If you love big trucks and fast Fords…. the 2018 Expedition will be a game-changer for your family.
Here is a truck so full of substantive improvements and taste upgrades that a reviewer barely knows where to start.
How about 10-speed automatic and chassis rigidity that is through-the-roof versus any Expedition before.
And then there is exterior style that takes time to even sink in. Ultra-modern.
Best LEDs on the road.
Stance for days comes naturally with these new alloy body panels.
We have a terrific drive video, 100 photos and standard headers below for this class-leading full-size SUV.
HD DRIVE REVIEW VIDEO
EXTERIOR
The gorgeous white LED daytime running signature might be the first striking aspect of the new Expedition’s exterior design.
These are finally world-class is their optics and make a smooth cheekbone on the road that is unlike any F-150 or Explorer.
The ring of white LED extends the horizontal chrome bars of the grille, you see. Inside this rounded form are quad stacked LEDs that are still some of the best looking on the road. LED inner blinker and LED fogs round out the 10/10 lighting upgrade.
Rear LEDs have a chunkier, blockier form and still not an old-fashioned bulb in sight anywhere.
The rounder surfacing and softened details mix with hard lines for the tailgate and horizontal beltline. Expedition has a new glasshouse that is vaguely-GM-looking at first, but actually unique and nice.
The doors wrap up and around, as well as into the lower body, more than ever before. This is the tenth clue: this Expedition is all-new from the chassis up.
Steel ladder frame is lower, stiffer and lighter. Aluminum bodywork brings lightness you can feel, if not see.
This is still a massively improsing beast.
In the perfect light though on these perfect rims… the Expedition is a rockstar of SUV style for 2018. Even the stance is perfect. Bravo Ford!
INTERIOR
Cabin of the new Expedition brings a lot of the greatest F-150 bones with some new-Ford glitz. The leathers are hugely improved, if not quote at Lincoln levels for the plastic softness. Still too much vinyl hiding where it should be leather, perhaps.
But new seats are divine and the driving position is flawless. The power running boards are actually helpful to pop you into the driver’s seat, where you sit tall and mighty above traffic.
The next thing you sense with the new dial-a-gear is flawless drivetrain refinement and engagement right from the word go. This is smoooooooothh in a real way that Fords haven’t been in the past, and certainly the Escalade is not when clonked into Drive.
These seats are the gift that keeps giving, by the way. Adjustable everywhere with massage and heat/cool in powerful modes. Just stellar up here!
Expedition’s cabin has dozens of other design and tech delights to find. A Bang & Olufsen stereo system!? In a Ford?!
Yes.
Simply every detail is new and updated. The rear entertainment system is one of the most modern in any test car we’ve had in a while.
The second row must be mentioned. Great, great changes here make for a giant of comfort for three across in both rows. That’s right, this is a proper eight-seater.
Properly spacious with lower floors for both rows back there. Big upgrade in comfort over Denali etc, because of the distance between your bum and the floor. Expedition lets you sit with legs at normal angle and that is a huge asset.
PERFORMANCE
Floor the gas and this Ecoboost spools up like a turbine. A distant whoosh builds and you are sprung from a stop and through the first five gears in a seamless rush. Perfect.
You almost forget that this truck is so capable. 9300 pounds of tow rating!?
For a smoothie like this?
Oh yes.
This truck hauls and hauls ass around corners quite well too. Very confident moves and quite a sporty setup to be honest in the suspension. One might stick to the Limited if you like the comfiest of rides versus the Platinum and its giant wheels.
PRICING
Pricing comes in above what you’ll recall for an Expedition. With so much new and so much brilliant… we have to accept the prices. This truck is outstanding from its $51k base and becomes a class-leader at $73k for our tester.
SUMMARY
It is no wonder Ford cannot build them fast enough.
Ford just lapped the Armada, QX80, Land Cruiser and Escalade. In a Ford!
Tom Burkart is the founder and managing editor of Car-Revs-Daily.com, an innovative and rapidly-expanding automotive news magazine.
He holds a Journalism JBA degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Tom currently resides in Charleston, South Carolina with his two amazing dogs, Drake and Tank.
Mr. Burkart is available for all questions and concerns by email Tom(at)car-revs-daily.com.