2021 Ford Expedition: Expectations and what we know so far

One of the most common narratives the Ford Expedition gets is that it is an expensive SUV choice. In the Blue Oval brand’s defense, the Expedition comes with competitive premium features such as a luxurious interior finish, large cargo capacity, and a powerful engine.

The Ford Expedition’s expensive price tag could be the possible reason why the American carmaker decided to add a new base variant for the 2021 model called the XL STX. This new variant offers two rows of seats only and is priced below the base model of the outgoing model.

However, one can expect that the upcoming PH-spec 2021 Ford Expedition is likely a carryover from the current local version. As of this writing, Ford Philippines hasn’t released any statement regarding its plans for the local 2021 Ford Expedition.

With that being said, let’s take a look at the changes made for the 2021 Ford Expedition and see what it can offer in the local market this year.

Current Ford Expedition: A Vehicle That Works for Families

2021 Ford Expedition: Exterior

Since it is a carryover, no design changes are made for 2021. The Ford Expedition will still offer Filipino car buyers its large body proportions that house its huge chrome grilles, configurable daytime running lights (DRL), halogen projector headlights, and LED taillights.

However, Ford USA does offer new wheel designs for all of its variants such as the XLT, King Ranch, and Platinum. The new wheel designs come with a wide array of sizes from 17-inch to 22-inch alloy wheels. Aside from this change, no other updates are made for the 2021 Ford Expedition.

The 2021 Ford Expedition

The timeline of Ford in introducing a new generation of the Expedition is quite spontaneous. The current fourth-generation of the Expedition started in 2018, succeeding the third-gen which had a 10-year run from 2007 to 2017. The first generation came out in 1997 and was succeeded by the second-gen in 2003.

With that being said, it’s hard to predict which year the Blue Oval brand will introduce the next generation Expedition. In consideration to the current exterior look of the Expedition, it looks like it doesn’t need to get updated anytime soon even when compared to its local rivals such as the Chevrolet Suburban and Nissan Patrol Royale.

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2021 Ford Expedition: Interior

Inside, Ford added new USB ports for the second-row passengers for the 2021 model. For a vehicle priced above the Php 4-million mark, the extra USB ports should have been a standard feature since its introduction in the country in 2018.

The 5-seating configuration available on the new XL STX variant in the U.S. market

As for the interior layout, the 2021 Ford Expedition will still come with wood trims, leather seats, panoramic sunroof, and ambient lighting which all add a touch of sophistication. The new XL STX variant offers two rows of seats only which frees up a huge space in the cargo area. This variant is ideal for small families only of up to four.

2021 Ford Expedition: Engine and performance

Under the hood, the 2021 Ford Expedition has carried over the engine from the outgoing model. This means that the 2021 Ford Expedition still uses the same 3.5-liter V6 gasoline engine capable of producing 375 hp and 637 Nm of torque. The Platinum variant available in the U.S. market can put up 25 more horsepower.

The Ford Expedition's large proportions demand a commanding presence on the road

Both engines are paired to a 10-speed automatic transmission and the Expedition can be configured with either a rear-wheel-drive or a four-wheel drive. The local Ford Expedition, however, is expected to be offered with a four-wheel-drive drivetrain only for 2021.

The Ford Expedition comes with various terrain modes to make it road-ready for any given conditions. It includes settings such as mud, normal, sand, grass, EcoSelect, and tow. A sports mode is also made available for high-speed applications.

2021 Ford Expedition: On-board tech and safety features

Aside from the new variant and wheel designs, the third and last change made on the 2021 Ford Expedition is the integration of the brand’s Co-Pilot 360 in the XLT variant. The driver assistance system on the XLT variant is a first in 2021 and is offered as an option.

The same old 8-inch infotainment screen is highly expected for 2021

However, one can expect that this will not affect the installed safety features for the 2021 PH-spec Ford Expedition. This means that we still probably get its current safety features such as seven airbags, anti-lock braking system (ABS) with electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD), stability control, advanced traction control system, and blind-spot monitoring system.

The upcoming PH-spec Ford Expedition is still likely to use the same 8-inch infotainment screen from the current model as well. It supports Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and Bluetooth connectivity for entertainment on the go. The sounds from the head unit are sent out to the Expedition’s 12-system speaker by Bang and Olufsen.

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2021 Ford Expedition: Final thoughts

Ford aided the relatively expensive price tag issue of the Expedition by introducing a more affordable base variant in the US market. Unfortunately, it seems like Ford Philippines will not do the same thing and will likely carry over everything from the current model to the 2021 PH-spec model.

We are hoping for an update at least in 2022

It would be interesting to see how the 2021 Ford Expedition will compete in the local full-size SUV segment with the same old features. We can expect the Expedition to still compete steadily this year as there are no significant movements for the vehicles within the local full-size SUV segment.

2021 Ford Expedition: Expected pricing

Since we are highly expecting a carryover for 2021, then the price will likely stay the same. Ford Philippines only offers the Expedition in one variant which is named Limited Max priced at Php 4,479,000. You can opt for bucket seats which cost around Php 130,000 more than the standard price.

However, it is good to keep in mind that the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has proposed to increase the tax for imported vehicles in the country. According to the Safeguard Tax, imported passenger cars should come with an additional Php 70,000 per unit, while light commercial vehicles should come with an additional Php 110,000 per unit.

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