Quick Spin: 2020 Ford Expedition MAX Platinum

2020 Ford Expedition MAX Platinum 4×4

Miles Driven: 141

Fuel Used: 8.4 gallons

CG Report Card

Room and Comfort	A
Power and Performance	B+
Fit and Finish	A-
Fuel Economy	C
Value	B-

Report-card grades are derived from a consensus of test-driver evaluations. All grades are versus other vehicles in the same class. Value grade is for specific trim level evaluated, and may not reflect Consumer Guide's impressions of the entire model lineup.

Big & Tall Comfort

Big Guy	A
Tall Guy	A

Big & Tall comfort ratings are for front seats only. "Big" rating based on male tester weighing approximately 350 pounds, "Tall" rating based on 6'6"-tall male tester.

Drivetrain
Engine Specs	400-hp 3.5L
Engine Type	Turbo V6
Transmission	10-speed automatic
Drive Wheels	4WD

Real-world fuel economy: 16.8 mpg

Driving mix: 45% city, 55% highway

EPA-estimated fuel economy: 16/21/18 (city/highway/combined)

Fuel type: Regular gasoline

Base price: $80,110 (not including $1395 destination charge)

Options on test car: Burgundy Velvet Metallic tinted clear-coat paint ($395), heavy-duty trailer towing package ($1570), second-row bucket seats ($595)

Price as tested: $84,065

Quick Hits

The great: Expansive interior room for both passengers and cargo; eager acceleration for a vehicle of this size and weight

The good: Platinum trim level brings high-class interior furnishings; good driving manners for an extra-large SUV

The not so good: Fuel economy; sheer size can make close-quarters maneuvering tricky; steep pricing

More Expedition price and availability information

CG Says:

There’s a lot of a lot in the 2020 Ford Expedition MAX Platinum. Being a MAX, it is the longer of the two configurations of Ford’s 3-row body-on-frame large SUV. Being a Platinum, it gets all the power and practically all the luxuries available as standard equipment.

One other thing that all Expeditions have is Consumer Guide’s imprimatur as a “Best Buy” in the class. Since its 2018 redesign, the Expedition has impressed us with its exceptionally spacious cabin, extensive feature availability, smooth and strong powertrain, and fine road manners for its size.

CG editors are no strangers to the MAX Platinum with 4-wheel drive, having driven one in each year of the Expedition’s current generation. It is so complete that none of what’s new for 2020 directly affects it. An added King Ranch trim level slips in just beneath the Platinum, a Black Accent appearance package is offered for the base XLT, and the Ford Co-Pilot360 suite of safety features—which the Platinum already had—is now standard on all.

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This embarrassment of riches is reflected on the window sticker. Our test vehicle went from a starting price of $81,505 (with delivery) to $84,065 via a short list of options that included a trailer-towing package, second-row captain’s-chair seating, and Burgundy Velvet Metallic paint. Among Platinums, 4-wheel drive comes at a $3145 premium over rear-wheel-only motivation, and a Max costs $3025 more than a “standard-length” 4×4.

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With a wheelbase of 131.6 inches and total length of 221.9 inches, Maxes are 9.1 and 11.9 inches longer, respectively, than “standard-length” models. Inside, the real gain manifests itself in cargo room—there’s 16.9 cubic feet more of it in the long-body Expedition. Passenger volume, on the other hand, is essentially identical (based on Ford’s figures, the third row in the Max has 0.1-inch more headroom and 0.1-inch more shoulder room), and it certainly is generous. Legroom for front- and middle-row passengers ranges from really good to excellent, depending on where the adjustable seats are set up, and a couple of adults sitting in the third row get no worse than passable legroom even with the middle seats tracked as far back as they’ll go. One of our editors who has a couple of small children said they liked sitting in the third row: “It was like their own little clubhouse back there.”

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With the captain’s chairs it’s almost as easy to get to the third row by walking between the seats as it is to use the tilt-and-slide feature that makes it possible to pass behind them. (With the standard second-row bench seat, passenger capacity tops out at eight.) The backs of the captain’s chairs fold utterly flat and in line with the cargo floor, but with considerable gaps around them, which may complicate loading. The 60/40-split third-row seat backs retract via power switches in the cargo bay’s left sidewall. Second-row seats can also be dropped remotely. There’s hidden storage in trays beneath the floor of the ample cargo hold that’s accessible through a hands-free power liftgate.

The twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 in the Platinum develops 400 horsepower and 480 lb-ft of torque, which is 25 more horsepower and 10 additional pound-feet than the same engine makes in other Expeditions. It moves the truck with surprising eagerness, particularly in “Sport” driving mode, and enjoys the assistance of an utterly unobtrusive 10-speed automatic transmission that kicks down in a trice for passing bursts, then quickly and smoothly returns to the higher gears. You’ll want it to get back up there, too, because that’s where the gas savings are, such as they may be. The 141 miles that CGers put on the 2020 tester worked out to 16.8 mpg, which was 1.5 to 2.4 mpg better than they got from 2018 and ’19 Expeditions, but the latest run was the only one with a majority of highway miles. The EPA rates this powerteam at 16 mpg in city use, 21 mpg on the highway, and 18 combined.

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An object as big as an Expedition Max will demand some care in parking and close-quarters maneuvering, but there’s nothing daunting to the nicely tuned and weighted steering. Even rolling on 22-inch alloy wheels, as the Platinum does, ride is comfortable. Throw in generous personal-item storage, plentiful luxury appointments and conveniences, and a cooperative infotainment system, and it’s clear that there’s a lot to it.

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