Increasingly stringent fuel economy standards, bumper height legislation, rollover protection requirements and, of course, the growing popularity of eco-friendly living have not killed the traditional big SUV – yet. In honor of these slowly dying big ‘uns, as Al Bundy might call them, we decided to take a look at Ford’s rugged Expedition King Ranch.

With the demise of the Dodge Durango, only three automakers offer large SUVs aimed at those who haul – whether it’s a boat, a race car, or just a gaggle of third graders.

What is it?
At the top of Ford’s big SUV heap sits the Expedition King Ranch. Named after the gargantuan, 825,000-acre South Texas ranch that supplies the fine brown leather that swathes every seating surface of the cabin, the King Ranch edition can make even the meekest city dweller pine for a lasso and a pair of ropers.

The Expedition itself, which emerges from Ford’s rather less-cowboy-like Louisville, Kentucky, assembly plant, is the SUV cousin to the automaker’s hot-selling F-150 pickup line. Despite sharing a number of styling cues and riding on a separate steel frame derived from the F-150, the Expedition features a space-saving, smoother-riding independent rear suspension rather than the traditional solid axle of the truck.

Lincoln sells as further gussied-up Expedition as the Navigator, and both automakers sell extended-length versions that offer a bit more space behind the third row seats.

What’s it up against?
Chevrolet’s Tahoe and GMC’s Yukon are the Expedition’s obvious rivals, but we can’t forget the Toyota Sequoia. Initially created to imitate the first generation Expedition, the Sequioa is a reminder that little Miss can’t do wrong Toyota produces more than just Priuses. Take that, smug Prius drones!

Any breakthroughs?
Despite their premium positioning, big SUVs tend to follow their smaller corporate cousins when it comes to showcasing new technologies. The Expedition thus delivers most of what we’d expect from Ford – the automaker’s sophisticated Sync handsfree system, a state-of-the-art navigation system with Sirius Travel Link, automatic deploying running boards and, for 2010 (though not on our tester), trailer sway control.

Oh, and there’s the intoxicating aroma of dead cow that permeates the cabin. It’s an all-American scent that compares favorably to the fine Italian leather one finds in a Maserati. Yee-haw, y’all!

How does it look?
With its boxy, two-tone, plastic-clad body and big chrome wheels, the Expedition screams 1995 fashion, not 2009. It reminds us of an overgrown mid-’90s Ford Explorer, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s the anti-crossover, a reminder that some buyers actually want a vehicle that can comfortably tow a boat or bounce down a dirt road without rattling the interior to death.

The styling is necessarily rugged and rudimentary. Don’t go seeking sexy curves and Bangle butts here; the Expedition is for buyers who are most comfortable with the basic two-box look for the way it pays off in cargo and passenger-hauling comfort.

And on the inside?
Climb aboard – literally, this one sits up high – and you’ll immediately find the rich, thickly-grained leather that indicates you’re in a King Ranch edition. If the aforementioned aroma doesn’t give you any clue you’re in a special Expedition, the belt buckle-sized King Ranch logo festooned to the center console is a pretty obvious giveaway.

That fine leather isn’t buttery smooth like a Lexus buyer might want, but for those bent on getting the whole ranch lifestyle experience, it’ll do perfectly. Unlike most new vehicles with “leather seating surfaces,” the King Ranch leather covers every inch of each chair, although we were disappointed to see that it doesn’t extend onto the dash cover.

Instead, we get the standard rock hard plastic found elsewhere in the Expedition lineup, which starts just north of $30,000 for a base Expedition XLT. Although the dash top graining is particularly upscale in appearance, its tactile feel doesn’t match its look. Give it a rap and you’ll find some of the cheapest plastic available on any new vehicle. The doors aren’t much better; although there’s some King Ranch leather in the center, the armrest and upper portion of made with the kind of cheap leather that has, unfortunately, long characterized Dearborn’s products. Fault continues with the shiny plastic covering the airbag and the chintzy silver-painted plastic trim around the center stack. At least the fake wood was reasonably convincing.

