Louisville, Kentucky — I usually review cars from bow to stern. But since this sumptuous 2025 Ford Expedition is a rolling land yacht, let’s start with stern.

Like the rear deck of a ski boat, the Expedition’s stern is a cool place to hang out. New for ‘25, the Ford offers a rear split gate — the upper portion a hatchback for loading, the lower a tailgate. So you can lay out a picnic spread at a Kentucky Derby tailgate party here, or relax out back (complete with seatback) on the sidelines of your kid’s soccer game.

Speaking of kids, they’ll want dibs on the third-row seat.

Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Third row

On a morning journey into Indiana, I opted for the third row, which easily accommodated my 6’5” frame. I slipped my Pure Leaf iced tea into a cupholder (there are three back here). If I had been carrying an Egg McMuffin and hash browns, I could have popped them on a side tray. A yuge panoramic roof flooded the cabin with sunlight — and if it got too toasty on this May day; I could have removed my sweatshirt and hung it on one of four third-row coat hooks.

I had work to do, so I booted up my laptop, connected it to the boat’s — er, SUV’s — WiFi hotspot (it can support 10 devices), and plugged it into the 110-volt outlet behind me in the cargo bay. Speaking of cargo, the Expedition comes in a stretched Max version (for an extra $3,000) for more luggage space.

For a little extra comfort, I reclined my third-row seat, then depressed the latch on the side of the second-row chair (since no one was sitting in front of me) — collapsing it into an Ottoman for my legs. When I needed a break from work, I took a sip from my tea and chatted with my media colleague, Mike, driving up front (more on driving later) thanks to the quiet, insulated cabin.

Expedition rolls off the same Kentucky Truck Plant line as its luxury sibling Lincoln Navigator, which I tested earlier this year in San Diego. For another $30K, Navigator floats on smooth adaptive shocks, but you’d never know the Expedition was built on a ladder track frame either, thanks to its independent rear suspension.

Sit in the bed of a Ford F-250 truck and you’ll know — WHUMP! — that it sits on a leaf-frame suspension. But in the third row of the Expedition and Navigator, the giant SUV was smooth as silk. No wonder Detroit automakers dominate this mega-ute space and American families order them by the thousands.

Navigator is posh with second-row heated, cooled, massaging seats — but they can’t turtle into Ottomans like the ones in my Expedition tester. Score one for the $63K Ford.

Row two

Expedition options a second-row bench seat so you can sit a ridiculous eight people in the cruise liner if needed. Maybe Ford will offer a pool deck next. Our $72K Activ tester was equipped with second-row captain’s chairs that were roomier than Delta coach seats, with a center aisle wider than an airliner for easy access to the third row. I could comfortably sit behind myself sitting behind myself in the cabin.

The second row also had a 110 outlet strategically placed in the back of the center console for second- and first-row passengers. USB and USB-C ports are littered around all three rows, including a pair in the back of the front seats.

Why? Because, coming for the 2026 model year is a clever phone holder incorporated into the back of the headrests so you can watch movies or play games with your head in an upright position to prevent motion sickness (I felt a little woozy after working on my laptop in the third row).

The cockpit

Up front in the captain and co-captain’s quarters, Expedition has leaned into the Navigator’s cool digital experience. The last-gen Expedition deployed the F-series’ familiar digital screens, with the option of a vertical center console tablet.

The ‘25 model offers the Ford Digital Experience with a 24-inch jumbotron (the Lincoln gets an A-pillar-to-A-pillar, 48-inch display) sprawling across the base of the windshield — containing three screens for instruments, navigation and other information (your choice of tire pressures, radio info, fuel mileage and so on).

The jumbotron is controlled by a smaller console screen, which I rarely consulted. Instead, I operated the land yacht with the modern square steering wheel and Google Built-in voice commands.

Hey, Google, set driver temperature to 68 degrees.

Hey Google, navigate to Louisville Slugger Field.

Hey, Google, tell me a joke.

Google: “OK. Why was the student’s report card wet? Because it was below C level.”

Haw. The kids will love that feature. And families will enjoy the mega-digital displays as well as a sliding center console that can either open space for a large purse up front — or bring cupholders closer to rear passengers. Kids can play movies or download game apps, including one called Shuffleboard played by up to four players after scanning a QR code with their phones.

The square steering wheel will take some getting used to, however.

Shared with the Navigator, it’s right out of Tesla Cybertruck with its minimalist interface. Blue Cruise hands-free driving also takes getting used to, but once you’ve tried it there is no going back. Ford makes it easy to try with one-month subscriptions (or you can buy it outright). I drove for hours across Bluegrass interstates hands-free. It’s a great companion for checking email and eating meals on long trips.

Exterior

Wrap this rec room on wheels in any of the Expedition trims (Activ, Platinum, King Ranch and Tremor — my favorite with its 33-inch all-terrain tires and orange accents) and this is a good lookin’ yacht. Put your foot down and the mega-ute will create serious bow waves.

BWAAUUUUGH! The Tremor’s 440-horse (a jump of 40 horses over base Activ), twin-turbo V-6 roared as I punched it around a slower car on a two-lane road — the 10-speed transmission expertly choosing the right gear for smooth acceleration.

Drop the tailgate, throw out a rope, and I bet you can water ski behind it.

Next week: 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan

2025 Ford Expedition

Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear- and four-wheel-drive, six- to eight-passenger mega-ute

Price: $63,995, including $1,995 destination fee ($93,490 Platinum Max, $83,025 Tremor and $74,905 Activ Max as tested)

Powerplant: 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V-6

Power: 400-440 horsepower, 480-510 pound-feet of torque

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 4.9 seconds (Car and Driver); towing, 6,100-6,300 pounds (RWD) and 9,000-9,600 pounds (4×4)

Weight: 5,404-5,794 pounds

Fuel economy: EPA, 15 mpg city/22 highway/18 combined

Report card

Highs: Screen-tastic family yacht; three-row comfort

Lows: Steering wheel ergonomics take getting used to; gets pricey

Overall: 4  stars

 Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.