The Ford Expedition has always been a persistent thorn in the side of rivals like the Chevrolet Suburban and the Toyota Sequoia. The big Ford promised to bring buyers capability, comfort, and towing power to full-size SUV buyers. However, the model was also starting to show its age even after a mid-cycle enhancement a few years ago.
Ford has finally addressed this flaw with the 2025 Ford Expedition which helps the SUV fall in line with rivals and brings new levels of refinement to the nameplate as the company continues to play its cards right in its attempt to lure in buyers with large families.
New design makes this SUV a smooth operator
The exterior styling of the 2025 Ford Expedition has gone under the knife for 2025 with the model getting a smoother design that features a reworked front grille and LED headlights with the lower portions of the lights being unified by a center-mounted bar which wraps along the lower portion of the grille. The side profile has more of a slab-sided look than before and eliminates some of the visual flab that the outgoing model was known for.
Meanwhile, the rear styling of the Expedition is arguably its most controversial angle with the new taillights being complimented by a new split-level liftgate which is shared with the 2025 Lincoln Navigator. As is the case with the big Lincoln, Ford claimed that it added it to the SUV to improve usability while also allowing passengers to have an impressive degree of usability with the lower portion doubling as a place to sit when the lower portion is fully extended. It can also be used as a table or a shelf with the lower gate supporting up to 500 lbs while the shelf can hold up to 50 lbs of gear.
Expedition interior is tech-filled and more luxurious than ever
Slip inside the 2025 Expedition and it becomes rapidly evident that the designers nailed it when it came to hitting key benchmarks. While the odd-looking steering wheel does take some getting used to, the rest of the cabin is heavily improved with the model now getting a new 24-inch panoramic display that covers the upper half of the dashboard while a larger screen just below it serves as the hub for the bulk of the Expedition’s controls including the infotainment system and other core functions.
The new infotainment system was designed to make maximum use of voice commands and buyers can choose from either Google Assistant4 or Amazon Alexa for vehicle controls. Ford’s Digital Experience replaces the SYNC system and comes with its own share of unique features including access to the Google App service which allows them to download apps (including games directly to the vehicle from the store. This core setup is also the same as the Navigator albeit with minor detail differences to help separate them in terms of pricing. Second-row passengers get a newly available Digital Device Holder that mounts on the first-row headrests which allows passengers to keep their devices secure when viewing content. That includes large tablets and even small cellphones.
“Owners of these vehicles are families or an evolution of a family,” Aguirre says. “They might be part of a tight-knit social unit like a grandparent helping with caregiving, for instance, and more extended than the traditional family. Here, the Expedition serves multiple purposes.”
Performance gets spiced up with new Tremor model
With all the changes that Ford made to the Expedition, the performance hardware has also undergone its fair share of changes. The engine and the transmission are all carried over from the outgoing model with the Expedition retaining its 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6 that can make up to 440 hp when equipped to certain trims. A 10-speed automatic is also along for the ride too and continues to see duty in the model for 2025.
The bulk of the changes are found in select trim levels with the 2025 model introducing an all-new Tremor model to the family. Ford claims that the Tremor is the most trail-ready Expedition it has ever produced with the SUV getting beefy underbody skidplates, knobby 33-inch General Grabber all-terrain tires, and an electronic locking rear differential. The Tremor also gets better ground clearance and Ford hopes that the Expedition will be able to hang with rivals like the Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro and the Chevrolet Suburban ZR2. Other goodies include a rock crawling mode, one pedal trail driving, a turn assist feature for winding trails, and auxiliary lights mounted behind the front grille.
The Tremor also highlights a simplified trim ladder with the model now being available in only three other trim levels: Active, King Ranch, and Platinum with the beefier 440 hp version of the V6 being exclusive to the Tremor and Platinum models.
When will we see it?
Ford wasn’t ready to reveal pricing for the 2025 Expedition, but look for the simplified trim lineup to be noticeably different when compared to the 2024 model with the Tremor model giving buyers an alternative to trail-ready rivals while the new Active model allows the Expedition to fall in line with other Ford SUV entries like the Escape.
A big question is whether the Expedition will eventually get a hybrid model? The 10-speed automatic was designed from the ground up to work with electrified powertrains but Ford has so far resisted the urge to put a hybrid version of the 3.5-liter into an Expedition. That might change though if fuel economy regulations become even tighter which might force the company into doing that to allow the Expedition to fall in line with current fuel economy standards.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.