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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 8 of 43

#70 of 423 Why I chose a 'Burb by suburbank2500

Mar 13, 2000 (5:50 pm)

I bought a '99 'burb in '98, so the Excursion wasn't out yet. I do NOT like the 2000 'Burbs. I saw one at the KC Auto Show. It had an S-10 like cheap interior. The Excusion was FAR better!
Also, the Excursion (or CHUNKY as we call it)
had more interior room, and a great diesel engine.


The only problem I have with the Chunky is that it don't fit in my garage!


I have a Ford Windstar and it's a great machine. I expect that the Ford Excursion will be as well.
The only thing I like better than an Excursion is a '99 4x4 3/4 ton 'Burb with the 454. That's just been my preference. One point about SUV's. I can fit in them. I'm 6'5", 265 lbs. and wear a size 17 sneaker. The last time I sat in a car, I needed a can openener to get our. Comfort, security, and safety is provided by these SUV's.
I will not go back to a car

#71 of 423 Ralph by joelis

Mar 13, 2000 (7:44 pm)

Just so you know, I am not biased to a particular brand in itself. I go for what works best depending on what is available at the time of selection. Right now, the Silverado happens to be working great for me.


I leased a 97 F150 S/C when they first changed to the new style because I liked the looks of it. It didn't give me any problems, but the ride itself wasn't great, and the engine was a little weak.


I was really close to Leasing a 99 Expedition when the F150 went back, but the ride of the new Silverado convinced me to stay with a pickup for one more term. IMHO, I liked the 99 Expo better than the 99 Tahoe, but now the 2000 Tahoe should force Ford to make some changes.


I've also owned a 94 Blazer and a 96 Explorer. Both were small unsophisticated pieces of junk as far as I'm concerned.

#72 of 423 Towing Ford and Chevy by whistelnuts

Mar 13, 2000 (7:43 pm)

I own a 98 Chevu Suburban with a std 350/3.73 rear
   end. I wanted to offer input on towing issues.


   We purchased our Suburban for many reasons but one
   big one was towing capacity (5500 lbs for my set
   up). I have not been satisfied with my towing
   performance at all and have done quite a bit of
   research.


   The issue is instability at higher speeds
   (50-65mph). Post # 53 addresses this very well but
   I wanted to add/support. I pull a 23' T/T that has
   a GVWR of 4500lbs, well under my tow capacity. My
   sway was ridiculous - to the point where I had to
   slow to 20-30mph's to calm it down. I had the
   dealer where I bought the T/T re-adjust my set up
   at the tongue and load levelers...no improvement. I
   went to local chevy dealers and towing is not
   their strong suit. I went to a few local
   hitch/trailer companies and they got me straight.


   I was told that this problem is a big issue on
   Burbs. And, recently when I went to get some
   accessories they told me that the Excursion has it
   too.


   The cause is a few things but like #53 said the
   distance from your tires to the ball is a big deal.
    I have a fiend who has a similar T/T and pulls it
   with a 98 Dodge Van - you barely even know the T/T
   is back there. I had to invest ina anti sway
   control and a different load level set up to get
   mine under control and I am still not satisfied.


   Now, to be fair...I am not an engineer and I am
   certain there are other issues involved. I will
   tell you this - On my camping trips I have asked
   other "Burb"" owners and they ALL say they have a
   similar issue.


   I think Chevy and Ford need to adress this.

#73 of 423 Dodge by howarth

Mar 14, 2000 (12:47 am)

Jeep was going to introduce 2004(maybe 2005) a new Grand Wagoneer based on the RAM full size platform. The estimated price was close to $50k ($48ish ?) I heard Chrysler axed the Jeep design and re-branded it a Dodge (same design) to bring the price down $15-$20k. Gotta pay a premium for those Jeeps. I'd love to see a Cummins turbo diesel full size SUV. A friends 1999 Ram Cummins gets 21 mpg empty or pulling a loaded 2 horse trailer. I'd assume the SUV would be comparable. I'm looking for a diesel SUV now, but not impressed with the choices so far.

#74 of 423 Dodge transmissions by 3992824

Mar 14, 2000 (4:31 am)

Dodge has big problems with their auto truck transmissions. I have personal experience with this.(under warranty, thank goodness) Check with your local Dodge dealer and if you can get an honest opinion from any of the techs they'll tell you the same. They even derate the Cummins to 420lbs/ft on torque with an auto trans.


They need to redesign the drive train before they produce any other full size trucks.

