2009 Ford Expedition EL Review Summaries

What reviewers liked most about the Ford Expedition EL:

The Expedition can be optioned to pamper occupants at luxurious levels, with power front seats standard, and a 10-way driver's seat standard with any leather package. Those leather seats can be heated and cooled as well.

-- Car and Driver

Pleasant ride and decent handling for a vehicle that sits high for great visibility as well as ample clearance for heavy snow or off-roading. Despite the size, braking is excellent; four-wheel anti-lock brakes plus stability control with rollover control are standard.

-- Chicago Tribune

The third-row seats - as either standard equipment or an option - are motorized and fold flat at the touch of a button. The manual second-row seats easily flip forward and "kneel down" to provide a flat cargo floor from the tailgate to the backs of the front-row seats.

-- JSOnline.com

The front seats are the biggest and most comfortable in the vehicle, but nobody gets short-changed. With a nearly flat floor, the second row accommodates three adults with plenty of knee and head room, and the third row seat does almost as well, although it is narrower and is best used by two adults or three children.

-- JSOnline.com

What reviewers liked least about the Ford Expedition EL:

Ford claims that the new Expedition "doesn't handle like a big truck," but what does it handle like, then? A thirty year-old school bus riding twenty pounds low in the tires is probably a good approximation. A turn of the steering wheel points the vehicle where you want it to go, but the body lags a few seconds behind...

-- Car and Driver

the EL weighs more than its peers and the result is sluggish acceleration at highway speeds.

-- Edmunds.com

But the faceted chrome bezels around the instruments, though stylish, reflect random glints of light into the driver's eyes. Moreover, except for the speedometer and tachometer, the instruments are difficult to read in daylight.

-- JSOnline.com

Ford Expedition EL Comparisons:

Inside, the Ford Expedition EL is still a little shy on maximum cargo capacity compared to GM's full-size sport-utes, but for buyers who plan to make regular use of the standard third-row seat, Ford's SUV offers more flexibility.

-- Edmunds.com

Best one-liner about the Ford Expedition EL:

Ford claims the third row seats in either Expedition are designed to accommodate adults up to 6'2", but we did them five better and stuffed a 6'7" goose in the back.

-- Car and Driver

Touch the pedal and go, no waiting on- or off-road or up steep inclines where 18-wheelers and those tiny gas sippers gasp for breath.

-- Chicago Tribune