Ford Wants To Change Your Expectations into Expeditions
When you own a large SUV, your world opens up. It’s a mix of a nice-to-have a vehicle, and in some cases, it’s a need-to-have vehicle.
Just adding space, storage and the ability to transport larger numbers of people. That’s basic stuff. Any car company can do that. Ford wanted to be a little different, they wanted to take the expected and exceed it with its Expedition.
The Ford Expedition is their top-of-the-line SUV. It’s the flagship, it’s at the head of the table, it’s the boss.
And with the growing luxury SUV market, it wants to make an impression as large as it is.
Some Quick Facts About the SUV market:
- Over the last 5 years, Ford’s global SUV sales went up 80%, selling almost 1.7 million SUVs around the world
- SUVs are also the top-selling segment in the Canada and the U.S.
- Ford is the #1 SUV Brand from 2009 to 2016 and we are on track for #1 in 2017
The Main Event: The 2018 Ford Expedition SUV
The shape of the Expedition isn’t too far off from the latest model of the Explorer, just seems to be a little bit bigger in every way.
The grill seems a bit larger and more modern compared to the 2017 version, the cabin a bit more spacious and everything seems to be stretched in the Expedition compared to the Explorer. It would be a rarity to hear that your fellow passenger in front of you would need to ‘move the seat up’.
After sitting my 6’3” self in every seat, I found I had plenty of room to stretch out.
We didn’t get to drive it at the time because it was yet to be released, but if it’s anything like the Ford Explorer, you can expect the following.
If similar to the Explorer, you will find that the ride will be very comfortable, small bumps hardly seem noticeable and the comfort of the seats would be great for long distance driving. Lots of technology to help with the whole experience too. Massage seats, Sirius XM radio, and folding flat chairs all help generally with life and everything it throws at you.
The engine we are looking forward to is the 3.5L EcoBoost engine with the Expedition having a big 9,300 lbs of torque. It gives you a great amount of power, especially in sport mode. It comes in handy when it comes to passing on the highway or picking up enough speed on the on-ramp even with a boat attached to the back.
If you are looking for an SUV in the city, you are probably going to use it for a large family or if you need a lot of space for what you do. I don’t expect to see a lot of Ford Expeditions in the downtown cores, unless for professional purposes, however, I can definitely see a lot of Expeditions just outside of the city, in suburbs or further.
The Bottom Line
If you are looking for a big SUV with lots of power, storage and a lot of comforts, be sure to test drive the Ford Expedition when it comes out next year. It seems that Ford and Lincoln have been sharing notes between the two brands when it comes to the interior, exterior aesthetic and driving comfort. Which is a good thing. Once the car is fully released, test drive the car and bring the family with you, so you can hear from your toughest critics all at the same time about how they feel about the Expedition.
If you want to learn more about the 2018 Ford Expedition, be sure to visit their website: 2018 Ford Expedition SUV
The Backstory / Behind-The-Scenes
We were invited up to Muskoka to see and tour the car firsthand and after experiencing the long haul traveling of the big, fully-loaded Explorer, we were excited to see it.
We drove up with Ford in a couple of their vehicles in their fleet, including the Ford Edge. It felt very similar to the Ford Escape we drove on our way to Collingwood and enjoyed the ride up north.
We stayed at the Sherwood Inn in Muskoka and provided a great backdrop for the line-up of exploratory cars that Ford has. We then went out and explored the area around Sherwood, heading up and down country roads and getting some great pictures of the car.
From there we had a dinner with local wineries supplying sweet wines and local breweries supplying various types of beer. Another highlight was the photography session we had there with a photographer who has her photos published countless times in Canadian Geographic, she was the one that was on the true expeditions.
Overall, the experience was great and I would like to thank Ford Canada for having us!
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