Gonna need a replacement for the Expedition soon and I was thinking......

[Jeff C]

Originally I was thinking of getting a f150 to replace the expedition with.

Momma says she dont want no truck. So I thought about waiting for the Explorer sport with the ecoboost v6. 365 hp, gobs of torgue, can pull 5000 pounds.

I haul sleds around Minnesota, pull a Seadoo twice a year to the cabin and back......

I take 1-2 trips out west and pull a four place loaded up with sleds.

Otherwise, momma putts around town with it to work and errands.......

What do you guys think?

 

[tmk50]

Let me get this out of the way before someone else beats me to it -


Diesel.


Seriously though - I think for everything you described the Explorer would work fine - but I would not want to be anywhere near you when you had a 4 place trailer tied up to it going up/down a slick mountain pass. Tow ratings on those crossovers can be thrown out the window IMO when it comes to pulling on slick roads with any kind of incline or wind (we have an Acadia that we use to pull our 18' boat to the lake every once in a while - no way in hell I would hook that thing up and try to pull something that size/wt in the winter). That 4 place trailer would push the vehicle around too much IMO. Around MN it might work fine - but a 50mph crosswind in WYO would be a disaster with that setup IMO.

Do you have to trade off your Expedition? Do you trust it to make trips west. Drop the insurance coverage to the bare minimum - keep it for the times you need it and buy the Explorer for your wife.

 

[volcano buster]

My wife has a '12 Explorer. No tow package and I don't plan to tow with it. I don't think I would tow anything more than an aluminum 2 place open trailer if I were to though. The wide a$$ tires and shorter wheelbase just don't excite me for towing. I agree that your local trips might be one thing, but heading west, I'd look for option B.

 

[Mafesto]

Do you have to trade off your Expedition? Do you trust it to make trips west. Drop the insurance coverage to the bare minimum - keep it for the times you need it and buy the Explorer for your wife.

If this was a contest....we just had our winner!

 

[2188]

Expedition is probably better on slick roads than f150, had an 03 expedition with some good tires and it was excellent on icy roads...but the wife wanted a Jeep Wrangler, so the Expedition is gone...so in the interest of equality I upgraded from f150 to Ram Diesel. Everyone happy now!! I would not tow with Explorer out west either.

 

[XXL]

Have her drive a F150, she might love it!! They don't drive like a truck. If I didnt buy a fifth wheel and pull a boat behind that I would never have bought a diesel. They are spendy to operate.

 

[Jeff C]

No need for a diesel here..........

Let me throw a couple of dimensions out to you

Expedition

Wheel base 119"
Width 78"

Explorer

Wheel base 113"
Width 79"

Not much of a difference there.

Although the Expedition when loaded with a four place trailer and sleds, has a pretty decent tongue load on it.

I was reading that the Explorer has some cool stability electronics on it so when there is sway detected, it applies brakes to help eliminate sway.

Yep, no doubt about it, the Expedition is a better tow vehicle for a four place open trailer.

That is over ridden by the fact that I would only make this trip 1-2 times a winter.

Keeping an extra vehicle around for 1-2 trips out west does not make financial sense, and I dont have room around the drive way for a spare.

The v-6 ecoboost has 55 more HP and more torque than the expedition, so straight pulling the explorer has the advantage.

Plus the mileage of the explorer is 40-50% better.

I have some time before I pull the trigger on anything, so your thoughts are appreciated.

 

[Highmarker]

I was reading that the Explorer has some cool stability electronics on it so when there is sway detected, it applies brakes to help eliminate sway.

.

Have a truck with the new stability control. I can tell you it is completely worthless! Pretty easy to get stuck in 2" of snow when the truck decides how it is driven...not you. I hate it!

 

[Bamboozled]

You know where I stand on this Jeff. Go big or go (stay) home.

For the love of God we're talking our you son and buddies safety here!

 

[Jordo]

DURAMAX.

 

[plumnuts]

the Explorer would tow it but the real challenge comes when you try to stop it... Does Ford still make a Super Crew F150?

 

[MGM]

Just wait a year and get both, the Expedition with the Ecoboost.

 

[Chubbydog]

What ever you decide, don't go test drive a Duramax, or any other diesel unless you plan on buying one. After you drive one, you'll forget about $, and you'll let the fun factor take over, and say you have to have that. I've got no need for a diesel anymore, but I went and drove a few of the 2013 gassers, and when I got back, I said I'll just keep my Duramax.

