Off-Roading

Ford adds available FX4 Off-Road Package to 2020 Expedition Limited

Eileen Falkenberg-Hull
Dec 18, 2019, 2:25 pm

Ford has made a new FX4 off-roading package available for the 2020 Expedition.

Photo courtesy of Ford Motor Company

The 2020 Ford Expedition Limited delivers premium features and appointments that would be at home in the parking lot of any steak house in Texas. Add in the FX4 off-road package and the large SUV is also at home on most any Texas ranch road as well.

"There's a growing trend in people looking to enjoy rugged terrain without having to give up the refinement, comfort or convenience of getting there," said Devin McParlane, Ford Expedition consumer marketing manager.

2020 Ford Expedition Limited FX4 PackageThe package is only available on Expedition Limited models.Photo courtesy of Ford Motor Company

Research by MaritzCX shows that nearly 20 percent of Expedition owners use their vehicle for off-roading. Forty-five percent take their SUV hunting, camping, or fishing.

The FX4 package includes 32-inch all-terrain tires on 18-inch metallic gray-painted cast-aluminum rims, off-road-tuned shocks, seven underbody skid plates (including a new sand shield to protect turbocharger intercoolers, steel plates to protect steering gear, engine, transmission and transfer case, and a full-length guard for the fuel tank). The chin spoiler beneath the front bumper is shortened to improve approach angles for climbing over steep obstacles. There are also chrome-plated running boards with angular step bars.

FX4 badging adorns the liftgate, front fender, and key points inside the vehicle's cabin.

The model is powered by a standard 375-horsepower 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine that is paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission. It has a two-speed electronically controlled four-wheel-drive transfer case with neutral towing capability, electronic limited-slip differential, Terrain Management System, and heavy-duty radiator. Standard features include a 360-degree camera, rubber floor liners, and Ford Co-Pilot360 safety and driver assistance technology.

2020 Ford Expedition Limited FX4 PackageEach model comes with FX4 badging.Photo courtesy of Ford Motor Company

The Expedition can tow up to 9,200 pounds, leading its class.

The new 2020 Expedition Limited FX4 package is available on the standard Expedition and extended-length Expedition MAX versions. It is currently on sale at a Ford dealership near you. The 2020 Ford Expedition Limited starts at $63,885 including a destination charge and minus $1,500 in current incentives. The FX4 package adds $2,035 to the price tag.

Trending News

 
 

New off-road EV

Volkswagen will revive Scout name for new EVs

VW purchased the rights to the iconic Scout name and plans to make new EVs under the brand.

Volkswagen

Automakers bring back names and brands from the past all the time, but it's not every day that a major company purchases a brand name specifically for the purpose of reviving it. That's exactly what Volkswagen just did with Scout, the name of an ultra-popular off-road SUV that was built by International Harvester in the 1960s and 1970s.

As for the types of vehicles we'll see from the brand, we currently only have the renders to go on. The pickup truck and SUV both feature throwback styling that is reminiscent of the original Scout shapes. Beefy off-road tires and lifted suspension are the only other clues available in the drawings.

Volkswagen has its own EVs, and its other brands like Audi and Porsche have made significant progress with electric vehicles as well. That said, VW doesn't really have a solid off-road option from any of its brands at the moment, so the Scout purchase opens doors for the automaker in that arena.

The announcement sounds exciting, but we've still got plenty of time to wait before there's a Scout-branded EV on the roads. Volkswagen said the plan is to release vehicles by 2026, but it won't be sitting idle between now and then. The VW ID.4 is still very fresh and the automaker says it will launch a total of 25 new EVs in the U.S. by 2030.

Trending News

 
 

Advanced driver aids

IIHS may increase test speeds for crash prevention systems

The IIHS may increase the speeds it uses to test advanced driver aids.

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently announced that it is considering changing the speeds it uses to test vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention systems. The agency currently tests the systems at 12 and 25 mph, but says that the speeds don't accurately represent the types of crashes the safety tech is meant to prevent.

Front crash preventionwww.youtube.com

Automatic emergency braking (AEB) is designed to notify of a possible collision and help respond with automatic application of braking. Just like a human using the brake pedal, it can stop the car, but higher speeds make it difficult to stop in time. The new tests would be conducted at 35 to 45 mph, which is the range where a large number of rear-end crashes occur. As Automotive News noted, an IIHS study showed 43 percent of rear-end crashes occur at speeds of 45 mph or less, so it's important to have a test that shows how well the tech performs at those levels.

A whopping 85 percent of 2022 vehicles earned a "Superior" rating in the current testing regime, so the IIHS will remove it from 2023 testing and Top Safety Pick award evaluations. Their view is that, since the majority of vehicles meet the criteria, it's no longer an accurate way of evaluating performance. In its place, the agency introduced a night test for automatic emergency braking systems that will begin next year.

Trending News