Best Family Cars: 2021 Ford Expedition

m raaed

3 Aug, 2021

Style Cars

Spacious with up to eight seats

Connectivity galore

Relatively reasonable fuel consumption

Max towing capacity of 9,300 pounds

Excellent ride quality

Pricing starts at $49,025 (plus $1,695 destination)

The 2021 Ford Expedition takes the idea of a 20th century 8-passenger, full-size American vehicle and gives it an overhaul. It offers a better ride, more comfort, and a wealth of driver assistance features. The Expedition uses lighter aluminum body panels, a fuel-efficient turbocharged engine, and a sophisticated independent rear suspension. The folks at Ford really stepped up the full-size SUV game with the latest Expedition. That earned it KBB’s Full-Size SUV Best Buy Award for three years in a row. So it’s easy to see why it’s one of our 12 Best Family Cars for 2021.

A New Kid on the Block

This year the Expedition lineup gets one addition to it: an entry-level XL trim. It includes cloth upholstery, running boards, Wi-Fi, seating for five, and Ford’s solid Co-Pilot360 driver-assistance aids. You can now choose from five main trims of the Expedition. They are the new XL, XLT, Limited, King Ranch, and Platinum.

With the addition of the XL, the starting price for a 2021 Ford Expedition is nearly $4,000 lower than it was in 2020. The Expedition is rear-wheel drive, but you can upgrade to 4-wheel drive for $3,000, should you and the fam want to go off the beaten path. This system comes with a terrain response function and high/low-range gearing. There’s also an available electronic locking differential.

Three-Row Seating

If you need seating for eight, you’ll have to pony up an additional $3,785, but it’s worth it. The XLT comes with power-folding and reclining third-row seats, tri-zone automatic climate control, heated side mirrors, and rear parking sensors. There’s also an 8-inch infotainment screen, satellite radio, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration.

The Limited offers options for the FX4 off-road packages if you add AWD. It also gets some special looks options. The King Ranch has its own styling, while the Platinum models offer lots of chrome, a 400-horsepower engine, active noise cancellation and massaging, multi-contour front seats. Pricing for the Platinum trim reaches into the $75,000 range, and any of the longer wheelbase versions called the Expedition Max will be around $3,000 more.

One of the things we like most about the Ford Expedition is its independent rear suspension. This generation of the Expedition has a newer system than in past models. The suspension setup allows for a more spacious third row. It also makes the ride and handling a lot smoother and offers a flat cargo space when the third-row seats are folded.

Safety and Style

The Expedition resembles the Ford Explorer, which is, as our editors point out, a good thing “since the 2021 Expedition exhibits a certain boldness and sophistication.”

In addition to its sophistication, the Expedition offers Ford’s Co-Pilot360 driver aids, including forward-collision mitigation with automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keeping assistance, automatic high beams, and a rearview camera with a washer and grid lines. The available 360-degree camera is also quite useful in small or tight parking lots.

Space, safety, capability, and versatility are super-sized in the 2021 Ford Expedition, making it a compelling choice for families.