2008 Ford Expedition EL

What's the closest you can get to a suburban without buying a suburban? Last week I took a road trip in one of the new Expedition EL's (extended length). As you all know, for room and comfort, I am a big suburban fan so this vehicle had some big shoes to fill. I am happy to say that it did the job well, although the suburban will always be king in my book. To be fair, the loaded suburban is just a step beyond anything else out there. It doesn't necessarily have more room or more power but it just has a little bit more luxurious, plush, loaded feeling to it. Anyways, this EL has ample seating for 6 and could seat 8 on a short trip or a longer trip if a couple of the passengers were children. Of course, it has third row seating and the only difference between this model and the regular expedition is about 2 feet of storage space behind the rear seat. My personal opinion is that the regular expedition probably has enough room in it for almost everyone these days. However, if you are traveiling with more than 5 people in your group, the EL will definitely provide more sufficient room for luggage etc.

On the road, the expedition has a nice smooth ride, almost as if you're floating along the highway. Naturally, a vehicle of this size and weight is going to have a good ride and handle bumps well. It is quite a bit less jittery than the tundra I had last week and overall, it feels a little less stiff than any of the 1/2 ton trucks of comparable size. Although it may no longer be fashionable to drive such a large, gas guzzling beast, if you are going to be traveling on the highways with a group of people, you could certainly do worse. This model had the 5.4 liter V-8 which performed well. It has ample power for a vehicle this size and runs quite smoothly. On the road, the Expedition EL got between 18 - 19 mpg and in the city, I received 13 - 14 mpg. All in all, over 1200 miles of highway and city driving (2/3 hwy and 1/3 city), I averaged 17 mpg. Granted this does not sound good but when compared to other suv's of lesser size and ability, it really isn't too bad. The smaller explorer and mountaineer get 18-20 mpg on the highway at best so the way I see it, you get a whole lot more vehicle, comfort, and room for a sacrifice of only about 1 mpg, perhaps 2 mpg in the city. The regular length expedition will get 1 - 2 mpg better but if you're gonna go big, why not go all the way, right? This thing was almost an attraction at gas stations, as someone would always walk by and ask how much gas it takes! It is pretty sad when the 21st century version of the family truckster costs over $130 to fill the 33.5 gallon tank. The thing that surprised me the most about this vehicle was how easily I was able to maneuver it in parking lots and other tight spaces. True, it's no Smart car but for it's size, it has a good turning radius and I didn't have nearly as much trouble getting around in town as I thought I would. Perhaps it's just my driving skill? Hahaha! Anyways, the interior has a good, quality feel to it and there is plenty of storage space both up front as well as in the rear cargo area. All seats, front and back, have nearby cupholders and all 4 doors have storage compartments in them. Also, in this Eddie Bauer model, the 1st set of rear seats have access to controls for the stereo, rear climate control, and plugs for optional a/v accessories. I'm not sure why the rear seat would need to have access to the primary stereo system but it does. The 3rd row of rear seats has power controls that lay the seats down level with the floor, creating a very large amount of storage room. The middle rear seats do fold up as well if even more room is needed like if someone's smart car breaks down and you have to throw it in the back to give them a ride home. The seats are comfortable and on the Eddie Bauer model, they are all leather and the front seats are adjustable to so many positions that it would be almost impossible not to be comfortable.

Overall, I was impressed during my time with this vehicle. The economy, considering the size of what you are driving, the comfort, and the utility of it make it a very desirable option for anyone with a large family or large group of people to haul around on a regular basis. It is unfortunate that such large, comfortable, road worthy vehicles are slowly being phased out because I haven't driven a small car, truck, van, or suv yet that could compare to the niceness of one of these old school big dogs. Everyone in my group enjoyed the ride and no doubt, had a nicer trip than had we been squeezed into a car of some sort. It was a pleasure to drive and I think it would be difficult to find a more suitable vehicle for a road trip.

My Report Card:

Styling: B+
Comfort: A
Ride: A
Economy: D
Drivetrain: A
Overall: A-