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Essentially, Costco on wheels, the 2022 Ford Expedition has it all: plushy seats, tons of space, big screen tvs, and a wonderful sound system.
When I was a kid, I came home from camp and my parents asked me to get something from the garage. When I opened the door, a brand new 1997 Ford Expedition greeted me. It was huge, like Costco on wheels. Maybe because it barely fit into the garage, or because it replaced our two-door sedan which fit with plenty of room to spare, but either way, the Expedition instantly made a mark. My mom claims she picked it because there was finally enough space between her and my brother who sat in the passenger seat. I couldn't believe anyone needed a vehicle that big. It was shocking.
The Expedition has come a long way since 1997. These days with almost every brand offering some full-size SUV in their lineup. That means Ford has to go tow-to-tow (eh?!) with vehicles like the new Toyota Sequoia. One way to do that is with the new for 2022 Ford Expedition Stealth Edition Performance Package. It costs an eye-popping $83,000. Is that an absurd price, or justified by 440 horses, 22-speakers, three giant rows, 22" wheels, and a 15.5" infotainment screen? We had to find out.
The exterior of the 2022 Ford Expedition truly embodies the "Built Ford Tough" ethos from the Blue Oval (in our case, black oval). While other large SUVs have softer features or focus on ride comfort over off-road and towing capabilities, the Expedition is pure truck. Based on the F-150 platform, it's unapologetically the flannel shirt and boots SUV within that competitive full-size SUV class of the Tahoe, Sequoia, and Wagoneer.
The 2022 Ford Expedition comes in seven (!!) different trims from the base XL to the "am I a Lincoln Navigator?" fully-outfitted Platinum trim. In efforts to compete with other full-size SUVs heading off the beaten path like the Sequoia TRD Pro or Yukon AT4, Ford has introduced a new trim. New for 2022, Ford added the Timberline series which raises thier bar for off-road chops. It's a viable overlander now with improved ground clearance, the same heavy-duty skid plate from the Raptor and handy Trail Turn Assist. The latter feature can use the rear brakes to help the vehicle make a tighter turn, like a slow speed e-brake.
They range in price from about $55,000 up to nearly $90,000 which is putting it into Cadillac Escalade luxury level. Other than the base XL, the other trims can be had as the longer MAX version offering more cargo behind the third row. Families of seven who take cross-country road trips (God, help them) will love to hear about more cargo. They will also rejoice to know they can upgrade the base 3.5-liter V6 of 380 hp to the 440 horses and 510 lb-ft of torque on the higher-output 3.5-liter twin-turbo. This latter engine powered our loaner and surprised us, so did the $83,000 price tag for our 2022 Ford Expedition Stealth Edition Performance. #inflation
Enhancing the already strong, blocky looks of the Expedition lineup is the Stealth Edition Performance Package ($9,880). Based on the Limited trim, this is the truck you don't want to date your daughter. It has a bad-boy vibe and we loved it. Dripping in gloss-black accents on the grille, mirror caps, roof rails, automatic running boards, and tailgate applique, the Stealth Edition also features bright red brake calipers and 22-inch premium wheels.
Keeping things even stealth-ier, the "Expedition" and "Limited" lettering as well as the sacred blue Ford logo are all black. Far from stealth, we got questions and looks from people in traffic, neighbors, and the person loading our groceries at Kroger. Everyone said the same thing, "I love the way this thing looks." Ford found a trim that swaps their flannel and boots SUV to an upgraded Patagonia swag.
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The tech specs on this 2022 Ford Expedition are impressive. Based on the famous F150, the Expedition is body-on-frame which usually leads to a stiffer ride. The Expedition sails on the freeway--a real missile on road trips--but it has been, "Built Ford Tough," not "Built Ford Soft." It skews more rugged and off-road capable than other family haulers like the Jeep Grand Wagoneer. That truck-like experience carries over to the Expedition too, especially around town. That said, one of the most shocking aspects to our 2022 Ford Expedition with the Stealth Edition Performance Package was how fast it took off.
Ford surprised us with their Costco on wheels. The upgraded higher-output "Best In Class" 440 horsepower twin turbo V6 had a lot to do with that bolting. It was able to give us strong torque pull at low RPMs and carry them throughout the power band up to freeway speeds. Fuel economy wasn't terrible either averaging 17 MPG over our two weeks. This was especially impressive given our lead foot, "we have to drive fast to really test it out," mentality. We never felt like it needed more power. A statement rarely associated with many of today's SUVs.
