Ford Excursion XLS Review

Overall Rating

Roomy, comfortable ,good ride and hauls a lot of cargo and people.

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Let's quit bashing the big boys. Everybody's needs don't fit into a subcompact or compact SUV. Some of us are older, bigger and have large families and lots of friends. I have two married children and three grandchildren. When we go somewhere together, we can ride together. That's one car for trips not three. Dinner dates out with friends is now one car not four cars on the road. As far as parking goes you don't have to park at the front door. Park out in the lot away from everybody and walk. Exercise is good for ya! Also you get less door dints.

As for gas mileage, I retired my 15 year ole Jeep Wagoneer and am seeing 20 to 30% better mileage with the Excursion. Ride and comfort are great and as for handling SLOW DOWN and live longer. It may not turn on a dime, but it will get you where you're going just as fast and a lot safer than a smaller SUV. If a smaller SUV fits your needs, then buy it, but don't knock the big boy's needs.

Members' Comments onbubbagotone's Review

• Mr shoot2kill on 3rd Nov 2003

  for one thing.....u musta not been mantaining ur jeep if it was getting that kind of gas mileage. and who said anything about a subcompact? haven't u ever heard of a van? just as much room, better gas mileage, and they DO turn on a dime. and as for being safer...a large suv is only safer in head-on collisions, which only make up rougly 35% to 40% of wrecks, the other 60% to 65% are the kind of wrecks that an SUV would rollover in...such as running off the road, broadsides, or hitting trees. the only reason i didn't like my Excursion was because of it's gas mileage...and being that I care about the very thing that keeps us alive..the ENVIRONMENT..i would rather preserve it than pollute it with carbon monoxide and sulfer. we now own a Toyota Sienna..with all-wheel drive and a 3rd row seat that folds neatly into the floor. u should try one, they're very roomy and economical. And as for parking farther out in the lot and walking...yes, a van can do that too. hope i got my point across, and i hope u change your mind about polluting the very air u breathe.

• bubbagotone on 6th Nov 2003

  Let see, a Toyota Sienna gets 24mpg, the Excursion 18mpg when not towing, the Sienna has a towing capacity of 3500#. I guess that I won't be looking at one since it won't tow the 24' boat, the 4 ton tractor or my horse trailer. The Excursion suits my needs just fine. Get My point!

• Mr shoot2kill on 8th Nov 2003

  let's see...the excursion does NOT get 18 mpg, even on the highway. It gets 13 mpg, and if you had mentioned you hauled a horse trailer the firs time i wouldn't have cracked back at ya. oh well...as long as you use all that power more than once a week, your practicality rating is relevant. The only thing we haul with our van is a 24' pontoon boat, which isn't very heavy anyway.

• Mr shoot2kill on 24th Nov 2003

  hmmmm.....looks like people don't agree with what you think. your respect is -15...that just goes to show that you're ignorant and you just like driving a huge vehicle that hogs gas because you think "Size does matter." people seem to agree with my review..... +5. Majority rules pal.

• stangthunder on 25th Nov 2003

  That's great if you like your little TOYota van, it does not suit everybody's needs and wants. Not everyone wants to drive a mini van, and they're not always that economical either, some use just as much gas as desiel excursion.I'm getting 19.5 mpg right now and I don't drive it easy. I have a family of seven and most of us are playing sports, I would like to see your van with three sets of hockey equipment and seven people in it. I bet you'd be really comfortable, not to mention all the extra pollution you would be out putting with the extra strain on the motor.As for the safety of it, I'll choose my truck,even in a roll over as mini vans are also not sports cars and do not turn on a dime either, therefore mini van turning too fast equals a roll over to. I could go on forever but I'm sure you'll just disagree like the ignorant type of person that you seem to be, so I'll stop and wait your response.

• Mr shoot2kill on 25th Nov 2003

  it's pretty obvious you've never driven a minivan.

