Ford Showroom in Boston, MA

Driving Impression

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The 2018 Expedition delivers a smooth ride and satisfying agility. It’s quite enjoyable to drive. It accelerates with a welcome degree of haste considering its mass.

Ford’s independent suspension helps ensure a favorable balance of ride and handling. So do the available continuously controlled dampers. As a result, handling is as precise as any vehicle of Expedition size and weight (roughly 5,500 pounds) can manage.

Winding roads induce a considerable amount of roll, dive, and squat. Even so, the Expedition responds predictably: highly controlled and inspiring confidence.

Electric power steering is weighted well, throughout the steering-wheel’s rotation. Reacting quickly enough, the steering feels natural, sometimes behaving as if a smaller vehicle is being piloted.

Shifting with a welcome degree of slickness, the new 10-speed automatic transmission helps the V6 engine stick close to the most efficient portion of its rev range. Gearchanges are so quick and subtle, they may not even be noticed. Upshifts and downshifts arrive frequently but smoothly, without hesitation.

Ford’s impressive twin-turbo V6 impresses mightily, never feeling short of power or suggesting any sense of struggling.

Four-wheel-drive models can be fitted with an FX4 off-road package, including a new Terrain Management System. Its drive selector adds Sand and Mud/Rut modes, along with Grass/Gravel/Snow.

Fuel economy has improved, but not by much. The rear-drive Expedition is EPA-rated at 17/24 mpg City/Highway, or 20 mpg Combined (17/23/19 mpg for Expedition Max). Standard models with four-wheel drive are EPA-rated at 17/22 mpg City/Highway, or 19 mpg Combined; the Max reduces each figure by 1 mpg.

Walk Around

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Completely redesigned, the 2018 Expedition handily surpasses its predecessor, based upon exterior details and a substantially modified cabin. Although essentials of the chiseled-look F-150 are evident, they’re counterbalanced by the agreeable grace of Ford’s passenger-carrying crossovers.

Basically slab-sided, the overall design seems charmingly old-fashioned, yet freshly new. A dead-straight beltline complements the expansive greenhouse, helping to impart a sense of openness to the cabin. Headlights that suggest C-clamps look smoother. Taillights are LEDs, shaped like those on the Explorer.

Interior Overview

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Spacious, comfortable seats in all three rows, augmented by abundant cargo space, give the Expedition’s cabin high marks. Attractive materials and admirable build quality amplify its appeal.

Lovely upholstery stitching helps make the top Platinum edition especially worthy of praise. Still, its genuine wood accents and beautifully-stitched leather seem more appropriate for the defiantly luxurious Lincoln Navigator.

Fit and finish of the dashboard score highly, though it hasn’t changed appreciably. The center console holds a rotary-dial gearshift. Sync 3 infotainment beats Ford’s earlier systems.

Expansive front seats are enticingly padded. Second-row seats are nearly as comfortable and slide fore/aft. They can also tip forward to ease third-row access, without removing a child’s car seat. Tall doors make it easy to enter, too. Captain’s chairs (standard with Platinum trim) provide greater support as well as even easier third-row access.

As expected, extended-length Max bodies offer the most third-row legroom, but adults can find comfort in either version.

With all seatbacks upright, cargo volume totals 36 cubic feet in extended-length models, but only 20.9 for the regular version. Folding the third-row seatbacks reduces space to 79.6 or 63.6 cubic feet, respectively. Second and third rows fold down to create a fully flat load floor.

Driver visibility excels ahead, aft, and to the sides. A power-stowing function is available for the third row. So is a motion-activated liftgate.

Summary

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To many observers, the 2018 Expedition qualifies as the new standard for full-size SUVs, hard to beat in functionality. An Expedition delivers all the expected features, along with some that surprise. Prices can rise swiftly by moving up the trim-level scale and adding options. For greater luxury, Lincoln has a comparable Navigator waiting for attention.

Driving impressions by The Car Connection. James M. Flammang contributed to this report.

Model Lineup

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Expedition XLT ($51,695) and Expedition XLT Max ($54,385) come with rear-wheel drive, tip/slide second-row seats, power-folding third-row seating with recline, power driver’s seat, 18-inch wheels, heated power mirrors, cloth upholstery, Sync infotainment, pushbutton start, and rearview camera. (Prices are MSRP and do not include $1,195 destination charge.)

Four-wheel drive is included with the XLT 4×4 ($54,705) and XLT Max 4×4 ($57,390).

Expedition Limited ($62,585) and Max ($65,270 Max) have 20-inch alloy wheels, power running boards, and Sync with wi-fi hotspot. Limited 4×4 ($65,705) and Max ($68,400) have four-wheel drive.

Platinum ($72,710), Platinum 4×4 ($75,855), Platinum Max ($75,400), and Platinum Max 4×4 ($78,545) get a 400-hp version of the V6 engine, 22-inch wheels, a panoramic roof, and adaptive cruise control.