Test drive Ford Expedition 1996 - 2002 SUV
Iceberg on wheels
Mystery: - Big, white, cool?
- Iceberg?
- They did not guess - Ford forwardshane.
- Why cool?
- So he has two air conditioners.
In the summer of 1996, the long -liver Ford -Bronko replaced the new model - forwarding house. To date, it is produced with a five -door body and drive only on the rear or on all wheels. It is equipped with an automatic gearbox and two types of engines - V -shaped eight with a working volume of 4.6 or 5.4 liters.
Until the beginning of the 90s, large American all----auters made it very simply: they took a pickup of a suitable size, cleaned the rear wall of the cabin, the body was covered with a roof, finished, and a second row of seats were installed inside. So, for example, from the F-150 pickup (ZR, 1997, No. 5), a three-door Ford Bronko was obtained. Other members of the Big Three had analogues: Chevrolet Blazer-V with General Motors and Dodge Remherder at Krysler. However, the active lifestyle that became fashionable presented to its attribute - an all -resistant car - new requirements. Migration from larynx to asphalt did not pass without a trace. It turns out that not only, and not so much, reliability as comfort and prestige, is important here. And what kind of comfort can be discussed if you have to escape to the rear seats bent into three deaths? The first to the market demands reacted to Ji-Em. Her all-terrain limousine Shevrolet Tahoe (GMC-Yukon) in a short time became popular not only in North America and sign, by the way, of Russia's motorists.
The long -playing Sababababan turned out to be too cumbersome for Europe and officially does not come here. But last year, Ford forwardships from this fall in the version adapted for Russia will be presented in our market. Anticipating this event, we introduce our readers with a large alternate. Except for special army equipment such as Hammer, today forwarding is one of the largest all -terrain vehicles in the world. Only Sabababan is superior to it - and then only with a length. The usual full-size Chevrolet Tahoe (GMC-Yukon) and the latest Dodge Durango lose to the all-terrain vehicle from Ford in all garatite-spring indicators.
So, we test Ford forwarding 5.4-4WD in the richest configuration of Eddie Bauer.
Exterior. From afar, especially from the back, it is not difficult to confuse forwardshop with an explorer and, only having come closer, you feel its true size. Next to him is by no means a small Landkruiser looks like a Doberman near a wolfhound. The overseas origin of the car gives out a massive chrome bumper - quite rare today. At the same time, the appearance of the forwardshop is quite harmonious and modern, so we will leave aside Ahi and Okha, but better, we’ll look at the photos presented here.
Interior. Climbing into the salon awakens in the shower a sense of confidence in the future: you open the door the size of a garage gate, and even with a triple seal, take up the monumental handle and, having stepped on a prudently lit wide step-sneaker, climb the salon in the size of our other small-sized apartment. Its interior to match the size - light gray skin furniture with the Eddie Bauer logo on the backs of the seats. The latter, as already mentioned, means the richest package. On three rows of seats, five basketball players and two rods can comfortably accommodate. For the latter - the third row, just the normal sizes of which may seem modest except in comparison with two front ones. The width of the salon at the shoulder level here is just for a pair of weightlifters - 160 cm! You can get back, folding - one of the four (!) Ways - the right chair of the middle row. In terms of comfort, all passengers are equalized. In addition to door glasses, the electric drive opens the rear side windows, so that in the cabin you can arrange a draft of any direction and strength. If you are not
it arranges a natural temperature, turn on the air conditioners - there are two of them here, and they cool separately the front and back of the cabin, and are controlled from three (!) remote controls. In the ceiling above the head of each passenger is a separate deflector. What else do you need so as not to feel life living in vain? Beer and music? No problem. For the first - eight holders (according to the number of crew members plus one spare). For the second - the Ford's radio with six speakers and a six -disc CD extension in voluminous boxing between the front seats. You can manage all this orchestra from the second row, a second remote is installed here for this. Well, have you relaxed? Pulling to lie down? And this is not a problem. The backs of not only the front seats, but also the middle row, are leaning back. Those who decide to relax more radically can quickly remove the rear sofa, fold the middle one - and at your disposal a roles with an area of \u200b\u200babout four square meters! Active natures can load Windsurfer here, a boat or, at worst, a three -chamber refrigerator. For smaller luggles, eight different pockets and messes are designed, including boxes for glasses on the ceiling.
From passive safety means - belts, four of which are adjusted in height the upper point of the mount, and two airbags. Children's loving drivers will be pleased with the children's blocking of the rear doors and the central locking of the electric windows. By the way, the rear windows are lowered incompletely, although with this size of the doors it would be possible to try to stuff them there entirely. Driving place. It will be convenient to get a job on it will help four electrical adjustments of the chairs (longitudinal, in height and tilt relative to the front and rear edges of the seat) and two mechanical ones (tilt of the back and lumbar backup). The chair itself is American architecture with a rather flat back and almost European rigidity. This leads to the fact that only e-e can be securely fixed in it ... Files of the size of fifty-eighth and higher. But the citizen, if desired, yells at his own pleasure. The steering wheel with cruise control buttons is also adjustable in height. Six dials are visible through it on the dashboard: a voltmeter, coolant temperature indicators, oil and fuel levels, as well as a speedometer and a tachometer. Under them, the line of the indicator of the range of the automatic four -speed gearbox: P, R, N, D, 2, 1. If there are many four gears in mode D, and two in mode 2 is not enough, you can leave only three, turning off the overdrave in the end of the range of the ranges . The latter is located in American - on the right on the steering column.
