Alright guys, it's a pretty funny decision. Either I'm going to go big (PSD Excursion) or go home.(Sienna SE likely) I'll wear sunglasses and a wig if I drive a minivan. My wife is voting for a PSD Excursion. I've got a couple main questions for you guys.

1. What mileage should I expect from a 6.0? I know, everyone is different, but just wondering. We probably do a 50/50 split, but living on the edge of the suburbs we rarely drive true "city". I have a couple guys telling me I can squeeze 20mpg out of the beast straight hwy miles. My wife is pretty easy on the gas, I have to remind her to shift our other car (Mazdaspeed6) above 3k because that's where the fun(aka boost) starts.

2. How long do you think I could keep a 2005 in good repair? Think it would make it 10 yrs? I'd be trying to pick up one with low miles. In 10 yrs it we would put on around 150k. I'm not a stranger to old cars and upkeep, just don't know how well the EX holds up. My Escort has 220k and is still running strong.

If we pick up an Excursion we'll use it to tow a 4500# boat and other misc trailers. It will be a DD and will see some light off-road 2-3 times/year (to camp sites) and tow about 4 people out of the ditch/snow piles. Yeah, seems a bit overkill to me, but I like the truck. I wish the Expedition EL had a 4.4L diesel. If we don't pick up an EX we'll be hauling kids and that's about it.

I've got a pretty good grip on the 6.0 problem areas so I don't think I'll be surprised there. I've got a running list of upgrades/maintenance I'd have to do if we pick one up.

 

I recently purchased a 2005 6.0 PSD as a third vehicle for family road trips because I was sick of stuffing 2lbs of s**t into a 1 lb minivan. Yes, I spent some money, but I'm hopeful it will be worth it to me in the long run. I plan on owning this vehicle for at least 10 years and feel well positioned to haul whatever the future holds. For the record I own a 2003 Honda Odyssey which is great around town for my four kids but any trip longer than two hours with "stuff" is brutal. It can be done, but not for me any longer. I am so looking forward to traveling with my new Ex. Maintenance doesn't worry me... it's a small price to pay for comfort and utility. Good luck!

 

Since I have both, I'll chime in. Our Excursion was originally bought as a tow rig and large vehicle for when family comes into town. At the time my wife was in between minivans. We had just sold our 97 4Runner (her daily driver) so she started to daily drive the Excursion. Well she wanted another minivan so we picked up a 2010 Honda Odyssey with all the modern bells and whistles. She loves it. It's more like a car for her and easier to navigate parking spots. I on the other hand still prefer the Excursion.

I prefer my family being in a large vehicle up off the ground, I prefer the extra room the Excursion has inside. Since it's not a brand new vehicle, the dash board isn't sitting on your lap and the center console isn't pushing on your leg. Plus it still hauls 8 people plus alot more gear than a minivan can.

Two friends and I loaded all our gear for a week and towed my other 4Runner to Moab, Ut. This is 2,000 miles each way. It was a great road trip and we all had plenty of room. I took the third seat out so we had the second seat to for the rotating third driver to stretch out and sleep on.

My family and I recently took a trip to Disney world in the minivan, about half the distance to Utah. The whole trip I kept wishing we were in the Excursion for the extra safety and room. The seats in the Excursion were more comfortable and I prefered the ride overall. Of course the gas mileage was better iin the minivan but everything comes at a price. It all boils down to what's important to you. Safety, comfort, and the coolness factor I didn't even mention make the Excursion come out ahead in my book.

Since I have a 7.3 I'll leave comments on mileage and longevity to others.

A side note, I've always been a Toyota guy. We chose Honda because we had several warranty issues on my '05 Corolla (DC commuter) that Toyota did not help us on. This is with a 6/100 extended warranty and within that period. So my wife said no to another new Toyota. That said, my mother has a newer Sienna and it sits up higher and has nicer seats, the Honda's seats are hard. Other than that, the two vans are very similar. If you go that route, check them both out. Good luck.

 

I would take the excursion 100-1 over a minivan.... you cant do anything with a minivan except take the kids to a soccer game. With an excursion you can tow anything, carry anything and load up more people than a minivan. Minivans get better mileage but if your buying an Excursion you better not be thinking about great mileage.

 

My lease on my 2006 Sienna expires in Feb and I'll be handing it back.

I wish I knew then what I know now, and I would have just gotten an Ex 4 years ago...

Like you said: Can't haul anything really.

