The Ford Excursion was a heavy-duty full-size SUV sold from the 2000 through 2005 model years. The third Ford SUV derived from the F-Series, after the Bronco and the Expedition, it was built on the three-quarter-ton F-250 Super Duty chassis and aimed at the 2500-series Chevrolet Suburban.
Ford Excursion at a glance
| Maker | Ford, Kentucky Truck Plant, Louisville |
|---|---|
| Model years | 2000–2005 |
| Class | heavy-duty (Class 2) full-size SUV |
| Chassis | F-250 Super Duty, regular cab long bed |
| Predecessors in the line | Bronco, Expedition |
| Main rival | Chevrolet Suburban 2500 |
| Engines | two Triton petrol units plus a diesel |
| Rear axle | Sterling 10.5 |
| Four-wheel drive | NV273 transfer case, Dana 50 front axle |
| Axle ratios | 3.73:1 or 4.30:1 |
| Introduced | 30 September 1999 |
| Replaced by | Expedition EL/MAX from 2007 |
This page is based on English Wikipedia only.
History of the Ford Excursion
Ford’s answer to the Suburban
Ford had competed against the Chevrolet Suburban only indirectly. The Bronco of 1978 had grown into a three-door wagon, and five-door conversions were made by outside firms on the one-ton F-350 chassis. The Expedition of 1997 finally gave Ford a three-row five-door SUV, sized between the Tahoe and the Suburban. When the F-250 and F-350 became Super Duty trucks for 1999, with a heavier chassis and larger engines, Ford had the basis for a direct rival to the 2500-series Suburban, and the Excursion was introduced on 30 September 1999 for the 2000 model year.
Size and safety
The Excursion shared most of its body and chassis with the F-250 but had its own frame, different from the front anti-roll bar mounts rearward, and different leaf springs and front spring hangers, which made it taller and wider than the pickup. For nearly two decades it was the longest SUV ever mass-produced, a record later matched by the 2023 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L and beaten by the 2021 Cadillac Escalade ESV, and it remains the longest-wheelbase SUV ever produced. During development Ford found that its original design let a smaller car such as a Taurus ride up over the front in a head-on crash, so the chassis gained an under-bumper “blocker beam”, and a trailer hitch was made standard to stop cars underriding it from behind.
The end
The Excursion was assembled alongside the Super Duty line at Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville. After it was dropped in the United States and Canada, a shortened model year was offered for Mexico, and the last example left the Louisville line there. For 2007 Ford replaced the extended-length SUV with the Expedition EL/MAX, which moved from the Super Duty chassis to the F-150 architecture.
Design and features
- Super Duty chassis: the regular cab, long-bed F-250 frame.
- Record length: the longest mass-produced SUV for nearly twenty years.
- Heavy axles: a Sterling 10.5 rear axle and a Dana 50 front axle on 4×4 cars.
- Blocker beam: added after crash tests showed smaller cars overrode the front.
Ford Excursion versions
- Two-wheel drive: with the Sterling 10.5 rear axle.
- Four-wheel drive: NV273 transfer case and Dana 50 front axle.
- Petrol models: two Triton engines offered across the run.
- Diesel model: the third powertrain option.
- Mexican model year: the shortened final run after North American sales ended.
The Excursion was built on the F-Series Super Duty chassis and replaced the role of the Bronco in Ford’s range. More Ford vehicles are in the Ford collection.
Sources
- Ford Excursion, English Wikipedia: origin, chassis, safety, production
