Ford · 1999–2005

Ford Excursion

The Ford Excursion is a heavy-duty (Class 2) full-size SUV marketed by Ford Motor Company from the 2000 through 2005 model years. The third Ford SUV derived from the Ford F-Series (following the Ford Bronco and the Ford Expedition), the Excursion was derived from the 3⁄4-ton F-250 Super Duty pickup truck. As with the Expedition, the model line was developed as a competitor for the Chevrolet Suburban, with the Excursion targeting the 2500-series (3⁄4-ton) Chevrolet Suburban/GMC Yukon XL. Sharing its chassis with the regular cab, long-bed Ford F-250 Super Duty, the Excursion accommodated heavier-duty powertrains than its Expedition counterpart. For nearly two decades, it was notable as the longest SUV ever mass-produced (matched by the 2023 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L and beaten by the 2021 Cadillac Escalade ESV); it remains the longest-wheelbase SUV ever produced. As of current production, only the GMC Hummer EV SUV is heavier. Ford assembled the Excursion alongside the Ford Super Duty line at its Kentucky Truck Plant facility (Louisville, Kentucky). Following its discontinuation in the United States and Canada, a shortened model year was offered exclusively for Mexico, with the final example rolling off the assembly line on Kentucky Truck Plant (Louisville, Kentucky). For 2007, Ford repackaged its extended-length SUV as the Ford Expedition EL/MAX (today, Expedition MAX), moving from the Super Duty chassis to the F-150 architecture.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Ford Bronco · Successor: Ford Expedition

All Ford Excursion data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

Origin and concept

For the 1973 model year, General Motors redesigned its Suburban utility wagon (branded as both a Chevrolet and GMC) as part of its Rounded-Line C/K trucks. In a central part of the model update, the Suburban adopted a fourth passenger door, matching the configuration of car-based station wagons (GM would market the Suburban as a truck-based station wagon until its 1991 discontinuation). At the time, the model line competed against the similar International Harvester Travelall and the smaller Jeep Wagoneer. Following the 1975 model year, International retired the Travelall wagon, leaving the Suburban essentially to compete between its own Chevrolet and GMC branding (the Jeep Wagoneer was nearly three feet shorter and had begun its rise as a luxury vehicle). For 1978, Ford released the second generation of the Ford Bronco, repackaging it as a variant of the Ford F-Series. To make the model line more competitive against the Chevrolet K5 Blazer/GMC Jimmy and Dodge Ramcharger, the Bronco grew nearly 2½ feet in length, but returned in its most popular configuration: a three-door half-cab wagon with a removable hardtop. In contrast with GM, the model line was not developed as a five-door wagon to match the Suburban (as the Blazer/Jimmy shared part of its design with the larger wagon). During the 1980s and early 1990s, Ford continued to produce the Bronco as a three-door variant of the F-150, but accommodated demand for five-door vehicles on special-order basis as license-built vehicles from second-party manufacturers. To assemble the design, the rear bodywork of the Bronco was mated to the body of an F-Series crew-cab pickup truck. Examples used the 1-ton F-350 chassis (a first since the IHC Travelall) as a basis, contrasting with the ½-ton or ¾-ton payload series offered by

Design overview

The Ford Excursion was introduced for the 2000 model year on September 30, 1999. In contrast to the Expedition (which replaced the Bronco), the Excursion had no direct predecessor in the Ford truck line. In terms of passenger capacity and exterior dimensions within the Ford model line, the Excursion is outranked only by the Ford E-350 Super Wagon (and the Transit 350/350HD that replaced it). Chassis. The Ford Excursion shares many body and chassis assemblies with its F-250 pickup truck counterpart. The front suspension and most of the rear suspension were common components, but the Excursion was fitted with different leaf springs and front spring hanger brackets. The Excursion had a distinct frame which differed from the front sway bar mounts rearward, making the model taller and wider than its pickup truck counterpart. The rear axle for all Excursions was a Sterling 10.5 axle. The four-wheel-drive models had an NV273 transfer case and Dana 50 front axle. Rear axle ratios of 3.73:1 and 4.30:1 were offered. During the development of the chassis, Ford learned that its initial design caused smaller vehicles (such as a Ford Taurus) to become severely overridden in a head-on collision. In the test, the tire of the Excursion drove up to the windshield of the Taurus (reducing the chance of survival for its driver). As a response, Ford modified the chassis to include an under-bumper "blocker beam"; a safety device the French transportation ministry initially tested in 1971. To prevent underriding during rear-end collisions, a trailer hitch was made standard equipment, essentially performing the same function as the blocker beam. Powertrain. During its entire production, the Excursion was offered with two Triton engines (truck versions of the Modular engine family). A 5.4 L V8

