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Ford Excursion

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Ford Excursion
Ford Excursion 2000-2004
Overview
ManufacturerFord Motor Company
Production2000–2005
AssemblyLouisville, Kentucky, United States
Body and chassis
ClassFull-size sport utility vehicle
Body style4-door SUV
LayoutFront engine, rear-wheel drive, four-wheel drive
RelatedFord Super Duty
Powertrain
Engine7.3 L Powerstroke V8 Diesel
5.4 L Triton V8
6.8 L Triton V10
6.0 L PowerStroke V8 Diesel
Transmission4-speed automatic
5-speed automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase137.1 in (3,482 mm)
Length226.7 in (5,758 mm)
Width2000–01: 80.0 in (2,032 mm)
2002–05: 79.9 in (2,029 mm)
Height2000–01 & 2005 4WD: 80.2 in (2,037 mm)
2WD: 77.2 in (1,961 mm)
2002–04 4WD: 80.4 in (2,042 mm)
Curb weight7,725 lb (3,504 kg) Diesel
7,230 lb (3,280 kg) Gasoline V10
Chronology
PredecessorFord Bronco
SuccessorFord Expedition EL/Max

The Ford Excursion is a full-size sport utility vehicle that was produced by the Ford Motor Company between model years 2000 and 2005 (2006 in Mexico). Based on the Super Duty pickup truck platform, it served as Ford's largest SUV in its lineup during the tenure of its production and mainly competed against the smaller Chevrolet Suburban.

Overview

2005 Ford Excursion

The Ford Excursion was introduced in 1999 as a 2000 model year vehicle. It was described as the "biggest sport utility on the planet."[1] Sales were initially good, peaking in the 2000 model year with over 50,000 sales. Designed for buyers with super-sized interior cargo and towing needs, the Excursion's "gargantuan proportions came at a price" making driving and parking it into major challenges.[2] As gasoline prices rose, the sales declined.[2] Within a few years, buyers began "reeling in the SUV monster: demand is so low that Ford cut Excursion production."[3] Industry insiders expected Ford to stop producing the Excursion, but sales continued through the 2005 model year, for which it received a minor facelift.

Ford needed to free up capacity at the Louisville plant that produces the Super Duty pickup trucks. A more fuel efficient, extended-length Expedition half-ton, named the Expedition EL (Max in Canada and Mexico), has replaced the Excursion in the company's lineup for the 2007 model year.

Design

Drivetrain

An Excursion in use as an emergency vehicle

Engines included the standard gasoline Triton 5.4 L V8, as well as the optional gasoline Triton 6.8 L V10, and the Power Stroke 7.3 L V8 diesel engine. The 2003 models replaced the 7.3 L International diesel with a more powerful 6.0 L International diesel.

A 4-speed automatic transmission was the standard transmission at first, but it was replaced by a 5-speed automatic in 2003. The 5.4 L Triton V8 was rated at 255 hp (190 kW; 259 PS) and 350 lb⋅ft (475 N⋅m). The 6.8 L Triton V10 produced 310 hp (231 kW; 314 PS) and 425 lb⋅ft (576 N⋅m). The 6.0 L Powerstroke Diesel was rated at 325 hp (242 kW; 330 PS) and 560 lb⋅ft (759 N⋅m). The rear axle for all Excursions was a Sterling 10.5 axle. The four wheel drive models got a NV273 transfer case and Dana 50 front axle.

The powertrain components are the same as those offered in the Super Duty truck.

Fuel economy

Built using the same platform and powertrain as the Super Duty (a line of trucks (over 8,500 lb (3,900 kg) GVWR), the Excursion received complaints and criticism over its fuel economy as a passenger vehicle. The Ford Excursion "was an example of wretched automotive excess and waste."[4] The vehicle has been criticized for its poor fuel efficiency: Martin Short in The End of Oil described the car as "obscene".[5]

The Excursion was designed to be classified as a heavy-duty vehicle, as for commercial or rural use, with a GVWR 8,900 lb (4,000 kg) - gasoline V10 engine and 9,200 lb (4,200 kg) - any diesel engine which exempted the vehicle from CAFE fuel economy regulations and quoting United States Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) fuel economy estimates.[6] Lacking official fuel efficiency tests, a statement by Joan Claybrook described the Ford Excursion as geting "just 10 mpg‑US (24 L/100 km; 12 mpg‑imp) in the city and 13 mpg‑US (18 L/100 km; 16 mpg‑imp) on the highway and weighs as much as two Jeep Grand Cherokees."[7]

Blocker bar

The Excursion was modified to include an under-bumper blocker bar device first developed by the French transportation ministry in 1971.[8] This was because initial crash testing indicated terrifying results in head-on collisions with the Excursion vaulting over a Ford Taurus into the sedan's windshield.[8]

Trims

The truck uses code U4 in the 5th and 6th positions of the VIN.

In 2003 the Excursion saw the availability of an upmarket Eddie Bauer trim line.

Yearly U.S. sales

Calendar Year Total American sales
1999[9] 18,315
2000 50,786
2001[10] 34,710
2002[11] 29,042
2003 26,259
2004[12] 20,010
2005 16,283

Replacement

The Excursion's position in the Ford SUV lineup was replaced in 2007 by an extended-length version of the Expedition. The last Excursion was produced on September 30, 2005, at Ford's Louisville plant, although the last Excursions were sold as 2006 models for the Mexican market. Production was canceled to focus on Super Duty trucks, however, a similar SUV to the Excursion is manufactured in Brazil using the chassis of the Super Duty, and is sold as the F-250 Tropivan in both standard and extended length versions.

In addition to the Tropivan, a conversion company (Custom Autos by Tim) in Guthrie, Oklahoma manufactures "new" Excursions using new and later model Ford Super Duty trucks.


References

  1. ^ "Big, bigger, biggest". Popular Science (5): 48. 1999. Retrieved 2012-09-07. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |volune= ignored (help)
  2. ^ a b "Ford Excursion Review". Edmunds. Retrieved 2012-09-07.
  3. ^ "SUV SUX Ford admits its big wheels are deadly Now what?". Adbusters: 38. Retrieved 2012-09-07.
  4. ^ "2000-2005 Ford Excursion: Overview". consumer guide howstuffworks.com. 2012-02-28. Retrieved 2012-09-17.
  5. ^ Roberts, Paul (2005). The End of Oil. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 339. ISBN 9780747570752.
  6. ^ Weitzman, Larry (2000). "The Ford Excursion, It doesn't get any Bigger". Theautochannel.com. Retrieved 2012-09-17.
  7. ^ National security, safety, technology, and employment implications of increasing CAFE standards: hearing before the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. United States Senate, One Hundred Seventh Congress, second session. 2002-01-24. p. 13. Retrieved 2012-09-07.
  8. ^ a b Bradsher, Keith (2004). High and mighty: the dangerous rise of the SUV. PublicAffairs. p. 199. ISBN 978-1-58648-203-9. Retrieved 2012-06-12.
  9. ^ "Ford Motor Company Sets New Full Year U.S. Sales Record". Theautochannel.com. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
  10. ^ "Ford Motor Company's December U.S. Sales Climb 8.2 Percent" (PDF). Ford Motor Company. Retrieved 2012-06-16.
  11. ^ "Ford's F-Series Truck Caps 22nd Year in a Row as America's Best-Selling Vehicle With a December Sales Record". Theautochannel.com. 2004-11-17. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
  12. ^ "Ford Achieves First Car Sales Increase Since 1999". Theautochannel.com. 2004-11-17. Retrieved 2009-04-28.

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