Short review on rental...

[gregk24]

Our family was away for a week long trip and we had a rental, a 2016 Ford Expedition with the 3.5 EcoBoost. This was my first experience with an EcoBoost and I was pleasantly surprised. The exterior and interior seem a bit dated compared to others in its class (style wise) but styling is subjective. Fit and finish was good, everything seemed to be screwed together nicely. No squeaks, rattles or anything of that nature. I am not sure what trim level it was but it had a leather interior, leather "trimmed" actually. The front seats were leather on all surfaces your body touches, middle seats only had leather inserts, and rear seat were full on vinyl. The leather did seem to be of good quality though, and vinyl surfaces felt very durable. It has a infotainment center like most modern vehicles. It did lag a little at times but wasn't bad overall. It wasn't all that user friendly, you can control the front climate control by hard buttons or by the screen, but you can only control the rear climate control up front by using the screen. It took us a while to figure that out, as there are buttons in the rear but they don't work until you enable them from the infotainment screen.

Ok now I'll mention the driving dynamics. Steering was meh, ride was meh, throttle response was good, breaking was...hard to get used too. I'll elaborate just a bit. The weight of the steering was where you would want it to be for a large suv, but due to the size of the vehicle and how much it rolls it almost felt unresponsive, you would turn in then wait for the body to catch up if you know what I mean. The ride was smooth but too mushy for my taste, it wasn't floaty but again it has too much roll. High speed lane changes are NOT confidence inspiring at all, not that anyone would drive this way under normal circumstances but if you are up to highway speed and quickly have to dodge an object it almost felt dangerous as the body wants to keep going strait as you quickly turn the wheel one way or the other, just a slow response time. Throttle response is good from a stop and that EcoBoost has plenty of power scooting away from a stop, but when you "give it the beans" at speed it takes a solid 2 seconds at times before you start picking up speed, but once the turbo's spool up your golden and have plenty of power. It has sufficient braking power for sure, but it takes a while to adjust too it, there were plenty of times when everyones head got jerked forward because the brakes bite too soon. Its a great thing to have brakes don't get me wrong...I just wish they were more linear. Its nice to be able to rest your foot on the brake pedal and not lurch forward in your seat. Gas mileage was great for an SUV of this size, we were getting around 18 on average with the car packed full of humans and luggage with the A/C on medium or higher for most of the trip.

Ok so maybe this wasn't the shortest review but I just wanted to throw my thoughts out there as I know some of you like reading these rental reviews. Overall I did enjoy the car, the biggest complaint I had was the sloppy handling at speed, not confidence inspiring at all! After a week of being in the Expedition it renews my love of the car (sedan / coupe) type automobile, which offer a much more engaging drive. It felt great hopping back in my Accord today where I can once again enjoy the driving dynamics it has to offer.

Exactly what ours looked like...

 

[Mr Nice]

Exterior looks very dated. Interior is nice as its basic, no silly styling.

 

[SZR48207]

I'm surprised these are still made. The Explorer took a lot of the spotlight when it got the redesign but I guess Ford doesn't know what to do with the Expy yet.

 

[TwoWheelRider]

That vehicle is too big to make a fun drive.

 

[VNTS]

Interior looks dated and old, but guess anyone who needs a large SUV it would be on their list.

How was the fuel economy?

 

[Nick1994]

Yeah it's really dated, it's like they forgot they even make Expeditions.

Usually Nissan is the worst for having dated cars.

 

[SatinSilver]

It has a dated exterior and interior but a new state of the art engine. A Tahoe doesn't seem so dated. I remember driving a Sequoia and was amazed how it maneuvered like a much smaller vehicle than it was. It did everything well and it better for what they sell for. Used ones in the Hertz fleet all seem to sell for around $40k, Tahoes, Expeditions, and Sequoias.

 

[SLCraig]

I as well as others also did not know these were still made.. Don't recall seeing any new looking ones like that ever around these parts.

 

[sasilverbullet]

Sounds about right, thanks for the detailed review, nice read.

These are a dime a dozen here in Texas, as are Suburbans. I rented a Suburban recently and your right up mirrors how the suburban felt.

Funny, I also drive an Accord, I guess we're spoiled!

 

[01rangerxl]

A full size, body on frame SUV is going to handle like a full size, body on frame SUV. That's what they do.

It is an old design, with much of the body dating back to 2003. In 2003, this was the newest full size SUV design on the market, and the first to use an independent rear suspension.

I am glad Ford is putting the EcoBoost in them. 18 MPG average out of that platform is great.

