Ford Excursion (UW137[1])
2001 Ford Excursion Limited
Overview
ManufacturerFord
Production1999 – September 30, 2005
Model years2000–2005
2000–2006 (Mexico)
AssemblyLouisville, Kentucky (Kentucky Truck Assembly)
Body and chassis
ClassFull-size SUV
Body style4-door SUV[2]
LayoutFront engine, rear-wheel drive / four-wheel drive
RelatedFord Super Duty
Powertrain
Engine5.4 L Triton V8
6.8 L Triton V10
7.3 L Power Stroke V8 turbodiesel
6.0 L Power Stroke V8 turbodiesel
TransmissionFord 4R100 4-speed automatic
Ford 5R110W 5-speed automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase137.1 in (3,482 mm)
Length226.7 in (5,758 mm)
Width2000–01: 80.0 in (2,032 mm)
2002–05: 79.9 in (2,029 mm)
Height4WD: 77.2 in (1,961 mm)
2WD: 74.8 in (1,900 mm)
Curb weight7,688 lb (3,487 kg) (Turbodiesel)
7,230 lb (3,280 kg) (Gasoline)
Chronology
SuccessorFord Expedition EL/MAX (indirect)

The Ford Excursion is a heavy-duty (Class 2) SUV that was sold by Ford from 2000 to 2005 (2006 in Mexico only). The third SUV derived from the Ford F-Series (after the Ford Bronco and the Ford Expedition), the model line was the longest and heaviest SUV ever to enter mass production at the time. Slotted above the Expedition in the Ford model line, the Excursion was sold nearly exclusively in the American market; limited numbers of the model line were produced for export.

Developed as a competitor for the 2500-series (3⁄4-ton) Chevrolet Suburban/GMC Yukon XL,[3][4] the Excursion's body was derived from the 3⁄4-ton F-250 Super Duty pickup truck on a regular cab long bed chassis, sharing its 137-inch wheelbase. A single generation of the model line was produced; after 2005, a short 2006 model year was marketed for Mexico.

Throughout its production run, the Excursion was assembled at its Kentucky Truck Plant (Louisville, Kentucky) alongside the Ford Super Duty line; the final example was produced on September 30, 2005. For 2007, Ford introduced the extended-length Ford Expedition EL/MAX (based on the F-150), again competing directly against the Chevrolet Suburban. As of current production, the Excursion remains the largest SUV ever produced (matched in length in 2023 by the lighter Jeep Grand Wagoneer L); only the GMC Hummer EV is heavier.

Origin and concept

For the 1973 model year, General Motors redesigned its Suburban utility wagon (sold by both Chevrolet and GMC) as part of its Rounded-Line C/K trucks. As a central part of the redesign, a fourth passenger door was added, allowing the model line to compete directly against the similar-size International Harvester Travelall wagon for the first time. Following the 1975 discontinuation of the Travelall, the Suburban became the only wagon-style full-size SUV (a distinction it would hold until the 1997 introduction of the Expedition), competing primarily against the smaller Jeep Wagoneer.

For 1978, the second-generation Ford Bronco full-size SUV was released by Ford. To compete directly against the Chevrolet K5 Blazer/GMC Jimmy and Dodge Ramcharger, the model line adopted the chassis and powertrain of the F-100 pickup truck (in line with its GM and Chrysler counterparts). Sharing the most popular body style of its predecessor, the 1978 Bronco was produced as a three-door wagon with a lift-off hardtop; in line with the Ramcharger, no four-door version was developed as a competitor for the Suburban (sharing its bodywork with crew-cab pickup trucks).

During the 1980s and early 1990s, Ford marketed four-door versions of the Bronco on a special-order basis. License-built by second-party manufacturers, the designs mated the rear body of the Bronco to crew-cab F-Series bodywork.[5][6] In a first for the full-size SUV market, examples were offered as a 1-ton vehicle, derived from the F-350 pickup truck.[5][6] For 1991, the Ford Explorer became Ford's first factory-produced five-door SUV as it replaced the compact Ford Bronco II (a three-door body was also introduced); both the Explorer and the Bronco II shared commonality with the Ford Ranger compact pickup truck.

In response to declining demand for three-door SUVs (of all sizes), Ford replaced the Bronco for 1997 with the five-door Ford Expedition. Nearly matching the International Travelall in size, the Expedition was sized between the Chevrolet Tahoe (replacing the K5 Blazer) and the Suburban, offering the three-row seating configuration of the latter.

For 1999, Ford expanded the F-Series model range, with the F-250 and F-350 becoming part of the Super Duty series. Intended for work usage and towing, Super Duty F-Series trucks received a heavier-duty chassis and suspension along with a distinct body design. To compete against the higher-payload Suburban 2500, Ford began the development of a heavy-duty SUV derived from the 3⁄4-ton F-250 Super Duty pickup truck, called the "Excursion."

