Large SUVs are unexpectedly back in vogue, and eight passenger capacity is the new seven passenger capacity. The Ford Expedition is also back, new for 2018 after spending much of its second-generation, ten-year run from 2007 through 2017 as an unmarked (but still very obvious) police car a few cars back in your rear view mirror. Lest you find the standard Expedition a little snug on the inside, the Expedition Max is back to take things to the max, which often means taking half of a baseball team to away games in comfort and style. The Max model is a full 12 inches longer than the standard-wheelbase version for a total of 221.9 inches of length, better expressed as 18.5 feet.
First things first: The new Expedition is powered by a 3.5-liter V6 producing 375 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque, or 400 hp and 480 lb-ft of torque, depending on trim level, paired with a 10-speed automatic. A V8 is no longer on the menu, due to fuel economy considerations, but with 400 hp on tap in top trim power isn't exactly in short supply.
With or without the extra-long wheelbase those Compact parking spots at the mall are out of the question, and many regular ones probably won't have much room to spare for the full length of the Expedition. And it's still very much an SUV with body on frame acrhitecture — this isn't a crossover that's been stretched to resemble a Winnebago – which means a healthy dose of off-road ability given the available 4WD drivetrain.
Ford has used plenty of aluminum, as in the F-150, to shed some weight, but the Expedition is still pretty heavy: The 4×2 Max model has a curb weight of 5,534, while the 4×4 version is heavier still at 5,794 lbs. The maximum towing capacity in the 4×4 model is 9,000 lbs, which in the standard Expedition paired with rear-wheel drive is a littl better at 9,300 lbs — both important figures since a lot of these vehicles will be used for towing.
The design of the 2018 model is a bit of departure over the outgoing model. The chrome-heavy fascia with a bright mesh pattern distinguishes itself from the three horizontal bars of the previous-gen Expedition (which used to conceal small strobes), looking closest to the current-generation Ford Flex. It's a busy look that reminds me a bit of the first-gen Mercury Moutaineers of the 1990s, but this new grille design works well with the upscale nature (and price) of the new Expedition. Out back the tail lights are nothing short of gigantic, adopting a more truck-like appearance, but their size, along with the 22-inch wheels, permits the Expedition Max to hide its size to some extent, at least in photos: If everything is proportionally larger then nothing really stands out as oversized, the thinking probably went. A large horizontal chrome strip runs along the midsection of the tailgate, adding yet another truck-like visual cue. Overall, Ford used a number of design elements to visually break up large sections of the SUV that would otherwise look slabby and featureless, so taillights the size of large paper grocery bags do have a purpose.
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