The Ford Excursion is a heavy duty (Class 2), extended-length sport utility vehicle that was produced by Ford from 1999 to 2005, launched for 2000 in the North American market. The longest and heaviest SUV ever to enter mass production, the Excursion was based upon the Ford F-250 Super Duty pickup truck. A ¾-ton chassis vehicle, the Ford Excursion was designed as a competitor for the 2500-series (also ¾-ton) Chevrolet Suburban and GMC Yukon XL.
Due to criticism over its large size, poor fuel economy, and declining sales, the Excursion was discontinued after the 2005 model year in the United States (Mexico received a short 2006 production run). For the 2007 model year, the Excursion was largely replaced as Ford introduced an extended-length version of the Ford Expedition (Expedition EL in United States; Expedition Max in Canada/Mexico), although it is only a Class 1 SUV.
All examples of the Ford Excursion were assembled at the Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, Kentucky; the last vehicle was produced September 30, 2005.
Video Ford Excursion
Origin
For 1978, Ford entered the full-size SUV segment with the second-generation Ford Bronco, derived from the Ford F-100. Competing against the Chevrolet K5 Blazer/GMC Jimmy instead of the Chevrolet Suburban, the Bronco remained strictly a two-door vehicle.
For the 1991 model year, the mid-size Ford Explorer replaced the compact Ford Bronco II, becoming the first four-door Ford SUV. Following the decline in demand of two-door SUVs, for the 1997 model year, the Bronco was repackaged as a four-door SUV, becoming the Ford Expedition, slotted roughly between the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban in size.
Centurion Classic
From 1987 to 1996, a Ford competitor to the Chevrolet Suburban was produced by Centurion Vehicles, an aftermarket converter specializing in Ford trucks based in White Pigeon, Michigan. Called the Centurion Classic, the range of vehicles were four-door SUVs, mating F-Series crew-cab bodies with Bronco rear bodywork. Two models of the Classic were produced: the C150 (based on the F-150) and the C350 (based on the F-350). The use of the Bronco bodyshell gave the Classic three rows of seating, as in a Suburban; depending on the design configuration, a Classic could seat up to nine.
To create a Classic, Centurion mated the bodywork of up to three separate vehicles. An F-Series chassis (shortened to a 140-inch wheelbase) with a crew-cab body was mated to the rear body of a Bronco (aft of the door openings). In contrast to the Suburban (and later Ford Excursion), the Classic C350 was produced on a one-ton chassis (instead of a ¾-ton chassis). In line with the corresponding F-150 and F-350, the C-150 offered a 5.0L and 5.8L V8; the C350 offered a 7.5L gasoline V8 and a 7.3L diesel V8 (IDI, later Powerstroke). On both versions, rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive drivetrain configurations were offered.
After the 1996 model year, the Centurion Classic ended production as Ford introduced the four-door Ford Expedition to replace the Bronco. Closer in size and function to the Centurion Classic C350, the Ford Excursion was introduced for the 2000 model year.
- Centurion Classic (1987-1996)
Maps Ford Excursion
Design overview
Chassis
The Ford Excursion was produced sharing the platform architecture of the F-250 Super Duty pickup truck. Sharing nearly all of its chassis components and dimensions with the F-250, the Excursion shares a common width, wheelbase, and front/rear track with its F-250 counterpart. Other shared assemblies include the front and rear suspension, along with the steering gear. The rear axle for all Excursions was a Sterling 10.5 axle. The four wheel drive models were equipped with a NV273 transfer case and Dana 50 front axle.
During the development of the chassis, Ford learned that its initial design caused smaller vehicles (such as a Ford Taurus) to become severely overridden in a head-on collision. In the test, the tire of the Excursion drove up to the windshield of the Taurus, reducing the chance of survival for the Taurus driver. As a response, Ford modified the chassis to include an under-bumper "blocker beam"; the device was initially tested by the French transportation ministry in 1971. For the rear of the chassis, Ford chose to include a trailer hitch as standard equipment in production to reduce underriding in rear-end collisions by smaller vehicles.