Design overview

The Ford Excursion was introduced for the 2000 model year on September 30, 1999.[7] In contrast to the Expedition (which replaced the Bronco), the Excursion had no direct predecessor in the Ford truck line; in terms of size, the model line was only smaller in size than the Ford E-350 12/15-passenger van.

Chassis

The Ford Excursion shared the platform architecture, including its body and chassis assemblies, with its F-250 counterpart. To allow for a common front and rear track width, the front suspension and most of the rear suspension were common components (the Excursion was fitted with its own leaf springs and front spring hanger bracket). The Excursion was fitted with a distinct frame (differing from the front sway bar mounts rearward), leaving the model taller and wider than its pickup truck counterpart.

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. Rear axle ratios of 3.73:1 and 4.30:1 were offered.

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 its driver).[8] 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.[8] 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 Excursion was offered with both gasoline and diesel engines. The standard gasoline engine was a 5.4 L Triton V8; a 6.8 L Triton V10 was offered as an option. At its launch, the optional diesel engine was the Navistar-produced 7.3 L Power Stroke V8; during 2003 production, a Navistar-produced 6.0 L diesel V8 was introduced, again using the Power Stroke name.

All four engines were paired with an automatic transmission. The 4-speed 4R100 automatic was fitted to the 5.4 L, 6.8 L, and 7.3 L engines, with a 5-speed 5R110W automatic fitted to the 6.0 L engine.

Engine Configuration Fuel Production Power output Torque output Transmission
Ford Triton V8 5.4 L (330 cu in) SOHC 2V V8 Gasoline 2000–2005 255 hp (190 kW; 259 PS) 350 lb⋅ft (475 N⋅m) 4-speed automatic

Ford 4R100

Ford Triton V10 6.8 L (413 cu in) SOHC 2V V10 310 hp (231 kW; 314 PS) 425 lb⋅ft (576 N⋅m)
Ford/Navistar Power Stroke V8 7.3 L (444 cu in) OHV V8 turbo Diesel 2000–2003.5 250 hp (186 kW; 253 PS) 525 lb⋅ft (712 N⋅m)
Ford/Navistar Power Stroke V8 6.0 L (365 cu in) OHV 4V V8 turbo 2003.5–2005 325 hp (242 kW; 330 PS) 560 lb⋅ft (759 N⋅m) 5-speed automatic

Ford 5R110W TorqShift[9]

Though using the 3⁄4-ton chassis of the F-250, the two-wheel-drive Excursion was rated with a GVWR of 8,600 lb (3,900 kg) when equipped with gasoline engines and 8,900 lb (4,000 kg) with equipped with diesel engines (four-wheel-drive models have a 300 lb (140 kg) higher GVWR with either engine). As its GVWR was above 8,500 lb (3,900 kg), the Excursion was exempt from EPA fuel economy ratings; reviewers cited fuel economy in the range of 12-15 Lmpg with the V10 gasoline engine.[4] While its GVWR exempted it from emissions standards applied to light-duty vehicles, Ford designed the powertrains of the Excursion to meet low-emissions vehicle (LEV) status.[7]

Body design

While the smaller Ford Expedition shared design elements with the popular Ford Explorer, the Excursion adopted a high degree of commonality from its F-250 counterpart. With the exception of its egg-crate grille (styled similarly to the Expedition and the third-generation Explorer), the Excursion shares its front bodywork forward of the B-pillars with its pickup truck counterpart; the rear doors are specific to the model line (more curved rear edge than crew-cab Super Duty doors).

Styled similarly to the 1980–1996 Bronco (with flush-mounted glass), the rear wagon body of the Excursion is fitted with a third-row seat. As with the Bronco, the spare tire was vertically mounted in the cargo area. In place of a conventional liftgate, the rear cargo door was configured with a three-way layout, pairing the upper lifting window (with rear wiper) with two lower Dutch doors (a design similar to the 1992–2005 Chevrolet Astro). Larger taillamps were sourced from the Ford E-Series van.

During its production, the Excursion saw few major changes to its interior or exterior. For 2002, the instrument panel was updated (receiving a digital odometer and a transmission temperature gauge), and seating materials were revised. For 2005, the egg-crate grille was replaced by the four-bar grille used on Super Duty trucks.

Coinciding with its design commonality with the Ford Super Duty crew cab, the Excursion was a mass-produced SUV with four full-length passenger doors (along with the Ford Expedition EL/Max and Lincoln Navigator L, the Chevrolet Suburban and its GMC and Cadillac counterparts, the International Travelall, and the Jeep Wagoneer L/Grand Wagoneer L[10]).

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). Following its use across many Ford light trucks, an Eddie Bauer trim package was introduced for the Excursion for 2003 (differing from the Limited primarily in appearance).

