2018 Ford Expedition

[FishOnOne]

Looks like a nice vehicle, but I'm not sure what to say about that dial knob business.

Link

[Slowmover]

Fully independent suspension has made this a better choice for towing than any half ton and other full size SUV not so equipped.

Engines, transmissions and axle gearing have become irrelevant as topics of discussion any longer.

Suspension design, brake details and electronic stability are what's left.

[dshelley]

The dial knob on my Ram, if not placed in park automatically switches to park when the ignition is turned off. I cannot exit my truck without it being in park. Wish the "lever" on my wife's 2014 Grand Cherokee would do the same. That's the dangerous one, not the knob.

[mich800]

Fordlover wrote:

dshelley wrote:
Looks great. The dial knob is fine, after a while, you don't think about it.

No conspicuous reminder of whether the truck is in park or not. I prefer a shifter handle. If it's not all the way forward or all the way up, you shouldn't be stepping out of the vehicle. Sadly, I predict more injuries.

Jeep crushes man, transmission left in neutral.

That problem in the jeep electronic shifter was the way to put it in park. It was easy to think you were in park even if you did it incorrectly. Current Jeep/Chrysler and in this case Ford use the dial. It is clear what gear you have selected.

[IdaD]

Groover wrote:

Fordlover wrote:

dshelley wrote:
Looks great. The dial knob is fine, after a while, you don't think about it.

No conspicuous reminder of whether the truck is in park or not. I prefer a shifter handle. If it's not all the way forward or all the way up, you shouldn't be stepping out of the vehicle. Sadly, I predict more injuries.

Jeep crushes man, transmission left in neutral.

I seriously doubt that my 2016 F150 with console shift has any mechanical linkage to the transmission so I am not sure that going to a knob makes any real difference. It does have an alarm in case I forget to put it in park so again the knob would not make much difference, mostly just takes less space.

Console shifters in pickups have never made sense to me because they waste space and eliminate that extra seating position which I use sometimes. I do prefer a column shifter to a knob because it gives you a better visual cue that's pretty ingrained in me at this point.

[Fish_mojo]

Fordlover wrote:

dshelley wrote:
Looks great. The dial knob is fine, after a while, you don't think about it.

No conspicuous reminder of whether the truck is in park or not. I prefer a shifter handle. If it's not all the way forward or all the way up, you shouldn't be stepping out of the vehicle. Sadly, I predict more injuries.

Jeep crushes man, transmission left in neutral.

I recently had a Chrysler 200 rental car with the dial shifter. Absolutely hated it. One place pulled in to park and did not do the dial right and rolled into some bushes. I'll never own one.

[Groover]

Fordlover wrote:

dshelley wrote:
Looks great. The dial knob is fine, after a while, you don't think about it.

No conspicuous reminder of whether the truck is in park or not. I prefer a shifter handle. If it's not all the way forward or all the way up, you shouldn't be stepping out of the vehicle. Sadly, I predict more injuries.

Jeep crushes man, transmission left in neutral.

I seriously doubt that my 2016 F150 with console shift has any mechanical linkage to the transmission so I am not sure that going to a knob makes any real difference. It does have an alarm in case I forget to put it in park so again the knob would not make much difference, mostly just takes less space.

[Fordlover]

dshelley wrote:
Looks great. The dial knob is fine, after a while, you don't think about it.

No conspicuous reminder of whether the truck is in park or not. I prefer a shifter handle. If it's not all the way forward or all the way up, you shouldn't be stepping out of the vehicle. Sadly, I predict more injuries.

Jeep crushes man, transmission left in neutral.

[DakotaDad]

Huge improvement. The Expedition badly needed an upgrade. My wife looked at the '16, and it was a complete non-starter compared to the new Suburban and Durango. We were off the lot in just a few minutes.

It's always been a decently capable vehicle, but now it looks pretty sharp, too. We'd have looked pretty seriously at one of these if it had been out a year ago. Nice family hauler, from the way it looks. Should sell well.

[dshelley]

Looks great. The dial knob is fine, after a while, you don't think about it.

[FishOnOne]

Here's some more intel on the new Expedition.

Link

[patperry2766]

It's about friggin time they made the Expedition look good. It has always been a capable vehicle but from a pure aesthetics point of view...it has severely lagged behind the Surburban & Tahoe

[mich800]

brulaz wrote:

Tvov wrote:

...
Does ANY new vehicle with an automatic transmission - no matter if steering wheel column shifter, floor shifter, or whichever - actually have the shifter directly connected to the transmission by a cable or rod?

What about when locking the tranny into park? It sure feels like I'm mechanically putting that parking pawl in place with the 68RFE in the RAM Cummins.

It is still electronically shifted. Everything else is the same when you put it in park. Just no mechanical connection from the trans to shifter.

[thomasmnile]

BillyW wrote:
LOL! You gotta catch up with the times!

No, I'm asking legitimate questions. Well aware of the Ecoboost engine's capabilities in cars and the F150, but if not mistaken, aluminum body or not, the Expedition is going to be heavier than an F150 (more body metal and seats). The powertrain, including the transmission is new/relatively new technology and purposed toward fuel economy to keep the Feds happy first, and by extension allowing Ford to keep the vehicles on the market. Long term and for towing, I legitimately wonder how this plays out over time. If these technologies achieve meeting consumer needs and keeping the regulators happy, great for Ford and other manufacturers adopting the technology. I'm not necessarily a disciple of 'no replacement for displacement' but these direct injection turbocharged gas engines over time.....how will they fare?

As for the tires, I just wonder how tires that look like they belong on a pimp daddy boulevard cruiser enhance ride and handling, towing or not. I drove an 'old school' Expedtion as a staff vehicle in the fire service for a number of years. Good, reliable and capable truck.

[TurnThePage]

I know I can shift gears faster with the knob than with any other type of shifter I've ever dealt with. It responds lightening fast. It's very easy to rock the truck out of an icy ditch because it responds so quickly. It's very easy to get used to. Non-issue. I agree about the parking pawl. At least I can hear it click into place.

thomasmnile wrote:
From the Detroit Free Press

I read the FREEP column. Looks like Ford is swinging for the fences here. But I wonder, is the 3.5L Ecoboost enough engine in this application for towing? The low profile tires (20" or 22" on the Platinum Edition, doesn't that affect towing? Are these multi-speed trannys CVT or what? Exterior kinda pedestrian, but how much styling can you do with a shoebox? Interior is certainly nice and can be ordered chock full of gee whiz gadgets. Last quesition: How much $$$$$$?

LOL! You gotta catch up with the times! the 3.5 Ecoboost is Ford's most powerful gas engine in the half ton and below categories, and holds its own very well against the v8 competition. My truck sits on 20" OEM rims which didn't affect its tow rating at all, nor does it negatively affect towing. I guess too low profile could be trouble waiting to happen. The 10 speed tranny is just that, a 10 speed, no CVT.