Sure I can stick 5 kids in a Minivan, but I can stick 6 in an Ex. I also have just as much storage room in back, provide a safer crash setup (took Sienna for safety features back then), and I can haul my 30' Camper with my Ex... minivan... not so much....

Course Runnin 7.3's so no clue on the 6.0's.

Good luck either way with your decision but my votes on the Ex.

 

I can only comment on MPG. We just bought a 04 Ex EB 2wd w/6.0L. we have put 4K mile on it so far. We have not had less than 16.1 mpg and the most 17.8 mpg (all hwy). We love our Excursion! Can't wait to install the bulletproof EGR cooler and new oil cooler to prevent some issues from happening.
Good luck!

 

My Ex is a V10 but I certainly know about how great an Ex is for hauling people and towing stuff...

Keep in mind that I tow a 9000# travel trailer all over the country and I needed the heavy towing capability of the Ex.

As far as mpg's...here's my take..."First Liar Don't Stand a Chance!"...mpgs on the internet are comical...

In order to get the higher mpgs...most are "chipping" their motors...the 6.OH is a problematic motor and I believe problematic due to "chipping" but mostly "chipping" with higher head pressures...

If I were only towing a 4500# boat occasionally...I would have no issues looking at the much more "refined" Expedition EL but that's just me...the Expy EL is a more modern vehicle with some very nice features and the mpgs won't be that bad...the only downside is they don't offer the 6.2L gas motor in the Expy

Don't get me wrong...I love my Ex for how it moves my family and trailer...but my Ex sits much of the time as it is only our snow and tow vehicle. We purchased it in 2005 with 14K miles on her...I now have 50K on her and of those 36K miles...~25K have been TOWING!...so in 5 years I've put on only 11K miles of "non-towing"...so my use is much different than what you are talking too.

Driving the Ex around town is not the easiest and parking lots/etc are not that easily navigated because of the large turning radius...again I enjoy driving the Ex...but it is all TRUCK...if it were me...and I wanted an SUV...I would seriously look at the Expy EL.

Good luck and Happy New Year to you!

Joe.

 

Thanks for the input guys, keep it comming. I definenty know MPG's on a minivan are going to be higher, but was guessing the Ex with a 6.0 would at least match my 4.6 Explorer. We get around 14 normally and 18.5 hwy. We would have it for the long haul, so diesel vs. gas $$ would probably come out in the wash. I'd rather pay upfront and own the diesel.

I hear ya on the Expy, I thought that's what we were going to get. But I've been asking around and they get terrible mileage. The Expy isn't built the same so I'd want lower mileage since we want to keep it 10yrs. We'd be paying $30k+ up front for the vehicle and then pissing our money away with every fillup. I'd have to say, the thought of a newer vehicle with cool features got me excited, till I did the math. Hmm, maybe I should make a trip to Mexico and pick up a 4.4L and then do a transplant, haha. So, unless I'm looking at it wrong, the Expy would cost more the the Ex.

On the drivability, I'm actually the one encouraging my wife to look at the vans. She just HATES the thought. I don't want a minivan, but don't want to shoot off the hip and buy an Ex and figure out it wasn't a good choice for the family. I told my wife parking would suck and she said she would just deal with it. Living on the edge of the burbs, most places have big parking spots and plenty of parking so it shouldn't be too bad.

If we do end up with a minivan I figured out I can airbag the rear so at least we aren't the family you see on vacation dragging our bumper, LOL.

So, what are you guys seeing for your MPG's with the 6.0? I've read the F250 guys get 18ish hwy. Like I said, not a deal breaker, but I'd like to have an idea so I don't get surprised.

 

I get 13 - 14 mpg in typical around town errands.

On the highway, expect no higher than 17.5 mpg and you won't be disappointed. I run about 70 mph.

Our 2003 Excursion did a bit better on the highway (18.5 mpg), about the same in town (13-14 mpg). I once got 21 mpg with a BIG tailwind (>25 mph) all the way to Indiana.

I know this is not what you want to hear, but it is based on meticulous record-keeping. I log every fill-up and hand calculate the fuel economy. Owned the 2003 for 180,300 miles and have had the 2005 for over 25,000 miles.

On an interesting side note, we also own a 2005 Honda Odyssey Touring, with just over 100,000 miles (bought it new). Amazingly, it is really not much better on fuel economy with my wife at the wheel. It averages 16 mpg in daily (errand running) service and may get 22 mpg on the highway.

 

Our 2005 Grand Caravan with 3.8L V6 gets about the same Forest...16-17 around town and 22-25 on the highway...mileage in that varies based on fuel blends too...we have ~55K on the minivan now...