XLT: Included three rows of seating, leather-wrapped steering wheel with speed control, a security system, keyless entry, 16 in (41 cm) chrome steel rims or optional alloy rims, trailer towing package, an AM/FM radio with cassette and single-disc CD player with six premium speakers, and air conditioning.

Limited: Included same features as XLT, but adds a power driver's seat, rear audio controls, illuminated running boards, 16 in (41 cm) alloy rims, front-speed sensitive windshield wipers, five power points, ten cupholders, leather seats (with heated first row), and an optional rear entertainment system with DVD player.

Reception

Being launched on September 30, 1999, the 2000 Ford Excursion was described by Popular Science as the "biggest sport utility on the planet."[7][3] This would be the most successful model year for the Excursion, with nearly 69,000 examples sold. After largely meeting sales projections at its launch,[7] demand for the model line was affected by the energy crisis of the 2000s. While able to produce 70,000 examples yearly,[7] sales from 2001 onward struggled to reach half of that capacity, becoming the lowest-selling SUV sold by Ford or Lincoln-Mercury.

The large size of the Excursion led to it being dubbed the Ford Valdez by the Sierra Club in 1999 (in reference to the Exxon Valdez supertanker).[11] In 2007, Time selected it as one of the "Fifty Worst Cars of All Time."[12]

Variants

F-250 Tropivan

From 1998 to 2012, a second-party SUV conversion of the Ford F-250 was sold in Brazil.[13] 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 types of 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. As a result of its body commonality with the Super Duty model range, the bodywork of the Excursion led to aftermarket conversions of Ford medium-duty truck chassis (Ford F-650 and F-750) to SUVs; to accommodate the longer wheelbase, the body typically is fitted with an extra set of doors. At the other end of the size scale, the Hennessey VelociRaptor SUV was created by mating the rear bodywork of the Excursion with the bodywork of the first-generation Ford Raptor (a practice similar to the creation of the 1990s Centurion Classic C350). Other conversions involve fitting 2000–2005 Excursions with the front fascias of 2008–2016 Super Duty pickup trucks (as the Excursion shares its chassis with the F-250).

The Excursion also served as a basis for stretch limousines; coinciding with its heavier-duty chassis, many examples were stretched (unofficially) longer than the 120-inch limit imposed by Ford on the Lincoln Town Car sedan.

Yearly U.S. sales

Calendar Year Total American sales
1999[14] 18,315
2000 50,786
2001[15] 34,710
2002[16] 29,042
2003 26,259
2004[17] 20,010
2005 16,283

References

  1. ↑ "Automotive Projects". zaytran.com. 2007. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  2. ↑ Consumer Guide Automobile Book, 2001. Publications International. 2001. p. 100. ISBN 978-0-7853-4639-5. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
  3. 1 2 McCosh, Dan, ed. (November 1999). "Big, bigger, biggest". Popular Science. Vol. 255, no. 5. p. 48. Retrieved June 23, 2022 – via Google Books.
  4. 1 2 Weitzman, Larry (2000). "The Ford Excursion, It doesn't get any Bigger". theautochannel.com. Retrieved September 17, 2012.
  5. 1 2 Snitkoff, Edward (January 18, 2017). "Curbside Classic: Ford Classic 350 – Centurion Vehicles Creates A Frankenstein Suburban Fighter". Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  6. 1 2 "This is the 4-Door Ford Bronco You Didn't Know Existed". February 28, 2016. Archived from the original on February 28, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "Ford Excursion makes a grand debut". klik.com.my. Reuters. August 9, 1999. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  8. 1 2 Bradsher, Keith (2004). High and mighty: the dangerous rise of the SUV. PublicAffairs. p. 199. ISBN 978-1-58648-203-9. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  9. ↑ 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 Ford Truck/SUV source books
  10. ↑ Stafford, Eric (April 13, 2022). "2023 Jeep Wagoneer L and Grand Wagoneer L Are Stretched and Turbocharged". Car and Driver. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Ford's new gas-guzzling SUV wins the 'Exxon Valdez' award from the Sierra Club". San Diego Earth Times. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  12. ↑ "The 50 Worst Cars of All Time". Time. September 7, 2007. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Avaliação NA – F-250 Tropivan". Notícias Automotivas (in Brazilian Portuguese). December 13, 2010. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Ford Motor Company Sets New Full Year U.S. Sales Record". theautochannel.com. Retrieved April 28, 2009.
  15. ↑ "Ford Motor Company's December U.S. Sales Climb 8.2 Percent" (PDF) (Press release). Ford Motor Company. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 30, 2011. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
  16. ↑ "Ford's F-Series Truck Caps 22nd Year in a Row as America's Best-Selling Vehicle With a December Sales Record". theautochannel.com. November 17, 2004. Retrieved April 28, 2009.
  17. ↑ "Ford Achieves First Car Sales Increase Since 1999". theautochannel.com. November 17, 2004. Retrieved April 28, 2009.

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