• JohnBCook on 5th Dec 2003

  Bubbagotone, how can you give this Leviathan truck a 9.5 out of 10? It handles worse than a $10,000 Kia Rio.
  SUV's and pickup trucks are much larger and heavier than conventional cars and are consequently much less environmentally friendly. Trucks are designed for towing heavy loads and carrying supplies too large to fit inside the trunks of cars. Most sport-utility vehicles have four-wheel drive, designed for scaling mountains and sand dunes. While many pickup owners use their vehicles for genuine towing and hauling, less than ten percent of SUV buyers ever take their trucks off-road (the Boston Globe- December 10, 2000).
  In addition to heavily increasing global pollution and emissions, sport-utilities create problems for other drivers and raise safety concerns. Ordinary highway passing can become a dangerous endeavor when the car in front of you is too tall to see past.
  The added heft of SUV’s sacrifices the safety of the occupants of smaller vehicles. Passive safety systems such as airbags and seatbelts prove helpful in single-vehicle collisions, e.g. running into a telephone pole, but are practically useless in multiple-vehicle accidents, which account for almost half of collisions (Federal Highway Administration). In those crashes, the heaviest car almost always comes out in better shape. Buyers of Ford Excursions should consider the passengers of Honda Civics. I disagree with your comments.

• stangthunder on 4th Jan 2004

  When you say that drivers of suv's should consider drivers of hondas for their size for safety reasons, I have to disagree. There is thousands of semi's out there you pass on a regular basis and do you think that they should take these vehicles off the road. This is like saying guns kill people, the people using the guns kill other people. So when you say that suvs are unsafe, it depends on the person behind the wheel, and if you have problems passing suvs, then maybe driving skills are in question. Having a family of seven, I don,t think we would fit into a civic. Now you're going to say "get a mini van." I do not feel confortable in such vehicles, so why would I spend my money on such. I love my Ford Excursion, with a deseil engine, and would not get rid of it no matter what anything negative you or anyone else could say.

• Mr shoot2kill on 4th Jan 2004

  Semis transport very heavy and important materials, so therefore they are neccessary for the existance of industry. and suvs are unsafe not because of the way they're driven, but because of their physical size, they obscruct the view of smaller vehicles. minivans are friendlier in this way becuase they're lower and the windows are larger. and if u don't feel comfortable in such vehicles.... that's a sign of lack of self security. but i think you're saying it just to have an excuse to feed your craving for prestige. but someday, when gas is $3 a gallon... you may change your mind. either that or gas won't go up anytime during your lifetime, and you'll never learn. "I love my Ford Excursion" well.... that's great and all, but if you believe in God... and you really think about what you're doing to the atmosphere... all the pollution you're causing... burning all that gas, do you think he appreciates that very much?

• JohnBCook on 5th Jan 2004

  That's fine, as long as you have no regard for the consequences of your actions.

• stangthunder on 6th Jan 2004

  you say that semis transport important materials,whats more important than your family. It's not a lack of self security on my part but on yours. If you don't feel safe behind vehicles like these then your the one with the concern on your ability to drive with the conditions and all different types of vehicles on the road. I don't drive my truck everyday, it's mostly just on weekends and the fuel I burn is less than some smaller suvs, 13.9L/100km, I monitor it. I drive a smaller vehicle during the week and I have no problem when I am around larger suvs,I can drive. I do care about the environment and all of my vehicles are very well maintained. These vehicles are here to stay and no matter how negative you think, you're not going to change it. So if you pass me while I'm filling up my gas guzzler, don't worry about the price of fuel, cause I don't, drive on!

• Mr shoot2kill on 7th Jan 2004

  what is the other vehicle u drive? and yes, I was wrong... nothing is more important than your family. but anyway, you still don't make sense to me when you say i'm the one with the lack of security when you say you don't feel "comfortable" driving a minivan. but oh well, you're right, they are here to stay... for a while I guess. there's still so many untapped oil reserves in the northern part of the U.S. around alaska and some parts of Canada, but they're very small. and I still believe you drive it only for prestige and that you don't seem to realize what you're doing to the one thing that keeps you alive, the environment. I'd rather my kids grow up and have clean air to breathe rather than a large vehicle to ride in.

