Test drive Ford Excursion 2000 - 2005 SUV

Gargantua

His personal imperial majesty bomb -carrier, Mountain Oren, struck the imagination of Guy. It was a truly monstrous machine. And it was completely impossible to imagine that she was able to climb into the air. Her ribbed narrow body, decorated with numerous gold emblems, was long, like a street. The gigantic wings extended menacingly and majestically ... It was far from the house, but the blades of six huge propeller almost touched the earth. The bomb car stood on three wheels in several human robes each ... to the shining glass, the silver thread of a light aluminum staircase led to a dizzying height ... Guy, lifting his head, stood on weakened legs, trembling with reverence, and as his words of a friend struck his friend's words with thunder Poppy:

- Well, a chest, Massaraksh! .. Sorry, Prince-House, involuntarily escaped ...

“There is no other,” the prince -horizon answered dryly. - By the way, this is the best bomb car in the world ...

Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. Inhabited island. 1968

Upon learning that I have to test the Ford Excursion, I was agitated: is it necessary for its driving an open category C in rights? In the car dealership, I was confidently informed that the car falls under category B (let me remind you that it allows vehicles to drive vehicles up to 3,500 kg), and I went with a calm soul to shoot. While the photographer was busy in the cabin, took out the technical documentation and read the following in it: the total mass is 4177 kg. It’s like, it’s only before the first post of the traffic police ... But I didn’t have to talk with the inspectors that day, they didn’t seem to notice a huge car that broke the rules before their eyes, then turning it in an wrong place, then turning over through a double solid . Do not notice, and okay ...

Outside, Excursion is a monstrosen, a kind of slightly hewn brick, to which the epithet is beautiful in principle. If you look in front, the edge of the hood is located somewhere at the eye level, and this circumstance slightly presses on the psyche. (I quite understand pedestrians who stopped before the transition even to green, seeing that Excursion is approaching it.)

On the sides there are wide -time steps with backlight, the meaning of which you understand after you decide to pass (just like that) to the salon. To do this, open a huge door, stand on the bandwagon (otherwise it will not work) and calmly, almost without bending, step to the driver's seat. All the adjustments, unlike the passenger, are electrical - only the angle of inclination of the back changes manually. However, this does not interfere with quickly choosing a convenient landing - at the same time I want to leave the steering wheel in the extreme upper position. The steering wheel has well-chosen diameter and section, on two wide knitting needles there are cruise control buttons.

Under the wheel, there were a classic American gearbox lever (poker) and two steering wheel switches, heads of wipers and turn signals. Light control is made in a European manner - a rotating handle to the left of the steering wheel, a similar handle on the right is responsible for the modes of work of the transmission. There are three of them: rear -wheel drive full and full with the inclusion of a lowering gear.

The instrument shield looks rather archaic - mainly due to the mechanical odometer and the mechanical switch indicator of the automatic transmission mode. In the middle of the torpedo (the central console is absent), a microclimate control unit and a 2Din radio size are located. Passengers of the second row can adjust the temperature for themselves, for this there is a separate control unit at the back on the ceiling, air ducts are also carried out.

The interior decoration is designed in light colors, which is why the colossal salon seems even greater. It has everything that is so cute to the Americans: the cup holders - you come across them everywhere (I counted ten pieces), huge pockets in the doors - apparently, under a very large small thing, a huge container between the front seats, which will fit the road refrigerator without any problems, and T.D.

I liked the double sunscreen visors. If you throw back the main visor to the side - from the side sun, there will be another one that can be thrown forward, which is very convenient if you go along a winding road. The passengers of the second (middle) series will be comfortable even by the three of them, and if they are slightly squeezed, the fourth will also take them without any problems. Almost the same picture in the third row, the only negative - the legs are cramped, they rest on the second row. So, we have at least eight people, and yet there is a double bench in the trunk. By the way, instead of two separate front seats, you can install a continuous sofa, and the car will become 9-seater. Excursion bus of clean water ...

The back door consists of three parts. To get into the trunk, you need to first throw up the glass, then alternately open to the sides of the right and left sash. At first glance, it is difficult, but this design has advantages - continuous glazing of the upper part improves the review back, and it is easier to handle the halves than with a solid door.

The trunk affects its size, and if you still remove the third row of seats and fold the second ... It is very convenient if you need, for example, several refrigerators at a time.

The car is equipped with a huge 10-cylinder V-shaped engine of the Triton family with a volume of 6.8 liters and a capacity of 310 hp. To see him, you will have to climb the bumper or resort to the help of a stepladder.

According to the company, the V10 engine is the most popular among buyers of Excursion.

Alternative: 255-horsepower V8 with a volume of 5.4 liters and 250-horsepower 7.3 l of the V8 turbodiesel.

A small historical and technical retreat. Ford Excursion first appeared in 1999 as a 2000 model. This was not preceded by either magnificent presentations at car dealerships, or noisy advertising campaigns.

The car was quietly shown at some exhibition in Texas, after which it was just as quietly put on sale. But Excursion is almost 200 mm longer than Chevrolet Suburban - in the USA, where everything is very fond of, it would be logical to scream at all corners, and then silence ...