Powertrain
During its entire production, the 5.4L Triton V8 was standard, with the 6.8L V10 as an option. As a running change during the 2003 model year, the Navistar-sourced Powerstroke diesel V8 was changed from the 7.3L V8 to the 6.0L V8. The 4-speed 4R100 automatic was standard with the Triton engines and the 7.3L diesel; a 5R110W 5-speed automatic was paired with the 6.0L diesel. Although using the 3/4 ton chassis of the F-250, the Excursion was rated with a GVWR of 8,900 lb (4,000 kg) when equipped with gasoline engines, and 9,200 lb (4,200 kg) with equipped with diesel engines. As its GVWR was above 8,500 lbs, the Excursion was exempt from EPA fuel economy ratings; reviewers cited fuel economy in the range of 12-15mpg with the V10 gasoline engine.
Body design
While the Ford Expedition was designed to adopt similar exterior styling of the popular Ford Explorer, the body of the Excursion adapted a high degree of commonality with its F-250 Super Duty counterpart. To directly fit the four doors from the Super Duty crew cab, the Excursion is among one of the only mass-produced SUVs ever produced with four full-length passenger doors (along with the Chevrolet Suburban, its GMC and Cadillac counterparts, and the IHC Travelall). Styled similar to the Bronco (with flush-mounted glass), the Excursion is fitted with a third-row seat and rear cargo area behind the second-row door. In place of a liftgate, the cargo door of the Excursion was designed with a 3-way door: an upper liftgate paired with two lower dutch doors (similar to later models of the Chevrolet Astro).
To distinguish the Excursion, the grille was changed to an egg-crate pattern, in line with smaller Ford SUVs. In the rear, the Excursion was fitted with the taillamps of the E-Series van. For 2005, the eggcrate grille was replaced by the three-bar grille used on Super Duty trucks.
Most of the interior was directly sourced from the F-250, with the addition of third-row seating (accommodating up to nine). For 2002, the dashboard was revised with the addition of a digital odometer.
Trim
The Excursion adopted the trim nomenclature adopted across Ford light trucks in North America. The base trim was XL (marketed nearly exclusively for fleet sales), XLT (standard trim in retail markets), and Limited (highest trim line). For 2003, the Excursion introduced an Eddie Bauer trim package (seen on other Ford SUVs and the Ford F-Series).
Reception
The Excursion was introduced in late 1999 as a 2000 model-year vehicle. It was described by Popular Science as the "biggest sport utility on the planet." Sales were initially good, peaking in the 2000 model year with over 50,000 sales. As the energy crisis of the 2000s began and fuel prices rose, sales declined. The Excursion's large size and poor fuel economy led to it being dubbed the Ford Valdez by The Sierra Club, in reference to the Exxon Valdez supertanker, and in 2007 TIME Magazine selected it as one of the Fifty Worst Cars of All Time.
Variants
F-250 Tropivan
From 1998 to 2012, a second-party SUV conversion of the Ford F-250 was sold in Brazil. Similar in design and layout to the Excursion, the F-250 Tropivan differed primarily in its being a second-party conversion (similar to the Centurion Classic). In contrast to the Excursion, two different wheelbases of the model were produced.
As with all Super Duty trucks in Brazil, the Tropivan had a different engine selection throughout its production run that included a 4.2 L Essex gasoline V6 and two diesels: a 3.9 L Cummins B-series and the 4.2 L straight-6 MWM Sprint 6.07TCA.
Aftermarket
During and since its production, the Excursion has become a basis for several types of aftermarket vehicles. The Excursion became a basis for stretch limousines; as a result of its truck-derived chassis, many examples were stretched longer than the 120-inch limit imposed by Ford on the Lincoln Town Car sedan.
A 2001 Excursion converted to a stretch limousine was the vehicle carrying 18 of the 20 killed in the 2018 Schoharie, New York limousine crash; the limousine also killed two pedestrians.
Alongside stretch limousines, the body commonality of the Excursion with the Super Duty trucks has led to a number of vehicle conversions in the aftermarket. Although the Excursion was discontinued following the 2005 model year, 2006-2016 Super Duty front fascias have been adapted to the Excursion. Other conversions fit the rear "wagon" bodywork of the Excursion to Ford F-650 Super Duty medium-duty truck chassis (in various configurations); the practice is similar to the creation of the Centurion Classic C350. Using the chassis of the first-generation Ford SVT Raptor, the Hennessey VelociRaptor SUV mated the rear upper body panels of the Excursion with the four-door Raptor to create a SUV.
Yearly U.S. sales
References
External links
Media related to Ford Excursion at Wikimedia Commons
Source of article : Wikipedia
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