2007 Ford Expedition Review

Ford Expedition – Review: Big, comforting and kinda funky, the 2007 Ford Expedition is like your old friend Moose. You know Moose. He’s the guy your wife thinks is rude but still loves to have over when the kids are in bed, there’s beer to drink and pork rinds to eat. Funny thing is that Ford’s new Expedition is just like Moose – but with a hair piece. Redesigned and significantly upgraded for 2007, the Expedition by itself won’t save the Ford Motor Company, but it’s vitally important to protecting Ford’s turf in the full-size SUV market. Chevrolet’s recently redesigned Tahoe and Suburban have boosted GM’s chances of making a comeback. We wondered: Are the Expedition’s improvements enough to do the same for Ford?

What We Drove

Our tester, a Limited 4x4, came with navigation ($1,995), DVD entertainment ($1,550), and a power liftgate ($495), which took an MSRP of $39,925 all the way up to $44,735, including $820 destination. Yikes – some deal. One wonders why, on a Limited model, the power liftgate isn’t standard equipment.

Performance

Yep, that there iron under the hood is the same ‘ol 300 horsepower, 365 lb.-ft. of torque beast that seems like it’s been motivating Expeditions forever. So it’s amazing what adding a couple of gears to the transmission can do for a vehicle’s performance. That’s what Ford did, going from a four-speed to a six-speed automatic and as a result enjoying smoother performance and slightly better fuel economy. Hammer it at a green light and the Expedition responds; hit the throttle in mid-stride and the SUV launches pretty nicely. As far as that mpg goes, our lead-footed crew reported a terrible 12.8; you’ll probably get 13 miles per gallon.

Handling

Amazingly, the Expedition is pretty nimble for its size, thanks to its independent suspension and improved steering. It drives smaller than it is, and makes for a pleasing highway ride, as long as you can ignore the wind noise and horrid brakes that would displease Fred Flintstone. As far as ride quality goes, you don’t feel a thing when you drive the Expedition. The sheer size and weight of the vehicle combine with its independent front and rear suspension for a smooth ride that absorbs, no, bumps and pot holes.

Visibility

With a rig this big, and a DVD player that totally obstructs the driver’s view, it’s amazing to us that there isn’t a backup camera included with the navigation package. We’re talking about the Expedition – the full-size – lacking a backup camera. How come, Mr. Mullaly? Surely Boeing knows a few camera suppliers. With the screen already in place, and considering the sheer size of this beast, the lack of a backup camera is a glaring omission simply because seeing out the back, around the DVD screen and headrests is a visual obstacle course. On the sides, however, it’s much easier thanks to large-enough side view mirrors.

Fun to Drive

Look, the thing’s a pig, but at least it’s a dancing pig, meaning that for its size and weight the Expedition gets down the street quite nicely. This is thanks to the addition of a new six-speed transmission and a rear independent suspension, the result of which is a ride that’s close to or better than the acclaimed ride of the new GM SUVs. Test drive one. It may not be fun, but it will surprise you.

Front Comfort

The seats are excellent up front, nice and firm with plenty of back support. But they’re manually adjusted; power controls are needed, but they’re only available as a $675 package. Thusly, the relationship between the driver’s legs, pedals, steering wheel and dash could be better. Some more side bolstering would be nice as well, if only because driving this boat fast makes for a McSlippy affair.

Rear Comfort

Leather and cushions don’t disguise the park bench nature of the back seat, and it was hard to believe but leg room felt a bit compromised. There’s plenty of head room, but put the front seats at a comfortable setting and usable foot and leg space vanishes pretty quickly. The third row is roomy; you can get a booster seat and a kid in there with no complaints, and an adult can sit back there pretty easily too, though getting in is a bit of a hassle.

Interior Noise

What? What? It’s loud, get it? Tire and wind noise is audible throughout the cabin, and our tester’s interior plastic bits began to rattle after around 75 miles of driving. Overall, we were disappointed by the level of sound deadening, and felt that this particular Expedition would likely get ever louder thanks to road time, bumps and a general loosening of parts.

Loading Cargo

With the third row down, clearly there’s plenty of room. But in its three-row configuration, there’s not a lot of cargo room inside, and it’s made worse by a lift gate that’s a hassle to open and close. It’s heavy, so you’re forced to use the power opening feature, which is not standard. With no easy compartments to stow a bag or two or three, you have to use the liftgate, and that gets irritating pretty quickly. Most people will be glad about the step rail. It makes getting in easier, except for one thing: If you’re of moderate height and need to use the step rail, it’s easy to bump your head. Getting down is a bit of problem in that you need to slide down instead of step down.

Build Quality

Overall, we rated the build quality of the Ford Expedition as poor. Inside and out, there were just too many variations. Gaps were wide on the dash area, and didn’t match up. The shifter felt cheap and controls were hard to see at night. Black plastics look like they’d scuff easily, and vents that were state of the art two years ago when they were introduced on the Ford F-150 look dated now. Outside, gaps between the sheetmetal and plastic trim were gaping, and plastic molding on the sides looks as if it could come off pretty easily. All told, the Expedition could very well age quickly.