![2018 Ford Expedition, Image: [Ford Motor Company]](https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/18Expedition_05_HR-1-610x309.jpg)
Ford has released images of the 2018 Expedition ahead of the Chicago Auto Show, and the redesigned full-size SUV looks nothing like what many were expecting.
While it may appear a tad boring, the new generation is sleek and more in tune with contemporary SUV styling conventions. It also sports upgraded underpinnings and an improved drivetrain.
The exterior has plenty of crisp, simple lines that are easy on the eyes, but won’t make it stand out like a sore thumb. It also seems to have borrowed some styling cues from its General Motors rivals — especially in its rear flanks.
Underneath, a redesigned frame supports an all-aluminum body that helps shave 300 pounds of weight from the vehicle, compared to the previous generation.
![2018 Ford Expedition, Image: [Ford Motor Company]](https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/18Expedition_07_HR-610x373.jpg)
Inside, the whole neighborhood can charge its devices simultaneously, thanks to a 110-volt outlet, four 12-volt outlets, and six USB charger ports. That isn’t enough? Don’t worry, there is also a wireless charger in the front console.
Ford says that “even adults” will be comfortable in the reclining third-row seats, thanks to increased leg room. It might be easier getting back there, too, since a second-row seat can perform tilting acrobatics, even with a car seat installed.
![2018 Ford Expedition, Image: [Ford Motor Company]](https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/18Expedition_09_HR-610x396.jpg)
The improved 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine makes this Expedition the most powerful to come from the Blue Oval. This, along with available Pro Trailer Backup Assist, should make towing much easier. Despite having a higher — but currently unspecified — power output, a 10-speed automatic transmission and standard start-stop system makes it almost guaranteed that the SUV will see fuel efficiency gains.
On models equipped with Ford’s intelligent four-wheel drive system, buyers can choose an available electronic limited-slip differential for improved off-road prowess. A new Terrain Management System lets drivers switch through seven drive modes for optimum handling.
The new Expedition will be offered in three trim levels: XLT, Limited, and Platinum. Law enforcement and other fleet buyers will be pleased to hear there will be an XL version just for them. The 2018 Expedition goes on sale this fall.
[Images: Ford Motor Company]
I kept telling people those things which were running around with F-150 noses were just mules. One look at the hacked up rear ends would have made that clear. There’s no way they would have been driving around on the road w/o full covers.
This snout looks better than what is on the F150’s.
Agree I really can’t stand the new F-150 front end this is much better.
Amen! And the ’18 redesigned F-150 nose looks worse, IMO.
I had an Expedition loaner not too long ago….nice vehicle, but you could tell that it’s a 8 year warmed over design.. But this looks much nicer….I like it.
It’s just like other publications assuming mules that look like chopped up Explorers are actually next-gen Explorers.
Looks great. I wish Ford luck in breaking Chevy’s lock on this market.
Just curious why you want Ford to beat GM in this market? The market has spoken so far.
The “market” has had an Expedition that was from the Bush Administration’s era, until now. GM has kept its models much fresher by comparison.
GM also sells several nameplates/brands/versions selling its f/s SUVs, where as Ford has only two nameplates selling its equivalents. That, plus neglect, is why the Ford products sold worse. They did still sell quite well, including approximately eleventy-billion times better than Toyota Sequoia or Nissan Armada.
But, the market “has spoken”, so somebody tell Mark Fields to never try to field a new challenger, because if the market has “spoken”, nothing could possibly make any difference. Turn out the lights, fire everyone.
Its already decided.
Just like how the market had “spoken” about the Explorer’s fall from sales leadership in its previous (BOF) iteration.
Did someone say its the segment’s best seller again? Yes, yes they did. Tell all those recent buyers that it had been spoken in 2007, so they can’t buy one now! What anarchy!
You’ve become quite shrill.
You’ve become quite shrill.
Yes he has. The Explorer has always been a good seller. Ford neglected the market with the Expedition because there were other more promising segments. Ford and “the market” spoke. Just as the market says Nissan will not succeed in the pickup truck market – they are just too stubborn to accept that.
If GM sticks with live rear axles for its SUVs, Ford will take market share.
Not likely, when everyone else went to IRS their market share tanked, GM stayed true and held onto a much larger portion. Face it a Fullsize SUV without a solid rear axle is no more useful than a minivan.
