2025 Ford Expedition Review -- Leaning Into Tech, Adventure

On a rainy, muddy day at the Interlake State Recreation Area off-road course in Lynnville, Indiana, I’ve just become “that guy”—the one who messed up. Last in a line of 2025 Ford Expedition Tremors, I’ve skirted too close to a downslope and it’s drawing me in like Boba Fett to a sarlacc pit. One moment I was driving straight along a mostly flat trail and the next the muddy terrain and the 5,404 pounds of the Expedition have me poised on the brink of sliding toward a tree and possibly farther into a pond.

About a half hour and the Warn winches from a pair of Bronco Everglades models later, I’m back on the trail and off to tackle more surprisingly tough off-road obstacles.

The Tremor isn’t the first Expedition off-roader, but it’s the most capable. The last generation Wilderness model had full-time four-wheel drive with a single-speed transfer case, but the Tremor boasts a two-speed transfer case with low-range gearing. It also has a locking rear differential with stronger half shafts instead of an electronic limited-slip rear differential and General Grabber AT tires rather than Goodyear Wranglers.

(Full disclosure: Ford flew me to Louisville, Kentucky and fed and housed me so I could drive the Expedition.)

Driving in Off-Road mode, the Tremor can handle most of the hills, ruts, rocks, and deep puddles Interlake has to offer, but the mud is a challenge. An ill-placed rock can send it skidding a few inches to the side and as I learned a steep slope can draw it in. However, a careful line and more awareness of my surroundings can prevent those types of issues.

Ford offers the tools to do that. The standard surround-view camera system offers six different views including to the sides and rear, but the forward view with overlays of where my tires are pointing provides the information I need to pick the right line, avoid close-set trees, and spot any more downslopes.

I’m trepidatious about traction after my incident, but then I’m pleasantly surprised when the Grabbers grab to let me climb a steep, muddy, rutted hill with a little initial speed and consistent throttle. The four-wheel-drive system and rear locker come into play here, distributing power front and back and equally along the rear axle so all four tires dig in to preserve the momentum.

A healthy 10.6 inches of ground clearance and a redesigned nose that further improves the departure angle mean I have no issues bashing the standard front bash plate on the uphill runs. The fact that Ford offers the Tremor only in its 209.9-inch-long standard wheelbase body style means the breakover and departure angles are also improved and that prevents any contact with the standard front axle, transfer case, and gas tank skid plates. as well as the optional transmission skid plate.

I end up controlling most of the speed with my right foot, and occasionally the brake, rather than letting the Trail One-Pedal Drive system control the speed for me. However, it could do it just as well if not better and I could set the speed via the left control pad on the steering wheel. I also don’t use the Rock Crawl drive mode as the rocks are strewn about the course rather than grouped in jagged paths.

The mud has made my off-road experience in the Expedition Tremor a little harrowing, but I come away duly impressed. This is no beginner trail, and the Tremor handled obstacles I wouldn’t have thought it could. It adds another feather in the Expedition’s cap as a do-everything big family hauler, now making it a good choice for adventure and off-the-beaten path vacations.

The Tremor is part of a redesigned 2025 Expedition lineup that features new styling, improved power, a rethought interior, a revised suspension, and more technology and convenience features.

The updates make the 2025 Expedition better on-road as I learn by driving base Active and midrange Platinum Elite models. For a better ride, Ford worked on everything that could send vibrations into the cabin. While the frame is largely the same, it has a new front subframe, as well as new wheels, tires, shocks, springs, suspension attachment points, and body mounts. The localized stiffnesses of the suspension are revised, and the rear subframe has structural improvements to improve towing.

The result is a smoother ride than the overly firm outgoing model. It’s not as forgiving in the Platinum with its massive 24-inch wheels, but the ride quality improvements are more noticeable in the Active with its 20s and the Tremor with its even cushier 18s. It’s still firmer than what you get in a Chevy Tahoe or Toyota Sequioa, but the Expedition also has more direct steering and a little less body lean.

That steering adds some heft in Sport mode, and while the Expedition’s body motions are the best controlled of the big body-on-frame SUVs, it still leans in corners due to its heft and 8.6 inches of standard ground clearance. It’s also still large and cumbersome in tight spaces and on the somewhat narrow two-lane roads outside of Louisville, Kentucky, which Ford uses as the base for its media drive. My time is spent in the foot-longer Max body styles only exacerbate the size issue. Thankfully, however, this generation Expedition is no larger than the last.

