MolinuWanderer wrote:
GMandJM wrote:
What's an XLT Limited? Isn't it either an XLT (base model) or a Limited (upscale)?
It says on the Carfax info with that VIN number, 2002 Ford Excursion XLT, V10 6.8L. On the vehicle, it says Limited. It has the leather seats, etc. So I'm guessing it's the Limited then?
I think the main difference between the XLT, and Limited, is exterior trim cladding. For instance, the Limited has some quality plastic wheel well trim mouldings that continue above and across the running boards and cover (hide) the ordinary painted XLT metal wheel well lips. Other than that, I think
all other Ex' trim options and Limited upscale standard accessories are available as options on the XLT. As an example, our XLT has leather seats, power mirrors, remote lock system, overhead fuel eco screen readout, premium sound with multi-CD Changer etc.
As far as towing ability, I think our year 2000 Ex was only rated 10.5k trailer weight, but newer models were higher.
Dodge guy is absolutely correct about the hitch receiver being part of the crash safety system. The hitch helps prevent a smaller car from going underneath and came out about the same time as the Feds required this sort of protection even on the rear of commercial tractor-trailer rigs. You've no doubt seen these little extensions added on under the dock-height rear bed of these trailers. They weren't always there. One other safety item was that the receiver hitch protects the rear-mounted 44 gallon gas tank right above it, but Ford didn't advertise this part.
Not only did all Excursions come from the factory with mounted high quality receiver hitches, but it is difficult to find any aftermarket receiver because there is ostensibly a liabilty to remove/replace such. Fortunately the factory receiver is well suited to handling weights exceeding it's downplayed rating.
One of the reasons the EX is such a great tow package is that the frame and rear axle is the same setup used on the 1 ton trucks and even some single rear wheel 1 1/2 ton trucks. And this is why the Ex's make lousy daily drivers. Besides being heavy, the HD transmission, and especially the huge rear axle gears, cause so much drag that fuel economy is not so good. We only average about 13 mpg highway during non-towing with ours and it only gets about 6 mpg around the city in cold weather. Because of that innate thirst, the Sierra Club gave the EX their Valdez Award (Valdez oil tanker broke up near Alaskan shore back then).
So a person might wonder if the fuel economy would be better with the smaller 5.4L V8 engine.
No. It's the weight and drag of drivetrain durability that kill economy. The RV towing fuel economy is about the same for all gasoline powered trucks, about 8 mpg. Get the 6.8L V10 whether you get a 3/4 ton van or Excursion. You might as well have the reserve power of the V10. Keep in mind also that a shorter trailer doesn't help because the frontal area is the same and the wind resistance is the same then too. So get a long trailer if you want; it will cost the same to pull it.
Suspension-wise, our 4x4 Ex actually has heavier springs than our 3/4 ton diesel crew cab. There are 2 or 3 more leaves on the 4x4 Ex and the leaves are the same steel and thickness as the pickup. But... they are bent different (flatter) to lower the Ex truck height. This makes sense because Ford attempted to lower the Ex (as opposed to pickups) so that it could be parked in a low overhead door garage... and was easier to personally enter. Therefore the Ex springs need a quick rising weight stiffness characteristic to rapidly support load weight since the suspension can only travel a shorter distance than the pickups (especially front axles, 4x4s), before hitting bottom. The Ex also has special, more extended rubber axle snubbers (bumpers) (unlike the pickup) to gradually absorb the shock when they do hit bottom. As noted in an earlier post, some folks trade the 4x4 Ex springs for curvy 4x4 pickup springs which allow more travel compression room since the truck becomes taller. As a consequence, these high-riding pickups are slightly smoother through speed dips, unless one gets exceptionally high-load stiff spring options from certain pickup trucks. Two wheel drive Ex's have front coil springs over A-arms in front and ride quite nice, as do the vans.
FYI, I think the general consensus is that the 415 cu in Ford V10 6.8L is more economical fuelwise than the GM 8.1 L (496 cu in) or earlier Ford 7.4L (460 cu in), and that is why it is currently preferable in most larger motorhomes. In spite of it's smaller engine cylinder displacement, the V10 naturally makes 80% of it's torque down low at 2000 rpm because it is a 10 cylinder engine (As an example, V12 engine powerbands are even torquier down low). On the other hand, the overhead cam engine is also made to rev, and our 310 hp 2000 V10 outpowers our 240 hp 2000 Ford diesel up a hill (but the V10 then uses considerably more fuel). Of course the diesel might not even shift down out of 4th (overdrive) on average hills because of even greater low end torque, and it uses significantly less fuel overall. Only when gas is really cheap compared to diesel, does the EX win this part. The gas Ex is much quieter and smells better.
Our V10 Ex is a great dedicated towing machine... as is our Prius hybrid a great dedicated people-only transporter.
Wes
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