2007 Ford Expedition

Some may question why Ford is introducing its newly redesigned full-size SUV when the segment has declined due to persistent high gas prices. Many people who used to want, but didn't really need, those vehicles are moving into smaller, lighter, more fuel-efficient cars and car-based crossovers, including Ford's own Fusion, Freestyle and soon-to-come all-new Edge.


But the big SUV market is not going away, because there is no suitable replacement for those core families who really do need to carry a lot of people and stuff in weather- and theft-protected security, and be able to haul a bunch more along behind. That includes professional and hobbyist boaters, car racers, horse people and others, along with big families, simply because it's easier and cheaper to load everyone and everything into one large vehicle than to take two smaller ones.


Ford says 90 percent of full-size SUV owners use them for driving vacations, 40 percent tow something, and most carry three or more people behind the front seats. It also projects that the U.S. market for them—well over a million per year in 2003—should level off around 650-700K, and remain one of the industry's largest (and most profitable) segments. Not surprisingly, Ford wants to continue as a leading player.

Styling

The original Expedition, significantly bigger than the midsize Explorer, was launched in 1997 and competed with GM's Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon. Now Ford is introducing the new 2007 Expedition and the all-new Expedition EL, which is 14.8 inches longer to take on the Chevy Suburban and Yukon XL. These surprisingly nice-driving new Expeditions should do an even better job of matching up against GM's new-for-2007 big SUVs largely due to some important competitive advantages. Among the most important is price. Ford dropped the average price across the '07 Expedition's model line an average of $4,300. The base XLT Expedition starts at $29,995 versus the entry-level Chevy Tahoe's price of $34,040.


More compelling competitive advantages include the Expedition's second- and third-row seats. The second row is a 40/20/40 bench that folds flat to the floor to optimize cargo space and third-row access, and the Centerslide middle section moves forward almost 11 inches for easy access to a young child, for example. The optional alternative is a pair of captain's chairs. The available 60/40 third-row bench also folds flat to the floor, either manually or with a segment-exclusive optional Powerfold feature that hides them away at the touch of a button. By contrast, the new Tahoe and Yukon middle-row folds forward against the front seats, and the third row must be removed and stored to get a flat load floor. This is a huge advantage, and those way-back seats on Expedition also have best-in-class legroom.