Ford Expedition vs. Jeep Grand Wagoneer: Battle for Big SUV Supremacy

• What's new: An updated Jeep Grand Wagoneer joins the fray for 2026, directly battling the new Ford Expedition.
• Why it matters: The Expedition is currently our highest-rated large SUV, so the Jeep has a high bar to clear.
• Edmunds says: Our Expedition tester might be more expensive, but it feels like a better overall value than Jeep's updated three-row SUV.

But the devil's in the details, and that's where the Jeep falls behind the Ford. It starts with the interior — not the space itself, but the quality. Jeep's cabin materials do not befit our test car's nearly $85,000 price tag. The dash materials are very obviously cheap plastic; there's loads of fingerprint-catching piano black all over the center console; and everything moves and closes with a hollow clack rather than a solid thunk. There are places where the Ford isn't very nice to the touch either, but by and large, the Expedition does build quality far better than the Grand Wagoneer. 

On the road, the Jeep is mostly fine, but again, little details are where it suffers. The engine, a 3.0-liter turbocharged straight-six, makes 420 horsepower and 468 lb-ft of torque, and that's plenty to get this big bus going. The issue is in the way it's tuned to work with the transmission. Power delivery can be jerky, slamming your head into the seat with a rough shift. The transmission will also hang on to gears for too long or randomly upshift for seemingly no reason. Simply put, the Grand Wagoneer's powertrain lacks the refinement that would allow you to drive it smoothly. We also don't like the way the Jeep floats around on its suspension over large impacts and judders almost constantly over smaller ones. 

If you need to haul six or seven people more on the regular, tow very frequently or appreciate how Jeep has kept most of the Grand Wagoneer's controls in the physical realm rather than putting them in a touchscreen, then this is the SUV to get. But is it the best? Hardly.

1st place: 2026 Ford Expedition 

• Pros: Great ride quality for something so large; tech is well integrated; powertrain tuning is aces
• Cons: Third row isn't as spacious as some rivals; wonky oval-shaped wheel might be a turnoff

The Ford takes the win here because it's the most well-rounded SUV in its class. No other full-size three-row SUV manages to combine a sense of overall quality, stability, refinement and utility in quite the same way. Unlike the Grand Wagoneer, the Ford does a much better job of controlling its mass without resorting to a rock-hard ride. That's going to pay dividends for backseat riders, too — you don't want your little ones getting sick, do you?

Ford's decision to use an oval-shaped steering wheel might look a little silly at first, but we've had this specific Expedition in our One-Year Road Test fleet for several months now, and most of our staffers are getting used to it. The only place where it presents an issue is when you're going for hand-over-hand low-speed maneuvering or letting the wheel unwind itself and feed back through your hands. The real reason for the squircle shape is to give you a better view of the Expedition's many inches of digital gauge cluster, and that's one of the Ford's greatest strengths. 

From the driver's seat, you'll notice that the instrument cluster has been pushed way up toward the base of the windshield. Instead of looking down at a set of dials, you now get to look outward and get the info you need at just a glance. You also get maps and a customizable widget in that big, dash-mounted panel. Ford is the only company that offers anything like this in the full-size SUV class.

The second screen inside is a central infotainment display. Jeep's central screen displays in low resolution, the software dated and the organization a mess, but Ford's is the complete opposite. The Expedition's tech is simple to whiz through and wrap your brain around in no time at all. Everything is neatly laid out and organized, and the screen is both pretty and responsive. 

The new Expedition does the best job of minimizing compromises across the board. The Jeep is a good effort and has plenty of strong suits, but the Ford beats it soundly in almost every major category. The Expedition feels expensive inside — which it should, considering this one costs more than $90,000 — but still offers strong value when you consider all the features and amenities that are baked in. When the shape of the steering wheel is the worst thing about a car, you know you've got something great on your hands.