Ford's gargantuan sport-utility is a wonderfully stable platform for towing heavy trailers and can at the same time carry a truckload of fishermen. It rides fairly well for a heavy-duty truck and it's luxurious and comfortable. For those who want to tow trailers up to 10,000 pounds, the Excursion is a good alternative to a pickup truck with a cap.
The Ford Excursion should not, however, be considered as an alternative to a minivan. It is far too thirsty, and its size and design make for poor maneuverability and handling when compared with minivans and light-duty SUVs.
Ford Excursion comes in two trim levels: XLT and Limited.
XLTs come with a nice cloth interior with comfortable seats that offer good support for long drives and a high level of standard equipment.
Limited trim adds leather and a few more goodies that are optional on the XLT. More standard equipment is added to the Limited models for 2001, including outside mirrors with integrated turn signals, fog lamps integrated in the front bumpers, and upgraded leather seating surfaces.
Three engines are available: a V8, a V10, and a turbocharged diesel. And, of course, there's a choice of two- or four-wheel drive. The base XLT 4x2 retails for $34,245. We drove a $37,560 XLT 4x4 with the V10. The diesel adds about $4,000 to the bottom line.
Based on
Ford's Super Duty F-Series pickup truck trucks, the Excursion is more than seven inches longer than the
Chevrolet Suburban, the former SUV heavyweight. Inside the Excursion is a comfortable interior. It does not matter whether you're sitting in the front seats, second row or third row, all of the seats offer generous legroom, headroom and elbow room. The dash is attractive and well designed and all of the controls are easy to find and operate.
Excursion's rear cargo doors are split three ways. You can swing the glass hatch up for quick access to gear. This same glass hatch offers much better visibility rearward while driving than cars with traditional split doors. The rear doors are half height, like Dutch doors. Thus, they can be opened when you've got a trailer attached and can be swung nearly 180 degrees for easier access.
Excursion 4x4 models come standard with Ford's 6.8-liter single overhead-cam Triton V10. It generates 310 horsepower and 425 foot-pounds of torque. A 5.4-liter V8 is available as a no-cost option, but few will be built; it puts out 255 horsepower and 350 foot-pounds of torque. A 7.3-liter turbodiesel engine is also available, and produces 250 horsepower (a 15-hp increase for the 2001 model year) and a whopping 505 foot-pounds of torque.
If you drive off the pavement or on snow-covered roads, you'll want to opt for the $250 limited-slip, the $255 all-terrain tires, and the $75 skid plate. Optional $60 trailer mirrors feature little convex mirrors at the bottom that eliminate blind spots. Ford says the Class IV receiver hitch, which comes standard, is designed to prevent smaller cars from going underneath the rear bumper, while a specially designed BlockerBeam is designed to accomplish the same goal up front.