It actually drove much smaller than the numbers led us to believe it would. The Expedition has an amazing turning radius for tight parking spots and decent visibility through the back. Enhancing that sporty(er) ride are the larger wheels and a sport-tuned suspension. It's a great package.
Our loaner wasn't all street speed though. It still featured a manually controlled rear locking diff, and eight different drive modes such as Eco, Snow/Wet, Tow/Haul, etc. When selecting one of the different drive modes, there is a large animation that displays on the dash around each theme. Totally unnecessary and totally cool. Additionally, we could select 2H, 2L, 4H, or 4A (for all-wheel drive) with a push of a button. The 2022 Ford Expedition can pull up to 9200 lbs and with their brilliant Pro Trailer 2.0, you don't have to think about backing up and steering the other way to get your boat into the water at the ramp. No more being "that guy" as others wait for you to keep getting it wrong.
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Like the giant sofas and big screen TVs offered at Costco, the 2022 Ford Expedition offers the same. The giant plush seats with contrast red stitching seemed like something in a high-end movie theater. They swallowed us up, and we never wanted to leave. The 12.4" all-digital instrument cluster displays all the basics as well as the aforementioned drive mode animations. New for 2022, Ford has overhauled their Sync infotainment system and now offers a 12-inch center screen standard. Tech-heads will opt for the towering 15.5" vertical screen ($795) with only one button: a volume knob.
The latter was in our Stealth Edition making it perfect for displaying all our music, thanks to standard wireless (don't you hate wires?!) Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The size still left room for maps, texts and Ford's quick access buttons. That said, we found ourselves annoyed that the most frequent functions like seat heater/ventilation, fan speed and temperature were all digital and not intuitively laid out. A few times we found ourselves paying more attention to trying to get the right fan speed than our road speed and had to refocus.
Automakers like to offer upgraded audio systems which usually include a few more speakers. Not Ford. They take it up to 11. Our Expedition had the 22-speaker Bang & Olufsen Unleashed Sound System with a Subwoofer. There were speakers on the dash, the door, the rear hatch, and even the roof had speakers. It was glorious.
Of course, the driver-assist features using cameras and radar abound and are more useful than ever on this giant hauler. Road Edge Detection keeps the Expedition from drifting off the edge of the lane. The Rear Brake Assist helps when backing up out of a parking spot by stopping the Expedition if there is cross traffic. And Evasive Steering Assist will multiply your steering input if traffic stops abruptly and you have to swerve to miss the rear end of the car in front. Blue Cruise--Ford's autonomous driving feature--is newly available on the top-of-the-line Platinum trim, to make life even easier.
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When you open the door of the 2022 Ford Expedition, there is a large graphic stamped between the door and dash. We reached out to Ford, and they said it represents the Expedition going from trail to city but not just any cities; it's Detroit, Ford's home, and Louisville, where they build the Expedition. In recent years, Ford has done a great job of drilling down to their ethos of blue-collar tough and building new cars from that. From the mighty little Maverick, to the exciting F-150 Lightning, to the new Mustang, they are on top of their game.
Despite price tags going up and gas getting more expensive over the past five years, the fourth-generation Expedition tripled their market share and it's easy to see why. Sure it's pricey, but when you consider the costs, facts and figures, it's still a great truck with enough comfort to last over long miles and enough rugged-ness that you aren't afraid to get it dirty. We like that balance. Well done, Ford.
Bradley Hasemeyer is an Emmy-Award winning host, father and lover of station wagons. As a child, Bradley and his father would walk around car lots after they closed in order to explore cars without annoying salesmen interruptions, watched VHS tapes of F1 races and try to ID cars at night based on their tail lights. His father would always win. This early love of all things automotive led Bradley to spend more than 15 years in the industry as a journalist, host and consultant. For more than 150+ episodes, he helmed the Autoblog show Translogic while also writing for and producing videos for various outlets like Gear Patrol, Road & Track and Business Insider. When not internally obsessing over his next wagon purchase, he can be found chasing his 2-year old son around the yard, strategically negotiating with his 8-year old over screen time and helping his wife find her phone (we got a Tile!).