• BenJr on 7th Jan 2004

  Its funny how all these so called environmentalist are out there trying to save the earth by setting on fire these gas guzzlers. Well I own a hummer h2, the gas milage sucks I get 12 mpg. My dad owns a minivan(astro van), it gets about 20mpg. Before I bought the hummer I used to feel safe behind the wheel of the van, but after driving the hummer the feel is completely different. I'm not trying to say that the van is unsafe, but it sure does feel like it. It would deffinitely rollover in a hard impact. Yes it can carry many passangers(up to 8). But with eight passengers in it there is no way to fit anything else. Compared to other pollutants of this world( semi-trucks, factories, buses..etc.) These suvs "gas guzzlers" are a tiny part of the problem.

• Mr shoot2kill on 10th Jan 2004

  You've got some good points... yeah, driving the excursion and then switching to the van... there was a huge difference. The van handled better, had a smoother ride, it was easier to park... anyway, i've never seen an environmentalist set a truck on fire... nor have I heard of it. but I don't really care anymore... there's too many SUV's out there and I can't do much about it. yes.... there are factories and all that other stuff out there polluting... but I think SUVs make up a bigger part of the problem than you think.

• BenJr on 12th Jan 2004

  I don't know if you heard about 6months ago there was an environmentalist gropu going around burning suv's. I live in west covina,ca about two blocks from me there is a hummer dealer 18 vehicles were set on fire and completely destroyed. This to me doesn't help the problem. It only makes it worse. I try my best in trying to keep our environment clean, but I don't feel that I have to buy a vehicle that I am not interested in simply because my choice in vehicle is a gas guzzler. Another question that I have. Why doesn't anybody say anything about these sports cars I.e. Viper, ferrari, lamborghini, these cars get the same gas mileage if not worse than my H2. I know what your thinking, the amount of these vehicles sold is small, around where I live these cars are everywhere.

• Mr shoot2kill on 14th Jan 2004

  cars like Lamborghini and Ferarri, even if they're common in your area, still make up an extremely small percent of all the vehicles drivin in the U.S. SUVs make up a pretty large percentage... i'm guessing 20% of all vehicles. and how can you say you care about the environment when you drive an H2? that doesn't make very much sense.

• gofermom on 27th Feb 2004

  I\'ve read all these comments on SUVs verses low to the ground, more miles to the gallon cars. I\'m sorry but I place the safety of myself and my passengers,especially my family, over getting a few more miles to the gallon. I have driven everything from a crew-cab dually to a sportscar that got 40 miles to the gallon. (I was so small I was continually being either run into or run off the road. I did not go around demanding everyone get a smaller,fuel efficient car so they could see me better. I bought a larger car.) Right now I drive a Honda Accord and use my Ford 350 diesel for hauling my horse trailer. I am not responsible for the safety of people who choose to drive less safe cars with poor vision. Each person is responsible for the consequences of their choices. I am responsible for my choices and right now I am shopping for a SUV because even though my Accord drives like a dream I do not like my vision blocked by larger vehicles. It is not up to the person in the larger vehicle to buy a smaller, less safe car so my vision isn\'t hampered or because if we have an accident I will come out on the short end of the stick! It is up to me to decide what is most important to me and buy accordingly. Each of us has the right of choice and no one has the right to choose what I should or shouldn\'t drive because of their choices. The argument that because someone else chooses a less safe mode of transpertation, for whatever reason, I must drive the same less safe vehicle so they won\'t get hurt is ludicrous.

• Mr shoot2kill on 8th Apr 2004

  I put the safety of my passengers first too. That's why I drive a low-center-of-gravity car so if I skid into a ditch, at least I won't land upside down. And if it's not up to the person in the SUV to buy a smaller car, why is it up to the person in the car to buy an SUV? Weather you want one or not, a minivan is the perfect vehicle for you or anybody else who owns an SUV. I know very few people who actually use their SUV to haul, it's just for prestige. Just because owning an SUV shows that you have a high stance in society. Someday you'll be sorry you drove a gas-guzzler. That day's very soon... gas is already about $1.70 a gallon for regular, and it's not going back down.

