I'm one month into a 2015 Platinum EL. Magnetic / Brunello with 22" CCD. I have about 800 miles on it now. It replaced a 2000 expy that I had for 15 years.


Overall it is a nice vehicle. It has impressive power for its weight. There is a noticeable lag and then burst with the turbo. That takes some getting used to.


The visibility out the sides and back is not as good as my previous expy. These are high seats and they are there for safety. I understand that.


The conveniences are welcome. The warning of cars on the side is nice. The retractable running boards make it easy for people to get in and out. I am not sure how long it will last as they go up and down every time a door is opened. The power windows seem slow. The instrumentation is easy on the eyes. The touchscreen and all its information is easy to follow and to operate and full of information. The computer understands my speech. The instrumentation panel can show a lot of different information.


I have the 2nd row bench seat and am disappointed with the leg room. When the front seats are back, there is not much leg room in the 2nd row at all. We have no need for a third row so that is always down. Impressive room in the back for storage however the storage area carpet seems cheap.


I am also disappointed that the second row bench does not have a fold down on the middle seat to use as an arm rest like my previous expy. Also, there is no storage underneath the 2nd row bench seats for hats, gloves, snow brush.


The 2015 expy is a pain in the *** to wash. There are so many creases and trim gaps around the whole vehicle that it takes work to clean and dry. This is even on the front around the grill and fog lights. I cant see how it is very aerodynamic. After I dry it, there is water leaking out from all these areas. It looks great but a pain to clean.


It rides great around town and on the highway. The CCD is noticeably smooth. Gas mileage is about 13 in town and 20 on the highway.


I think there is a lot of wind noise from the windshield and doors/windows.


I am disappointed with the engine braking when I turn off overdrive or downshift. With the V8 expy, downshifting would actually slow the vehicle down or maintain a speed while descending a hill. I live in the mountains and this ecoboost has no engine breaking at all. I have to ride the brake to maintain speed down hills. I think that is expected with turbo engines.


I bought it for invoice. I ordered it in sept sight unseen. I don't think I will do that again. I hope to keep it for 15 years and then get something in 2030.


Some of the chrome looking trim on the vehicle is already stained. It doesn't come off with car soap and elbow grease. I am kind of surprised at that.


It seems like I am pointing out the negatives more than positives. I am planning to keep the vehicle for a long time however these are things that come to mind. There wasn't much real information a few months back. I just wanted to pass along my experience for those that are curious.

 

How do you like the Brunello interior? I've been waiting seemingly forever for mine. Many of the differences you note are a function of the latest generation of the Expedition, not necessarily the 2015. For more engine braking, slide it into the "M" and downshift. How harsh are the 22"s on the firmest setting? Thanks, good luck..

 

The Brunello looks good and feels good. I'm happy with it. The perforations collect crud but I would think the black is the same. Steering wheel is comfortable. With engine breaking, I can drop into manual and downshift multiple gears and still there is limited engine breaking compared to a v8. Maybe it is how they program transmissions. My wifes turbo SUV is the same however I was hoping that the expedition would be better. I talking 5-7% grades and driving 5000'-10000' amsl.

 

Are you sure about the middle seat not folding? That would sort of defeat the purpose of the fold flat floor if that were the case. Somewhere after 2003 the release to flop the center seat moved from the pull strap to a little grab handle up high on the back of the seat back if that makes sense.

 

The second row middle seat does fold down, but it folds down to the ground. I would have liked the 2nd row, middle seat back, to have part of it (an insert like a lot of SUVs and previous expys) to fold down and create an arm rest if there are only two people in the 2nd row. The entire 2nd row does fold down to create a huge, flat storage area.

 

I believe the engine braking issue you mention is a function of the 6 speed vs 4 speed in your previous car. My 2005 w/ 4 speed had much more engine braking than my 2013 6 speed. Less engine braking on coast down also equates to greater fuel economy, so I'm sure it's no accident.

I haven't heard of many complaints of actual turbo lag with those small compressors, but I'll tell you that my 2013 can take an eternity to downshift sometimes under full throttle.

 

For engine braking, I drive at the posted 65mph, down a 6% grade, for 1+ mile and I cannot maintain 65mph on an unloaded vehicle. I can shift into manual and drop from 6th to 5th to 4th to 3rd and all that happens is the RPMs rise. I cannot maintain 65MPH without riding the brake. This causes brake fade. I believe that this is inherent in smaller engines with turbo chargers.


I wish that manually downshifting would override MPH programming and actually slow the vehicle down instead of letting it glide. I don't think there is enough backpressure to do this though.

 

What about the Tow/Haul function on the shifter? One of its purposes is to increase engine braking. I noticed a big difference coasting using T/H when towing a 6500lb trailer in December.




What are your thoughts on the ride with the 22" wheels in the various ride settings, I'm getting the 20s because I want self leveling rear suspension, but may just buy the 22" wheels and have them chromed. My reservation is how they would ride with the 'regular' suspension.



Good luck, thanks

 

Normally to stop engine braking you goose the throttle, not ride the brake. The braking is very obvious in my 2010, and almost non existent in my 2012. There were no changes between those years that would say they should be different, but they are.

 

His complaint is lack of engine braking....


ad2435, I doubt your lack of engine braking is a function of the EB motor, its the transmission programing for extending coast down in order to save fuel. My 2013 is virtually the same, I have to ride the brakes down a long grade. One particular trip I make ~8 times a year and have for the past 20 years has a few long steep grades, taking my foot off the accelerator on my 2005 (4 speed) Expedition would hold the vehicle close to the speed limit, not the case at all with my 2013.


Good luck.

 

Ah, my bad. It isn't a jake brake, it won't slow you that much.

 

The tow/haul switch does nothing with out a trailer attached. In fact you get an error when you press the switch saying the trailer is disconnected.


The 22" ride good with all settings. I run in comfort mode (softest) There is a slight firmer feel when you go to normal and then stiffer yet with the stiffest setting. I like a smooth ride.

 

On my 2013 when selecting TH, I initially get a message "trailer disconnected" when not towing, but that goes away and the dash shows it remains in TH mode and it definitely changes shift points though I've not tried it for braking.

thanks for the info on the wheels. The dealer pinged me today saying mine should be in NLT month end. I want to pick up either OEM 20 or 22" wheels and have them sent out for chrome, not am fan of the dull finish on the stock Platinum 20s. Undecided between 20-22" but worried that the 22" might be harsh with the standard suspension.

 

My TowHaul does not do anything. The dashboard display says the switch was activated and the mode is ON however there is absolutely no downshifting or engine braking.


Here is what is in the manual. The last sentence doesn't make any sense to me since the purpose of engine braking is to reduce the need to depress the brake pedal.


Tow/haul delays upshifts to reduce frequency of transmission shifting.


Tow/haul also provides engine braking in all forward gears when the


transmission is in the D (Drive) position; this engine braking will slow


the vehicle and assist the driver in controlling the vehicle when


descending a grade. Depending on driving conditions and load


conditions, the transmission may downshift, slow the vehicle and control


the vehicle speed when descending a hill, without the accelerator pedal


being pressed. The amount of downshift braking provided will vary based


upon the amount the brake pedal is pressed.

 

Are you using cruise control while you do this? CC gives the truck a target speed to hit. The Dodge Dart I had would freewheel all day down the mountains. But if you set the CC, once you got 5-7MPH over it kicked down a gear and would retard itself back down to speed.