First Drive: 2025 Ford Expedition

The full-size SUV is a vehicle class that yearns for wide open spaces and long stretches of highway. Ford’s proudly American-made Expedition is one of the ultimate expressions of the full-size SUV, repeatedly earning a spot on our Best Family Cars list. It’s earned that position for its blend of generous interior space, impressive towing muscle, and modern technology, all coming together to serve the needs of the modern family road trip.

The Ford Expedition and long-wheelbase Expedition MAX are all-new for the 2025 model year, and we got to put them through their paces around the Louisville, Kentucky, plant where they’re built. Here’s how it did on the highway and in the mud.

No V8, No Hands

Under the hood of the new Expedition lies an EcoBoost turbocharged V6. It’s largely carried over from the previous generation but now produces 400 horsepower in its base tuning and is available with a High Output version that makes 440 hp. Ford was one of the first automakers to ditch a V8 for a turbo 6-cylinder engine in a full-size SUV, and it stands by that decision with this new generation. It does an excellent job of delivering V8-like performance and towing muscle while being among the more efficient engines in its class, although this segment now offers more efficient diesel and hybrid options. We always liked this engine, and it gets a little better with this new Expedition.

The Expedition doesn’t require eight cylinders to deliver satisfying thrust, and it also doesn’t require hands on the wheel for driving on the highway (sometimes). One of the big updates with the new Expedition is the expanded availability of the BlueCruise hands-off, eyes-on driving system. It’s now either standard or optional on every trim. We love BlueCruise; it did an excellent job in our testing of keeping this big SUV centered in its lane at a safe distance from the car in front of us. It even manages curves nicely; it just feels very natural. One small detail we love is that it can tell when you’re passing a semi on the highway and moves over slightly to give it a little extra room.

We got to test out the new Expedition Tremor off-road and came away impressed. Its beefier tires, extra ground clearance, and electronic locking rear differential made traversing muddy trails in its off-road drive mode effortless. It’s safe to say the Expedition Tremor can handle just about any terrain that the average Ford Expedition owner will encounter, and it will look great doing it. If you want an Expedition Tremor, you have to get the standard wheelbase; there is no Expedition MAX Tremor.

Room to Roam

In the context of competing full-size SUVs, the Ford Expedition has good passenger space and OK cargo space. I’m six feet tall and found every seat in the Expedition quite comfortable. The second row is almost as comfortable as the first, and the third row is easy to access. The space, comfort, and ergonomics of the third-row seats make them suitable for long-distance road-tripping, even for adults. Mom and Dad are unlikely to hear any complaints from their wayback passengers in the Expedition.

Notably, the legroom in the second and third rows doesn’t change when you spring for the long-wheelbase Expedition MAX. However, the longer Expedition serves up 36.1 cubic feet of cargo room behind the third row, a 67% increase over the standard wheelbase, which has 21.6 cubic feet of room. These cargo dimensions are smaller than the Expedition’s respective standard- and extended-wheelbase rivals from Chevy, GMC, and Jeep. All of this is to say that the Expedition MAX is the one to get for hauling many people and lots of cargo regularly.

Ford Digital Experience

The Ford Expedition comes standard with the Ford Digital Experience, the Blue Oval brand’s name for its unique screen setup. This setup includes a 13.2-inch central infotainment display and a wider 24-inch panoramic display atop the dash.

The initial intimidation wears off quickly, and the interface becomes intuitive in no time. Ford has long been among the more user-friendly in the infotainment game, and that’s still true with the Ford Digital Experience. Necessities like music and maps are clear and easy to control on the smaller screen, especially with Google Maps handling navigation duty. Meanwhile, the wider screen up top serves as a digital gauge cluster, a permanent navigation screen, and whatever you want in between them. Ford has widgets available that make that middle section show you a trip meter, the media that’s playing, an mpg screen, or even the weather.