Reception

Being launched on September 30, 1999, the 2000 Ford Excursion was described by Popular Science as the "biggest sport utility on the planet." This would be the most successful model year for the Excursion, with nearly 69,000 examples sold. After essentially meeting sales projections at its launch, demand dropped in part because of the energy crisis of the 2000s. Annual production capacity was 70,000, but sales from 2001 barely reach half that number and the model become the lowest-selling SUV marketed by Ford or Lincoln-Mercury. The large size of the Excursion led to it being dubbed the Ford Valdez by the Sierra Club in 1999 (in reference to the Exxon Valdez supertanker). In 2007, Time selected it as one of the "Fifty Worst Cars of All Time."

Variants

=== F-250 Tropivan === From 1998 to 2012, an aftermarket SUV conversion of the Ford F-250 was sold in Brazil. Similar in design and layout to the Excursion, the F-250 Tropivan differed primarily by its assembly as a second-party conversion (similar to the Centurion Classic). In contrast to the Excursion, two different wheelbases of the Tropivan were produced. As with all Super Duty trucks in Brazil, the Tropivan had a different engine selection throughout its production run, including a 4.2 L Essex gasoline V6 and two types of diesels: a 3.9 L Cummins B-series and the 4.2 L MWM Sprint 6.07TCA straight-6. Aftermarket. During and since its production, the Excursion has become a basis for several types of aftermarket vehicles. As a result of its body commonality with the Super Duty model range, the bodywork of the Excursion led to aftermarket conversions of Ford medium-duty truck chassis (Ford F-650 and F-750) to SUVs; to accommodate the longer wheelbase, the body was typically modified with an extra set of doors. At the other end of the size scale, the Hennessey VelociRaptor SUV was created by mating the rear bodywork of the Excursion with the bodywork of the first-generation Ford Raptor (a practice similar to the creation of the 1990s Centurion Classic C350). Because the Excursion shares significant design commonality with the 1999 through 2016 Ford F-250, the SUV has been customized by replacing the 2000-2005 front bodywork with the bodywork of 2008–2016 Super Duty pickup trucks. The Excursion also has served as a basis for stretch limousines. Though Ford imposed a 120-inch length limit on body extensions (on full-frame cars such as the Lincoln Town Car), some Excursions have undergone longer extensions. One such stretched 2001 Excursion was involved in the 2018 Schoha

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name: Ford Excursion
Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Production: 1999 – September 30, 2005
Model years: 2000–2005, 2000–2006 (Mexico)
Assembly: Louisville, Kentucky (Kentucky Truck Assembly)
Class: Full-size SUV
Body style: 4-door SUV
Related: Ford Super Duty
Layout: Front engine, rear-wheel drive / four-wheel drive
Engine: 5.4 L Triton V8, 6.8 L Triton V10, 7.3 L Power Stroke V8 turbodiesel, 6.0 L Power Stroke V8 turbodiesel
Transmission: Ford 4R100 4-speed automatic, Ford 5R110W 5-speed automatic
Wheelbase: 137.1 in
Length: 226.7 in
Width: 2000–01: 80.0 in, 2002–05: 79.9 in
Height: 4WD: 80.2 in, 2WD: 77.2 in
Kerb weight: 7700 lb (Turbodiesel), 7200 lb (Gasoline)