2018 Ford Expedition

January 18, 2016 2018, FORD No comments

The first set of spy photos of the next 2018 Ford Expedition are available. The current Expedition has been around for a long time and despite the fact it received a couple of updates in its life, it still is inferior to its competitors. This allowed GM to outsell the Expedition by a ratio of 5 to 1 which is very bad for Ford. In order to change that and take a bigger portion of the market for themselves, the all new 2018 Ford Expedition has been in the works for some time now.

Unlike the ongoing model which is based on a chassis more than a decade old, the new version will be based on Ford’s latest high strength steel chassis which also underpins the F-150 truck.

Changes and Improvements

On top of that, the Expedition will receive an all new aluminum body which should allow it to drop a lot of weight as well. While the F-150 lost more than 700 pounds, the Expedition has been rumored to lose even more than that mostly because it has a lot more skin on it. A nearly finished model has been spied testing a while ago with little camouflage on it and from the looks of it, it will take quite a bit from the F-150 which could be both good and bad.

2018 Expedition – refreshed Design

Speaking of design, the camouflaged model of the 2018 Ford Expedition looks to have the exact same front end as the F-150. While this would make sense if it was just a utilitarian crossover, in the very competitive market of today it would put Ford at a major disadvantage. On top of that, the camouflaged model looks to have the same massive glasshouse in the back as the ongoing model.

This could mean that it will feature more than adequate space for the rear seats but it also means a rather odd look. We do hope that the finished model will feature a few more unique design cues such as different headlights and a more muscular-looking grille.

Refined interior

Inside the cabin on the other hand, we do hope that the Expedition will not borrow the interior of the F-150 completely. While this could be done with ease, Ford is also going to lose tremendously, especially since the Suburban and even the Yukon come with much more premium interiors with better seats and also more equipment than their truck-counterparts.

So far we only have two confirmations about the new Expedition: it will be available as a seven seats version only and it will be not only more comfortable than the car it is replacing but also faster and more fuel efficient.

Under the Hood

This will be achieved with the introduction of an all new engine. The base version of the 2018 Ford Expedition is now going to receive Ford’s Nano 2.7 liter twin-turbocharged V6. This is expected to provide around 350 horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque and it should be more than enough to allow it to tow 7,000 pounds and drive at highway speeds without using as much fuel as the older V6. The top of the range model on the other hand will make use of a 3.5 liter twin-turbocharged V6, similar to what the previous model had.

This time around though, thanks to the advancements in technology Ford made, it is expected to provide well over 400 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque, meaning it will basically be a Raptor in Expedition clothes. Both of these engines will be mated to Ford’s all new 10 speed automatic and both of them will come with rear or all wheel drive.