I’ve destroyed way too many independent axle carriers to ever go back to an independently driven axle. They’re searching for a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist, while creating a new problem.
Considering the tow ratings are basically equal, your logic is flawed. The Suburban is the longest running nameplate in automotive and the Tahoe has been around longer than the Expedition too. They’ve both got well-deserved reputations for reliability, room, performance, etc., all of which are enough to offset the interior packaging downgrade you accept in buying one vs. the Ford.
Not really, ever seen a expedition towing, the rear wheels squats out and you ride on the edge of the tire. This is highly unacceptable, just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
Not to mention ball joints, the rear axle going out of alignment. Most Trucks/SUVs thatever see work will go through front ball joints all over in 100-150k miles. (<50k with a snow plow) Now imagine the rear axle that sees some towing. That's downright dangerous seeing as the rear axle should see more load than the front.
“Not really, ever seen a expedition towing, the rear wheels squats out and you ride on the edge of the tire.”
Air suspension. Works wonders to completely solve that problem. Got it on my Grand Cherokee and nothing makes it squat with air bags.
balance your trailer right and it won’t be a problem. if the rear wheels are going through that much camber change, the tongue weight is too high.
Guys, the Ford sucks because Ford. That’s why you see 40 a day on the shoulder with rear axle parts strown for miles.
Like he said. Everyone who went to IRS has TANKED! That’s why the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango sell like 3 units a month, combined.
Wait. They actually sell very well. Oops
The Durango’s market share tanked over the previous solid rear axle version? The one that was killed off from lack of demand, yeah, that one. Care to show your work? Or just make up a bunch of “facts” to suit your bias?
” Face it a Fullsize SUV without a solid rear axle is no more useful *to me* than a minivan.”
There, fixed it for you.
Well I mean you can’t complain about moms driving them by themselves when they no longer come available with SRA thus making them completely useless for work. You don’t see serious pickups with IRS do you?
Seems to me the people who “use them for work” will make up their own minds.
But given that I see no shortage of them being as “work” vehicles by police and fire departments, construction companies, etc., I’d say some minds have already been made up.
And what percent of them are expeditions vs Tahoes?
Despite the expedition being the older “cheaper” design you very rarely see them in service, and when they are they are used in very light duty situations.
Made up there mind they have.
There mind? Where? LOL kidding.
But, I’m just sad.
I hate that Jeep had to discontinue the Grand Cherokee because market share tanked. Pour one out, guys.
I guess we saw so many of them just explode into fail because it doesn’t have a Ram 2500 rear axle, which is required to pick up the kids at soccer practice and then treat them to Taco Bell before stopping by Home Depot for a new at-home air compressor for dad’s birthday.
Actually, long-term, the solid axle is a better bet. However, the IRS allows for a lower floor in the rear, which will make an Expedition feel roomier than an equivalent Tahoe in the third row.
Didn’t work for Ford when they switched 14 years ago, won’t make much difference now.
I agree. I think it will actually start to hurt them.
I still want to buy a dark green Navigator and add some crocodile embellishments in the paint. Then I will visit the parts department and buy extra “LINCOLN” AND “NAVIGATOR” scripts and then slice and apply them to have the emblem “ALLIGATOR” on the cool SUV!
I know where you are going with this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZwhNFOn4ik
This thing should be superior to the GM BOF stuff on balance, with vastly better interior packaging, IRS ride, and a much stronger standard powertrain. It certainly looks about as good as you can expect a chrome-laden monstrosity of a vehicle to.
Unfortunately brand loyalty is about as strong in this segment as it is anywhere, and it will still struggle to sell 1/3 as many copies as the GM BOFers.
Hey, why not bring back the Excursion? That would give GM a real run for their money.
It wouldn’t even sell as well as the first time (the Expedition EL would cannibalize it), but at least its failure would provide conclusive proof that a solid axle doesn’t motivate many buyers.
You do realize that the excursion was a 3/4 truck right?
Also look at the prices of used excursion compared to similar ages expeditions.
There’s a devoted market for the things, but it’s tiny.
That’s why Ford couldn’t even get to half of its original sales projections — during the heart of the SUV craze.
Today they’d sell 10,000 a year if they were lucky.
People who want HD trucks don’t want them without beds.
10,000 a year should be plenty when 95% of the parts are directly copied over. Especially if GM is able to charge a Suburban at 180% of the price of a similar Silverado.
