The off-road trend is getting either tiresome or exciting, depending on your perspective.
The latest pre-existing truck or SUV to get more rugged? The 2022 Ford Expedition.
Yes — the big SUV best known for hauling lots of people and cargo, as well as towing, is now going to be able to venture further off-pavement, should Ford’s claims hold true.
It starts with the Timberline trim, which increases ground clearance, adds the Bronco’s trail-turn assist feature (brakes one rear wheel to make off-road turns tighter), and borrows the Raptor’s skid plate.
But wait — it’s not all about off-roading when it comes to Expedition news. Should you want to have more fun on-road in an Expedition, you can do so with the Stealth Performance Package, which adds a sport-tuned suspension with continuous damping.
Motivating the Expedition is a 3.5-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 making 440 horsepower and 510 lb-ft of torque.
Expedition also adds available features such as BlueCruise hands-free driving assistant (works on designated roadways) and a 22-speaker Bang & Olufsen Unleashed audio system.
LED headlamps are standard, the taillamp design is freshened, and there are new wheel choices.
Some styling features will be trim-dependent. Platinum models get a twin-mesh grille and fog lamps with chrome accents, while the Timberline gets its own unique grille, along with orange exterior accents.
In addition to the increased ground clearance (and ride height), the Timberline’s track is wider and the approach and departure angles are improved. Timberline gets 33-inch all-terrain tires, and a two-speed transfer case.
The Stealth Performance package is available on Limited and Limited Max trims and also adds gloss-back running boards, grille, mirror caps, roof rails, tailgate appliqué, rear-bumper skid plate, fog-lamp bezels, and headlamp and taillamp housings. Wheels are 22-inch black aluminum and the brake calipers are painted red. The badging is also black.
The instrument panel is redone, and a 12.4-inch digital gauge cluster is available. The screen can display off-road data and turn-by-turn directions from the nav system. Ford’s Sync 4 infotainment system is standard, with Sync 4a being optional, along with a 15.5-inch customizable infotainment screen. A customizable 12-inch screen is standard.
Rear-seat passengers can get Amazon Fire TV entertainment via touchscreens that have 16 GB of storage. Over-the-air update capability for the vehicle and its software is standard.
Standard or available driver-assist features include road-edge detection (sounds a warning and uses steering intervention to keep the vehicle on the road), intersection assist (applies the brakes if it thinks the vehicle will be hit in an intersection), reverse-brake assist (applies the brakes to avoid a collision when backing out of a parking space), evasive-steering assist (helps the driver safely swerve around an obstacle), a camera view that shows obstacles when parking, and an air dam that activates at over 40 mph to increase aerodynamics by 4 percent.
A trailer-assist system uses the rearview camera and parking sensors to help drivers line up their trailer. It’s more automated than the previous version. Expedition can tow up to 9,300 pounds.
The Expedition will be assembled in Louisville, Kentucky, and go on sale in the first quarter of 2022.
[Images: Ford]
Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by subscribing to our newsletter.
Related
