New Vehicle Review

By: Steve Masters:

I was never excited about the Expedition. They’ve been around a couple of years, I’ve looked at them, but have never actually driven one until now.

I thought they looked nicer, but just give me the Explorer.

However, after spending a week with the Expedition, I’m ready to turn the Explorer back in! I loved the Expedition. In fact, it turned out to been one of my favorite SUV’s. Much nice than the Escalade which preceded it. Although, the 2000 Chevrolet Suburban is right up there.

I would have liked more time with the Expedition to see if there was something I was missing. Liking a vehicle this much, this soon, kind of scared me. I’ll get over it of course.

The Expedition appealed to me in every way. It looked like a truck, yet it had contemporary lines that made it look and feel current and not outdated.

The interior was outstanding. It was comfortable, plush feeling, every gadget I could have wanted, and everything within easy reach. Yes, it even had climate control air conditioning!

The interior of the Expedition was spacious. It felt big but not out of control. There was plenty of storage and I even liked the cup holders.

The 2000-Ford Expedition drove easily, was quiet, and had lots of power too.

What more could I have wanted? Okay, well a garage that had a door high enough that I could get it inside. Fine, that’s a construction issue with my house, not the Expedition. And, actually for most garages, getting the Expedition inside is NOT an issue.

Another feature I really liked on the Expedition was the Power Adjustable Pedal System. Rather than adjust my seat, I could keep my seat in a comfortable position and adjust the foot pedals to my position. Very smart! My big feet appreciated that, as did my long legs.

Another new feature was the Reverse Parking System, which warns you with a series of beeps as you get closer to objects behind the vehicle. This was a good addition to the Expedition, because it’s still not the easiest vehicle to see behind.

But, that said, I never felt I had poor visibility for switching lanes or other tasks.

Now, for some other random thoughts about the 2000 Ford Expedition.

With gas prices high, filling the 30-gallon gasoline tank made my eyes bug out. But, that was still a small price to pay for everything else that was so good about the Expedition. Take that OPEC. Or is that OPEC taking me?

The Expedition had a one-piece, lift tailgate. I would have preferred cargo doors. The tailgate reminded me of an oversized Explorer tailgate.

If you’re in the market for an SUV, you’ll thank yourself to take the extra time to at least test drive an Expedition.

It’s larger than an Explorer, about the same size as a Yukon or Escalade, but smaller than the Suburban , the new YukonXL, or the Ford Excursion.

The only things missing on this Expedition, if I really want to get super-picky, would be a navigation system, and something like General Motor’s On-Star.

That’s all it would take for this to be my first 4-Tire winner.

Therefore, the 2000 Ford Expedition gets a three-tire rating and a spare-tire bonus.