Not to mention 3/4 trucks are NOT required to have crash tests or a costly fuel economy testing sequences.
Ford disagreed with you. They were getting in the neighborhood of 15,000-20,000 annual sales when they decided to stop production instead of updating the truck to match the Super Duty.
When they first introduced the truck they were hoping for 100,000 sales a year.
100,000 Excursions annually?
That’s no moon… it’s a space station.
welp, based on the exterior and interior looks, plus the purported tech and drivetrain, makes this one more nail in the Lincoln coffin…
why spend more $$$$ on a Navigator than this? (unless they plan to offer those crazy auto show doors the concept came with, which they won’t/can’t)
I like it. My first thought on seeing the pic was “New Flex?” I guess it’s a little boring, but it all comes together nicely.
6 USB charger ports? With the world moving to USB-C, I hope they don’t become as useless as the iPod port in my Scion.
There will be a never-ending supply of USB to USB-C cables available.
USB-C can carry much more power than regular USB.
My new MacBook uses a USB-C ports to charge. It’s wonderfully flexible.
Those USB to USB-C cables can only trickle charge my laptop. They’d be sort-of OK for a cellphone, but not great.
My laptop’s USB-C charger can deliver up to 60W, and my laptop charger can charge a cellphone at whatever rate the cellphone requests. Most cellphones won’t request a 60W charge but, if it did, it would charge right-quick. My laptop power supply will charge any phone as quickly as possible.
It works the other way, too. I use a 15W ISB-C cellphone charger on my nightstand to slow-charge my laptop while I sleep. That way, I can just plug it in with very minimal effort.
USB-C plugs really are the future. But an adapter cable doesn’t unlock the full power of it the way a 6-pack 85W USB-C outlets would
More chrome latticework on the front, please, or no sale.
Even with the improvements, how is this fundamentally different from the current model? New interior and styling, yes, but the old one had IRS, the 3.5 Ecoboost and the same fundamental advantages in interior packaging. If that didn’t work, how will this claw back marketshare from GM?
“More chrome latticework on the front, please, or no sale”
Wait for the Lincoln MKExpedition
All aluminum body, new updated F150 frame architecture. The previous gen Expy you’re referring to had a frame that’s easily 10 years old.
Aluminum.
Also, better looking. I would take this over a Chevy (not that I’m in the market for a beast like this).
Thanks. A new frame and aluminum will matter enough to buyers to cause a switch in brand? Interesting, they’re better informed than a lot of consumers then. My uneducated and useless speculation was that the new exterior styling and nicer dashboard would be the biggest contributors.
Ford is banking on marketing hype. Hummer makes the best point about why the GMT sells so much volume compared to the old as my junior high diploma U22X.
At the risk of kicking a hornet’s nest, it really looks like a Tahoe with the Brooks Stevens-esque ’60s Jeep Cherokee slabsideness to it. Not that I mind at all, I still use my late parents’ 2002 Sequoia as a beater and while it’s a fine vehicle, I always despised the overtly round styling from the era where everything had to look like a Taurus, call me old-fashioned, but I think trucks should look like trucks.
While I’m a Ford guy, I’ve never particularly cared for their larger trucks and my experience managing a fleet of Transit turbo diesels was not enjoyable, not to mention that gave me a real heads-up about waiting for Ford or other people to see how Fords with new technology work in the real world. GM leads for a reason, the LS is predictable and reliable and I feel their large trucks are more rugged than the competition. The Armada is more lovable JDM weirdness from Nissan, while I doubt any of them would see any real usage outside of glorified minivan, and the current Sequoia has seen Presidents Bush, Obama and Trump. Hopefully, the new Expedition is a worthy competitor in the segment, but it would have to prove itself in my eyes first.
GM trucks don’t have LS engines anymore.
At first glance I thought it was an updated Explorer.
It looks ok up to rear doors. And then, as if designers were told, “enough of it boys”
Quilted Leather – it is the new Button Tuffed Pillowed Velour
Very true. But I still like it.
When does button tuffed leather make a come back?
Soon I hope.
When club chairs, cigars, and whiskey reach hipster status.
We’re edging closer and closer to pillowed velour, the new Armada in lower SV trim has cloth with a quilted pattern. Bring it on I say!
Well, for a vehicle I have zero interest in and wouldn’t buy…it looks OK.
And now my faint praise is over.
The exterior styling makes me think FlExpedition.