Power also improves. Ford retains the twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 from the last generation, but in its base form it now makes 400 horsepower (up 20 hp) and 480 pound-feet of torque (plus 10 lb-ft) and an upgraded version stands pat at 440 horsepower in 510 pound-feet in the Tremor, Platinum with Stealth Performance package, and Platinum with Platinum Ultimate package variants. Both versions provide willing power to get this beast up to speed quickly, provide strong passing punch, and allow it to tow up to 9,600 pounds (300 pounds more than last year).

Of course, the downside for so much power in such a big vehicle is fuel economy. The 2025 Expedition gets EPA ratings of just 15/22/18 mpg with four-wheel drive and 16/24/19 mpg with rear-wheel drive.

Inside, the Expedition retains its generous space, but now it leans hard into new technology and adds some cool storage and activity solutions. The most obvious change is to the screens and by extension the steering wheel. Like the Lincoln Nautilus, the Expedition gets a screen at the base of the windshield, except here it extends 24 inches instead of the full width of the dash. The screen shows the speedometer on the left, the navigation display on the right, and a variety of readouts in the center, including the radio station, temperature, trip computer, fuel economy, and off-road angles. The 13.2-inch screen handles typical phone, entertainment, and navigation controls.

Ford says the information shown on the 24-inch screen is the stuff you need more often, especially the speed and map, so it’s closer to the line of sight out of the windshield. However, its position means you see it over the steering wheel instead of through it like a traditional gauge cluster. That requires a smaller-diameter steering wheel with a flattened top (and bottom) to leave more room to see over the wheel. It's an odd feeling to man a small oval steering wheel in such a big beast that would normally have a large tiller. I can’t say I like it, but it’s still effective.

Ford has also rethought some of the controls, making digital what used to be analog. The steering wheel has two five-way controllers, and the right one controls the in/out, up/down settings for the power tilt/telescoping steering column. The left one handles the available Blue Cruise controls. Blue Cruise allows many miles of hands-free freeway driving, but my glasses keep creating a glare that tells the system I’m not paying attention when I actually am. Oddly, my sunglasses don’t have the same effect. The driver monitor portion of this system needs further refinement.

Ford adds some thoughtful features for families, campers, and tailgaters. The center console power-slides forward and back up to eight inches to stow and hide purses or to move stuff back to the kids. The Expedition now uses a split tailgate with the top liftgate in black and a lower tailgate in body color. The tailgate can act as a seat that holds up to 500 pounds, and the floor of the cargo area can be used as a seat back or a table to put on top of the tailgate. Exterior lighting illuminates the surrounding area to keep the party going into the night.

Space remains one of the Expedition’s greatest strengths. It can seat seven or eight in three rows and the third row has true adult space. The second row no longer offers a rear entertainment system. Instead, tablet holders in the front seatbacks accommodate personal devices occupants can bring onboard.

While the vehicle is no larger, Ford has carved out more cargo space. The Max body style has a whopping 123.1 cubic feet of space behind its first row, 75.4 cubes behind the second row, and 36.1 cubes behind the third row. For the standard wheelbase model those figures are 108.5, 60.8, and 21.6 cubic feet. Those numbers are up a few cubic feet.

Ford charges a pretty penny for its 2025 upgrades. The new Expedition starts at $63,995 for an Active model. That’s $6,575 more than last year. The long-wheelbase Max costs $3,000 more, four-wheel drive adds another $3,000, and the lineup stretches to $88,650 for a King Ranch Max, which only gets four-wheel drive. The new Tremor comes only with the standard wheelbase and four-wheel drive and runs a costly $83,025.

With its excessive size, poor fuel economy, and cumbersome handling, the 2025 Ford Expedition isn’t the right choice for families who can get most of that space out of a smoother riding more efficient crossover SUV. However, for families who tow regularly and bring the family to the racetrack, horse show, or lake cabin, it now provides more capability than ever, though at higher prices.

If you choose a 2025 Ford Expedition and your travels do take you off-roading in a Tremor model, don’t be that guy. Use the forward camera system to plot out your route better than I did. Odds are you won’t have two Bronco Everglades support vehicles to bail you out.

[Images © 2025 Kirk Bell/TTAC.com]

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