It's the baddest soccer mom suv on the road

 

 

if you're not carrying items that you need a bed, the Ex is the way to go in my opinion. I have an Excursion and 2011 F-150 and they both do what they are supposed to do very well. The Ex is better in rough situations with better clearance then the F-150. You may be surprised to know the Excursion and Regular cab/8' bed F-250 share the same 137" wheelbase, on the other hand my F-150 (crew cab short bed) has a 145" wheelbase. For daily driving I find myself preferring the F-150 as it's a bit smoother and more car like in how it drives, but I did daily drive an Excursion from 09-14 every day and loved every min of it.

 

I have a 2000 Excursion. Absolutely love it and plan to have it for many many years. But if I had the choice to have a truck bed I would. I had a truck for 16 years until kid #4 came and then seats became the priority. My wife likes the Excursion better than a truck because everything is inside the vehicle. Name another vehicle that can seat 8 (or 9), has luggage space that can handle 8 or 9, has a diesel option with 4 low and is a 3/4 ton.

Width has been an issue a couple times for me off roading but that is any full size truck compared to a Jeep in my mind. It just depends on how crazy you want to get... It gets me everywhere I have needed to go but I play it more on the safe side meaning I don't try and push things too hard, but I have gotten through a couple tricky situations that if I knew were coming I would have probably avoided. The majority of off roading has a lot more to do with experience in my mind, just like anything. A better off roading machine just means you get stuck worse and further away right? The X is shorter than the F350 crew long bed I used to have, so I could argue it does better than that off road in the majority of situations.

So I would vote truck unless you like more butts in seats and locked up dry space that is accessible from "the cab".

 

As the kids get older and taller, you'll like the second row room of the excursion better than the pickup.

SC pickups don't really compare unless you look at very late model. We had a 2017 f150 as a rental last weekend, and it had about the same 2nd row room as the ex, but nowhere near the 2nd row headroom.

 

I've had both

word to the wise, 4-6 people in a F-150 sucks....sucks!

there is a reason I don't have my 2006 F-150 Supercrew anymore. She was a blast to drive with the RoushCharger, but I couldn't take listening to the constant whining and "she's touching me" comments

 

 

If you enjoy lotsa space and want to explore the western deserts, the Ex is for you.

 

With everything being equal... and towing isn't the issue, nor room for 4, the PU will be more versatile. Now.... if you don't think tactically but strategically then the Excursion will meet today's needs, tommorows and into the future... to boldly go where no modern vehicle can go. If it's the 6.0 and not bulletproofed I'd give that some mindful consideration. I'd prefer the V10 for simplicity, however if towing stuff is in the future plan, the 7.3 or the bulletproofed 6.0 would be a nice option.

... just sayin'

 

I got rid of my F350 crew and bought an Excursion because I needed more seating. I tow a 39" travel trailer so an Excursion was the only sensible SUV choice. I've found that I enjoy driving the Ex more than I did the truck. I like the V-10 better than I thought I would. While it's a little less convenient, I can put a trailer behind the Ex and haul anything I could have hauled with the truck. It does everything the truck did and it's a lot easier to park.

That said, there are a few things you may want to do to an Excursion to improve it's handling and road manners. Upgraded springs are a common upgrade...new shocks...sway bars if it doesn't have them. My 2003 needed new suspension...still needs a new steering box. Point being these are older vehicles now and will likely require some work to get them back in good shape unless you're lucky enough to find one that's been taken care of. The upside is that they're pretty easy to work on. Everything you could ever want to know about them is on this site.

 

 

 

 

Time for some 1A Auto '08+ tow mirrors.

Stewart