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A Week with new the Expedition


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I was in Ft. Lauderdale this past week running around south Florida for work. Grabbed a new CX-5 and I was trying to leave the gate when they could not clear the paperwork on that car. Ughh.....backed up 3 cars behind me and they had just pulled a new Expedition out.

So this was not my first vehicle of choice since it is the Max version but thought it would be nice to check out.

 

Here are my observations and color on this versus a Tahoe/Suburban.

 

I had a black Limited Expedition that was fairly well spec'd out (for the record-I cannot keep up with all their option packages) but it had power running boards, sunroof and upgraded sound system. Did not have adaptive cruise control or lane keep assist. Did not see any pre-collision warning system either.

 

Had the light gray/stone color interior and it is a very sharp vehicle. Like I said-it is big-and that kind of messes with the proportions for me. Fit and finish were very good-ran around the vehicle checking panel gaps and chrome trim alignment and it all looked good.

 

Drove well with plenty of power and brakes felt good-no softness and not hard like a European sports sedan. Sync 3 is fabulous and very easy to use. Seats were comfortable and most controls were laid out well. The camera worked right away when you put it in reverse-no delay.

 

I averaged 19.3 in mostly all highway mileage over about 400 miles. Acceleration is brisk and never noticed any shift issues at all.

 

But some things frustrated me and later drove me crazy.

 

I prefer a digital speedometer now-so much easier to read and this is available and correctly placed in the center. I wish it was a bit larger, but got used to it. But I hate or strongly dislike their gauge layout option. Like the extra gauges on the top-but it is the customizable screens that just miss the mark for me. For example, I cannot get fuel economy info and my digital speedo-the center gauge is huge-why the wasted space? Plus the other thing that is just friggin stupid-when you select the "digital speedometer" it is placed on the center gauge-telling you that is selected. Here is a pic-upper left tells you that you are at the screen-WTF-I know what I am looking at-plus look at all the extra black space-they can do more with that-the compass heading is buried on the bottom right for example.

 

Moving over to the overall dash-it looks great in some areas but is very industrial/commercial looking. Great materials but wish the ac/heater buttons were a little larger and they moved the entire selection up a bit-it is quite low-go check a Tahoe- they place their radio/ac/heater assemblies up a bit higher-easier to view in your line of sight. Plus this coin slot in the center console is a waste of space. Who in a $80K vehicle is going to place 2 quarters, a nickel and a dime there? Let them rattle like cray-this is a holdover from the F150-I get that-but it does not belong on the Expedition. The storage bins on the lower center console are nice-bit hidden-wish they were a few more up higher. The transmission dial worked great-but it does not add any extra space to the console-I prefer having my phone up in that area-this one I had to place up and under the front storage bin. Their is a charger built into that pad-my phone does not have it-but no other spot for a phone. One time I left without the USB cable and I did not have apple car play availabiltity. Was running to some place for dinner and a beer (Paradise Tiki Bar-RMC-over by the airport on a canal-quite a dive-but good local spot!) and had to use my phone for navigation. There is no spot to place it where I could look down. See photo of center stack. The Tahoe has their charger on the center arm rest-in the middle-a little easier to get at-and they have a large catch all bin in the center for keys, phone, etc. The only place to put your key is in the small bin ln front of the transmission.

 

I don't like Ford's layout of their radio controls-hate the styling and it just is a bunch of numbers and a few buttons below. Just felt out of place and no design thought put into it.

 

Two other things I noticed. I usually touch everything whenever i get into a new vehicle and this was no different. I open up the center stack-nice decent feel-then go over to the glove box-had to push the button quite hard for the upper bin-and it is loud as shit. All hard touch-nothing soft about it-just clunk. Big miss on my part.

 

But my major friggin issue with the Expedition-and I did not notice it at first are the cup holders. They are designed with plastic prongs that grab the cup to keep it in place-it was so fucking hard to push my bottle of water or Yeti cup into place-and they make so much noise-this is just poor design. I know the Tahoe twins all use a rubber insert that grabs hold of them and allows you to slip your drink out with ease and keep them in place. I literally sat my Yeti on top of the plastic tabs and they did not budge-It took a lot of force for me to push the cup into place.

