The Ultimate Family SUV: 2018 Ford Expedition

The newly redesigned 2018 Ford Expedition is making the family look goooooooood! We all know that life happens in our vehicles and Ford has done an excellent job with the latest Expedition in catering to many of those needs not only in design but also space, connectivity, and driveability.

The 2018 Ford Expedition can carry eight people comfortably, along with all of their luggage or the latest load from your Costco run. Plus, the third-row powers itself upright or flat with the touch of a button making it a breeze to adjust cargo room. The load floor behind the last row of seats can be flipped up into a cargo shelf with a few seconds' work, too, serving double duty as a handy raised shelf...or triple duty as a cargo over, to keep prying eyes from peeping in.

When you have the available space to carry that many people, the next question I ask is "do you have the ability to charge all of their devices?" Why, yes.... Yes, it does! The Expedition has six USB ports, four 12-volt plugs, and a 110V outlet available, so everyone should be happy. Plus, there is a wireless charging pad tucked into the center console. Built-in WiFi can also keep everyone happy, entertained, and productive.

While I've seen others complain about the rotary shifter, I actually liked not having a large shifting column on the steering wheel. It gives the driving area a very open and clean feeling. Sync 3 infotainment system with 12-speaker B&O PLAY audio system is included and I had an opportunity to play around with the newly redesigned Android Auto. The on-screen navigation buttons have been rounded out and makes it look great!

The Expedition is considered competitive in fuel efficiency and towing capability. With its best-in-class gas mileage ratings, you'll get up to 17 miles per gallon in the city and 24 miles per gallon on the highway. The engine used in the Expedition is the same impressive engine that powers the F-150 pickup - a powerful 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine.

Both of our boys (Chase, 9 and Carson, 4) could easily get in and out of the Expedition and we could tell they loved the extra leg room or as they called it, their "running around room." This felt like a limo to them! And this is where I should also address the size of this vehicle. While it is BIG, I didn't feel like I was driving a tank around. The steering was very light and you can easily maneuver through parking lots.

Thank you to Ford for providing the 2018 Expedition Limited Max for us to try out. We rented a GMC Yukon Denali XL while traveling a couple of months ago and we still preferred the Expedition over it. Ford has done an excellent job with the redesign both inside and out and families can feel proud in what they are driving. The only complaint that I have (and also had it with the GMC Yukon Denali XL) was I'd love to see an updated look to the center console and infotainment area. The larger screens found in the Lexas RX, as well as the Lincoln Navigator, would instantly give this a much more sexy look. I'm sure a jump in the price, but we can all have our wishes, right?