This is perfect. It leaves the F-150-style nose open for a new Excursion. As soon as Ford announces that sucker, the last sign of the apocalypse will have arrived and I’ll sell everything I own and move onto my boat.
I thought they weren’t going to make BOF SUVs anymore? Or was that just B&B scuttlebutt?
Some of the B&B have no idea what they’re talking about.
Lol
Agree Lou_BC the front of this Expedition is much nicer than the front of the new F-150s. Ford could at least offer this front end on one of their higher trimmed F-150s. Ford did a nice job on this new Expedition.
I think this rounded front end would look kind of strange on an otherwise square F-150.
I see quite a bit of Explorer styling DNA in the front end.
It looks like they super-sized an Explorer.
It’s interesting Ford kept the Explorer’s blacked out pillar “floating roof” look in the back but not on the A pillar. Kinda strange. I guess it would be confused with Explorers even more than this will be.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-5y45Q4jFj_dV9XeHNVV3Z0ZEE/view?usp=sharing
Well, the Expedition has always, since its inception, had a blacked-out set of D-pillars, independently of whatever they’re doing with the current Explorer. By contrast, the Navigator has always had body-colored D-pillars.
The entire side looks identical to that of the GM SWB full-sizers.
Did they say if the EL will be coming?
I’m sure it will. I’m not sure what the point in not displaying it is, unless it’s somehow substantially different. Or, maybe they’ll make the long-wheelbase version exclusive to the Navigator (stupid, but whatever).
EDIT: A long-wheelbase version was shown: http://o.aolcdn.com/dims-global/dims3/GLOB/legacy_thumbnail/750×422/quality/95/https://s.blogcdn.com/slideshows/images/slides/443/094/0/S4430940/slug/l/2018-ford-expedition-live-30-1.jpg
Expedition will likely be coming with length.
Yes, but it’s called the Expedition MAX now.
Max is coming with length.
Mad Max edition.
The grill looks like a Sasquatch sized electric shaver.
You know a twin turbo V8 would be even better. Perhaps if only available on the Navigator. Would give someone a reason to step up to the Lincoln.
Most likely the Lincoln will get the HO engine from the Raptor, or a different tune for more power.
It has a different tune now. Until the Raptor debuted, the Navigator had the top dog 3.5TT. Like you, I think it will continue to have more horsepower than the Expedition . They also need to give it more HP than the 3.0TT. At that point, they might as well throw the Raptor engine in there.
Now that I’ve seen this new Expedition, I’m calling for a Ford Deathwatch. I’ve actually been thinking this for over a year now (sold most of my Ford stock last year and I was right, the stock did nothing in 2016).
Here’s the red flags I see at Ford: #1. This new Expedition is a bland, by the numbers redesign. A total zero effort design. #2. The “new” Ford Fiesta rides on the current 10 year old platform. #3. The “new” EcoSport rides on that same 10 year old platform and is merely a refresh of the same design sold since 2013. #4. The next US Focus is rumored to diverge from the Euro version by having a cheaper rear axle to save costs. Shades of old Detroit penny pinching at the expense of quality. All of Ford’s money seems to be going into electrified and autonomous vehicle plays, none of which will be profit drivers anytime soon.
#1 is an opinion.
#2 & 3 are nothing to worry about, if they’re even true; there have been other cars by other manufacturers that ride on the “same” platform for 10 years or more, yet still manage to improve when it comes time for a new model.
#4 is a rumor.
How do EVs and AVs not profit drivers?
“platform” should be a banned topic here. it’s clear few know what it is, and even fewer know what relevance it has.
Ford has been on the slow death spiral for years…ever since Big Als regime. Eventually your low quality products will catch up to you. Big Als “profits now, recalls later” business model was never meant for long term success.
And this phoned in reskin of the Expedition is yet another example of Ford not getting it. They don’t know the market, they don’t know the customer, and they don’t know what makes a good large SUV. Ford has handicapped and cut corners with this Expedition it’s astounding. The paint will be flaking off from the aluminum corrosion on the dealer lots.
EBflex,
I think you owe it to us to explain why you’ve got such hatred for Ford. Did you come home from soccer practice one day, only to find your mom blowing Edsel on the couch?
What causes this level of trolling?
Trolling, he posted less on this article than you have.
No need for the gratuitous sexual references or someone will ask you if the Baruth brothers did anything to your mom as you troll them.