A Very Upgraded Ford Expedition

Should you’re out there for a three-row SUV, a brand new 2025 Ford Expedition will run you a minimum of $62,000. Thoughts you, its principal competitor, the Chevy Tahoe, will likewise price a minimum of $60,000. Leap to the Toyota Sequoia as an alternative, and also you’re taking a look at only a bit greater than $62,000. Now, transferring to the Jeep Grand Wagoneer doesn’t prevent both, beginning at $62,000, and the cut price on this brawl is maybe solely the Nissan Armada. However that’s nonetheless going to price you $58,530.

So, in addition to the value, which is in step with its friends, what ought to would-be consumers know concerning the just lately refreshed Expedition?

Properly, this can be a thorough refresh. The inside and exterior have been considerably revised, its chassis dynamics are very good, and, for the primary time ever, there’s a Tremor version that comes with spectacular off-roading credentials. Total, the 2025 Expedition is a giant step ahead, and higher positioned in opposition to Ford’s rivals within the section. However… there are a number of points that we don’t love and that we wager Ford will handle finally.

What’s Good?

Ford deeply altered the inside of the Expedition. They break up a bunch of stuff in half, and we do imply, actually.

Now, there’s a 13.2-inch heart display, which includes most capabilities—too many, for our likes, however we’ll circle again to that—and a 24-inch higher display that works like an instrument cluster. This panoramic display embeds a speedo, but in addition places mapping, or audio alternative (the driving force can select secondary choices), additional up on the sprint.

The concept is to place these inside the driver’s imaginative and prescient, so that they’re seen with solely a look away from the street.

There’s additionally a brand new break up tailgate. Suppose Vary Rover and you’ve got the image. This clamshells in half, so there’s a decrease tailgate portion, like a brief pickup truck tailgate, and a taller hatch. You possibly can then use the decrease portion for taking a load off, and correctly, Ford allows you to open the hatch solely, so loading and unloading doesn’t require stretching over the tailgate.

Ford additionally pitches equipment for this, which allow splitting the aft load bay into an higher and decrease part for baggage. You too can pull this technique out onto the tailgate, as an illustration, to serve meals whereas tailgating.

Drives Smaller

All through two days of testing in and round Louisville, Kentucky, we bought to drive the Expedition in all types of conditions. That included lengthy freeway hauls and poking round city. One factor that continued to shock us was simply how snug this beast is. It’s a beast, by the best way. The Max model stretches to just about 18.5 ft, and the “regular” Expedition is 17.5 ft lengthy.

However Ford has really tuned chassis dynamics and steering in order that the Expedition/Max are simple to drive and belie their bulk. Greater than as soon as, we needed to shortly change lanes (unfamiliar roads have that impact) and the Expedition pulled all its strikes with zero sweat.

One benefit right here: The squoval (square-oval) steering wheel. It is odd at first, and then you definitely understand it creates extra usable corners on the prime and backside ends of the wheel. When parking, and particularly when backing up, that turned out to be very useful. Ford’s semi-autonomous BlueCruise additionally supplies a technological support to tedious freeway driving, and we predict that is a real benefit vs. all manufacturers, save Chevy’s

SuperCruise
.

Nicer Digs

Ford additionally gussied up the Expedition significantly, and vs. competitors, significantly at Chevy, the Expedition cabin has fewer onerous plastics and extra tender surfaces. Throughout the sprint, doorways, and throughout the cabin, this can be a good-looking inside, and a sharper exterior.

And what your fingers contact, just like the vent controls and door levers, is substantial and sometimes fabricated from real metallic, not plastic. The shift and quantity knobs are additionally closely knurled and meaty. Go for the King Ranch mannequin, and also you’ll obtain saddle-like leather-based, King Ranch logos embossed on the seatbacks and heart console, and extra pronounced stitching. Ford needs to cost upscale costs, however a minimum of the digs really feel premium to match. And FYI, in case you’re not into the King Ranch bling, the Platinum rung (beginning at $74,430) is hardly Motel 6.

In each grade of Expedition we examined, the seats are comfortable and supportive, and the driving force sightlines are glorious for a automobile this big.

Powered Heart Console

Ford riffed off the present EV pattern of making a bi-level heart storage system between the entrance passengers. The higher tray incorporates a wi-fi cellphone charger, plus USBs, twin cupholders (two extra grace every entrance door), and a considerable bin beneath the armrests.

The console slides again, and beneath it reveals a a lot bigger cupboard that’s sufficiently big for a laptop computer bag or purse. Cleverly, the console locks if you shut off the Expedition. Even when thieves know this technique exists, it gained’t be value their effort to attempt to safe-crack their manner in.