• blahblahblah on 20th Jul 2004

  I just bought an Excursion because 'good on gas' doesn't mean squat when a carseat won't fit in the back seat without those in the front seats having to sit with their knees on the dash. My wife had a 2004 Corolla. It sucked. The a/c wasn't cold, the console was plastic, so EVERY time we got out of the car, it was like getting hit by lightening, the road noise was so loud we could hardly hear the radio. Two adults, the carseat (with the baby) and a diaper bag...you're out of room. For what you have to pay for that deathtrap, it's just not worth it. So I say more power to ya for loving the Excursion...well, for those of us who can justify a use for it anyway.

• Clemuel on 2nd Aug 2004

  This is a fine automobile. I just bought my 2000 with 90,000 miles on it and it's probably the best I've owned.
  
  Now, we must ignore those who write bad things about Excursions but own Neons. They're simply frustrated. Funny thing about liberal enviro-loons -- they can't tolorate anything that doesn't agree with their way of thinking.
  
  If you're tired of changing tie rod ends every six months in the Suburban, this heavy-dury Ford is for you. Build tough like all Ford real trucks, it rides a bit harsh, but the front end woun't constantly be falling out of it. For mileage, I get 16 MPH on the highway and 13 around town with the V-10, whcih runs smooth.
  
  Yep, this is a favorite of all times. Even my wife loves the thing.

• Mr shoot2kill on 18th Aug 2004

  4 full size adults, and my 17 year old sister can fit into a 2,300 pound Subaru Loyale and still have plenty of room for cargo and storage. You must be very large people.

• UK Superduty on 14th Sep 2004

  When gas reaches $3 a gallon????? I run a 2000 Excursion in England where petrol (gas) is the equivalent of $8 a gallon OK so our gallon is 20% bigger than yours but hey it still costs a lot more...our government hiked the price to save the environment??? (Yeh right!!) more revenue more like..Anyway after years of people carriers (Mini vans to you guys)that simply won't do the job (carry me,my wife,three children,4 show dogs and haul a 5500lb travel trailer)We have tried a Toyota Landcruiser with a 4.2 turbo diesel...just not quite up to the job and 21 mpg when towing...our 5.4 excursion gets 17 when towing and 19 highway...Like I said in my review why don't you ask the 18 wheel fleet owner why he don't buy a fleet of vans???...same reason I dont run two cars instead of one. The excursion is not my daily driver I am lucky enough to have a company car (2004 toyota avensis 2litre) which only gets 26 mpg (combined)and my wife has a small fiat for the school runs....I'll be honest I would rather she used the excursion every day so they would all be safer...I want my kids to get the chance to grow up first. The air that they are going to breathe when they get older is secondary to me, I want to give them the best chance of getting older first...OK so I like the prestige of my EX but so does my neighbour who uses a mercedes 500 which only gets 10 mpg as his daily driver. There are more things doing damage to the environment and the world than SUV's,terrorists/governments/dictators...your first post 'shoottokill' was very telling....re if you were driving a semi then you would just come over despite what was in the way...maybe semi drivers should be addressed first? as that seems to be the attitude of most...I know we have different laws here but a lot of highway accidents are caused by those that will not move into another lane after passing a slower vehicle...if driving my Ex up behind them gives them a sharp reminder then I am doing my bit for road safety...If you feel the need to drive into ditches then maybe you should take some more driver training..I have been driving for 23 years and approximately 50,000 miles a year and never once been in a ditch regardless of what I was driving car/van/mini van/4x4/suv/truck/horsebox/sports car/motorhome etc etc perhaps we should be a little more tolerant of those with different views and needs to ourselves and maybe we will have less wars...aw what the hell I LOVE MINE TOO and yours if you ever get one (ofcourse i may be just an insecure large person with a large family of large people who should try to squeeeze ourselves into two mini vans JUST FOR YOU??)

• Mr shoot2kill on 29th Sep 2004

  If you do all that with your ford excursion, then I wasn't talking to you. I'm talking to those who CAN'T JUSTIFY ITS USE. And if you're confident you're never going to get into an accident then why does it make you feel any safer driving it anyway?