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2003 Ford Expedition

5K views 1 reply 1 participant last post by  Stacy94PGT 
#1 ·
May 08, 2003
AutoWeek

Brute Gets Civilized: Ford bruiser becomes a better cruiser

AS IMPOSING AS THE 2003 Ford Expedition is when you first walk up to it, its ride and handling are surprisingly good for such a big vehicle.

That refinement is the main reason owners who contacted us bought this new, second-generation Expedition. The many changes and upgrades to this version make it a far cry from its 1997-debuting predecessor.

Among the improvements are an independent rear suspension, bigger brakes, rack-and-pinion steering, stability and traction control, and a tighter ride (70 percent stiffer frame and 42 percent stiffer body).

We tested an Eddie Bauer Edition, with a Triton 5.4-liter engine that makes 260 hp at 4500 rpm and 350 lb-ft of torque at 2500 rpm. Ninety percent of that torque is available from 1870 rpm. This 4x2 tips the scale at 5416 pounds, and with a full tank of gas and one person, it weighs more than two and a half tons. The gas is devoured fairly quickly, but at least the V8 only requires 87 octane.

We got 14.1 mpg on one tank that included track testing, then 15.0 mpg on the way home via mostly freeway. The EPA combined estimate is 15.37 mpg, based on a 13-city/18-highway mpg rating. (The base 4.6-liter V8 produces 232 hp at 4750 rpm and 291 lb-ft at 3450 rpm, with a 14-city/19-highway EPA mpg estimate.)

For such a big SUV, the Expedition displayed impressive stability on the freeway. We heard some wind noise, but overall, the interior had good road isolation. The mud-and-snow Continental tires, for all their knobbiness, weren’t especially noisy.

In our acceleration tests, the Expedition went a bit quicker on each successive run, as if it wasn’t yet completely broken in. We used the identical, non-wheel-spinning technique for this four-speed automatic-equipped tank, so something mechanical must have been changing. Maybe it was the engine warming or loosening up, or oil thinning for less friction.

On the skidpad, the Expedition was somewhat sedate.

The tires didn’t plow too much, though they squealed a lot.

It’s fairly neutral considering the type of vehicle it is. It hit 0.72 g, slightly better than the $70,000 Range Rover we recently AutoFiled. The 38.5 mph the Expedition recorded in the slalom is a half mph slower than the Rover.

Besides the Expedition’s ride and handling, the owner respon- dents were most impressed with its capacious interior. It can handle eight passengers, and that independent rear suspension allows the third row to fold flat into the floor. (A power folding third row is an option.)

But owners, along with test drivers and staffers, criticized the quality of some of the interior materials. The top of the dash on our test vehicle was a cheap, rattly piece of hard plastic. “With some Expeditions around $50,000, Ford should have used more interior bits from the Navigator to spruce this thing up,” said one staffer. “Also, the heater controls are the same ones you could find in a nearly decade-old Explorer.”


Another staffer who used it as a tow car from Detroit to Maine (averaging 12.8 mpg) praised its roominess and rated it above the Chevrolet TrailBlazer except for the Ford’s drivetrain. “There’s more power,” he wrote, “but also more mass, and the midrange is lacking. It needs a five-speed overdrive automatic instead of the four so you can get the right gear when you need it. I did a lot of turning the overdrive on and off. Several stretches of second gear running in the mountains weren’t too hard, but the Rockies would be trouble.” A few owners had similar complaints.

While our Eddie Bauer Edition cost some $44,000, Ford offers 17 models of the Expedition, starting with a $31,000 4x2 base vehicle. The Expedition may not have the styling of its sibling Lincoln Navigator or distant relative Range Rover, but it’s a solid, functional SUV that drives a lot smaller than it actually is thanks to chassis improvements. “Compare that,” one editor said, “to an old-technology Suburban, and I think Ford is gaining major ground in the big SUV battle.”

VECHICLE SPECS & ROAD TEST INFO:
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MANUFACTURER INFO
Ford Motor Co.
The American Road
Dearborn MI 48126
Customer assistance: (800) 392-3673
Internet address: www.fordvehicles.com
Country of origin: United States
Number of dealers: 4000 (est.)

STICKER
Base: $38,485
As tested
(includes $740 delivery): $44,230
Owners paid; average: $35,442 to
$41,000; $38,691

OPTIONS AS TESTED
Navigation system ($1,995); rear-seat DVD
($1,295); Advance Trac ($795); climate-
controlled seats ($625); side-impact airbags
($580); Eddie Bauer package, which includes
5.4-liter V8 and 3.73 axle ratio ($515); third-
row power folding seat ($455)

OTHER MAJOR OPTIONS
Self-leveling suspension (not available with
Advance Trac, $815); power moonroof ($800);
second-row leather captain’s chairs ($795);
tire-pressure monitor ($150)

CHASSIS
Body-on-frame, four-door
sport/utility vehicle

DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase (in): 119.0
Track (in): 67.0 front,
67.3 rear
Length/width/height (in): 205.8/78.7/77.6
Curb weight/GVWR (lbs): 5416/6900

CAPACITIES
Fuel (gal): 28
Cargo (cu ft): 20.2 (60.9 with third row folded)
Towing (lbs): 8900

ENGINE
Front-longitudinal 5.4-liter/330-cid sohc V8
Horsepower: 260 @ 4500 rpm
Torque (lb-ft): 350 @ 2500 rpm
Compression ratio: 9.0:1
Fuel requirement: 87 octane

DRIVETRAIN
Rear-wheel drive
Transmission: Four-speed
automatic
Rear axle ratio: 3.73:1

SUSPENSION
Front: Double wishbone with coil springs,
gas-charged shock absorbers, antiroll bar
Rear: Double wishbone with coil springs,
gas-charged shock absorbers, antiroll bar

BRAKES/WHEELS/TIRES
Discs front and rear, ABS,
aluminum 265/70R-17
Continental Contitrac SUV

STANDING-START ACCELERATION
0-60 mph: 9.29 sec
0-100 km/h (62.1 mph): 9.76 sec
0-quarter-mile: 16.96 sec @ 80.5 mph

ROLLING ACCELERATION
20-40 mph (first gear): 3.0 sec
40-60 mph (second gear): 5.0 sec
60-80 mph (second and third gear): 7.4 sec

BRAKING
60 mph-0: 145 ft

HANDLING
490-foot slalom: 38.5 mph
Lateral acceleration
(200-foot skidpad): 0.72 g

INTERIOR NOISE (dBA)
Idle: 44
Full throttle: 77
Steady 60 mph: 64

FUEL MILEAGE
EPA combined: 15.37 mpg
AW overall: 14.54 mpg

RESIDUALS
$20,573 after 36-month lease,
46.51 percent of new vehicle price

LIKES
Surprisingly smooth ride
Big, functional interior
Loaded with improvements

DISLIKES
Cheap interior material
Tranny needs another gear
The engine is no fuel sipper

OTHERS CONSIDERED
Chevrolet Suburban
Toyota Sequoia
GMC Yukon Denali XL
 

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