 

While down there I jumped into my buddies new Tahoe to go somewhere and that is where I did the mental connect the dots and see how they do it. I could live with almost everything I just mentioned expect the cup holders. Somehow I would have to figure out a way to deal with that.

 

Attached some photos of what I discussed. (Not sure why the pics are placed on their side?) My opinions only-but this is what I observed.

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Edited by kyle
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Having had a new Fusion with the rotary shifter for a week now, I can honestly say I still dont like it even though Im used to it now. Its a matter of comfort to me, I like having the shifter there to rest my hand on, thats the way Ive always been ever since I started driving. I could deal with the column shifter in my explorer because of where the cup holder was positioned all I needed to do was put a 1 liter bottle (which at the time I went through 3-5 of those a day) in the bigger one and use that to rest my hand on. Cant do that with the Fusion, the cup holders are set too close to the passenger seat.

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I had a new '18 Tahoe some weeks ago that a friend rented (as they visited me here at Disney)...I took that in the highway, WOW I was even afraid of taking it past 70MPH. The thing floated, with barely any feeling of road. The steering wheel was antiseptic. I couldn't feel the road, I felt like I was driving all over the lane. Scary feeling. His wife drove it for awhile (we remember back in 03 when she test drove a then new Saturn VUE with GM's first electric steering) and she's like "WOW it's '03 all over again, this is horrible"...Hoping the Expy has the suspension and steering toned down well.

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I had a new '18 Tahoe some weeks ago that a friend rented (as they visited me here at Disney)...I took that in the highway, WOW I was even afraid of taking it past 70MPH. The thing floated, with barely any feeling of road. The steering wheel was antiseptic. I couldn't feel the road, I felt like I was driving all over the lane. Scary feeling. His wife drove it for awhile (we remember back in 03 when she test drove a then new Saturn VUE with GM's first electric steering) and she's like "WOW it's '03 all over again, this is horrible"...Hoping the Expy has the suspension and steering toned down well.

the 09 Pontiac G5 my wife used to have was the same way. God I hated that car so much.
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I had a new '18 Tahoe some weeks ago that a friend rented (as they visited me here at Disney)...I took that in the highway, WOW I was even afraid of taking it past 70MPH. The thing floated, with barely any feeling of road. The steering wheel was antiseptic. I couldn't feel the road, I felt like I was driving all over the lane. Scary feeling. His wife drove it for awhile (we remember back in 03 when she test drove a then new Saturn VUE with GM's first electric steering) and she's like "WOW it's '03 all over again, this is horrible"...Hoping the Expy has the suspension and steering toned down well.

My dad's '17 F150 has that electric steering. It's exactly as you describe - no road feel whatsoever. That and the ridiculous over-assist at low speeds. You can turn the wheel by resting your pinky on it. And almost no damping - steering wheel feels like it's attached to tie rods made of rubber bands. I absolutely despise the steering in that truck, I couldn't live with it.

 

All six of my vehicles are hydraulic power steering, so I thought that maybe it was just I needed to get used to it. Nope. I had a rental Impala last month and while it did have some of the vague electric non-feel to it, it wasn't anywhere near as bad as my dad's truck. I just hope his is the exception and not the rule because I'll never be able to get used to something that bad.

Edited by Sevensecondsuv
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Yes, Ive got the same cup holders and have no issues.

