Ford Expedition Is Now the Most Fuel-Efficient Full-Size SUV
Another reason to consider the Ford Expedition over its cross-town rival.
There is only a small handful of competitors in the full-size SUV game these days. These land barges are loved for their go-anywhere, do-anything capability, and truck-like toughness, but what isn’t so loved is their fuel economy which is usually pretty bad.
The all-new 2018 Ford Expedition can help ease the pain at the pump for its drivers thanks to its newly released fuel economy rating of 17 city/24 highway and an impressive combined 20 mpg. That means the first new Expedition in a decade beats the Chevy Suburban and Tahoe which both have a combined 19 mpg.
The new Expedition’s mpg numbers are identical to the front-wheel-drive V6 variant of the smaller Ford Explorer according to fueleconomy.gov. This could give shoppers a reason to opt for the bigger Expedition when looking for a new SUV.
We reached out to Ford to find out how they managed to achieve mid-size crossover mpg from a full-size SUV. One of the most obvious reasons is weight savings. Ford has trimmed about 300 pounds off the Expedition compared to the outgoing model thanks to more use of aluminum similar to the construction of the F-150 and Super Duty pickups.
Some clever engineering with the new EcoBoost V6 also helped with fuel savings. “The second generation 3.5-liter EcoBoost is an entirely different engine with the same displacement as the outgoing unit,” said Ford’s engineering team. “It uses port fuel injection to improve fuel efficiency and direct fuel injection to improve performance.”
That also explains the bump in horsepower and torque in the new 2018 Expedition. The outgoing Expedition made 365 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque while the new one makes 375 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque in the XL, XLT, and Limited trims. The range-topping Expedition Platinum gets even more guts thanks to a sport-tuned engine making 400 hp and 480 lb-ft of torque.
With a fresh face, respectable fuel economy, and a more potent engine, the all-new 2018 Ford Expedition makes a strong case against sales-leading rivals.
