Tested: All the 2025 Ford Expedition Does Is Win

• The Ford Expedition received some major changes this year.
• Ford's full-size SUV offers new looks, impressive tech, a fresh interior and a much more refined experience from top to bottom.
• Impressive test results help boost the Expedition to the top of its class.

The bodywork, interior design and tech have all been thoroughly overhauled for the Expedition's 2025 makeover. The only thing this SUV shares with its predecessor is the 3.5-liter turbocharged V6 engine. For 2025, it comes in two power outputs; the one we tested was the punchier version with 440 horsepower and 510 lb-ft of torque that comes with the addition of the Stealth Performance Pack. Power is sent to all four wheels (in all but the base model, where 4WD is optional) through a 10-speed automatic gearbox.

This linebacker can dance

Those power figures are identical to the Timberline I drove back in 2022, and wouldn't you know it, the new Expedition logged the exact same 5.5-second 0-60 mph time as the old car. While it's not an improvement, it's still surprisingly quick for something that weighs 5,840 pounds. Its meaty roar under hard acceleration might not be quite as tuneful as a big V8, but it's around 2 seconds quicker than any eight-cylinder Chevy Tahoe.

The 2025 Expedition hauled its considerable mass down to a dead stop in 129 feet, right on par with other SUVs in the class like the Toyota Sequoia and the Tahoe. More impressively, the Expedition outbraked a Volvo XC90 we tested on the same day despite weighing 730 pounds more. Our test team's notes also include compliments for a strong brake pedal that gives confidence and little in the way of nosedive as you're coming to a heavy stop. 

Around our skidpad, the Expedition and its all-season tires pulled 0.79 g. To put that into context, a Tahoe RST managed just 0.7 g — and remember, the RST pack supposedly adds "performance" to the Tahoe's repertoire. Simply put, the new Expedition doesn't stop, go, or handle like any typical body-on-frame SUV. In truth, it feels like something much, much smaller, but it isn't flawless. 

The only thing that really gives up the ghost is the Expedition's straight-up weird steering. The wheel itself is shaped like an oval, and the response of the front tires is remarkably slow. That means your hands are constantly moving about the place during low-speed maneuvers. You eventually get the hang of it, but this big Ford always feels like you're in your grandfather's lazy old Gran Torino when you're trying to park.

But that is our lone issue with the Expedition from behind the wheel. The body control it showed on our skidpad is complemented by a supple ride that dials out road imperfections of every kind. Expansion joints don't make an impression, and broken pavement is seemingly smoothed over. Ford's continuous damping control constantly adjusts the suspension depending on what mode you're in and what you're driving over. 

Engineers often have to choose whether they're going to control the mass of the SUV's body with a stiff suspension or go for a softer ride and allow the body to float around on the frame like it's on stilts. It's rare that a body-on-frame SUV like this manages to be both controlled and ride well, but the Expedition has found a way to nail that balance. 

An interior that's one or two cuts above

Ford's efforts on the dynamic side are mirrored by a huge jump in interior quality. The dash is covered in a nice soft-touch material, hard plastics are buried well below the driver's belt line, and the faux leather on the seats is a world away from the rubbery vinyl Ford used to settle for in the past. The entire center console moves backward at the touch of a button to reveal a massive bin, the 22-speaker B&O sound system is top-notch, and the massive screens are actually well integrated.

All Expeditions will come with a 24-inch digital display that sits at the base of the dashboard near the windscreen. It takes the place of a traditional gauge cluster displays important driver information, your current navigation, and a customizable widget. You set the widget with a smaller touchscreen that's placed in the center of the dash that's bright and quick to respond — it's also where you'd use the standard wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. 

Though it looks like a lot, Ford has taken great advantage of all the screen real estate. Maps and directions are big and bright, the gauge cluster itself displays info in an easily readable way, and though the steering wheel controls are touchpads whose commands you need to use the main display to see, the whole thing doesn't take much getting used to. Our only real issue is that all of the HVAC controls are in the center screen. In a car as big as the Expedition, there is plenty of room for buttons, knobs and switches for climate control. 

The standard-length Expedition offers a maximum cargo capacity of 108.5 cubic feet with all the seats down, and you get 60.8 cubic feet to play with if you lower just the third row. If you need room for all eight passengers (seven with the optional captain's chairs in the second row), the Expedition has 22.9 cubic feet of space behind the electrically powered third row. The long-wheelbase Expedition Max offers even more room, but all models come with a folding split tailgate that neatly doubles as a little bench. 

Verdict

The new Expedition is a genuine do-it-all machine — even the EPA-estimated 19 mpg combined is on par with class leaders. The only caveat is the price. At $82,970 as tested, the Expedition can get expensive (and this isn't even as much as you could theoretically spend on one). But look at it this way — the Ford is better to drive and easier to live with than its more luxurious corporate cousin, the Lincoln Navigator, and the last one of those we tested was over $40,000 more.