There is no usual bunch of levers on the tunnel of the floor here. But this is just concern for the driver, and by no means the scarcity of the possibilities of transmission. The modes of its work are selected using a four -position switch located next to the radio: 2N - rear -wheel drive, A4WD - all -wheel drive, 4N - full with locking differentials, 4L - full with locking plus low gear in the handout. Above the head in the middle is the screen of an on -board computer that calculates fuel consumption and a possible mileage on its rest in the tank. There are only two pedals, not counting another small on the left - the parking brake. The left leg not loaded with duties can be extended forward, although the bores will probably say that she needs a special platform.
Iron. The body is placed on a powerful steel frame using rubber pillows. The suspension is like in the field, only in front instead of springs - longitudinal torsions. The motor compartment from below is covered with a cross -member of the frame and a steel sheet. The engine is very unusual for an American car of this class: the V -shaped eight has the upper distribution shafts. But even on the modern sports corvette, the Yankees manage to put the lower motor with rods - as in victory. A relatively short hood made him partially push the rather large engine under the front glass. The gas tank from the bottom is protected by the pallet. The spare wheel using the winch is attracted from behind under the body.
Start key. A feeling of confidence in the future reaches its apotheosis when you go on the forward. Somewhere far below, Zhiguli and Mercedes are teeming. A little higher, but still below - Cheroki and Pajero. I really do not want to nimble in the stream on such a monster - it is not necessary. And when, with a uterine roar, like an express, he goes forward from a traffic light - this, I will tell you, another sight! Well, these are emotions, what are the facts say? Due to the high center of gravity, the forwardshane is characterized by the general cozing effect, although the large base makes it very moderate. Validity in corners also does not annoy too much - thanks to two reproach stability stabilizers. A powerful hydraulic wrap leaves just such an effort on the steering wheel so that it is not accused of non -informativeness. By the way, despite the impressive dimensions, the forwardshop is quite maneuverable. There is no visibility of problems: a sloping hood, a low glazing line, huge external mirrors with electrical adjustment and well -defined front racks allow you to easily control the situation outside. True, when reversing, I had to fold the back of the third row of seats, and all the more passengers sitting on it can prevent the view through the rear window.
We checked off -road qualities in an abandoned sand career. With the rear -wheel drive, Ford confidently moved around the smooth place, but on a small rise, the rear wheels buried on the hub - everything is logical. They turned on the A4WD mode - laying a deep track, the car crawled up the slope. Further exercises showed: just a full drive with more than enough for everything that can contrast us with a sand quarry. The huge torque of the engine in combination with the hydrotransformer of the automatic box eliminated the need to switch to a low gear. Its inclusion only forced the engine to work at slightly higher speeds. Activation of intericons and rear inter -axial differential locks allows rituals to row even more confidently.
Operation, service. Gray dealers offer custom -made forwarding forwards in the configuration of Eddie Bauer for 58 thousand dollars, however, without a guarantee and service base. The cost of an adapted car in the official dealers will presumably be 63 thousand for the basic configuration with a 4.5 liter engine and 70 thousand for an option with a more powerful engine. In this case, an annual warranty is given for the car without limiting the run. It can be implemented at one of more than twenty Fords, the cost of a norm-hour of work on which is $ 45. In the USA, where the basic version, by the way, costs 23 thousand dollars, depending on operating conditions, cars are served after 5 or 8 thousand km. For Russia, the mileage between that is increased to 10 thousand km - probably, adaptation will affect not only lighting equipment, but also the engine, and some transmission elements.
Summary: I want to say that Ford forwardshop is a powerful and reliable workshop for a farmer living in the wilderness, however in Russia the price and determination the largest, most likely, will become synonymous with the most steep phrase, and the expedition of the new Ford Vynamynik will not shed further than a suburban residence Its owner. In the urban stream, the forwardshop looks like a three -chamber refrigerator among vacuum cleaners.
When opening the doors, the steps are lit by special lanterns.
To pass to the rear sofa, the right seat in the middle row can be folded in four ways.
The front of the cabin. Above - the control panel of the second air conditioning.
With such dimensions of the luggage compartment ...
If the rear axle sat in the rear -wheel drive version, it does not matter. We connect the front ...
Technical characteristics of the Ford Espedish car 5.4-4WD
General data: number of places - 7; Equipped mass - 2360 kg; full weight - 3200 kg; maximum speed - 180 km/h; acceleration time from a place to 100 km/h - 10.0 s; fuel consumption for conditional European suburban and city cycles - 13.1; 18.1 l/100 km; fuel supply - 114 l; Fuel - unhealthy gasoline with an octane number 92. Dimensions, mm: length - 5200, width - 2000; Height - 1900; base - 3020; The track in front/back - 1660/1660; clearance - 200; trunk volume - 425/1336/3350 l; The turning radius is 6.3 m. Engine: with distributed electronic injection, an 8-cylinder V-shaped, with two upper distributions and two valves on the cylinder, located in front longitudinal; working volume - 5403 cm; cylinder diameter and piston stroke - 90.2x105.7 mm; compression degree - 9.0; Power - 171 kW/232 l. With. at 4250 rpm; Maximum torque - 441 NM at 3000 rpm. Transmission: drive - disconnected (in front) full; gearbox - 4 -speed, automatic; transmission numbers; I - 2.71; II - 1.54; III - 1.00; IV - 0.71; h. X. - 2.18; The main gear is 3.00; handout: I - 1.00; II - 2.69. Suspension: with reproach stabilizers, the front is independent torsioned on double transverse levers, the rear is a dependent spring on longitudinal and transverse levers. Brakes - hydraulic, with a vacuum amplifier, disk, front - ventilated. The steering is a rack with a hydraulic wrap. Tire size: 216/70R17.
+ A painful engine, spacious interior, excellent visibility, wide transmission opportunities.
- High gasoline consumption.
Source: The magazine "Driving"
