{"id":29293,"date":"2022-06-03T08:50:48","date_gmt":"2022-06-03T12:50:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=29293"},"modified":"2022-06-03T08:50:48","modified_gmt":"2022-06-03T12:50:48","slug":"payne-ford-expedition-timberline-off-road-ocean-liner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2022\/06\/payne-ford-expedition-timberline-off-road-ocean-liner","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Ford Expedition Timberline, off-road ocean-liner"},"content":{"rendered":"

Holly Oaks<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 The skies dark overhead, I splashed through a muddy gulch in Michigan\u2019s most challenging, Holly Oaks Off-Road-Vehicle park.\u00a0ROARRRR!<\/em>\u00a0I charged up a muddy\u00a020-degree incline, the 440-horsepower\u00a0twin-turbo V-6 engine spinning all four wheels.\u00a0GRONCH!<\/em>\u00a0The front bash plate cushioned the front bumper\u2019s blow over the scarred turf.\u00a0RRWAAAWWR!<\/em>\u00a0At the incline\u2019s summit, I nail the throttle, spinning the 122.5-inch long wheelbase on a dime with Trail-Turn Assist.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m at the wheel of the 2022 Ford Expedition Timberline. You know, a family vehicle.<\/p>\n

\"With<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

With underbody armor, 33-inch off-road tires\u00a0and ladder frame similar to the Ford F-150 Tremor, Expedition is not your average family three-row hauler. This beast is as happy off-road as it is on-road. So when you head north on I-75 for the weekend, be sure to detour through Holly Oaks. The kiddies in the third-row will love it.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not making this up. Bringing its Timberline trim \u2014 first seen on the Explorer SUV in 2021 (more on that later) \u2014 to the Expedition, Ford has created a three-row Frankenstein\u2019s monster not unlike the 710-horsepower Dodge Durango Hellcat SUV. But where the Hellcat will drag race sports cars out of Woodward stoplights, Expedition Timberline can chew on trees with Broncos in Holly.<\/p>\n

Where the Sedan Epoch brought us on-road performance cyborgs like Charger Hellcats and BMW Ms, the Era of Ute is bringing on\u00a0and<\/em>\u00a0off-road muscle. No one is exploiting this more than Ford.<\/p>\n

\"Timberline<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

As SUVs exploded in population in the past decade, Ford transferred the ST performance badge from hot hatch hellions like the Focus and Fiesta to utes like the Ford Edge and Explorer SUV. That\u2019s a stretch given SUVs’ inherent, top-heavy limitations. Though the badges have proven popular, no one is taking their Explorer ST to Waterford Raceway for a track day as Focus ST owners have done for years.<\/p>\n

But take your SUV off-road? Now we\u2019re talkin\u2019.<\/p>\n

Go to Holly Oaks or Flint ORV park or Silver Lake \u2014 and you\u2019ll see plenty of Subaru Outbacks mixing it up with Broncos and Jeep Wranglers and Toyota TRDs. Ford\u2019s Explorer Timberline \u2014 introduced late last year with upgrades like skid plates and all-terrain tires and a throaty\u00a02.3-liter engine \u2014 fits this mode. I took it out on Holly Oaks muddy landscape and it knew its way around, the Mud and Ruts drive mode helping all four wheels churn through mud \u2018n\u2019 ruts \u2018n\u2019 water \u2018n\u2019 slop.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

But slapping the Timberline badge on Expedition is a whole new level. You\u2019ll pay for the privilege. Walking from the $47,530\u00a0three-row Explorer Timberline to my $80,255, three-row Expedition tester is more than a step \u2014 it\u2019s a leap.<\/p>\n

Timberline is now part of a forest of Expedition trim offerings beginning with the $54,315 XL STX followed by the XLT, XLT Max, Limited, Limited Max, King Ranch (pant, stop for breath) King Ranch Max, Platinum\u00a0and Platinum Max. A new, more on-road oriented Stealth performance model joins Timberline for the 2022 model year.<\/p>\n

Timberline is hardly the most expensive of the lot, with the Platinum edition earning its name with a price tag of nearly 88 grand when decked out with next-tech like hands-free BlueCruise highway drive assist. This is an SUV that plays with the big boys in the mega-ute, pickup-based segment that Detroit dominates. The Expedition Timberline has all the tools.<\/p>\n

