You can get the 2019 Ford Expedition in three configurations. The XLT has simple comfort and convenience features you’d expect in a family SUV, with loads of creature comforts on the options list. The Limited adds more attributes, while the Platinum trim turns the Expedition into an actual luxury yacht that may give a Range Rover a run for its money. The Expedition lineup delivers a good deal of alternatives, and this review of the 2019 Ford Expedition will help you determine which trim level is ideal for you.

You’ll find loads of roomy three-row crossover SUVs available on the market today, but there are some jobs they simply can’t do. Few of them can seat eight, and none can tow a 9,000-plus-pound trailer. That is when full-size body-on-frame SUVs like the 2019 Ford Expedition come in handy — but unlike some of its opponents, the Expedition has luxury and brains and brawn.

The 2019 Ford Expedition and long-wheelbase Expedition Max are the largest and most expensive SUVs in Ford’s SUV and crossover lineup, slotting over the EcoSport, Escape, Edge, Flex, and Explorer.

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2019 Ford Expedition Configurations

The 2019 Ford Expedition is offered in three configurations: XLT, Limited and Platinum. The XLT provides a balanced mixture of utility and comfort, and a great deal of available options, while the Limited introduces more premium components. The top-trim Platinum heaps on the luxury and include almost every feature as standard. An extended-wheelbase Expedition, which has a larger cargo area, is known as the Max. It is can be optioned for the XLT and the Limited.

2019 Ford Expedition XLT

The XLT, which starts at $52,130 receives a turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 engine that’s good for 375 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque. This engine gets paired with a 10-speed automatic along with the option of equipping an Expedition in either rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive.

Standard equipment highlights include seating for eight passengers, 18-inch metal wheels, running boards, roof rack railings, rear parking sensors, heated side mirrors, air conditioning, a power-adjustable driver’s seat, push-button ignition plus a leather-wrapped steering wheel plus a sliding and reclining 40/20/40-split second-row seat, plus a 60/40-split fold-flat third-row seat.

For technologies, the XLT has an 8-inch touchscreen that includes Ford’s Sync 3 interface, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto Smartphone integration, four USB ports (two at the front and two in the second row), along with also a six-speaker audio system with XM satellite receiver.

The 2019 Ford Expedition XLT provides two optional packages for the trim level: 201A and 202A. The 201A bundle adds simulated leather upholstery to your first and second rows and a power-adjustable front passenger seat. More importantly, the 202A bundle builds on these objects using a hands-free liftgate, keyless entry, remote engine start, power-folding mirrors, heated and ventilated front seats, driver-position memory configurations, a power-adjustable heated steering wheel, power-adjustable pedals, dual-zone automated climate control, ambient cabin lighting plus a 110-volt household style socket, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.

Options

Stand-alone options consist of 20-inch wheels, roof rail crossbars, a panoramic sunroof, a navigation system, a heavy duty trailer tow package, and a Driver Support feature, which includes adaptive cruise control, lane storing aid, forward collision warning together with automatic emergency braking, automatic high beams, and automatic wipers.

An FX4 4×4 Off-Road package adds trail-ready parts like all-terrain tires, off-road shocks, low-range gearing, a 3.73 limited-slip back axle and slip plates.

2019 Ford Expedition Limited

With a base price of $63,015, the Limited configuration combines the attributes from the 202A package and adds 20-inch wheels, front parking sensors, retractable running boards, heated second-row chairs, and a 12-speaker premium B&O Play audio system.

Such as the XLT, the 2019 Ford Expedition Limited provides two optional packages, 301A and 302A. The former comprises of the panoramic sunroof, navigation along with the driver support features listed previously, although the latter adds on 22-inch wheels and tires, adaptive suspension springs and shocks, LED headlights and foglights, a 360-degree view parking camera, and an automatic parking system.

Options

A number of these attributes are accessible as standalone alternatives, as are second-row leather captain’s chairs (which decrease seating capacity to seven) and also a rear-seat entertainment system using double headrest-mounted displays. The new-for-2019 Stealth Edition (303A) comprises 22-inch black painted wheels and tires, plenty of gloss black exterior trim, and red inside stitching.

2019 Ford Expedition Platinum

The Platinum spec costs $73,365 and upgrades the Limited and 302A attributes with inside wood accents, improved front seats with massage function, updated leather to your steering wheel, leather trim and active sound cancellation. Alternatives mirror those of these Limited. Especially, the Platinum also has increased horsepower (400 hp) and torque (480 lb-ft) if 93 octane fuel is utilized.

More about the 2019 Ford Expedition

When compared with the normal three-row crossover SUV, the 2019 Ford Expedition resembles a superhero. It is equipped to take eight passengers and can tow nearly as much as a full-size truck. And while it is definitely a massive vehicle from every dimension, there is very little else that can go toe-to-toe with the Expedition for outright capability.

What sets the Expedition aside from its full-size rivals is how it embraces and integrates its own technology. Pick out the motor: Instead of a conventional V8, the Expedition utilizes a 3.5-liter V6 with twin turbochargers. The output is a V8-like 375 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque (400 hp and 480 lb-ft from the Platinum). Ford also produces a long-wheelbase version known as the Expedition Max. When compared with the competition, as well as other vehicles generally, the Expedition is quite fast.

The Expedition’s chassis is every bit as contemporary. Most full-size SUVs have the same chassis as pickup trucks, and lots of SUVs this size generally use the exact same solid rear axle for a pickup truck. Ford pairs the 2019 Expedition with a completely independent rear suspension, and also giving it a much lower floor and load height. But in addition, it imbues the large Ford with a considerably smoother ride in contrast to its rivals — particularly when it’s fitted with an optional three-way adjustable springs and shocks — also leaves the Expedition more predictable in emergency maneuvers.

2019 Ford Expedition vs. Competitors

2019 Ford Expedition vs. 2019 Honda Pilot

Practical and user-friendly, the 2019 Honda Pilot incorporates the versatility of a three-row SUV with all the street manners and refinement of the 2019 Honda Accord. Intelligent interior touches abound make daily usability in the 2019 Pilot a cinch. However, the Pilot cannot quite go the distance, nor can it match the power of this Expedition. In case you’ve got a big family or wish to tow a heavy trailer, the 2019 Ford Expedition is the thing to do it with.

2019 Ford Expedition vs. 2019 Chevrolet Suburban

The 2019 Chevrolet Suburban has always consistently been a class leader. However, for 2019, the Chevy is only outdone by the more modern Ford. The Chevy’s tried-and-true 5.3-liter V8 remains a good option, but it lacks both the outright power and capacity of this Ford’s twin-turbo V6. The Suburban’s old chassis and layout also place it in a disadvantage.

2019 Ford Expedition vs. 2019 Ford Explorer

While this current iteration of the Explorer is getting a bit long in the tooth, it’s still a strong choice in a competitive class. It won’t tow anywhere near the same amount, nor will it carry its passengers in as much comfort. But the 2019 Ford Explorer is much easier to drive in city and suburban environments than the Expedition.

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Conclusion

The 2019 Ford Expedition is a category-killer. It marries exceptional performance with pure and clean styling and significant space and utility, whether in regular or long-wheelbase Expedition Max form.

The 2019 Ford Expedition boasts impressive straight-line acceleration and has a fantastic ride quality that belies its size. Of all of the full size SUVs without luxury badges, it is the most accomplished one.