Wonderful Propulsion

Ford gives one engine on the Expedition, with two totally different ranges of output. The usual 3.5-liter V-6 produces 400 horsepower. Go for the Platinum with the Stealth Efficiency Bundle, or the Tremor, and that bumps as much as 440 horsepower.

Efficiency Specs

Each motors are very highly effective, and Ford says that a minimum of half of all Expedition homeowners tow a minimum of sometimes. Most likely in case you have been bumping up in opposition to the very highest towing weight, you may thirst for extra muscle, however we predict in any other case, the output is lots prodigious. The only demerit: Ford hasn’t supplied a hybrid, and gasoline financial system suffers in consequence, particularly vs. the Toyota Sequoia.

Extra Buttons, Please

We’ll be straight: We don’t love Ford’s recipe for in-car controls. Just a few onerous switches stay within the heart stack, together with a quantity knob for the audio system. You possibly can stab a button to disable the beginning/cease ignition, hit your hazards, disable traction management, or allow the digital camera view of the automobile. However in any other case, even adjusting the steering column requires utilizing a menu system and a non-haptic D-pad on the steering wheel.

Whereas Ford engineers informed us this can be a voice-first system utilizing Google Constructed-in, Google won’t bypass tapping by means of menus to get to some settings, akin to adjusting audio settings, or popping the rear hatch. All of that requires menu diving, and it’s counter to the argument that Ford made by dividing the higher and decrease screens—that this retains your eyes nearer to the street.

With as much as 14.7 inches of floor clearance and immediate electrical torque at any wheel, we haven’t examined a lot on this planet that’s as succesful off-road.

Google can carry out some capabilities: It allows you to elevate or decrease cabin temperature, for instance. It’ll additionally map you to each areas you recognize, like an handle, or discover a record of eating places to attempt by style (i.e., “Hey Google, what’s the perfect Chinese language restaurant in Louisville?”). However in any other case, our request is easy: Don’t get rid of onerous switches that work completely wonderful. Tesla was mistaken!

It is Very Roomy

Ford’s besting the

Toyota Sequoia
for legroom and cargo room. The image is extra nuanced in opposition to the

Chevy Tahoe
, which gives superior legroom within the first two rows, however worse legroom within the third row. And the Tahoe is far nearer to the Ford in cargo capability.

Inside Dimensions

Past the

Tahoe
, there are not any actual challengers for total spaciousness from Ford’s major rivals, particularly when you think about the Expedition’s large cargo benefit in case you go for the Max model. Yep, versus the Chevy Suburban, the ballgame adjustments, however by straddling two classes, Ford manages a twin providing that is a lot roomier than particularly what Jeep and Toyota have to supply.

Tremor Rocks!

The Tremor model of the Expedition provides it legit off-roading chops. This model is lifted from 8.7 inches to 10.6 inches of floor clearance, and Ford stated it labored with Basic Tire on the Grabber 33-inch rubber to seek out the precise steadiness of off-road grip and decrease noise for pavement. The Tremor additionally will get distinctive, 18-inch wheels and particular paint in addition to physique cladding and underbody skid plates.

We solely bought to check the Tremor model of this truck on dust, so we will not confirm the way it drives round city. Nevertheless it positive did crush it on slick, Indiana mud. We deployed a number of of a number of off-road modes, together with the one-pedal cruise management system that works very very similar to what we have seen from different manufacturers, akin to Land Rover. This allows you to crawl alongside, each for climbing up steep grades and descending them. And since this can be a very large automobile, Path Flip Help, which brakes the within rear wheel if you’re making an attempt to chop round sharp corners, saved our bacon (and Ford’s Tremor) greater than as soon as.

TopSpeed’s Take

One darkish horse on this contest may very well be the forthcoming 2026 Hyundai Palisade. The 2025 begins at just below $40,000, and whereas we don’t but know the MSRP of the brand new model, we do know it is going to be supplied in an XRT PRO model, with 8.4 inches of floor clearance, an digital rear limited-slip differential (eLSD), and meatier, 255/60R18 tires.

That’s not going to match the $81,000 Tremor Expedition for floor clearance. However Hyundai’s top-trim 2025

Palisade
barely crests $60,000. If that’s nonetheless the case for the XRT PRO, you may simply go chase an aftermarket elevate equipment and pocket the distinction. Additionally: Hyundai promised considerably higher gasoline financial system.

Or if off-roading is actually your factor, maybe the third row of the Expedition isn’t as essential to your choice, and a Rivian R1S needs to be in your radar. With as much as 14.7 inches of floor clearance and immediate electrical torque at any wheel, we haven’t examined a lot on this planet that’s as succesful off-road. Is that this Ford superb? It’s. The retooled inside, dealing with, and core competencies are all very good.

However the meh gasoline financial system and screen-embedded controls are bummers that might have us, a minimum of, test-driving friends to really make certain we wish to go all in on this Expedition with Ford.