Expedition vs Yukon

[DuraYuk]

There are pros and cons for each full size.

I'm not of the opinion that the gap between GM products and others is so wide that it would cause the average consumer to not consider anything other than GM products or to endure significantly longer waits. However, I do expect that sentiment to be more frequent on a GM forum due to some confirmation bias.

I'm not a fan of the 2023 Sequoia because it's not offered in the extended wheel base, doesn't use independent rear suspension, and doesn't offer a non-hybrid option.

I'm not too concerned with resale value because all of our cars have over 125k miles on them. When I buy them, I assume they're going to be worth $0 by the time I'm done with them. In fact, 2 out of my 4 previous cars have grenaded their engines close to their expected end of life. My 335i decided to self ventilate through the bottom and take out the steering rack while I was at VIR.

Yeah sounds like you have it all figured out. Like I said roll with it if she likes it. Tons on the lots.

 

[squark]

There are pros and cons for each full size.

I'm not of the opinion that the gap between GM products and others is so wide that it would cause the average consumer to not consider anything other than GM products or to endure significantly longer waits. However, I do expect that sentiment to be more frequent on a GM forum due to some confirmation bias.

I'm not a fan of the 2023 Sequoia because it's not offered in the extended wheel base, doesn't use independent rear suspension, and doesn't offer a non-hybrid option.

I'm not too concerned with resale value because all of our cars have over 125k miles on them. When I buy them, I assume they're going to be worth $0 by the time I'm done with them. In fact, 2 out of my 4 previous cars have grenaded their engines close to their expected end of life. My 335i decided to self ventilate through the bottom and take out the steering rack while I was at VIR.

There are definitely pros and cons to each. I have a 2018 Expedition Max that I bought new. At the time, Ford had a lot of advantages over the GMs like independent rear suspension, panoramic moonroof, 2nd row seats that slid forward/back and tipped forward with a car seat in place, 3rd row latch anchors, center headrests, and higher safety and tow ratings. The 2021+ GMs caught up on several things, and they offer extras like a head-up display and air suspension.

I've loved my Expedition, but it's had a ton of problems: cam phasers x2, turbo wastegate rattle, leaking rear differential, transmission slipping into neutral while driving, sunroof, 6 blown factory shocks, bad ignition coil, faulty horn, etc. I started thinking about replacing it and rented a Yukon XL on Turo. It overall package really impressed me. We have a travel trailer and I like the suspension options on the Yukon (magnetic shocks plus air springs). The family loved it and we ordered one, which I'm excited to get early next year (currently at status 3300).

2018 was the first year of the current gen Expedition, so a lot of my issues have been fixed in the newer models. I'm hoping the Yukon is more reliable for me. On a side note, before moving to full-sized SUVs for the family I was a BMWCCA member and did a few HPDEs at VIR. Great times. Thankfully I didn't blow an engine; that's no fun!

 

[greg_tahoe84]

I used to drive a 2019 navigator but also test drove the 2019 expedition. I also previously had a 2015 Tahoe and rented a 2020 Tahoe.

My observations:
The 3.5 ecoboost is an awesome awesome engine. I had zero issues in passing ability with it and it’s highway mileage is decent for a car of its size. The 5.3 may be a little smoother but not as punchy.

I always found ford’s interiors “felt” more plastic-y compared to recent GM models. My old 2015 Tahoe has a nicer quality interior. I also love the 2020+ Tahoe interior. The navigator is a different story of course which is luxurious as hell. Finally, I’m not sure how I feel about the expedition platinum’s full sized iPad on a dash look.

The 10 speed transmission I had in the navigator was far better than the noisy whiny 6 speed gm used back then. I’m glad gm is using the same transmission now.

Chevrolet has a much smoother and quieter ride than even my navigator. My 2015 Tahoe had one of the smoothest rides and it had the base suspension. I had a 2020 Tahoe LT as a rental and it was not much different.

I currently have a BMW x7 m50i with the 4.4 tt v8. While it is probably the best driving vehicle I have had, I find myself missing the cargo room and overall roominess of a larger full sized vehicle.

There are pros and cons to both but overall I always felt at home in a GM vehicle.

 

[Polo08816]

There are definitely pros and cons to each. I have a 2018 Expedition Max that I bought new. At the time, Ford had a lot of advantages over the GMs like independent rear suspension, panoramic moonroof, 2nd row seats that slid forward/back and tipped forward with a car seat in place, 3rd row latch anchors, center headrests, and higher safety and tow ratings. The 2021+ GMs caught up on several things, and they offer extras like a head-up display and air suspension.

I've loved my Expedition, but it's had a ton of problems: cam phasers x2, turbo wastegate rattle, leaking rear differential, transmission slipping into neutral while driving, sunroof, 6 blown factory shocks, bad ignition coil, faulty horn, etc. I started thinking about replacing it and rented a Yukon XL on Turo. It overall package really impressed me. We have a travel trailer and I like the suspension options on the Yukon (magnetic shocks plus air springs). The family loved it and we ordered one, which I'm excited to get early next year (currently at status 3300).

2018 was the first year of the current gen Expedition, so a lot of my issues have been fixed in the newer models. I'm hoping the Yukon is more reliable for me. On a side note, before moving to full-sized SUVs for the family I was a BMWCCA member and did a few HPDEs at VIR. Great times. Thankfully I didn't blow an engine; that's no fun!

