WHEN Ford launched an extended length version of the Expedition or “Exped,” as it is commonly called in local parlance, in 2009’s second quarter, it was apparent that many customers still couldn’t get enough of Ford’s biggest behemoth. Does it make a big impact on this writer?

The overall look may not have changed since the launch of the 2007 short wheelbase (SWB) Exped, but it still calls attention that parts seas of vehicles wherever it goes—thanks to a common association with politicians or high-ranking military personnel. A view of its full side profile makes you see the extended length and wonder just what can fit inside the third row/rearmost area when the hatch is opened. 

With an extended length, having the ability to store people and things should be a given. The Expedition does so, and in copious amounts. The center console storage is arguably as deep (or large) as that of the Mazda 3 glovebox—it can fit items such as a .9mm handgun and three to four more clips of ammunition. Very generous amounts of legroom, kneeroom and headroom abound for all rows. The second row folds and tumbles forward, and its latches are easy to see because they have visually appealing instructions on the base of the seats, facing the windows (where the backrests meet the thigh cushions). The third row has power-assisted folding (via buttons on the right rearmost part of the cabin), and the seats fold flat and flush to the cabin floor for extra loading space. You sit low in the third row, though.

The 5.4L V8 is more than adequate for town tooling or highway cruising. You’re into the powerband at 3,500 to 3,750 rpm, and the A/T is willing to kick down at three-fourths to full throttle. The tranny takes sometime, though, to select a gear for acceleration or emergency lane changes.     

As expected of vehicles with long wheelbases, ride comfort is exceptional. It’s not as supple as that of the Lexus LX 570, but you don’t feel floaty or dizzy as a passenger. Traction breaks at 80 kph (with traction control off). When the traction control electronics do wake up, it’s in such a way that you’re slammed into the seatbelt, there’s a tone that pops up in the cabin (which sounds like a stick jerked through water) and much stronger braking force is applied. Steering feel is light, but feedback is sloppy. You have to apply a few more degrees of motion in the direction of the turn to get the correct line. Also, the SUV can be cumbersome to maneuver in tight city streets. You have to take an outside line when entering and exiting 90-degree turns and U-turn slots. At least the side mirrors are wide, but have lateral sight until 1.5 lanes on either end. More good news:  putting the unit in reverse activates a camera right under the chrome strip beneath the rear hatch Ford logo. Once that’s done, the viewfinder (located within the leftmost part of the rear view mirror) is turned on. It’s very helpful in long backing and parallel parking, as the large dimensions of the unit make it tough to move around in certain parking spots (like building basement parking slots). It would be nice, though, if the unit had front bumper-mounted parking sensors and the rear bumper-mounted parking sensors weren’t that sensitive (like 0.9 feet onwards).   

Brake grip is strong; just a tap on the middle pedal and you can feel deceleration quickly. The same cannot be said of the footbrake; you have to get the pedal millimeters close to the floor to get decent bite on incline. At least exterior lighting is bright, and the foglights can take over for the headlights anytime.

Just when you thought nothing could get bigger than the Ford Expedition, the Blue Oval decides that its biggest behemoth gets bigger. In short, it’s a supersized American whopper.

Photos by EPS