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Ford Excursion vs Chevy Suburban/GMC Yukon XL - The battle of the titans

423 messages,  Last post on Sep 19, 2008 at 1:04 PM

You are in the Ford Excursion Forum.

What is this discussion about? Ford Excursion, Chevrolet Suburban, GMC Yukon XL, SUV

Messages Page 23 of 44

#212 of 423 volkov by retract

Oct 08, 2000 (8:29 pm)

Review my post #85 above and then read my statement below. I hope this helps.
Regarding the "the mushy no feedback feel of the
Sub, and I found it felt more solid" Comment: I respect your opinion, but I own or have recently owned 2 Saab 9000 Turbos, 1 Saab 900 Turbo, a Porsche 911, A Ford Expedition, A 91 Suburban, and a 2000 Suburban. The 2000 Suburban (with Autoride) drives like the Saabs even when towing 9000 lbs. Expedition is far better than the Excursion for keeping its tires planted on the pavement but they both feel as though they ride on $4.99 shock absorbers. They both feel top-heavy. The burb, IMO, drives like all next generation truck will drive is it uses modern multi-link rear and computer assisted shocks.
Did you test one with the Autoride and did you drive the Exc on a rough road? Don't make your decision until you have. As far as the interior goes, the Burb and Exc both have plastic interiors. I don't see a big difference here especally when you have been driving around in more plastic interiors.

#213 of 423 financing by bluehog

Oct 09, 2000 (11:49 pm)

Hi #225
   good luck with your excursion, where did you
find 2.9% financing and for how many months. The
best I've seen here at the Ford Dealer was 5.9% for 36 months.

#214 of 423 Financing by bartsimson

Oct 11, 2000 (6:55 am)

It is Ford motor credit and it is 2.9 for 5 years. At least that was mine. Head restrains. Do school busses or public transportation have them, no, because of the size of the vehicle and the location I guess. Many vehicles do not have side air bags. The Ex did not have one but I still bought it. You have to weigh those factors in any vehicle. 4 wheel drives are easier to roll over which may be a little harder on the head and neck than a rear end collision maybe getting a 4 wheel drive is not as a safe decision. Should the Ex have head restraints ( I assume you mean head rest) sure, I think they should do it in the future, there may be a reason they don't, I don't know. Because the airbag cannot be disabled if you put your kid in the front seat he may be killed, not by the crash but by the bag, seems unsafe to me. Maybe older children should not be put in the back seat. My Ex has the backup warning system to prevent you from backing over your young children or their friends. How could any company produce a vehicle that sits as tall as these and trucks do not have that feature? I believe in the future all vehicles will have it. So my point? As with everything the longer the companies are around the safer they get. They don't all move at the same time but there are moving in the direction of safety.


The ride is subjective, different people feel differently about it and who cares how a Saab handles, some people don't like the way it handles. That is why it is subjective. The EX vs Sub is a better comparison. The suspension system on the Sub is more modern and when I rode it, it felt slightly better handling but it didn't handle as well as my short bed 4x4 Chevy truck. (Which is as poor a comparison as the Saab). The EX is roomier inside. That is not subjective; the numbers show the EX to be 4 inches more shoulder and hip room and more head room. Is the Sub slightly better ride, slightly more quiet, 2 mpg gas economy increase $10,000 better? It may be cliché but that seems to be the $10,000 question. (Priced a similar featured Sub on the Chevy web site and it was $44,000 not to mention 2.9 5 year financing and availability. Chevy offers 0% financing on the blazer during truck month (no suprise there) but not on Silverado, Tahoe, Sub.)


#215 of 423 Excursion Diesel vs Suburban V8 by 4sons

Oct 15, 2000 (4:12 pm)

My choice has narrowed between the Ford Excursion Diesel and the Suburban 1500 with the 5.4 litre V8.


Any experience with these two vehicles?


I do not tow anything yet, but I am not ruling it out (boat or maybe camper in the future).


I like the diesel for the increased mileage and longevity vs the Ford V8 and V10. Any ideas of the mileage I can expect with these various engines? The dealership says 10-12mpg with the V8 and V10 while with the diesel I can expect a little over 20mpg on the highway.


I have driven both (only once each) and the suburban seems more nimble which is to be expected due to the excursions size. I really like both vehicles.


How will the Chevy V8 hold up? Any major problems with this engine (5.4 liter) or transmission? Many recommend the Diesel, but these are primarily Ford people. There are still alot of Suburbans on the road so they must be holding up. Right?


I am just looking for advice, my family has outgrown the minivan and we do alot of outdoor recreation (camping, kids sports, etc..).


