The Ford Excursion Is One of Ford’s Best
The Ford Excursion is one of many SUVs the automaker has discontinued. This heavy-duty vehicle made its debut for the 2000 model year. However, the automaker concluded production on the Excursion with the 2005 model. Despite the relatively short run, the Ford Excursion gained quite the following in later years after production ended; there were even strong rumors of a 2021 Ford Excursion.
Why was the Excursion discontinued?
To many vehicle enthusiasts, the Ford Excursion is the most important SUV ever due to its claim to fame. This Ford SUV still holds the record for the largest SUV ever mass produced. Despite the record, people stopped buying the Ford Excursion after its first year on the market. Notably, it sold around 50,000 units in its first year but less than half that in its final year.
The problem is that owning the largest SUV ever was much more of a novelty idea than a practical one. As anyone can imagine, the fuel economy for a vehicle the size of the Ford Excursion is not great. This, combined with the fact that an SUV of this size didn’t work for most people, means that many lost interest at that time. Some say the Excursion was ahead of its time, but many others say it was never a necessary vehicle.
The Excursion has a powerful engine
The Ford Excursion needed a pretty big engine due to its large size. According to Edmunds, the 2005 Ford Excursion has up to a 6.8-liter V10 engine. It has a maximum output of 310 horsepower. This oversized SUV uses an automatic transmission.
A vehicle as large as the Excursion is not expected to be fast. However, the Excursion isn’t slow either. The 2005 model of the Ford SUV accelerates from 0 to 60 miles per hour between 9.1 and 11.1 seconds. Unfortunately, the relatively swift nature of the Excursion wasn’t enough to make up for the low fuel economy.
Will there be a new version?
There are always rumors about the return of beloved discontinued vehicles. However, the stories about a 2021 Ford Excursion were rampant. It’s unclear where the rumors of a new version started, but many had their hopes high for the Ford SUV’s return. Of course, there is still hope today that the automaker will someday bring back the Excursion.
With the fairly recent return of the Ford Bronco, almost no former nameplates are off-limits. The Excursion was impractical for most people then, but it could be adapted for the modern world. Perhaps not quite as big, a new model would also need a more fuel-efficient engine. With some changes, a new version of the Excursion wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Regardless of the short-lived success, the Ford SUV is an icon in the automotive world. It may not be the most common older SUV on the streets today, but it is still a solid vehicle. Perhaps someday, there will be a new Ford Excursion that can cater to a more environmentally friendly future.