 

Through the suburbia around Atlanta, I get 12 to 14 mph in my 6.0 2wd excursion, on the highway (longer trips to Miami, Chicago, or Boston) it gets 18mpg. Towing, it is a solid 12 to 13.

I had a Grand Voyager in the past, and loved it. I also had an Aerostar and loved it. As much as I thought those cars were perfect for what I needed at the time, the Excursion would have been a better choice.

I only have two kids, so the third row seat is always removed. I grew up in the era of station wagons and remember playing in the 'way back', and allow my kids to have an air mattress and pillows in the Excursion 'way back' on our trips.

I towed with both minivans and was happy that they could do it. I'm much happier with the Ex which was built to do it. It has a tighter turning radius than my SRT-4 Neon, but not as tight as my Triumph Spitfire. I could park it in about any parking spot, but prefer to park away from everyone because it does fill a spot up entirely. It's not as fast as the M3, but it's a lot more comfortable on a long trip with kids and stuff, not as fuel efficient as the Insight, but that's really just a one person car....

If you are going to tow very rarely, once or twice a year, only have one or two kids, and if people drive cars on the camping approaches, the minivan might be a better choice, but you would still probably be happier with the Excursion.

 

Can't tell you the number of people ask me about my mpg when on the road and
I ask them right back !!!

9 times out of 10 theirs is worse than ours on long trips....
ours is right in the sweet spot idling along @ a bit higher than 2000 rpm @ speed (75 to 80)

they are all cramped up and crabby from packing so tightly in there and
we are stretched out with room to spare !

they are worried about the traffic and 18 wheelers around them and
we are on cruise control looking listening to a nice audio book !

LOVE the sound of that deezle humming along for hours and hours !


now, around town, it's not a fuel saving vehicle, but as long as the wife doesn't shower down too much on the tuned engine... it will get acceptable 15 or so around town..
(my guess since the overhead says about 17 and I NEVER bother to check it...
for the same reasons like Al Gore never checks his 'carbon footprint' in his jet !)

 

I don't own a diesel X, but I do own both an X and Sienna LE.

We bought the Sienna as a family vehicle. Lot more room than the Camry or 4Runner. We still own them as our daily driver.

Back in '09, we decided on getting a travel trailer. Researched a lot on towing for the Sienna and 4Runner and came to the conclusion that neither one of the vehicles could safely tow the kind of trailer with the amenities we wanted. I considered the Sequoia, but even that is limited on towing. Toyota does not make a 3/4 ton platform truck or SUV. This is how I got the Ex. Got it for $8k with 113k miles at the time when gas was high and people were dumping these and the Smart car was hip.

Anyway, the Sienna is great for short trips and around town with a large group of people. Gas mileage is better. But for camping, it's only the Ex.

I have been amazed at what this SUV can do. This is the first time for me in the Super Duty category. I know my next tow vehicle will be at least a 3/4 ton series.

 

Thanks guys, all that really helps. The mileage sounds roughly the same as my Explorer. 14 city and 18.5 on my Explorer is really the top end of what I see. Sounds like it would be pretty close on the Excursion too. The mileage numbers on the minivans make me laugh, I have friends that tell me the same about around town mileage. Since that is 80-85% of the time, I'm not too worried about comparing hwy MGP. The Explorer is the only vehicle I have ever know to get better than advertised MPG numbers,(stock) it has to be the 4.6 just plain doesn't work as hard and my wife's driving style helps I'm sure. We have friends with the 4.0 V6 and they get 10-12MPG.

I'm leaning towards the Ex, always have been. I just need to put together some numbers now on how much it will cost to get the required preventative upgrades installed. I.E. BPD EGR cooler, ELC coolant, coolant filter, oil cooler(stock or upgraded, dang the BPD one is expensive), and any other little things like oil screens/FPR spring/turbo drain tube as long as I'm in there. Oh, and some V-codes will be needed I'm sure. I want to buy one and enjoy it for a long time.

 

Not to scare you or anything...but do a search on here for posts by scottman70

He is a staunch diesel guy on here.

His 6.oH has left his family stranded a few times.

Earlier this year he dumped a boat load of $$$ into his Ex...https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...lo-v-10-a.html

And here is a post he posted yesterday...https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...ll-the-ex.html

Sure seems to be a love/hate/cash relationship with some 6.oH's...

Now there are many happy 6.oH owners on here...just giving you some data on "mods" you were talking about...

Good luck,
Joe.