Ford putting its money where its mouth is.Portland, Oregon. I often hear Ford claiming that they are the leaders in
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| Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre |
the truck segments, be they SUVs or pickups. Most of the time, I have no reason to believe the contrary, especially when considering their total sales numbers. The Escape and the
Explorer are respectfully the best selling compact and midsize SUVs, the F-150 is the best selling full-size pickup and based on an individual model level, the Expedition, is the best selling full-size SUV (Tahoe vs. Yukon vs. Expedition).
Instead of resting on their laurels, Ford, after having massively updated and improved the Explorer for 2006, has now done the same with the 2007 Expedition. On top of changing (for the much better) the sheet metal, the wheels, the rear suspension, adding more standard
safety features, increasing the towing capacity and
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| Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre |
lengthening the list of features, they have created an Extra Long version or the EL (known as Max in Canada due to the existence of the Acura EL).
As competition is fierce and the handsomely revised Yukon and Tahoe do exists, Ford had no choice, as they left the bean counters in their stuffy offices, when they seriously upgraded the existing Expedition which dates back to 2002. Quite honestly, the 07 looks so much better, so immensely more modern that the 06 has instantly been dated; full-size SUV shoppers looking for bargains, be advised. Looking more like an F-150 that had an affair with an Explorer, the new Expedition has all the necessary goodies to attract the attention of would-be buyers: power-dome hood, fat chromed grill
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| Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre |
and optional totally cool and necessary, 20" wheels.
As the saying goes, 95% of SUV owners will never blah, blah, blah... Well, Ford knows this so they opted to demonstrate the Expedition's on-road prowess on some very twisty and very steep mountain roads. "Impressive" barely covers the Expedition's handling and braking. Listen to me; I am raving about a truck that weighs well over 2,600 kg and that can tow more than 1 ½ times its own girth. The briefly driven EL (Max), tipping the scale at about 2,700 kg, showed no signs of fading brakes or running out of breath while tackling a series of switchbacks. The secret, other than Ford's 300hp 5.4L V8, is the all-new 6R 6-speed automatic transmission.
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| Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre |
It shifts smoothly when cruising and eagerly dives 3 gears down when passing power is needed. The regular-sized (12 inch wheelbase and 15 inch length differences) feels more dynamic, lither and quicker than the Max by direct comparison.