I think most of those engine issues are largely resolved in these newer Expeditions. I would replace traditional shocks with the most premium Bilstein shocks/struts available unless it's CCD/Magneride.

I specifically wanted to stay away from the air suspension unless it's similar in design to the rear air suspension of the Ram 3500. The air bags supplement traditional leaf springs so when the air suspension fails, the vehicle is not squatted to the ground and undrivable. For the heavy duty tow package on the Expeditions, the rear coil springs are different part numbers compared to the non heavy duty tow package. They are likely to have different spring rates.

Apparently there are still some lifter issues with the GM V8s, but if you can DIY fix that without needing to pull the engine, that's a win in my book. I don't like the complexity of turbocharged engines like the Ford Ecoboost compared to naturally aspirated V8s. If the 5.0 Coyote was an option in the Expedition, I'd take it and give up the torque of the Ecoboost.

I think membership for BMW CCA is declining. BMW has lost its way. It's no longer the Ultimate Driving Machine as it was with the E36 and E46 M3s. These days, you have to remove one of the coolant expansion tanks just to get to the oil filter on these G80 M3s.

 

[squark]

I think most of those engine issues are largely resolved in these newer Expeditions. I would replace traditional shocks with the most premium Bilstein shocks/struts available unless it's CCD/Magneride.

I specifically wanted to stay away from the air suspension unless it's similar in design to the rear air suspension of the Ram 3500. The air bags supplement traditional leaf springs so when the air suspension fails, the vehicle is not squatted to the ground and undrivable. For the heavy duty tow package on the Expeditions, the rear coil springs are different part numbers compared to the non heavy duty tow package. They are likely to have different spring rates.

Apparently there are still some lifter issues with the GM V8s, but if you can DIY fix that without needing to pull the engine, that's a win in my book. I don't like the complexity of turbocharged engines like the Ford Ecoboost compared to naturally aspirated V8s. If the 5.0 Coyote was an option in the Expedition, I'd take it and give up the torque of the Ecoboost.

I think membership for BMW CCA is declining. BMW has lost its way. It's no longer the Ultimate Driving Machine as it was with the E36 and E46 M3s. These days, you have to remove one of the coolant expansion tanks just to get to the oil filter on these G80 M3s.

I have the base suspension and switched to Bilstein 5100s. No problems since. I also have the heavy duty tow package, which has done well with our 33’ travel trailer. The Yukon I rented was more stable towing the trailer, but I’m guessing a lot of that was due to the magnetic shocks on the Denali. I use a ProPride hitch and have very little squat, but I still get pushed more than I’d like by trucks and crosswinds in the Expy. I ordered the Yukon with the air suspension for load leveling and stiffening the rear when towing, but I fear it breaking on a trip.

I agree about the turbo vs NA engine. The EcoBoost is really impressive, especially with the 3.73 rear end in the HD tow package. But I really like the simplicity of the 6.2L naturally aspirated pushrod engine. Hopefully the lifters are a non-issue now.

 

[Polo08816]

I had a chance to drive the Expedition last night and the 10 speed doesn't seem to shift as seamlessly or as smooth as the ZF 8 speed auto transmissions. Is this your experience with GMs since the transmission is shared between Ford and GM?

I've driven variations of the ZF 8HP in BMWs and even a Ram 2500 6.4 Hemi. I've also driven the ZF 8HP in an track/HPDE environment and it impresses me for an automatic transmission. I believe the BMW Motorsport vehicles like the M235iR are using the street version of the ZF 8HP.

 

[mb1500]

The Ford guys are constantly whining about their 10 speeds. It’s all in the programming.

Not sure I’ve seen the first complaint about the 10 speed in a GM, very minimal if any.

 

[zbad55]

Who knows how they program and calculate the shift points, the 10 speed in my Denali is seemless in shift points and duration.

 

[Saltydog]

I had a chance to drive the Expedition last night and the 10 speed doesn't seem to shift as seamlessly or as smooth as the ZF 8 speed auto transmissions. Is this your experience with GMs since the transmission is shared between Ford and GM?

I've driven variations of the ZF 8HP in BMWs and even a Ram 2500 6.4 Hemi. I've also driven the ZF 8HP in an track/HPDE environment and it impresses me for an automatic transmission. I believe the BMW Motorsport vehicles like the M235iR are using the street version of the ZF 8HP.

I have owned a few ZF8sp and to this day it is the best transmission I have ever driven, in fact, my DD is a Ram.

The 10sp in our Yukon is pretty darn good and I have no complaints, but the ZF still has better programming and shift quality.

Where the ZF really shines, downshifting! It is so instant, never have I seen a trans perform like that. The GM 10sp is a bit lazy in downshifting, but much better than the 2016 GMC 8sp I had(goodness that was the worst trans)

 

[greg_tahoe84]

I have owned a few ZF8sp and to this day it is the best transmission I have ever driven, in fact, my DD is a Ram.

The 10sp in our Yukon is pretty darn good and I have no complaints, but the ZF still has better programming and shift quality.

Where the ZF really shines, downshifting! It is so instant, never have I seen a trans perform like that. The GM 10sp is a bit lazy in downshifting, but much better than the 2016 GMC 8sp I had(goodness that was the worst trans)

It’s definitely better than the 6 speed I had on my 2012 avalanche and 2015 Tahoe.