The Ford Expedition gets a makeover for 2025, giving this tried-and-true family hauler standout performance, a smoother ride, and gobs of tech. Add an attractive cabin with three spacious rows of seating, and you’ve got a functional and well-equipped SUV. But there are several worthy rivals in the large SUV category, and while the Expedition stacks up well, it can be spendier than other large SUVs.
Base Price: $81,350
As Tested: $86,695
Horsepower: 440
Mileage: 15 mpg city/22 mpg highway/18 mpg combined
The redesigned Expedition is now in its fifth generation and is much improved over the outgoing model. It looks more rugged with updated exterior styling. The 2025 Expedition handles better with a cushier ride – no longer does the Expedition drive like a truck. For those who want to venture off the beaten path, the new Tremor package is added to the line-up. The interior gets updated with some nicer materials, and a new 24-inch digital gauge cluster and 13.2-inch touchscreen are now standard on all trims. And all models have the Ford Split Gate tailgate, with the top 75% opening like a traditional liftgate and the bottom 25% folding down like a truck tailgate.
The 2025 Expedition comes in four trims: Active, Platinum, Tremor and King Ranch. Starting prices range from $62,400 to $87,000. The Active, Platinum and King Ranch trims are available with a standard or extended-length wheelbase. The Tremor, which is geared for off-roading, only comes with the standard wheelbase and has 10.6 inches of ground clearance. The Active trim comes standard with rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive is available. All the other trims come standard with four-wheel drive
There’s room for seven or eight passengers in three rows, depending on whether you get captain’s chairs or bench seating in the second row.
The standard engine on the Active, King Ranch and Platinum trims is a 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6 that makes 400 horsepower and 480 pound-feet of torque. The Tremor trim also has a 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6 but horsepower is bumped up to 440 and torque to 510 pound-feet. This engine is available on the Platinum trim.
The Expedition handles well with either engine – it’s easy to forget that you’re behind the wheel of a behemoth that weighs about 5,500 pounds. It’s not sporty by any means, but the Expedition feels ready to go, with good manners for driving around town or on a family road trip. My Tremor tester has the V6 with higher output. Acceleration is brisk and smooth from a stop and there’s plenty of power for merging and passing on the highway. Steering is nicely weighted, and brakes are responsive. There’s some body lean when cornering as you’d expect in such a large vehicle, but it feels mostly planted. The ride is very cushy with the suspension soaking up bumps and rough roads. The 10-speed shifts quickly and smoothly, always seeming to find the right gear.
The Tremor trim is suited for off-roading with 33-inch General Grabber all-terrain tires, re-tuned suspension and electric power-assisted steering systems, Raptor-inspired running boards, and front skid plate. Its drive mode system includes Rock Crawl Mode, and its trail control system includes Trail Turn Assist and Trail 1-Pedal.
When properly equipped, the 2025 Expedition can tow up to 7,000 pounds without the need for a load-leveling bar, and 9,600 pounds with a weight distributing hitch.
Fuel economy is about average for a large SUV. EPA ratings for rear-wheel drive models are 16 mpg city, 24 mpg highway and 19 mpg combined. Four-wheel drive models get 15 mpg city, 22 mpg highway and 18 mpg combined. I got 17 mpg during my week with a mix of city and highway driving.
The cabin is attractive and functional and looks upscale with many soft-touch materials and lots of tech. Seats are comfortable and supportive, even on long drives. Passengers in the first two rows enjoy generous leg- and headroom. Even the third row is spacious and comfortable enough for average-size adults, which is a rarity in most three-row SUVs and crossovers, and it’s pretty easy to get in and out of the third row. A ginormous 24-inch digital gauge cluster in front of the driver and a 13.2-inch touchscreen on the center stack look modern and impressive!
Standard features include remote keyless entry, push-button start, rearview camera, surround-view camera system, auto-dimming rearview mirror, tri-zone automatic climate control, cloth upholstery, 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, four-way power-adjustable front passenger seat, heated front seats, power-tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, power-reclining and -folding third row, 24-inch digital instrument cluster, infotainment system with 13.2-inch touchscreen, six-speaker audio system, satellite radio, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth, USB ports in all three rows, Wi-Fi hot spot, automatic high-beam headlights, and a liftgate flood light.
Available features include Phone as a Key, remote start, synthetic leather upholstery, real leather upholstery, driver’s-side memory settings, eight-way power-adjustable front passenger seat, heated steering wheel, leather-wrapped steering wheel, ventilated front seats, heated second-row seats, second-row captain’s chairs, 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system, 14-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system, HD Radio, wireless device charging, ambient interior lighting, rear auxiliary climate control, universal garage door opener, a household-style power outlet, rain-sensing windshield wipers, and a panoramic sunroof with power shade.
Standard driver assistance technologies include forward collision warning, forward automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, lane-centering assist, stop-and-go adaptive cruise control, evasive steering assist, pedestrian detection, rear cross-traffic alert, Pro Trailer Backup Assist, Pro Trailer Hitch Assist, and front and rear parking sensors.
Available driver assistance technologies include Ford BlueCruise partially automated highway driving system that enables hands-free driving on certain highways.
The FordPass Connect infotainment system is all-new for 2025 with a large 24-inch digital gauge cluster in front of the driver and a 13.2-inch touchscreen on the center stack. This system looks impressive but does take some getting used to. There are few physical controls other than a volume knob, and the touchscreen or steering-wheel controls are used for just about everything. Once you become familiar with it, the system is easy to use with logically arranged menus, large icons, and quick response times. And it’s easy to customize both screens. You can choose from Google Assistant or Alexa for in-vehicle controls.
With the digital gauge cluster located above the steering wheel on the driver’s side, Ford has provided a “squircle” steering wheel, that’s a combination of a circle and square, with a flat top and bottom and rounded corners. This makes it easy to see the instrument cluster.
Cargo space is good for the class. There are 22.9 cubic feet behind the third row, 69.6 cubes with the third row folded, and a cavernous 108.5 cubes with the second and third rows folded. Models with the longer Expedition Max wheelbase have more space at 37.4 cubic feet, 84.5 cubes, and 123.1 cubes. The Expedition also has an available class-exclusive 40/20/40 folding third-row bench seat providing flexibility in hauling long items such as skis, fishing gear and lumber along with passengers. Cargo hooks and a power liftgate are standard.
The good:
Peppy powertrains
Strong acceleration
Good towing capacity
Cushy ride
Spacious, upscale and attractive cabin
Many standard and available features and tech
Impressive gauge and infotainment displays
Standard wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay
The not-so-good:
Price is at the higher end compared to other large SUVs
Infotainment system has few physical controls
Pricing info:
My tester starts at $81,350. Glacier Gray metallic paint is $995. Second row 40/20/40 power fold bench is $595. The Connectivity Package is $745. Underbody protection is $425. The cargo tailgate manager is $390. The destination fee is $2,195, bringing the grand total to $86,695.
Bottom line:
The redesigned 2025 Ford Expedition is powerful, well-equipped, tech-forward, and spacious with three rows that are suitable for adults. It can get spendy and the lack of physical controls for the infotainment system won’t appeal to everyone. But otherwise, the 2025 Expedition is a powerhouse and a compelling contender among full-size SUVs.