#75 of 423 Towing '96 Suburban vs '00 Excursion by vwoo

Mar 14, 2000 (4:35 am)

As I have previously mentioned, I owned a 1996 GMC 3/4 ton Suburban with 454 and 4.10 LS rear-end. Now I have an Excursion with V-10 and 3.73 rear-end. I think this is a fair comparison and probably comparable to the '00 3/4 ton Suburban since the suspension is still the same in the 3/4 ton. I tow a 7500 lb 30 ft. TT. I use a Jordan Ultima 2020 brake controller and a Hensley hitch. The brake controller was transferred to the Excursion and the Hensley stays with the TT. These are only my subjective impression and no objective measurements were made.
     First thing I notice was that the ride was better with the Excursion. My wife previously described a horse like ride when going over dips and bumps. There was less of this feel in the excursion.
     Second, braking was significantly better with the Excursion than with the '96 Suburban. It felt like I could actually stop on a dime. I would assume the 2000 Suburban could stop better than the '96 Suburban, since it also now has 4 wheel disc brakes.
     I had to tow in 3rd gear with the Excursion (direct drive) whereas in the Suburban I could tow in over drive. (Of course I had to replace two clutches in the Suburban also).
     Overall impression is that towing with the Excursion gives a better sense on control. Part of this is related to the weight of the Excursion in that the tow vehicle is more similar in weight to the trailer and therefore the trailer doesn't push the tow vehicle around as much. I went with the 3.73 rear end because 90-95% of the time I will not be towing and I could live with towing in 3rd the rest of the time vs always having to live with the 4.3 rear end. I did not have any sway with either vehicle at 75-80 mph.

#76 of 423 Which SUV? by iwanna1

Mar 14, 2000 (7:55 am)

ralphinnj
     I agree w/you. I don't know why such knowledgable people have to insult each others decisions on which suv. A few months ago, I too found myself trying to decide between the 'burb and the excursion. I have to admit, I loved them both. I thought they both looked great, had comparable gas mileage, price, and features. I made my decision after 3 extensive pages of who had which options. It is my personal opinion that the suburban had more luxurious options-like a high end sedan. However, like I said, it was my personal opinion. You have to write down all the options you are looking for and what you will be using the vehicle for and then "YOU" decide. It really is a matter of personal preference.
     The Suburban and Excursion are both great vehicles so you are in a win/win situation.
                 Good Luck!

#77 of 423 VERY HAPPY by artus12

Mar 15, 2000 (2:22 am)

I have had my 2000 Excu. Limited for a month now and could not be happier. It has V-10 and 4X4, etc. My wife drives it every day to school (teacher) and has no problem parking. Excellent visibility and she is happy, as am I. The only dark cloud on the horizon is the threat of $2.00 gas this summer at vacation time. UGH !!! I have installed factory mud flaps and K&N Air filter based upon the positive remarks I have read here in earlier comments. I do wish the headlamps were brighter though, but have found no aftermarket source for upgrading those.

#78 of 423 response to #81 by keiths2

Mar 16, 2000 (6:41 pm)

Got stuck out at Glamis in some real soft sand(8 to 12 deep) with toy box trailer that weighs about 7000 lbs loaded. It was on a slight uphill, I thought there was no way to drive out of this with out help, but we drop tire pressure down to 20#s on the truck tires (which are the Firestone all seasons) and dug paths for the tires and drove right up the hill with the trailer. Mine has a V10 4x4 with 4.30 LS average all around driving is 9.6 mpg, towing the trailer it got about 7 mpg but that was on the gas, next time I'll set the cruise at 60, I'm sure it'll do alot better. So far no problems, way better than the Tahoe we had. Owned it for 2 years had it in for warranty work about 22 times, no repeat problems. That thing was the biggest piece. I could go on and on.

#79 of 423 another reason for Suburban by jhunterbob

Mar 17, 2000 (9:06 pm)

I just picked my 2000 Burb up on Monday. So far, I love the vehicle... of course, it only has 100 miles on it!!!!


But seriously, I have a 2wd LT with Traction package (AKA locking Differential).


I do not plan on towing, my wife loves her garage and this is the vehicle that would fit in the garage and take us with our 2 little kids and a few more people whereever we wanted to go.


But the real reason for the SUV over the Excursion was the $6,200 in GM mastercard rrebate that I was able to use for the downpayment!!!!


Ford dropped their card!!!

Messages Page 8 of 43

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