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Overview
“The customer came first in developing the all-new Ford
Excursion. It’s designed to provide customers with a fresh new
choice in the heavy-duty utility market. Excursion offers more
space and convenience for passengers, more utility for activities
such as towing and more versatility for carrying cargo and luggage –
while at the same time setting a bold new standard for safety and
the environment.”
– Gurminder Bedi, Vice President – Ford Truck Vehicle
Center
DESIGN/PACKAGE
- Comfortably seats up to nine adults, with more overall head,
leg and shoulder room than the competition
- Largest cargo volume, including 48.0 cubic feet of space behind
the third row seat – enough for passengers’ luggage
- Rear tri-panel doors for ease of entry and exit
- Extra wide second-row side doors
- Independently reclining second-row seats with dual tip/slide
feature
- Front and rear air conditioning with 360-degree adjustable
registers
- Power rear quarter windows
- Running boards with optional illumination
- Low-profile roof rack
- Up to 10 cup holders and five power points
UTILITY/VERSATILITY
- Largest towing capacity in segment – up to 10,000 pounds
- Large payload capacity – up to 1 ton
- More horsepower and torque than the competition, with choice of
three engines
- Optional four-wheel drive with electronic shift-on-the-fly
capability
SAFETY/SECURITY
- Engineered for enhanced performance during accidents
- Ford’s unique BlockerBeamÔ
helps prevent a car from sliding underneath the front of the
Excursion during a frontal collision. Ford is the first in the
industry to provide this type of advanced protection in trucks.
- A standard trailer hitch helps prevent a car from sliding
underneath the rear of Excursion during a rear collision
- Energy-absorbing vehicle structure provides “crumple zones” on
the front of the vehicle, helping to protect the occupant
compartment during a collision
- Steel side door beams further enhance passenger protection in
side impacts
- Driver and passenger front air bags feature “second generation”
inflation rates
- Child-seat tethers anchored in the second row of seats further
improve the ability to securely anchor child safety seats
- New Ford Belt-Minder system will help remind most Excursion
occupants to buckle up
- SecuriLock passive anti-theft system helps deter would-be
thieves
ENVIRONMENT
- Will be certified to low-emission vehicle (LEV) standards –
or better – on all engines, like all other Ford SUVs and Windstar
minivans
- Will produce up to 43 percent less tailpipe emissions than
permitted by law
- More fuel efficient – with more passenger and cargo-carrying
capacity – than two average full-size sedans capable of transporting
equivalent loads
- Available with two gasoline engines or a highly fuel-efficient
diesel
- Nearly one-fifth of the vehicle is made from recycled materials,
including various steel, aluminum, rubber and plastic parts
- More than 85 percent of the vehicle is recyclable by weight
Maximum interior space. Superior seating functionality and
passenger comfort. A tough and powerful powertrain lineup with
maximum towing capability. Safety and environmental leadership.
These were the objectives set for the team that developed the
all-new 2000-model Ford Excursion.
Their target was to create a new choice in the segment – formerly
dominated by only one vehicle – to appeal to the growing number of
buyers who need to carry cargo and several passengers while towing
for both personal and commercial use.
Excursion delivers on that promise with a design and package that
offers more passenger and cargo room than the competition. At the
same time, Excursion sets new safety and environmental standards
with features that are the first of their kind in the segment and
even the truck market.
No-Compromise Capacity
Excursion offers comfortable seating for up to nine adults –
eight when dual captain’s chairs are fitted in place of the standard
40-20-40 front-bench seat.
Compared with the competition, Excursion is 7.2 inches longer,
3.3 inches wider and between 4.3 and 5.8 inches taller. At less
than 7 feet tall, including the low-profile roof rack, and less
than 20 feet long, Excursion still fits into a standard-size
garage.
Excursion offers an impressive 48.0 cubic feet of cargo space
when all three rows of seats are in place. Without the last row
bench – which is mounted on rollers for easy removal – Excursion’s
cargo capacity increases to 100.7 cubic feet. Removing the
third-row bench and folding down the second-row seat backs result in
a flat cargo area large enough to accommodate a 4- by 8-foot sheet
of plywood – with an impressive 146.4 cubic feet of available cargo
space. That’s about eight times the trunk volume of a full-size
passenger car.
Excursion offers ample payload capacity of up to 1,906 pounds –
1,750 pounds with the 4×4 drivetrain option.
Towing capacity ranges from 6,200 pounds (4×2 with base 5.4-liter
TritonÔ
V-8 engine) to 10,000 pounds (6.8-liter TritonÔ
V-10 gasoline or 7.3-liter Power Strokeâ
V-8 diesel).
Maximum Functionality and Flexibility
Customers in the full-size SUV segment expect a vehicle with
maximum functionality and flexibility to serve a very broad range of
needs.
Excursion features a unique rear tri-panel door system. A
one-piece upper liftgate permits quick access to the cargo area,
offers an unobstructed rear view from the driver’s seat and includes
an intermittent single wiper and window defroster. Two lower cargo
doors swing open approximately 180 degrees for maximum and
unobstructed access to the cargo floor, with detents to hold them
open at angles of approximately 105 degrees. The doors can be
opened even when a trailer or boat is attached for towing.
In addition to the ease of loading cargo, the Excursion interior
features plenty of space for passengers. The second-row doors are
5.5 inches longer than the competition’s – setting a new standard
for passenger accessibility to second- and third-row seating.
