2003 - Expedition vs Yukon

I've got a friend looking at both of these trucks. Just wanted to hear from owners of both and commments of what is good and bad. It looks like pretty much of a tossup. He will be towing a 1998 Malibu VLX on a tandem usually an hour round trip to the lake 3 or 4 times a month. Any input would be appreciated

I have a 2002 yukon Have had no problums pulling my 2001 malibu vlx, Only bad thing 13mpg towing. I test drove the epedition wasn't as smooth of ride. Test drive both and find out for yourself. Yukon has autoride nice option for towing. Paid 37,800 fully loaded sticker was 45,000 probably better time to buy with all of the rebates out.

Steve,
It's kinda ironic that you were the first to respond. The friend that I posted the question about is also a UPS driver down here in Texas. 15 years - 5 in Feeders. He called me tonight from the hub and asked if I knew of any rebates going on at the local Ford or Chevy/GM dealers and if I could post on some sites for opinions. From what I hear, the Expy is a little heaver and might attest for the rougher ride. He did look at both with his wife today but not sure if he test drove both. He's got a Toyota 4-banger to go back and forth to work, so the new one would be the family truck/boat & baby hauler. Thanks for the reply. I'll have him look closer at some of the rebates available now.
Happy truckin.
Ken

The new 2003 Expedition has Independent rear suspension. It is the first in its class to offer this. Steve, you may have compared a 2002 to your Yukon. I can tell you the 2003 Expy is completely different in it's ride and handling characteristics. It is a lot smoother than the previous model and is very flat handling in the corners. As far as towing and gas mileage goes both will be very comparable. The 5.4 in the Expedition has more torque at a lower rpm, whereas, the Yukon with a 5.3 with have less torque down low but more top end horsepower.

Right now Ford is offering a $2000 rebate on Expeditions and Explorers and a $2500 rebate on F150 Supercrews.

BTW, I just started working for Leif Johnson Ford here in Austin in Internet Sales. If you have any questions feel free to contact me. My numbers are in my profile.

Normally dollar for dollar the Expedition is priced better than a comparably equipped Yukon.

I have an 02 Tahoe, the same ride as a Yukon. I love it. No problems at all. I don't know about the new Exp. but the older ones ride rougher than the Tahoe. I pull my Prostar 205 with it and it does great. No complaints at all. Plenty of room awesome interior, great ride. It's all good

We love our expedition. Super comfy. Tons of room. Price tag is a lot less than the Yukon. The only downfall is when we tow our boat up any really steap hills it dogs. The Yukon is somewhere around 285-300 HP and the expedition is only 260 HP. The other downfall is that the expedition get 13 mph and the Yukon gets 15-16 MPH.

The extra 40 hp won't do you much good on the hills. Torque is the key when towing.

This is true...We love the car and would buy another one but bottom line the gas mileage sucks and it does dog on the hills. The one upgrad that I am getting is a new exhaust system as the stock system creates excessive heat when we tow up this one large hill from the lake we usually go to.

I have an 1998 Expedition and love it. It was more personal things about the look I liked versus the Tahoe/Yukon, but I have had Fords for a while. It does ride like a truck, no doubt about it. But it has been a good ride and done everything I wanted. Now when it comes time to upgrade, I have been looking at either a Denali or another Expedition/Navigator. Only time and a test drive will tell which one I get.

torque rules buy a diesel, tow longer, faster, better mileage, better braking, better cooling, more power.

I wish I had the loot for a diesel.

I'm sure you've heard this before, TY, but, for about $2k, you can install a supercharger that will boost your hp and torque by 20-25%.

that is something to think about

Check out http://www.vortechsuperchargers.com/ and http://www.borla.com/

I am doing the exhaust shortly.
thanks

That is only going to make the gas mileage even worse.

I have a Yukon and installing an MSD ignition is a great thing to help gas mileage when towing.

I think both actually tout an increase of 1-2 mpg.

can you enlighten me on the MSD ignition?

me too! what is MSD ignition and how much is it?

MSD is an electronic ignition system that controls the spark much more accurately than the factory system does. You hook it inline to what's under the hood. No replacement. Check out the website. http://www.msdignition.com/1ignstre.htm

Summit Auto Racing is the best place you are going to get one. www.summitracing.com

You can also put one on your boat.

does it really work>? how much are they also?

it works. the idle is much smoother. I went from 350 miles on a tank to about 380 miles.

An MSD 5 costs about $160. BUt for towing you may need an MSD 6. I think those are around $175? Not sure, Summit has the pricing.

easy to install? What are the conns? I have never heard of these before...

You can also install K&N Filters air intake kits to boost mileage, hp and torque. I am looking at that for my 5.3 Suburban

yeah, besides the gas mileage, what else does it add to?

Well, it will increase the life of your plugs. It makes the engine run smoother. It makes the spark timing so accurate that fuel waste out the exhaust is minimized greatly. I am not a salesman, engineer, or rep of this product, but that is all I know. You can learn more at the website. These are the ingitions system you will find on all the high performance cars.

They are easy to install. If you know how to install a stereo you can do it.