The reason for this modesty, apparently, lies in the exorbitant volume (and, accordingly of gluttony) of the engine of this car - in the USA the green movement, although it did not gain the strength that in Europe but can say its word. And from a technical point of view, Excursion is not a novelty - this is a concerns of a working truck, a Ford F -250 Super Duty pickup.

The inheritance from the pickupa car got a powerful supporting frame, uncertain bridges on springs, an automatic transmission with a low-wheel drive system with a pneumatic shutdown, the front axle at a speed of up to 95 km/h ...

In the car dealership, they warned: the first time be very careful - the car is large, and its dimensions need to be used for a long time, the right front corner is especially bad. Good. I carefully go beyond the gates of the salon - and immediately a surprise. I did not have time to turn on the turn signal when leaving the secondary street to the main one, as I am already inferior to the road. I spend an experiment. In a dense city stream, I begin, not including the turn signal, to be slightly served to the right. Fantastic - cars instantly part, freeing me a place. In general, others adapted to the dimensions of Excursion much faster than me.
And they did the right thing - the height of the car is such that medium -sized cars on the right side from the driver’s place are simply not visible. To make life easier for their drivers, they came up with an original little thing - duplicate turn signals in the side mirrors of the rear view. They are made of LEDs - in the form of an arrow indicating the direction of rotation. The driver is almost not visible to the driver and therefore does not distract him, but it is clearly noticeable from the side. If someone is inadvertently attached close to the Excursion board, he will have the opportunity to get out of the road in time.

The car is prudently equipped with a warning system that operates when reversing - like Parktronic. 1.5 m before the obstacle, she begins to bake, and when about 25 cm remains before it, the squeak becomes continuous. Given the dimensions of Excursion and no visibility back, this system is indispensable in parking. It is a pity that it is not in front - if you come close to a typewriter type Daewoo Tico or Oka, it disappears from the field of view, and, forgetting, the driver at starting from the traffic light can easily trample the poor thing. It remains to hope for a patented BlockerBeam system - a power tube element installed under the front bumper, which prevents the diving of a passenger car under Excursion: Actual during frontal clashes. The towing device under the rear bumper performs a similar task ...

I go to the Moscow Ring Road and occupy the extreme left row. I go calmly, relaxed, the cars that I roll up, are not hesitation - regardless of the degree of their coolness. Something today the left row rides somehow slowly. The traffic police picket loomed ahead, for order I glance at the speedometer - h -moch, I have a speed of 140! And it seemed - 90-100. Actively slow down, the benefit of the brakes is powerful - all the circular ventilated ones, but it is not so easy for them to stop this colossus. On the pedals, the force is small, and you can easily predict the braking distance. What did not like was the scouring of the car, especially unpleasant when braking with high speed.

The motor has a very flat characteristic, so acceleration evenly in the entire speed range. A twitching machine, sometimes out of place, and even with strong jerks, switching the gearboxes somewhat spoils the picture. For example, food is calm in a dense stream, you need to accelerate a little, easily and smoothly press the gas, and the box suddenly shuts down a low gear - the engine roar, and Excursion jumps forward sharply. Perhaps the settings of the electronic control unit of control of the box are to blame, the main task of which is to provide Excursion with the ability to calmly drag a trailer weighing 4.5 tons along the hilly road.

The sound of the motor is a separate theme. When starting from a traffic light, when the turns rise above 4000, there is a feeling that a bomber flies somewhere nearby on a shaving one. The acceleration is quite decent (other cars will envy), but, of course, not missile - remember how much the car weighs.

On a flat road, the dispersed Excursion is confident - it seems that nothing will stop him. And the faster, the more comfortable the suspension becomes. Air pillow tank. The speed capabilities of the car are artificially limited to 155 km/h. And right, because the choice of trajectory when passing turns and even more sharp maneuvering even at a much lower speed - akin to the game, guess.

The steering is equipped with a powerful amplifier - huge wheels can be easily turned even on the spot, but in the turns on the steering wheel there is no information content. (With a pressed brake, the steering wheel eats, and it is very difficult to turn it. Apparently, the brake amplifier and the steering wheel amplifier are powered by one pump, and when they are jointly, it can no longer cope with its duties.)

There is no point in checking the EXCURSION off -road capabilities - with a wheelbase of 3480 mm, it will sit on the very first hill, and in a large mud almost 3.2 tons of weight (without cargo) will be a serious test for the power unit, even if the engine develops a torque of 576 nm. . Yes, and the cost of the car (about $ 35,000 in the USA and twice as much in Moscow) is unlikely to cause a strong desire to plant him on the ears ...

Returning home after the test - already in my car - I again ran into our usual unmotivated road rudeness. But just half an hour ago, everyone gave way to me ... Apparently, that you are respected on the road, you need to ride on something big and terrible. However, in fact, Excursion was quite friendly. The only thing he scared me was with his appetite: the impassive on -boarding computer gave out impressive 40.5 liters by100 km.

Text: Alexander Nadens
 
 

Source: Motor magazine [No. 10/1997]