Hi. I am new to this message board. I currently own a 95 Suburban. My husband and I are really close to buying a 2002 Excursion. We have decided on the Diesel if we get one. I am just a little nervous about the size of this thing. I was wanting an Excursion owner to tell me if parking, drive throughs, garaging is a big hassle. It just seems so big - but I really do like it. I know there are similiar posts to this on the board- I was wanting a female perspective on this if possible. Thanks...

 

We have a 97 Suburban that my wife drives and I drive the Excursion. She drove the X several times when it was new (before I lifted it) and she didn't like it. She thought it seemed huge and hard to handle in traffic. She liked her burb better and thinks it handles better.

I think she has just gotten use to the car like ride of the Suburban and the X is a truck and rides/handles like one. I will agree with her when the suspension was stock. The X wallowed around like a whale. The suspension upgrades made it handle great for an 8500 lb truck.

I would recommend two things if your going to purchase an Excursion:
Test drive one first, and if you get it, do some suspension upgrades to make the truck safer and handle better:

1. Replace the shocks...Bilsteins are good
2. Add a rear anti sway bar...Helwig makes a good one
3. Put X springs from Ford on the front or have a spring shop add a leaf and re-arch. the factory springs only have about 1" of travel.
This spring mod will give you more travel and level the truck.
4. Replace the Firestones with a good all-terrain tire...BFG A-T's

I like my X and have not been in a truck that rides and handles as nice(since the suspension changes). I would definitely recommend getting the Excursion if your in the market for a big suv. Getting the diesel is a wise choice as well. The power and mileage is great. We get 12-13 in town and 15-16 on the HYWY. Yours should do better than that with stock size tires.

Good Luck,
Lane

 

We just got a 01 X with the diesel and my wife is the driver. We started off looking at Suburbans and ended up with the X because it suited her better. It is big. You have to bite the bullet and realize from the start that you can't park in the middle of a WalMart parking lot. But it handles fine, and the back-up sensor really helps in tight quarters. My wife, all 5'1" of her, loves it. And it will haul all the kids you want to carry. :

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 03-Jan-02 AT 11:47 AM (EST)]Mind if I put my two cents in?

I’m not a female but my wife is. We looked at the size of the Excursion as a benefit. It took us over a year to decide between the new ¾ ton suburban and the Excursion. We ended up with the Excursion for some reasons I’ll outline below. You must remember that we humans are highly adaptable creatures. After driving the X you’ll soon “forget” about its girth. It will give you a confidence on the road. Parking, drive-thru’s are not a problem (for her or I) simply because we are used to it. We pretty much park where we want. (Because we can )
BAD SUV is correct some suspension mods are in order but are not necessary to enjoy this vehicle. Because, again, you’ll get used to it. Though I highly recommend the rear anti-sway bar! Mine is coming soon.
As for garaging, well, ours won’t fit. It is not the trucks fault, our garage has a low ceiling as that is how the previous owner designed it. I will say that in a standard garage, with another car in it, opening the doors could be a challenge, but I think you’ll have that with the Sub’ too.
You didn’t say if you had kids or not and how many you have if you do. I have 4 kids, (8,5,3,1) A few things that swayed me towards the X was.
1. Rear seats in a Sub’ don’t recline. (still):-X23
2. You can only get to the 3rd seat on the passenger side.
3. 3rd seat doesn’t have map lights. (real important on long trips, if you ask me)
4. Rear opening on the X is superior to either choice in the Sub’ (IMHO)
5. It weighs more! Very important in an accident. (stock 4x4’s weigh about 7200lbs w/the V10)(Subs’ are about 1800 lbs less.)
6. You can’t get a diesel in a Sub’. (I know I got the V10 but you should see what I paid for it!!)
7. They are less expensive and a better built truck.
8. There is SOOOO much more room in it.

Best of all, if you get the Xcursion, you’ll be able to frequent this kick butt forum! You can’t do that in a Chebby.


I doubt you'll regret gettin an X. If you'd like to do a little research here's a nice site to help you do that. [link:suv.fordtraining.com|Ford SUV sourcebook]

 

Beth, if you have a 95 Suburban you should not have any trouble adjusting to the Ex. We park at Walmart! Have you been to a BestBuy on a day like the friday after Thanksgiving?? There are some times when it is prudent to back in, but despite its big looks it is >NOT< as long as most any Superduty with an extended cab. Regarding garaging, be aware that the 2wd is a lot lower than the 4wd. You didn't say which you had in mind. The 2wd is the same height as our Astrovan and fits in all but a very few public parking garages. The old quaint kind you may find in an older city, like Montreal.

 

Thanks for the advice. I'm sure I will get used to the size of the X- my Suburban used to seem big! I plan on test driving one again and probably making a decision soon. Thanks again for the help...:-)

 

The reason I don't like parking up close at WalMart is because the other shoppers haven't got as much appreciation for the good looks of my X as I have. They seem to think it needs some new nick and dings in the side.

 

heh. heh. Ain't that the truth. I think it's a subconcious jealous rage!

 

Hello Beth1313,

I've been driving an Excursion, 4X4, PSD since Feb 2000. The diesel engine is truly a must in this vehicle. I am able to tow anything I want and still get 15.4 mpg driving in the hill country of Texas. Extended highway driving gives me approx. 17 mpg. That's pretty good for a "tank".

I've always parked my vehicle way out and hiked into the stores so this wasn't a major adjustment when I bought the X. On the few occasions when parking is scarce and I have had to park in any space that is available, I find that backing into the spot is the best way to do it. You'd be surprised how well this vehicle fits into a tight spot when it is going in reverse. It takes a little practice, but is worth it. Pay the extra money for the tow package mirrors and you'll be backing up without any problems.

My 2002 X (also 4x4, PSD) just came in and I am extremely pleased with the changes that they have made since the 2000 model. The only negative about the X is the resale value.

If you would like to ask me additional questions you may email me at eggbuild(No Email Addresses In Posts!)

Karen

 

Hi, my wife has a 2000 Suburban (1/2 ton) and she really likes her truck. My 2000 scurshion seems a bit too big for her although it won't slow her down from a trip to the mall. I believe it's a problem of getting used to it. Over the last year she seems more and more comfortable in my truck.....if we could only have one truck it would definately be the scurshion.

 

Parking is a breeze. However, the Excursion is larger than most other vehicles so get used to parking a little further back. My fiance always complains at how far I park form the entrance to the store, but if it means no door dings, I'm all for it.

The reverse sensors also really make the large size of the X quite maneuverable in very tight spaces. Good luck with the new purchase!

 

Please excuse my incompetence for my previous signature.

 

So I'm on a roll...

 

>So I'm on a roll...

To fix your signature make sure that you put a square bracket followed by the word "link" then a colon : type your address (www. not http//) at the end of the address put one of these | then put whatever you want to call your link (i.e. erlong's website) close it off with another square bracket. You should be all set.

for an example click on "reply with quote" on this message.


[link:www.mcnews.com|Best source for motorcycle info]

 

I eventually got it figured out (found the testing forum as well ). It appears that you can't add slashes, question marks, or any other detailed URL's, it looks like this message forum software only likes traditional domain names (i.e. www.something.com). I had to modify my registry entry URL to make it work with this forum software so that it would correctly show the link in my signature. Ah well...