All Excursion models are fitted with a low-profile,
200-pound-capacity roof rack. Its fore-aft rails fall below the
crown of the roof so there is no increase in overall vehicle height.
When the quick-release cross bars and supports are attached to the
roof rack rails, they increase overall vehicle height by only 0.7
inch.
Convenience and Comfort
Excursion’s standard convenience features include wide
running boards with standard illumination on the Limited series, a
door-mounted keyless entry pad, reclining second-row seats and
extensive noise control features for a quieter interior
compartment.
The second-row seats split 60-40 and recline individually. Each
seat back in the second row also can be tipped forward and the
entire seat slid forward – a first-in-segment feature that enhances
access to the third row from both sides of the vehicle. The
second-row seats also include a fold-down center armrest containing
two cup holders.
Reducing the amount of noise entering the cabin was a priority
for the Excursion development team. Steps taken to ensure a quieter
environment for the passenger include:
- Molded sound absorbers and insulators in the dash, cowl, hood,
front fenders, doors and rear quarter panels.
- Mastic deadener pads in front footwells, transmission tunnel,
second- and third-row footwells and cargo floor.
- Molded sound barrier treatment in B-pillars.
- Closed cell foam rubber plugs to seal D-pillars.
In addition, the Excursion 7.3-liter diesel has a
first-in-light-trucks interior and exterior sound package, making it
8 to 10 decibels quieter – or roughly half as loud – to the driver
and passersby than other diesels in production today.
The standard front and rear air-conditioning systems feature
headliner registers that rotate 360 degrees. Privacy glass and
separate reading lights also are provided for all three rows of
seating.
Power rear quarter windows – controlled from the front overhead
console – are optional for the XLT and standard for the Limited
series. Hinged from the forward edge, the windows feature
inside-mounted hardware with no attachment buttons visible from
outside the vehicle.
Safety Emphasis Inside and Out
Safety consistently ranks among customers as one of their top
three considerations when buying a vehicle.
Excursion’s engineering team has created a winning product for
safety-conscious customers, providing them with a heavy-duty SUV
designed for top performance during crash tests and real-world
accidents.
Plus, unlike other vehicles in its class, Excursion includes
safety features to benefit other vehicle occupants, as well.
A unique new BlockerBeamÔ
system and enhanced rear underride protection are designed to
reduce the likelihood of lower-riding cars sliding beneath Excursion
during front and rear collisions. This reduces the amount of
intrusion into the passenger compartment, further reducing the car
occupants’ risk of injury.
Excursion also features abundant “crumple zones” and a body
design that helps absorb energy and keep the passenger compartment
intact during crashes. Steel side door beams offer customers
enhanced protection during side impacts. Child seat tether anchors
in the second row of seats further enhance the ability of parents to
securely anchor child safety seats.
Designed with the Environment in Mind
Excursion offers customers the total package – utility,
roominess, comfort and several distinct features that make this
heavy-duty SUV friendly to the environment.
Excursion will be certified as a low-emission vehicle – or
better – in all states and on all engines.
With 5.4- and 6.8-liter gasoline engines and a 7.3-liter Power
Strokeâ
diesel engine, Excursion produces up to 43 percent fewer
smog-forming exhaust emissions than permitted by law.
This powerful people and cargo mover can accommodate nine people
and their luggage, making it more fuel efficient than using two
full-size sedans to move equivalent loads.
Excursion also shines in its level of recyclability. About 85
percent of each Excursion can be recycled after the SUV’s useful
life.
Plus, nearly 20 percent of Excursion’s content comes from
recycled consumer materials, such as steel, aluminum, rubber and
plastics.
MARKET/CUSTOMER
- Excursion is Ford’s new entry into an existing market
- The heavy-duty utility market has nearly doubled during the last
eight years – and continues to grow
- Excursion is designed as the ultimate heavy-duty utility vehicle
– both for personal and commercial use – and was developed with
customers in mind
- Built on the Ford Super Duty F-Series platform, Excursion was
developed using efficiencies that benefit both customers and
shareholders
The heavy-duty utility segment is a fast-growing one. Starting
out as a small niche market, the segment has almost doubled during
the past eight years. Sales have increased from approximately
80,000 vehicles in 1990 to more than 150,000 in 1998.
Customers are demanding more from their vehicles, which has
fueled much of the growth in the heavy-duty utility vehicle market.
Both personal-use customers and businesses increasingly need a
vehicle that can tow, haul and pack in a lot of passengers and gear.
Ford market research shows the heavy-duty utility segment
customer is twice as likely to haul five to seven passengers as a
full-size SUV owner and almost four times more likely than a compact
utility owner to do so.
During the week, customer uses for Excursion are expected to
range from taking the team to baseball practice to hauling a horse
trailer or boat. On weekends, more than 80 percent of all
heavy-duty utility owners use their vehicle to take vacations and
long trips, and enjoy outdoor activities such as fishing, camping,
winter sports and water sports.
Excursion equally is designed to appeal to commercial buyers.
Businesses that need the ability to carry people and haul equipment
include ski resorts, survey and construction crews, small inns, and
parks and recreation services – to name a few.
The foundation for Excursion is the “Built Ford Tough” heritage.
Using the Super Duty F-Series platform as a starting point,
Excursion is built to handle heavy loads and perform the toughest
jobs, such as towing boats or trailers, while carrying nine
passengers and their gear.
Excursion also is another example of Ford’s dual truck platform
strategy, which is designed to make effective and efficient use of
common platforms to provide better value to customers and
shareholders.
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