Thanks,


4sons

#216 of 423 consider a suburban 4sons by figmoman

Oct 17, 2000 (1:24 am)

I have a 2000 sub. This is my 4th GM truck and while ive had trouble with the last three, this is a keeper. It is a fresh design and they have addressed the problems of the past. Im very happy with mine. It is very smooth and quiet, stops well and for its size, gets good mileage. I average 16 MPG for all around driving, have got as high as 20 on the road. It is very nimble for its size. Do not be afraid of the Mexico build! You cannot tell the difference between the two and frankly i think the mexican worker values his job much more than the "protected" union worker and might be a little more concientious in doing a good job. I think ford puts out a fine vehicle too. The excursion is built on the super duty platform and I am building a second one into a fire truck at work as we speak. I have dissasembled the cabs and dashboards extensively and added and modified the wireing. What I have found with both Ford and GM is excelent build quality. The power stroke diesel is an excelent motor but an expensive option that will take a lot of driving to offset the cost of the option versus mileage. I prefered the smooth quiet luxury ride myself. The ford will definetly have a more truckish ride and realize that you will be hauling almost 2000 pounds more vehicle weight around which definatly impacts mileage with the gas motor. A real plus for the ford is you can make a much better deal on the cost. GM is selling them as fast as they make them so its hard to deal. Good luck with your choice and let us know what you decide. Mike

#217 of 423 Diesel vs. Gas V-10 (4sons) by dmez

Oct 21, 2000 (11:36 am)

If your only consideration is the diesel over the gas for the improved mph, you have to consider that it will take approximately 36,000 miles to the break even point. Also, the fact that a gas engine doesn't even need a tune-up for 100,000 miles shows that the maintenance factor is low too. I am very fond of diesel engines. It is very hard to kill them. If you are doing a lot of heavy towing then the diesel might be the way to go. I have the V-10 in my Ex and tow a 7500 lb. trailer with no problem. Also have a 1986 Ford F-250 with International diesel with 200,000 miles on it. The engine runs great but the truck is no longer street legal. The body and along with everything else just wasted away. So that's part of the problem. The diesel engine will out last the rest of the truck with no problem.


I too considered the diesel when I ordered my truck but I figured the longest that I would probably keep this truck would be ten years max and figured the gas engine would suite me fine and so far I'm not sorry for the decision.


Another factor about diesels is that they liked to be driven. They are not a good choice for the 1 mile ride down to the store and back. They need to be run hot. My brother is a diesel mechanic and says that the worst thing for a diesel engine is a quick hop and not letting it get hot. It can damage the turbo charger over time and that is a costly item to replace. Ford guarantees the turbo charger for 100,000 miles but for a diesel that's just getting broken in.


I hope all this information is helpful.

#218 of 423 Never Again by kspace7

Oct 23, 2000 (3:47 pm)

I currently own a 99 Suburban and am contemplating trading the lemon on a 2000 Exc. Limited. For any readers who want the facts, go to www.gmclemon.com. When I first visited, I thought it was sour grapes. Now 36,000 miles later, It's almost scary how I've experienced most of the same problems with my Mexican built Suburban. Undersized brakes, premature brake wear, pulling to right when brakes are applied, broken door handles, cracked windshield, chirping heater fan are a few of my complaints. Last week I discovered the factory battery leaked acid out of the positive terminal and corroded the lead so bad that the post fell out of the battery.
With 36,472 miles my battery cables were out of warranty. No problem my $1,700 extended warranty will cover it! Wrong again! Battery cables aren't covered, and neither is towing on uncovered components. I changed it in the rain. Took two pair of vice grips to free the cable from the bolt after it fell out of the battery. Later learned 1995-1997 GMC Sub's and Yukon's are currently being investigated by the government for the same problem. Before buying a Suburban, I urge everybody to research GMC's technical service bulletins, and visit the National Highway Transportation web site before they choose to purchase a GMC Suburban. Listed there are hundreds of complaints to the government, many similar to those listed above.

#219 of 423 Size Difference by ddfrog98

Oct 24, 2000 (4:41 am)

A lot of people say the Excursion is too big. Its only nine inches longer than a Suburban. It is actually the same length as my extended cab short bed pickup. If thats too big than a lot of trucks should be taken off the road. A lot of people say it gets bad mileage, I remember when most cars didn't get as good as the Excursion gets. There has been a lot of advancements in engine technology and for the power out put there shouldn't be any complaining. I own horses and when I am going somewhere with horses I would rather have something bigger so I can carry my horses and the riders. No small SUV can carry all the tack and the riders while pulling a 8,000-9,000 lbs trailer. Most people have a reason for having an SUV that big. Quit complaining. If you don't want something that big than don't buy it.

#220 of 423 happy and safe in my excursion by flmom2

Oct 25, 2000 (3:22 pm)

I am so happy with my 2000 Excursion. The only bad thing about it is the gas mileage in town, but with everything there is a tradeoff,our comfort and safety for less mileage is fine. My husband was driving it on Friday on the interstate and the construction truck in front of him lost a 5 foot long steel pipe, it hit my new truck then ricocheted off to the next lane and hit a mini van. We have a salad plate size dent in the bumper, the van has $3000 of damage and had to be towed. If my husband had been driving his BMW he would have had a steel pipe for a passenger and probably would have been killed. We agree that we will only replace this with another one when it is time to do so. I have driven a friends suburban and I think that this drives much easier and I do not have a problem parking at all.

#221 of 423 K & N Excursion Mileage by acobra

Oct 29, 2000 (10:57 pm)

I've seen posts relative to K & N packages on Excursions and effects on mileage. Can those of you that have K & N installations, give me info on what specific installs you did and the effect? I have a 2000 Limited with a V-10 and 3:73 gears. I get decent mileage, but if I can get even more power and mileage I'm all for it!


Thanks

Messages Page 23 of 44

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