1998 Ford Expedition Walkaround Review at Automotive.com
»Locate a Dealer»Find a Used Car»Get Financing

1998 Ford Expedition Review: Exterior

Find a Car
 

1998 Ford Expedition Review

Big, handsome and hard to get.
Walkaround
The stylists at Ford took a sensible approach when they set out to give shape to the Expedition. They already

had two winners to their credit--the F-150pickup and the Explorer. So they borrowed the best elements from each

to create another success. From nose to windshield, the Expedition shares sheet metal with the F-150. From the

front doors back, the Expedition has the contours of an Explorer. No panels interchange between Expedition and

Explorer, but the resemblance is unmistakable.

This combination of ingredients works well. The Expedition is handsome, with a sloping hoodline and rounded

front end that reflect attention paid to aerodynamic design. It's a design that pays off with improved fuel

efficiency and reduced wind noise. As a matter of necessity, the sides and back are shaped more for utility than

style. Clever use of trim and rounded corners provides some visual definition, however.

Stretching more than 17 feet from nose to tail, the Expedition is certainly no compact. And there's no way to

disguise that. GM's Suburban is even longer, adding a foot-and-a-half to the total. Ford touts the Expedition's

shorter length as a benefit when trying to fit into a garage. (However, Ford is working on an even bigger rig to

compete with the Suburban.) It's true that an Expedition will fit into some garages that are too small for a Suburban,

but check yours to be sure as garage sizes vary.

Two trim levels, XLT and Eddie Bauer, make up the Expedition model range. With little demand for plain, entry-level

vehicle in this class, Ford equips the XLT well and the Eddie Bauer even better. Differences between XLT and Eddie

Bauer are confined to paint and trim. And even these distinctions can be blurred by checking off items from a long

list of optional equipment.

The Expedition derives much of its chassis and mechanical hardware from Ford's F-150 pickup and all Expeditions are available with two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. Next Page



1998 Ford Expedition