For the most part, the spacious interior takes advantage of Ford’s better switchgear. Although the button fest we’ve seen in some newer Ford products – like the Taurus, Mustang and Fusion – hasn’t made its way to the Expedition, the automaker’s high-resolution navigation system has. It’s easy to use and the voice control functions work better than on your average Microsoft product.

The middle row pampers guests with comfy heated captain’s chairs (though no console is present) and our tester came equipped with an optional drop-down screen and DVD player. The third row is best for children, though it mostly provides minivan-like room. Press a button in the cargo area and the seats slide down out of the way to create a flat-ish load floor.

But does it go?
Ford’s tried-and-true 5.4-liter V8 is the only option in the Expedition. With 310 horsepower and 365 lb-ft. of torque, it out-muscles its crosstown GM rivals but comes up a bit short of the ballsy 381 ponies and 401 lb-ft. of torque cranked out by the Sequoia.

Despite its age – and its short expected lifespan (a new 5.0-liter V8 will replace it later this year in some Ford applications) – the 5.4-liter Triton was smooth and more than acceptable in most everyday driving. It lacked the rush of power you’ll find in the Toyota, but it somewhat made up for that deficit by providing linear, predictable acceleration. Part of the blame for the slow response comes courtesy of the six-speed automatic that wasn’t the world’s fastest downshifter – a complaint we’ve levied on other Ford six-speed automatics.

Thanks to a hefty curb weight that exceeds 6,000 lbs., our Expedition was nothing close to nimble. Still, fast-responding, nicely-weighted hydraulic steering helped deliver impressive maneuverability in tight corners. The next time we see a soccer mom deftly maneuver one of these hogs into a tight parking space, we’ll reward her efforts with a mere golf clap. No longer are we fully impressed with her multi-tasking driving abilities; the Expedition drives like a much smaller vehicle than it is.

As we’ve said before on these pages, Ford has recently developed the ability to dampen its vehicles’ ride quality in a rather astonishing way. Even though it rode on decently low-profile P275/55-20 tires, the Expedition delivered a velvety smooth ride over even the most undulating terrain we threw at it. Though there was some head toss we expect to see in a big, tall vehicle, the overall ride motions were especially well controlled.

On our off-road course, the big Expedition was hampered mostly by its size. There’s plenty of ground clearance and wheel travel for bounding across fields (between oil derricks, we guess) or crawling across a weather-beaten unpaved road. Our four-wheel-drive tester’s transfer case could be shifted between two-wheel, four-wheel automatic, four-wheel high and four-wheel low, offering way more flexibility than most unibody crossover vehicles.

We didn’t sample our Expedition test vehicle’s towing capabilities, but we have little reason to doubt the 8,700 lb. towing capacity.

Fuel economy, of course, is a low point. The Expedition is too heavy to qualify for EPA testing. Our week of mixed driving yielded a 13.5 mpg average. Regular fuel is all that’s required, although E85 capability was a new add-on for 2009 for those buyers who live in corn-fed states.

Why you would buy it:
Larry McMurtry’s picture sits on your mantle and the late Elmer Kelton’s recent passing affected you in ways you’re ashamed to admit.
 
Why you wouldn’t:
You don’t tow and your one child doesn’t require the cargo space square footage of a large New York flat for his stroller and toys.

Leftlane’s bottom line
Undoubtedly one of the last of its breed, the Expedition endeared itself to us over the course of our week-long evaluation. Maybe it was the attractive and rugged King Ranch leather, or maybe it was the ranch lifestyle that we tried to emulate, but whatever it was, we liked the truck. It’s not especially sophisticated, nor is it a logical – or encouraged – purchase choice for most Americans. But for those who truly need its capabilities, the Expedition delivers like never before.

2009 Ford Expedition King Ranch 4WD base price, $45,825. As tested, $54,600.
Luxury Value Package, $4,480; Second row captain’s chairs, $795; Power-deployable running boards, $995; Air suspension, $485; Chrome 20 inch wheels, $1,095; Destination, $925.

Words and photos by Andrew Ganz.

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