I have found my 2005 quite a bit easier to drive than the 2003 was. Ford was able to boost the power steering and decrease the turning radius in 05. The V/B springs improved the ride on rough city streets--I no longer hit the bump stops as the OE springs do. And, the Hellwig bar and Bilstein shocks definitely sharpened the emergency handling stability.

I do think that Ford could have done a much better job in the handling department. Just the gains made by simple modifications show that to be true.

But...I recently drove my BMW 330i from Tulsa to Kansas City to Indianapolis and then back to Tulsa. I have to admit that I really missed the Excursion. The BMW was cramped and is low to the ground--you could not see around other cars. Sort of jittery on expansion strips as well. That interstate driving is where the Excursion really shines--long interstate cruises with plenty of cup holders and room to stash your stuff. Maybe next time, I'll take the Excursion with the Beemer on a trailer behind it. ha. I think it would only cost about 2 mpg.

Basically, for those of us living in lower population density parts of the country (Alaska, Texas, Oklahoma, ..., most of the U.S. west of the Mississippi except the coast of California), there is usually plenty of room to maneuver and most parking spaces are big. If you lived in Boston, however, I bet you would not want to drive this dude to work every day.

 

i do a 460 mile trip from Reno to the Bay area about twice a month and before winterblend i was at 21 mpg driving between 65-70 now with winterblend its more like 19-20 at the same speed. 2002 Limited,7.3,4x4,napa6637, straight pipe, 285/75/16 BFG All terrains.

 

Dallas has a bit of traffic to dance around too
the wife cussed all the way home in it last nite fighting it....
47 mile trip from Lantana to Arlington took 2 hours !!!

 

Why buy an Excursion..... for me I have been driving SUV's since 2000 and have had a few Explorers, have 2 now and jumped at the chance of getting a BIG SUV..... were are both satisfied with our Excursion. It has the power and room, and we need the Excursion to pull our classic cars to farther shows also. Cant touch the V-10.... the other V-8's by the other 2 car manufacturers that is.

 

Test drove one once, was the XLT model. think that might be the only package that had the bench seat...

 

Been driving SUV's most of y adult life. First truck was a Range Rover County it was 1995 model, owned 3 others including the famous Defender 110. I then owned a Toyota Sequioa, Jeep Wranger 4 door, Audi q7, Ford Expedition, Range Rover Supercharged. None compare to the 6.0 PSD Excursion i just drove today. Its an amazing machine, get 19-20 mpg on hwy, it loves 65-80 mph and is by far the best riding and safest of all the trucks I have owned. Yes its a real truck, but you will kick yourself forever if you dont buy one. I could not be happier and yes I could have bought anything I wanted. Its amazing, I am already thinking of contacting Tim at www.****************.com for a 2011 Excursion.......I am ruined. get one and Stop Stop thinking about any other wimpy wanna be truck!

 

its www........ customautomsbytim ... com

 

I'm a new Ex owner having come out of a 1998 Expediton i absolutily love this truck, done some moddist research on the truck before buying and everyone told me to buy powerstroke, but i end up sattling on the gasser, just today i had the great fortune of up rooting a tree that been laughing at me for years, haha i get the last laugh, anyway drove it up in the hills of western md and west virginia and it proformed excellent passing other cars going up hill at about 85mph before i had to take my foot off the gas pedal, parking lots are my playground ( the big bully over just about everything) and i never have to look for it at the grocery store, i can pull just about anything i want, man i just love this truck..

 

Welcome BigDaddy, stick around, this is the best forum eva!!

 

I recently bought mine and Love it like a member of the family.

Pros:
Respect, you are the SUV king of the road. Other cars think twice before cutting you off. They know that they would be on the ugly end of the deal if you hit then. Mine looks like an undercover deputy truck so suspicious characters freak out when this thing is near by. I drive speed limit and for some reason cars tend to slow down when they see me. I rarely see speeders anymore.

Pros:
Mine is a 5.4 v8, compared to all these power this and turbo that I know that when I stump that gas pedal my lil v8 can produce the necessary tork to raise my blood pressure. I get 19 hwy and 14 city and I got it down to a science. The trick is momentum and cruse control. I don't jump off at the lights nor do i rush to my destination. I feel good knowing that i have a couple of ponies ready to charge on my request. When on the highway im at 65 on cruse control. They way im not constantly adjusting speed. i set it and forget it. i do plan my routs and use gps for shorter distances. you can say im a geek with this but I think discipline is essential.

Cons:
Gas prices (small price to pay for being king of suv's)
Mirrors. It takes some time to get used to the blind spots and distances on the passenger mirrors.
Hard to keep clean. Unlike some folks who don't hand wash their trucks, I take great pride in doing it myself. Something about doing it better yourself. Thats another thread all together. lol

Before diving right in i would advise that you do a self Analise about how you will use it so you can determine what you need to fit your lifestyle.

 

great thread..... im in the market right now and this is very helpful!

 

Love my X! Had to sell my mint 96 F250 to get the X so I can haul the fam and all the camping gear when we go camping. With the 7.3 diesel it pulls the camper, boat, the whole family, dog, and all the gear in one trip and does it better than the truck while getting better mileage than the truck did just pulling the camper. Kids love the TV, I like the room and the diesel, and the wife likes everyone being together for the trip.

 

And as we all know, If Momma is happy, then everyone is happy!

 

Damn, I might reconsider looking for a wrecked super duty pickup to rip apart and fix and look for an ex instead... they always come up on copart... I also have regretted getting an Expedition vs Excursion a few times now when I ran out of room. Only bad thing I could think of with the X is 5th wheel towing ability and you can't just throw things into a rhino lined bed like you can with a pickup...

 

I have the 05 ex 6.0 & my wife has the 05 equinox. The chebie is fine for running errands in town, shuffling 4 people around. We get around 19 mpg with her. The ex is the ultimate highway/freeway cruiser, we got 18 mpg on a trip to branson mo. We made it there on one tank & back on one I travel to Wyoming in the winter for a sledding trip & my friends & i have never been in a better riding, safer feeling truck. Then there are the mods you can do, they are endless