In the United States, a car – or anything else – is not fast enough. Yet even there the Ford Excursion was a bit ‘too much’. The car was more or less succeeded by the slightly less gigantic Ford Expedition EL, which can still be there in a Dutch parking space.
The Excursion is arguably the largest SUV ever made. The uncertainty lies mainly in the question where exactly the term ‘SUV’ ends, because such an Excursion is enormous. The Super Duty SUV eventually lasted six model years, after which Ford opted for a slightly more economical route: extending the existing Expedition.
Where Ford is the absolute ruler when it comes to pickups, General Motors fills the benchmark role when it comes to large SUVs. The Chevrolets Tahoe and Suburban and the brothers of GMC and Cadillac are not to be dragged. Ford has been fighting these models with the Expedition since the 90s, but initially in only one size measure. The longer version did not appear until 2007, with the introduction of what is formally known as the third generation of the model.
Eight-seater
Now that third generation is basically a heavily updated version of the second, but a lot has changed. This black copy is from the year of birth of both this generation and the EL. That EL stands for ‘Extended Length’, although the car was also called ‘Max’ outside the US. Where the regular version mainly aims at the Tahoe, the EL clearly has the Suburban in its sights. The difference is clearly visible, because the longer version has a really gigantic side window and ditto overhang at the rear. The wheelbase is also larger than with the regular Expedition. As a result, the car offered space for eight passengers and a gigantic box of luggage, a combination that we only know from vans in Europe.
Incidentally, there are even versions with a third seat in the front, bringing the total to nine seats. However, those versions do not seem intended for ordinary consumers.
RSC
This specific Expedition EL is completely finished in black, a popular color among European drivers of American mastodons. Yet the car seems completely original and above all it still looks neat. The tailgate proudly announces the presence of RSC, Roll Stability Control, which should keep the car on the road with four wheels even in exciting situations.
Later editions of the same model got an Ecoboost V6, but in 2007 Ford fitted another 5.4-liter V8. It delivers a good 230 hp, which even with a car weight of 2,890 kg should be enough to keep up. Even without a gas tank, the monthly motor vehicle tax in South Holland amounts to a pleasant € 190.