Ford keeps the Expedition around because it's not costing them much (F-150 pays the bills) and there's always some level of demand for a large utility vehicle. More people are buying three row crossovers instead of full size SUVs these days, so Ford has put the Expedition on the back burner. I'm glad they keep it around though.

Lincoln has shown a concept Navigator, but it's unclear if it will be body on frame, or a very large crossover.

 

[gregk24]

Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
It has a dated exterior and interior but a new state of the art engine. A Tahoe doesn't seem so dated. I remember driving a Sequoia and was amazed how it maneuvered like a much smaller vehicle than it was. It did everything well and it better for what they sell for. Used ones in the Hertz fleet all seem to sell for around $40k, Tahoes, Expeditions, and Sequoias.


Yes, it may be a bit dated but I do like the simple styling, it will age gracefully. You are right about the engine. It blew me away how something this large could hall tail from a stop. The drivetrain is great, very smooth shifting as well.

 

[dishdude]

Other than the GM offerings, it seems the full size SUVs are all a bit long in the tooth. I recently had a Sequoia as a rental, and it drove nice. Steering and handling were good for such a large vehicle, and the V8 sounded great roaring to life. I was disappointed by a cheesy, dated interior and the brakes were really numb and difficult to regulate. The radio looked like Best Buy installed it, and oddly it had cloth seats but headlight washers? The gauges were also oddly buried in deep tunnels and tough to read. There was a weird insert in the console that came out and said store in center console? Loved driving around Portland with the rear window down!

 

[FutureDoc]

Hey, I am the real reason why these vehicles exist... talk to the fleet guys who need a real utility vehicle with none of the glitter. The new Explorer is more soccer mom that "work" vehicle nowadays.

I can't wait to get three of these vehicles (maybe 4) for my fleet. Driving dynamics aside (I want slow-not sporty), I just need a bruiser because the 15yo Suburbans are showing their age. I see vinyl and plastic and think it is easy to replace and only slightly more difficult to break. Still, I would prefer the 5.4 to the 3.5 ecoboost. Just want/need lazy torque. Transits are "ok" (Have 3) when I do not need an engine.

 

[Tahoe4Life]

Originally Posted By: FutureDoc
I just need a bruiser because the 15yo Suburbans are showing their age.


I really think GM did a awesome job with the restyling of the 2015 Suburban and Tahoe. I rented a 15 Suburban last year and drove it from Key West to Atlanta. I was really surprised how awesome it was. It rode like a dream,handled better then any vehicle I have driven and the a/c would have cooled off a 12 room house in 100 degree heat. It got 23MPG on regular fuel which I thought was excellent for a vehicle that size.

I drove a 15 Expedition,15 Navigator plus a 16 Explorer. I really do not want to deal with Turbos and the 16 Explorer is nice but the 3.5 6 banger does not do it for me. I prefer a V8 RWD vehicle.

In the next few months I plan on getting a 1 year old 2016 Suburban or Tahoe. I am retired now and travel a lot so I want something comfy and roomy that handles well. I hate the heat and those two vehicles have awesome a/c. I generally keep my vehicle for over 250K miles and I think the 5.3 Suburban or Tahoe will work well for me. Even though I am single I do not want a midsize or small vehicle out there on the highway running with the big boys.

 

[Mantooth]

Originally Posted By: FORD4LIFE


I really think GM did a awesome job with the restyling of the 2015 Suburban and Tahoe. I rented a 15 Suburban last year and drove it from Key West to Atlanta. I was really surprised how awesome it was. It rode like a dream,handled better then any vehicle I have driven and the a/c would have cooled off a 12 room house in 100 degree heat. It got 23MPG on regular fuel which I thought was excellent for a vehicle that size.

I drove a 15 Expedition,15 Navigator plus a 16 Explorer. I really do not want to deal with Turbos and the 16 Explorer is nice but the 3.5 6 banger does not do it for me. I prefer a V8 RWD vehicle.

In the next few months I plan on getting a 1 year old 2016 Suburban or Tahoe. I am retired now and travel a lot so I want something comfy and roomy that handles well. I hate the heat and those two vehicles have awesome a/c. I generally keep my vehicle for over 250K miles and I think the 5.3 Suburban or Tahoe will work well for me. Even though I am single I do not want a midsize or small vehicle out there on the highway running with the big boys.


In addition to your new Chevy, you may want to consider changing your user name.

 

[4WD]

Put 117k trouble free on AWD Yukon, loved it. Friends/family 200k on burbs. 380k trouble free on Chevy truck.
Wanted better MPG - got Ford CUV.
Right after we got the AWD Explorer - folks next door got the new Tahoe - I keep looking over there.