Ford is working on refreshing the Expedition and Expedition EL for the 2015 model year, and a recent batch of photos of the camouflaged vehicle undergoing testing shows bits and pieces of the freshened full-size SUV. So even though all of the attention in the segment has recently become diverted to the all-new and recently-unveiled 2015 Tahoe, 2015 Suburban, and 2015 Yukon from General Motors, Ford will still be part of the new or updated SUV conversation.
The extended-length 2015 Expedition EL spotted testing here will compete with the Chevrolet Suburban, and wears its big and boxy styling with pride. The exterior design is covered by some heavy camo, but the freshened looks will probably feature updates and LED lights that are all the craze across the industry.
Exterior styling aside, the big news for this batch of spy photos lies on the inside, as the spy photos clearly show a revised center stack with knobs and buttons, rather than the touch-sensitive controls that have proven to be subject of a few controversies in other FoMoCo vehicles. In addition, the pictures show large silver-finished panels lining the center stack as well as a storage space on top of the dash that is present and accounted for on the current 2014 model. The visible changes to the interior also include an updated steering wheel and instrument cluster design, and the addition of an engine stop-start button, suggesting that the 2015 Expedition will offer keyless entry. A larger touch-screen display that’s undoubtedly running the MyFord Touch infotainment system sits atop the center stack of the prototype.
Besides the exterior and interior changes, the 2015 Expedition will likely offer Ford’s 365 horsepower 3.5 liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 engine, which should drastically improve the fuel economy of the huge SUVs. Currently, the MGs are rather unimpressive given that Expeditions with all-wheel-drive can’t even attain 20 MPG on the highway in EPA testing. This makes us wonder what, if anything, will happen to Ford’s aging 5.4 liter Triton V8 that makes a measly 310 horsepower and a decent 365 lb.-ft. of torque in the present-day Expedition. The Blue Oval’s much newer, better-performing, and fuel-efficient 5.0 liter Coyote V8 found in the Mustang GT is another possibility for Ford’s full-sizer.
Check out the pics from Motor Trend here.
The Motrolix Take
Keeping in mind that GM is by far the market share leader in the full-size SUV space with the Tahoe and Suburban, this refresh of the Expedition can’t come soon enough — especially given that The General is completely overhauling (redesigning and reengineering) its full-sizers for 2015. In that regard, the 2015 Expedition will face some stiff competition form GM, with the updates making it an even better vehicle than it is today.
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