Lemme just say this. I come from the Super Duty and Excursion line of Ford and had or might still have some slight interest in a 07 or later Expy. However when renting one at our local rent-a-car outlet to beat the hell out of for a day I have could not in anyway what so ever forget about how CHEAP LIGHT AND THIN both the FRONT & REAR BUMPERS were. I mean I could just lightly push it in with the tip of my toes and see the thing really warp and cave in. The same can be said about the rear bumper. Also when hammering down on it the thing didn't shift till maybe 4 or 5 seconds, the delay in shifting was a bit odd.

After having 3 Excursions and loving the prettiness of the 07 and later Expy's I wanted to jump on an EL one but after noticing how cheap in quality somethings were it's making me think twice about it and if I should just grab another X instead.

Does any of you here have any issues with yours or wish somethings could be a bit better that Ford could have improved on at least? Also the 5.4 engine is a bit dated and I'm sure most people would have loved either a bigger V8 or Eco-boost engine...

 

Is that how you test plastic bumpers covers, by pressing on them? If so, then press on the competition's plastic covers to see if they warp. Downshift delay is not an indication of quality or lack thereof.

The paint quality is about my biggest gripe.

 

The plastic bumper on my $150K Porsche twin turbo bends in too. I guess it is crap??
I am so sad now.

 

I've questioned it based on me never coming across something so thin and easily dented when just pushed very lightly. Again you have to note that as I've mentioned I'm more of a person with a background to the SD line of Ford and Excursions so this was all the new to me. I must say that somewhat IMO Ford seems to be going cheap or lacking quality in a lot of it's newer vehicles.

An example. My first X was an 01 Limited. The 2 after that was 05 Limited's. For some odd reason the 05 X's had so much interior clatter and rickets, and all kinds of other noise, vs my 2001 X Limited didn't have much to any of that. The 05 X's also for some reason seemed to be a bit more on the lighter side in weight IMO compared to my 01 X feeling more a bit on the heavier beefier side.

I'm a person thats all for more steal but with technology now-a-days it seems more and more car manufactures are turning to vacume parts. Another thing I immediately took notice of was also how thin the trim-cladding was on the Expy compared to the thickness of the trim-cladding to a Limited X. Maybe I'm a bit too old-fashioned and more used to or more confined to older lines of vehicles like the SD and X so this could be a reason to my feeling the way I feel toward the newer Expy's.

I still love the looks of the EL and enjoy the interior design and layout but behond that is somewhat questionable in some areas. I've also read a few posts here in this side of the forum that mentioned some other problems that the 07 + Expy's had which also had brought some concern to me as well.

 

These ain't bumpers, they're pretty plastic covers over the steel bumpers.

Expeditions earlier than '07 have the old 4-speed transmission. 07 and later are 6-speed and they got better in '08 or '09.

I'm not yet ready to trade my 5.4 V8 for a trendy dual turbo setup.

-- Chuck

 

Correction : 07 and later have a 6 speed transmission.


Matt

 

Thanks Matt, that was a typo. 6-speeds they are and they seem to be optimized for trailer towing as 1st gear is low-low. 5th and 6th are OD.

-- Chuck

 

I Just bought an 07 expo eddie bauer el and i am pretty happy I read some post here that some of the trans issues with delay can be fixed with a dealer reprogram of your cpu. you have to keep in mind you took a rental people dont really take care of those like yourself you took it and dogged it so there is that and as far as the cheap feel its all for making lighter vehicles but i am very happy with my purchase I've had it for a month and so far so good tonight i take it on its first road trip hopefully she'll do good but coming from a 03 suburban I have to say I really like my expo now its a beast looks mean and if a solid look is really a issue with you stick to the excursion i would have gotten one if it wasnt for the fact i didnt find a diesel one around here

 

I have a 2010 exp limited. It is pretty nice rig. A lot nicer than my father in laws 2001 limited ex. Mine has heated seats in the front and back, cooled seats in the front, navigation, dvd player, power everything. Now it isn't a 3/4ton people mover with a v10... It is a half ton people mover with a motor that is 2 cyliners short of a v 10. That being said the 14mpg I got out of it was a blessing because his gets 9-10mpg. The plastic bumper push in easlily? So does the plastic on the front bumper of my f250. Does it really bother me or make me think they cheaped out? Not really if it was a metal bumper it likely would so thin it would be as useless as the painted plastic panel your griping about just like on my f250. If I were truely concerned I'd either get a ranch hand bumper replacement or a tank and call it a day. Power and steering are my gripes. It is suprising how well it runs but I'd prefer more. I enjoy driving my race tuned 6.0 and would find the expy ideal at that power level. Also the steering it too light in my opinion. I'd like a little heavier steering wheel feel.

 

Plastic vs a chromed steel bumper? Huh? They are made to give.

About 3 years ago, with the cruise set at 74mph I hit a deer crossing I95 in NC. I didn't even get the chance to slow down that much, maybe 10 mph tops. Ran the thing over and split it in two. I did around $1400 in damage. Don't think that was too bad.

I bought my 07 EB EL 4x4 new on 1/31/07. It just turned 123k. Changed tranny fluid twice, oil/filter about every 5k, still the original plugs (gets 18-19 mpg on the highway still), I've put 2 sets of tires on her. The only thing that has gone wrong with it was the air compressor for the rear load leveling suspension died. This was sort of my fault as I had been driving/playing alot in slushy wet snow and that night it dropped into the teens and the water that got ingested into the compressor froze and cracked it. Nothing else has ever gone wrong. It's been a hella of a vehicle. Even my last F250 PSD had a cam sensor go and left me on the side of the road as well as a tranny. This Expy may be the best vehicle I've ever owned.

 

According to the news reports I read, the two occupants of the Expedition this fool hit head-on sat in the median unhurt and waited for the tow truck. Any more questions?

Crash in Collins Mississippi - YouTube