\"Armed<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Like a Tremor pickup with a hatchback, Timberline sits on a rugged truck frame that shrugs off moguls like Hulk Hogan throwing Richard Simmons off his back. The 3.5-liter V-6, the most powerful engine in class with 510 pound-feet of torque, is also familiar to pickup buyers and rewards a heavy left foot with a throaty rebel yell. The aptly-named Goodyear Wrangler tires offer serious grip, ground clearance is a class-best 10.6 inches, and Trail Turn Assist (yes, the same feature pioneered by Bronco, for goodness sake) is magic in turning this ocean-liner on a dime.<\/p>\n

But what is especially impressive about Expedition Timberline is how it loses none of its on-road charm.<\/p>\n

The Ford F-150 Lightning complements its smooth, electric drivetrain with an independent rear suspension \u2014 eliminating \u201ccrow hop\u201d for an easy turning radius in, say, a tight parking lot. Expedition went to IRS years ago.<\/p>\n

Big footing around the charming town of Fenton, the big Timberline was silky smooth, negotiating\u00a0tight turns, parking lots\u00a0and U-turns with no hint of crow hop. That smoothness translated to the highway driving as well, where the suspension and quiet cabin absorbed the aggressive Wrangler tires with aplomb.<\/p>\n

\"At<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

The IRS also pays dividends in the third row, where even giants like me are comfortable. The suspension allows for a proper seat well in back so my knees aren\u2019t in my mouth. Nicer still is the second row, where I could easily sit behind myself.<\/p>\n

In the front, I was a comfortable captain of my ship. Digital displays are everywhere (like an F-150), so you can choose the information you want to see. Ford was an infotainment pioneer years ago with its SYNC system \u2014 though not without serious teething pains. Those frustrations are in the rear-view mirror, and the system quickly paired my phone, then synced wirelessly to my Android\u2019s Google maps for navigation.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Expedition Platinum\u2019s semi-autonomous BlueCruise is a cool glimpse at the future, but Timberline\u2019s good ol\u2019 adaptive cruise did just fine, thanks very much \u2014 allowing me to relax at the wheel on I-75 while steering the freighter on my own.<\/p>\n

And then there is towing. If you\u2019re buying a Timberline to take the family on the road, my guess is you\u2019ve got some toys you\u2019d like to take with you. Motorbikes, side-by-sides, RZRs.<\/p>\n

Ooooh, Polaris RZRs. The long-suffering Mrs. Payne and I recently did a\u00a0RZR off-road adventure. Faces covered in dirt, we went places we could never find in a normal AWD vehicle. Waterfalls, rocky landscapes, deep forest wonders.<\/p>\n

The Expedition will tow 9,300 pounds of toys, so when the road gets too gnarly for Timberline, just drop a RZR out the back and explore further.<\/p>\n

Come to think of it \u2014 between the Timberline\u2019s off-road prowess and the toys it can tow \u2014 that detour to Holly Oaks on the way up I-75 might take a while.<\/p>\n

2022 Ford Expedition Timberline<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear- and four-wheel-drive, 6-passenger SUV<\/p>\n

Price: $71,490, including $1,695\u00a0destination charge ($80,255 as tested)<\/p>\n

Powerplant: 3.5-liter liter\u00a0twin-turbo V-6<\/p>\n

Power:\u00a0440 horsepower, 510 pound-feet of torque<\/p>\n

Transmission: 10-speed automatic<\/p>\n

Performance: 0-60 mph, 5.3 seconds (Car and Driver); towing, 9,200 pounds<\/p>\n

Weight: 5,532 pounds\u00a0(AWD as tested)<\/p>\n

Fuel economy: EPA:\u00a016 mpg city\/22 highway\/18\u00a0combined (AWD), 418 miles of range<\/p>\n

Report card<\/p>\n

Highs: Serious off-road capability; smooth on-road ride<\/p>\n

Lows: Unremarkable looks; gets pricey<\/p>\n

Overall: 4\u00a0stars<\/p>\n

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Holly Oaks\u00a0\u2014 The skies dark overhead, I splashed through a muddy gulch in Michigan\u2019s most challenging, Holly Oaks Off-Road-Vehicle park.\u00a0ROARRRR!\u00a0I charged up a muddy\u00a020-degree incline, the 440-horsepower\u00a0twin-turbo V-6 engine spinning all four wheels.\u00a0GRONCH!\u00a0The front bash plate cushioned the front bumper\u2019s blow over the scarred turf.\u00a0RRWAAAWWR!\u00a0At the incline\u2019s summit, I nail the throttle, spinning the 122.5-inch […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29293"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29293"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29293\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29294,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29293\/revisions\/29294"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29293"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29293"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29293"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}