 

I don't doubt that they hold drinks well but like I said-they were damn noisey-snap, snap, snap and it took way to much effort to push down the cup. I did not notice it at first until I kept having to double down how much pressure I was putting to jerk my Yeti or a bottle of water in and out and the noise that came along with it. Then I jump into my Cherokee or my buddies Tahoe and they hold the drink just as well but are rubber coated inside. If this was a Lexus or a current German product this would not be acceptable, plus it is not like the other style is more expensive. Maybe my opinion but to me this is unacceptable in a vehicle like this. Small detail but i literally use my cup holders all day:)

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I don't doubt that they hold drinks well but like I said-they were damn noisey-snap, snap, snap and it took way to much effort to push down the cup. I did not notice it at first until I kept having to double down how much pressure I was putting to jerk my Yeti or a bottle of water in and out and the noise that came along with it. Then I jump into my Cherokee or my buddies Tahoe and they hold the drink just as well but are rubber coated inside. If this was a Lexus or a current German product this would not be acceptable, plus it is not like the other style is more expensive. Maybe my opinion but to me this is unacceptable in a vehicle like this. Small detail but i literally use my cup holders all day:)

 

I've never noticed the ones in my dad's truck being noisy/loud or difficult to get drinks in and out of.

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I don't doubt that they hold drinks well but like I said-they were damn noisey-snap, snap, snap and it took way to much effort to push down the cup. I did not notice it at first until I kept having to double down how much pressure I was putting to jerk my Yeti or a bottle of water in and out and the noise that came along with it. Then I jump into my Cherokee or my buddies Tahoe and they hold the drink just as well but are rubber coated inside. If this was a Lexus or a current German product this would not be acceptable, plus it is not like the other style is more expensive. Maybe my opinion but to me this is unacceptable in a vehicle like this. Small detail but i literally use my cup holders all day:)

I guess my point was the cupholders in the Expedition are the same as the ones in the F Series and and with several friends and family that have F Series Ive never noticed anyone complaining about this, so perhaps the ones in that Expedition were defective or something.

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Ive never noticed the cup holders, i like em and the click lets me know they are solid. The dash placement and buttons makes alot of sense in terms of where everything is located. As fpr the highway ride, it is very tight and tied down without being harsh, i like it. Theres no float and though the steering is uncommuncative, the weight is very nice and solid.

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I guess my point was the cupholders in the Expedition are the same as the ones in the F Series and and with several friends and family that have F Series Ive never noticed anyone complaining about this, so perhaps the ones in that Expedition were defective or something.

 

I have them in my F150 and never noticed them and that includes large cups, small cups and cans.

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I have a 2018 F-150 XLT and it definitely has a no-frills industrial dashboard design appropriate for a truck, but I would have a really hard time accepting that in an Expedition that costs twice as much.

 

And indeed the EPAS in the F-150 is something you have to get use to, but it definitely doesn't encourage spirited driving.

Edited by Assimilator
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Everyone has a preference. I know for me, my biggest irritant is the tft doesnt have an option to view your media. Its very annoying when you have the nav screen up on the main screen, you have no way to see your media infront of you. Theres so much real estate, there should be a designated place for it.

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Well he also doesn't like speedometers so...

 

 

Lol......Heh, heh, heh.....I have my preferences like we all do-but with a center IP so friggin big-it could be better. If you guys are happy with it fine-but it has room for improvement in its overall layout. And go check every Ford in the past I don't know how many years, it has the same PRNDL placement/design/style for the shifter. Bottom of the IP and still a manual gague? It has not changed in ages-while everyone else has at least gone to a digital readout and placed it in various spots-not Ford. I guess that is the perfect spot?

 

And again for the cupholders......I know you guys don't have any issue with it-good for you-I did not until the 3rd day in the car and I started to notice the noise and effort put into pushing my Yeti in and out. So before you guys continue to break my balls (even if I deserve it!!) go grab a water bottle, yeti, coffee and place it in and out of the cupholder and tell me if you don't constantly hear it clicking in and out, plus pay attention to the effort required. And then go do the same thing like I said in a GM/Jeep product-and probably any other current car (driving a long term Maxima and they don't have any insert of any kind). Come back to me afterwards and tell me how they sounded and held your beverage.

 

It's a small thing but after you see something laid out so much better it suggests they change it.

 

I can pick apart any vehicles layout when it comes down to small items and no car is perfect-I'm sure Ford does it for a reason and they are perfectly happy with it.

