Ford ExcursionIn terms of size, the Ford Excursion is the king of big sport-utilities. Supremely stable at speed, it feels safe and secure on the open highway. Whether you have a lot of cargo to carry, a bunch of people to transport, a big trailer to pull, or all of the above, the Excursion is ready for whatever you throw its way. It can tow up to 11,000 pounds and seat 8-9.
Hello, my wife and I are considering buying our first full size SUV and the 2005 Excursion seems to have what we're looking for, although I'm hesitant on buying one due to the fact that they no longer produce them. Our primary use is everyday around town, long trips including winter trips in mountainous regions, accessing hard to reach trailheads where 4 wheel drive is req'd, hauling lots of climbing/backpacking gear, and sleeping in the back of it at campgrounds. Towing is not a criteria however we thought the diesel would offer us better fuel economy and engine reliability.
I've read many conflicting reviews about the diesels fuel milage and hope someone can tell me what it realistically gets around town and on the highway?
Would it be best to take a potential excursion to a diesel mechanic to have it looked over before buying it?
Any other suggestions or tips on what to look for when buying my first Excursion would be greatly appreciated! Thank you kindly, Graham.
We absolutely LOVE our Excursion. It's a 2005 Diesel and it is everything we hoped it would be. When we tow our 30 foot boat filled with 144 gallons of fuel, we can hardly feel it. I drive this truck to work every day, and it's a mixture of city and highway, and I average about 16 mpg. If I reset the mpg calculator and take a trip on the highway, it averages in the mid 20's. We bought this truck new and have loved it since!
Hello, my wife and I are considering buying our first full size SUV and the 2005 Excursion seems to have what we're looking for, although I'm hesitant on buying one due to the fact that they no longer produce them. Our primary use is everyday around town, long trips including winter trips in mountainous regions, accessing hard to reach trailheads where 4 wheel drive is req'd, hauling lots of climbing/backpacking gear, and sleeping in the back of it at campgrounds. Towing is not a criteria however we thought the diesel would offer us better fuel economy and engine reliability.
I've read many conflicting reviews about the diesels fuel milage and hope someone can tell me what it realistically gets around town and on the highway?
Would it be best to take a potential excursion to a diesel mechanic to have it looked over before buying it?
Any other suggestions or tips on what to look for when buying my first Excursion would be greatly appreciated! Thank you kindly, Graham.
DO NOT buy a 2003 Excursion with a 6.0 Diesel in it.
We bought one 3 months ago with 74k miles on it.
I installed the following;
- oil by-pass filtration system (250)
- coolant by-pass filtration system ($30)
- Edge Evolution meter ($400)
About filters- use ONLY Motorcraft. Say, wait til you find out how much the air filter costs!!!! And the anti-freeze....hahahhahahahaha.....at $17 a gallon it's a bargain! I've already given up my 2nd born and mortgaged the house!
As far as I'm concerned you must install the oil and coolant by-pass filtration systems. Period. Yes, they're expensive but they will filter the junk out of the coolant and the oil systems and give you a much cleaner engine. You'll be surprised how much sand there is in the coolant from the casting. No, I'm not kidding.
Oh, I'm also using Mobil 1 synthetic oil. That's the first and last time I'll do that. Too expensive! It's cheaper to change the oil using regular CJ-4 spec. conventional oil at standard intervals than the synthetic stuff. I'm still waiting for "the music and dancing to start" (implying the supposed glorious nature of Sythetic oils) but so far I don't perceive any difference. No matter what the "experts" say I have no intention of having my oil tested every 7k miles and then topping it off.
The 2003 6.0L Diesel is infamous for being junk. So far we've lost only (only!) 1 injector (#7) and the "dealer" thinks that there may be head gasket problems (so he thinks) Head gaskets are THE big problem with the 03 6.0's and cost about $5500 for replacement (yeah, yeah, I know you all no some guy that'll do it for $1500...blah, blah, blah). The FICM is another problem area too (so they say).
Concerning fuel consumption; We're consistently getting 16 mpg around town and 18 on the highway. When accelerating I DO NOT go over 1750 to 1800 RPMs. I have no intention of jacket-rabbit starts and flying down the road. These guys that tow a trailer with 2 million pounds of weight and a wind exposure the size of a barn while flooring it up some Rocky mountain pass at 90 mph are only destroying their engine. Invariably you read them asking how to repair the thing. Speaking of which- take a look at the website PowerStrokeHelp.com
Towing a trailer- make darn sure you monitor the EGT's when you're doing so to prevent overheating the engine. The Edge Evolution has an optional EGT probe you install in the exhaust manifold. (it's pretty easy to do it). Also, the Edge has a built in DTC scan tool so you can figure out general diagnostic problems without taking it to the dealer.
The Excursion we have does have power- a lot of it.
Other than the previous complaints I've mentioned above, and the others you'll most certainly read about on the web, the Excursion is a fun and enjoyable driving car. It's a great experience hearing the turbine spin up.
I don't know what Kris is talking about but I know 3 people with 04-05 F-250's and Excursion and they all average low to mid teens in fuel mileage and barely in the double digits when towing. They do like the power though. I have an 05 X with a V10 a 4 inch lift and 35's and I average 11-14 MPG, 7-9 when towing my 10000# trailer, so I spend less money to drive mine than they do since gas is cheaper than diesel and my oil changes cost 75% less, and mines not noisy or stinky like diesels are. Unless you are going to be towing thousands of pounds all the time it would be cheaper to go with the V10, and my V10 still has plenty of power for towing. By the way I'm selling my 05 X Limited 4x4 with 79,000 miles for $19,000
You said your primary use is around town...deisel is smelly and noisey, your neighbors might not be too happy.
I drive my son's 4WD Excursion while he is stationed on the Reagan...I love it but it is hard to park. You can't just pull into the grocery story parking lot and whip into a spot. Not me any way.
Shopping for new Ford can be a stressful experience especially if you don't have the right information. Our new car research center at CarEverything.com can help relieve this stress and bring the joy back to new car buying!
The Car Blog, or TCB for those who are acronymically inclined, is alive because some of today's top Web designers needed a place to drool and bitch about their motor vehicle obsessions.
Read the auto blog at Automotive.com to get the latest news and opinions, view the newest concept cars, and join discussions with auto experts from around the world.
Considering my first Excursion? 
Hybrid Mode
