall length 1.2 inches more than that of the current Suburban and its clone, the GMC Yukon XL. The Ford Expedition might not be the most-timely vehicle on the market, but it’s certainly one that Texans might find appealing – even with the high gasoline prices.Īnd added just last year is the EL version, is an extended-length model giving Ford a direct competitor to the longtime Texas favorite, the Chevrolet Suburban.
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