I am looking to buy a DIESEL excursion either 2004 or 2005 and I was debating between the 2 wheel drive and the 4 wheel drive. Can someone let me know from a gas mileage standpoint how different they are? what is the city/hwy for the 2 wheel dr. versus the 4 wheel drive.

I thank you in advance for your input

 

Well, milage really comes down to your right foot imho... I have yet to read a direct 2wd/4wd Excursion comparison but there are 4x4 F250s getting better milage than I am and visa versa so I don't really know what to tell you there. I'll let someone else comment on that but in the mean time I will list some of the reasons why I went with a 2wd.

Its a whole different front end, which uses independent front suspension which gives a much better connection to the road, it has a lower ride height so the center of gravity is much lower, its 100-200lbs lighter (I can't remember exactly), has less moving parts, has a tighter turning radius not to mention cheaper insurance rates.

 

2005 psd 4x4 I'm getting high 14's in the city and 17-18 on the hwy if I'm not in a hurry. But it all really depends on your driving. oh, 100% stock for now.

 

x,
how fast is "not in a hurry" is that 70 or 80? I have been getting about that going 80 but I know for a fact I need to replace my fuel filter...

 

I'm get a summer average of about 14MPG with 70% city driving. On the highway, I'll get 17. This is a 2004 EB X 4x4.

 

@ 65-70 the lie-o-meter says 20+ mpg, but who can go that slow? I'll see a solid 17 if I don't go over 80.


Exaust, intake, chip, etc. all of these mods to come will improve mileage.

 

2005 Limited 6.0 PSD 4 wheel drive. 25K miles
14.4 mph. around town includes about 40% highway 75 mph running.
16.9 mph overall average trip of 650 miles from Cocoa Florida to Western North Carolina mountains.
11.9 mpg with 8,000 lb. 31" Airstream trailer over same route.

However I experimented running the Beachline from Cocoa to Orlando, 50 miles, and found that at 65 mph I showed an average of 19.5 mpg. (No trailer) Gotta keep the revs below 2,000 to increase mpg.

I have noticed the mileage slightly increasing over the last 4 or 5 thousand miles

 

As my signature states, I get better than 11.5 in town with 35 inch tires with a V10 and 3.73s. The last tank, all in town with about 60 miles of towing a 5000 boat netted me 11.8 all in town. I think the 2WD will get you about 1MPG which is why I stay with the rest of them with my bigger tires. I probably lost .5 mpg with the tires but being a 2wd i still do rather well. I still have not missed 4wd, but I own a Wrangler for the trails.

 

My Ex is a 2000 V10. I know when I have it out in the snow, it is completely useless in 2wd if there is more than 6" on the ground but in 4wd, it is unstoppable regardless of how much snow there is. I don't know where you live, but we get a lot of snow here so the 4wd makes a huge difference to me.

 

I have the following:

2003 Excursion 6.0L PSD 4X4 LTD

City = 16.9mpg (some mixed driving)

Highway = 18mpg (all highway @70-73mph)
--------------------------------------------

I like 4X4 due to looks and becuase I live in the midwest... and resell value.

Some like 2-wheel drive for extra load and trailer capacity due to lighter tow vehicle weight (4X4's weight more due to front end).

Some like the smoother ride of a 2-wheel drive... and others like me only want 4X4 due to looks and becuase it is a "big truck"!!!!

Depends on what you do with it and the extra maintanence of the front end and tranfer case and tires??? Only you can decide... so good luck... but me it was 4X4 or nothing.... and the 6.0L diesel at that as well!!!

I now have 75,000 miles on my 2003 (purchased August 2003). I am enjoying it 100%!!!

 

Like Jeff says in the previous post, it's entirely up to the buyer. I've had two 2wd X's, a '00 V10 2wd and a '05 6.0L 2wd and I live in the midwest. (N.IL) I traveled to FL to pick up the '05 as I was beyond the order date the end of last year. I 've never had a problem getting around with the snow we get around here. 4wd doesn't make your brakes work any better in the snow, and I get along just fine with limited slip. I've never missed 4wd and I have owned 4wd previously. I'm one of those who don't feel 4wd is necessary for me. I also believe we've been brainwashed by all the cute commercials all the manufacturers have produced into believing 'we' need 4wd.

Your question, though, was about mileage and I'd be surprised if a 2wd got any more than 1/2 mpg better, if that. I do think you'd have a bit better payload and towing capacity, though not reflected in Ford's literature.

Take Care

 

Adding to the snow issue...I am from South Dakota and have had my X in its fair share of snow. It has been lifted with more aggressive tires, but I have never needed 4WD nor wished for it. I drove through the Clarksville TN Blizzard in DEC 2004 where they got over 12 inches of snow. Many places were reduced to one lane until I made a new lane again. They closed the intersate in places and I had to go around it on highways but I never stopped and never got stuck. Almost got divorced over not getting a hotel but I was having a blast being away from the snow as I live in ALABAMA now. My wife and son were in the back with plenty of DVDs and I stopped for gas often to be sure I had plenty in case...Limited Slip and all that weight (8000lbs+ was GREAT! I thought the wide tires would be bad in the snow ( like the wrangler I had in CO) but the weight offset that. This 2WD X is a much better snow truck than the 4wd Wrangler (on 33s) and 4wd Bronco (on 35s) I had. Maybe because it is the newest, but definitely because it has a LS and more weight.

In the end, you need to go with what you want. I did and I have been happy ever since. I put the 4WD money into the lift and the Diesel money into a new bike (RC51).

 

I can tell ya, we had a 95 suburban 2x4. we couldnt sell it. no one wanted 2wd, SO, if you find a 2wd, it'll probably be cheap

 

Like others have said, my 2000 V10 2 WD gets around in deep snow just fine.

The only time I have every got stuck in the X was pulling into the pits of an off-road race, I managed to get stuck 3 times because it was wet clay soil that was like a sheet of ice. Having 4 wheel drive didn't seem to be particularly helpful to anyone else at the race because almost every 4X4 was stuck too. Basically everyone just slide into the pits until they got stuck, threw the trucks in Park and started to unload!

 

Just to pipe in with the other side of the coin, we have a '01 with the 5.4 l. and 2wd. It gets about 12 mpg in the city (with my wife doing much of the driving - heavy foot!). We just got back from a 500+ mile trip that was mostly I55 and some 2 lane at 55 mph. We averaged (by the computer readout) about 16.5 mpg. If we tow our 2619 Trailmanor RV we get about 13 mpg.

On the minus side, the 5.4 equipped Ex will only tow 6200#.