I know there more expensive to own, and I've got nothing to pull with it right now, but I just can't get over the 1000'lb of tq. Also, I don't really race or anything, but it's nice pulling up to almost any car, and knowing you can smoke it off the line.

It's kind of like owning a turbo sled. Nobody needs one, but they sure are fun to ride sometimes. If you can't make it to the top of the hill on a stock 800, you don't need to be there. Same applys to the diesel world. Very few people need them, but they sure are fun to drive. It would make your trips out west a lot more enjoyable though.

 

[BHPete]

I have an 04 EB Expedition. It has been a hell of a good rig and my wife loves her Expedition! That being said, my 11 screw Ecoboost almost makes the Expy feel like a rig out of the 80s! Rides better, brakes better, pulls like a dream, and has more back seat room than the Expy. IMO if you don't take your wife to go drive one, then you are shorting yourself on options!

 

[Blu Du]

do you drive straight thru? how fast do you drive out there jeff? to me it sounds like the f150 is perfect for you if your wife will get use to it which i am sure she would. looking back at me making the drive west since 1990 and all the different rigs i have had. my new and first duramax is unreal. pulling a big enclosed and set the cruise at 85 and it won't down **** but maybe 5 times on the whole trip.

 

[Jeff C]

do you drive straight thru? how fast do you drive out there jeff? to me it sounds like the f150 is perfect for you if your wife will get use to it which i am sure she would. looking back at me making the drive west since 1990 and all the different rigs i have had. my new and first duramax is unreal. pulling a big enclosed and set the cruise at 85 and it won't down **** but maybe 5 times on the whole trip.

I do drive straight through.....

I agree with you on the F150. That is the vehicle I would like, but my wife is the primary driver and she loves her expedition. Her primary issues with a truck is the lack of 2wd traction. The expedition performs alot better in 2wd on those intermittent icy spots. I dont want her driving in 4wd on mostly dry pavement, as she has no clue how hard it is on the drive train to be pulling into and out of parking spots and turning the tires in 4wd on dry pavement.

The expedition has an awd option that does not couple the front drive train that she can use. Does the new f150 have that or is it just 2wd/4wd high/ 4wd low?

 

[BHPete]

I do drive straight through.....

I agree with you on the F150. That is the vehicle I would like, but my wife is the primary driver and she loves her expedition. Her primary issues with a truck is the lack of 2wd traction. The expedition performs alot better in 2wd on those intermittent icy spots. I dont want her driving in 4wd on mostly dry pavement, as she has no clue how hard it is on the drive train to be pulling into and out of parking spots and turning the tires in 4wd on dry pavement.

The expedition has an awd option that does not couple the front drive train that she can use. Does the new f150 have that or is it just 2wd/4wd high/ 4wd low?

I am pretty sure that AWD is standard on Platinum trim package!

 

[Blu Du]

i think all new rigs come with an auto 4wd switch now. it will engage the front wheels if the rear spin

 

[snokaw]

I just saw my Buddies new FX4 Eco and it had the AWD option. There is a lot of room in my s-crew back seat. Get her the heated / cooled seats and she'll like that. Just driving the F150 will also be convincing, handling and quiet.

 

[Chadx]

My 2003 Chev. Avalanche had (it was totaled last year when I was hit by a careless driver) 2wd/4wd High/Auto4wd/4wd Low. The auto4wd (rear wheel drive but grabs with the front when wheel spin is detected) is nice when the ice is intermittant and you'll encounter plenty of non-slick areas when turning (as you mentioned, potential driveline binding). So that should be an option on most modern full size trucks (with one package or another).

That being said, I think "why buy/drive something year round for a once a year trip?" If the Explorer will fullfil your needs most of the year, get it and then consider renting something for your trip. True that renting isn't cheap, but cheaper than a potentially larger truck payment and paying for gas year round for a once a year trip. You'll have to find a rental agency that is OK with you towing with their rig (and it's setup for that). You might check into that first to see if it's even an option. Then, each year, you'll be driving a new rig out and someone else will be paying the gas bill and depreciation the rest of the year. Gas is a bit cheaper now, but if it goes back up to $4 - $5 gallon, you'll appreciate driving the cheaper to fuel V6 explorer most of the year and it sounds like it will do everything you want it to for everything except that once a year trip.