Hello, im new to the forum and theres a lot of good info here, also some funny stuff. Im looking for a new vehicle and decided on either an 06 Nav(05 depending on condition) or an 09 exp. The yr nav to me is beautiful truck but the exp has more features. Does anyone have experience driving these trucks, do they ride/handle alike? Does anyone know of any issues they may have? I know i gotta Test drive them to see, i just wanna gauge what you all are experiencing first. Also, ive read a lot of threads here but not many threads really explain the drive difference between 2nd and 3rd gen trucks. Thank you, any and all input id appreciated

 

Answered you in the older gen forum.

 

I test drove an 08 el 120k on the odom...ride super smooth but one thing that stuck out to me was the body felt somewhat more jittery than i should, it was constantly shuddering even if a little... Ive been in plenty of 2nd gen expos and the body never shuddered unless on the baddest of roads...is the buddy shudder normal

 

My choice was easy when I was shopping (2013 for a 2013), I got the expedition because the navigator only has a single speed transfercase and wouldn't have lasted long riding jobsites. It has a uber high crawl ratio which is something a SUV shouldn't have. A couple of customers tried Navigators before going to Land Cruisers and QX56s. For what it's worth my wife looked at a navigator also and ended up buying a QX56.

You are comparing two different generations of the expedition and navigator. The biggest improvement aside from the chassis upgrades which were huge is the addition of the 6 speed auto. The 6 speed really improved the lack luster performance of the 5.4 paired with a 6,000 lb truck. Moving performance from poor to marginal is probably the best way to put it when you look at other SUVs in the Navigator class.

I had a company (2007 or 8) EL and put about 70-80K on it before leaving with zero issues other than the steering position sensor failing and that seems to be a known issue. You will also want to ensure that the previous owner completed their oil changes religiously and with a quality oil as cam phasers are another issue with the 5.4 and high mileage.

 

I have had an '03 Expy, an '07 and an '08 Nav. Hands down, like the Navs except for power/mileage. No problems with any of them.
Joe

 

I think ill do an expy jus because though i like the interior and ride quality(probably the smoothest of any suv except the newest) i don't think i could look at it everyday, not to say its ugly, i just prefer the look of the expy so much more.

Btw...i seen the 15 expy at the valero open this pasy weekend. Its so much nicer lookin than the current model. The interior looks mostly the same but still an improvement. If ii made enough, id forgo the f150 and get that bad boy though the new f150 had a highway range of over 800 mi.