The best part of the Ford Digital Experience is that it’s all easy to see. We’ve seen automakers try to get clever by plastering acres of screens everywhere, but sometimes they’re blocked by the steering wheel. With Ford Digital Experience, you can have two hands on the steering wheel and actually see all of the information that your screens are showing you without craning your neck to see around your own hands.

The Ford Expedition has an oval-shaped steering wheel with a slight learning curve. Normally, an automaker — literally — trying to reinvent the wheel ends in disaster, but we actually like this one. It’s flat on top for a reason: to make the 24-inch panoramic display more legible.

It has two square pads where your thumbs go with haptic controls that can change based on what you’re trying to do. As you swipe your thumbs on these pads, their functions show up on the screen in front of you so you can manipulate your cruise control and audio. You even use these buttons to control the power steering column and (when equipped) power pedals. Dedicated volume control buttons would be nice, but this is a pretty slick system once you get used to it. We like this high-tech steering wheel, but it might not be for everyone.

Another detail that not everyone will like is that the HVAC and seat climate controls are all on the screen. For those of us who set it to “Auto” and forget it it’s fine, but we know many of you have a strong preference for physical knobs and switches to control heat and air. At least there’s still a volume knob.

One Man’s Gimmick Is …

The new Ford Expedition is full of features that could be considered a bit gimmicky. However, some of them just might be features you didn’t know you could live without. We’ll start with our favorite: the Ford Split Gate. This horizontally split gate opens like a clam; the liftgate folds up, and the tailgate folds down. When using just the upper liftgate, the cargo is prevented from rolling out while remaining easily accessible.

The optional Cargo Tailgate Manager maximizes the functionality of the Ford Split Gate. It can turn the tailgate into a little bench with a backrest, and that backrest can also serve as a table, making the Expedition the ultimate tailgating SUV.

Another useful, but perhaps gimmicky feature is exterior zone lighting. If you’ve ever tried to set up a tent at night, you’re going to like this feature. It can light up the whole perimeter of the Expedition, or you can choose to select zones to light up, like just the front, just the back, just a side, or a corner, etc. This is another good tailgating feature for when the party continues until after dark.

Digital Device Holders behind the first-row headrests are another interesting feature exclusive to the Expedition. Ford has figured out that more people use tablets and smartphones these days than built-in rear entertainment systems. These device holders hold onto your passengers’ tablet or phone so they can use it like a TV, and they can be plugged in while in use. The only downside is that the third-row passengers can’t see the screens very well.

Finally, there’s the Flex Powered Console. The long and wide front center console of the Expedition has a power sliding feature. When it slides back, it opens up a big storage cubby that would be good for a purse, plus it gives the second row easier access to cupholders. When slid all the way forward, it doubles as a secure safe for the aforementioned cubby. I kept my camera down there and didn’t have to worry about it getting tossed around in the cabin.

Maybe you’ll use these features daily, and maybe you’ll never use them. Since the Ford Expedition does the basics so well, you can live with it without using every novel feature and still have a great experience.

Conclusion

The all-new 2025 Ford Expedition (and Expedition MAX) is in a famously competitive class, up against the Chevy Tahoe/Suburban and GMC Yukon/Yukon XL, which got a midcycle refresh for 2025, and the similarly rugged-yet-premium Jeep Wagoneer/Wagoneer L. The GM trucks have more engine options, and the Jeep has more interior space, but it’s hard to find fault in the balance the new Expedition has found in passenger comfort, truck-like capability, and technology that’s both futuristic and user-friendly. It’s simply a must-test-drive for anyone in the market for a full-size SUV.

The Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price for any individual used vehicle can vary greatly according to mileage, condition, location, and other factors. The prices here reflect what buyers are currently paying for New 2025 Ford Expedition vehicles and New 2025 Ford Expedition MAX vehicles in typical condition when purchasing from a dealership. These prices are updated weekly. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) quoted includes the destination fee, but does not include tax, license, document fees, and options.