 

Plus the idea behind the post was to give you guys some perspective on a new Ford product-which I think they've done a damn good job:)

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Dude, I've got 11k+ miles and over a year with my Super Duty and the cup holders. Do they click? Well, maybe, but I haven't really noticed because my cup sliding in and out and the ice moving around is making a noise too, so it's not enough to be bothersome to me. There is a bit of force, but I like that it holds the cup nice and firm. The only issue I've had with them is a Stanley water bottle my wife uses doesn't fit well. So, she just puts it on the other side (the SD cupholders have room for 4 cups with a sliding partition...really cool).

 

Oh well, to each their own. :)

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Lol......Heh, heh, heh.....I have my preferences like we all do-but with a center IP so friggin big-it could be better. If you guys are happy with it fine-but it has room for improvement in its overall layout. And go check every Ford in the past I don't know how many years, it has the same PRNDL placement/design/style for the shifter. Bottom of the IP and still a manual gague? It has not changed in ages-while everyone else has at least gone to a digital readout and placed it in various spots-not Ford. I guess that is the perfect spot?

 

And again for the cupholders......I know you guys don't have any issue with it-good for you-I did not until the 3rd day in the car and I started to notice the noise and effort put into pushing my Yeti in and out. So before you guys continue to break my balls (even if I deserve it!!) go grab a water bottle, yeti, coffee and place it in and out of the cupholder and tell me if you don't constantly hear it clicking in and out, plus pay attention to the effort required. And then go do the same thing like I said in a GM/Jeep product-and probably any other current car (driving a long term Maxima and they don't have any insert of any kind). Come back to me afterwards and tell me how they sounded and held your beverage.

 

It's a small thing but after you see something laid out so much better it suggests they change it.

 

I can pick apart any vehicles layout when it comes down to small items and no car is perfect-I'm sure Ford does it for a reason and they are perfectly happy with it.

 

Plus the idea behind the post was to give you guys some perspective on a new Ford product-which I think they've done a damn good job:)

There is no way you drove a Limited with a manual PRNDL guage. My 2015 Lariat F150 had a digital PRNDL, same as the fuel, coolant temp, oil pressure, etc. The Expedition and F150 have the same guage cluster. The large TFT display has only a physical speedo and tach, everything else is digital. How would you have a physical PRNDL with a rotary knob? It's electronic. You would have to make some electronic/ physical interface to make it work.

 

They must have made the digital speedo in the center of the TFT smaller for the Expedition? Mine is perfectly fine in size. It's bigger that the one in the 2017 Silverado I drove when the body shop replaced my front bumper.

Edited by MY93SHO
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There is no way you drove a Limited with a manual PRNDL guage. My 2015 Lariat F150 had a digital PRNDL, same as the fuel, coolant temp, oil pressure, etc. The Expedition and F150 have the same guage cluster. The large TFT display has only a physical speedo and tach, everything else is digital. How would you have a physical PRNDL with a rotary knob? It's electronic. You would have to make some electronic/ physical interface to make it work.

 

They must have made the digital speedo in the center of the TFT smaller for the Expedition? Mine is perfectly fine in size. It's bigger that the one in the 2017 Silverado I drove when the body shop replaced my front bumper.

 

 

I might be wrong but I think that gear placement is not digital-it is identical in damn near everything Ford has been putting out the past few years and not all of their product has a digital center gauge layout. Not a big deal either way, my point was that it would be nice for them to differ the styling of that component.

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The biggest complaint I have for my Focus is the cup holders!

 

Seriously! If you put a styrofoam cup in them it will destroy it and leak coffee all over the inside of your vehicle. (I love my Dunkin Donuts). The little nubs grab it way too tight.

 

I had to put a plastic cup inside the cupholder and then put my coffee cup inside the new makeshift cupholder so it would not get destroyed.

 

It is a common complaint for the Focus at least: http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/mk3-focus/318699-cup-holders.html

 

First World Problem, I know.

Edited by Anthony
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