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Auto Profile: 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe vs. Ford Expedition
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| Quick Comparison |
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| Updated |
Mar 17, 2005 19:41:50 |
| Rating |
 292 ( -25 -8.56% ) | | Author | Phil Ruth |
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Description:
By now, we've all decided we either love or hate SUVs. Of course, the big ones have stirred the most debate, but despite the steady creep of gas prices, sales remain strong. In fact, both the Chevrolet Tahoe and the Ford Expedition are on track this year to sell close to 200,000 units each; big numbers to match big trucks.
How big? Compare the four-wheel drive Tahoe to a similar Expedition XLT; the latter is 300 pounds heavier, and it tips the scales at 5,345 pounds. Two Focus ZX3s are lighter than one Expedition. It takes a lot of engine to move all this weight around, so both trucks have standard V8 engines. The Tahoe's 4.8-liter has a 43-horspower advantage over the Expedition's 4.6, but both score almost identically high in torque - 290 and 291 lb.-ft., respectively. These numbers result in swift off-the-line acceleration and a feeling of abundant power at low speeds, even while towing a boat. Inside, they're both top-drawer luxury vehicles - if one considers sheer space to be luxurious. It's easy to think it is after sitting in either the Tahoe or the Expedition; heads are far away from windows, legs are far from dashboards, and armrests are thick and wide. A driver and three passengers end up feeling as if they're all cozy in their own Barcaloungers. Not a bad way to spend a few hours, actually. Credit each vehicle's settled and smooth highway ride, which absorbs bumps that jitter smaller SUVs. Their suspensions are tuned toward the soft side, which allows them to go a-wallowing when the road gets wavy - it's all just noticeable enough to remind you that you are, in fact, driving a truck. The fuel mileage will do that if the ride doesn't. The standard Tahoe delivers EPA mpg ratings of 14 city/17 highway. Say you average 16 mpg - you'll end up filling the 26-gallon tank every 416 miles. At admittedly extreme San Francisco gas prices of $2.09 for regular, you'd pay $54 every week or so. Compare that to a midsize wagon like the Ford Taurus, which would average an equivalent 25-mpg rating for a range of 450 miles. Fill-ups in the 18-gallon tank would be about $38. Of course, the midsize wagon can't make let's-get-it-now antique shopping as fun as a full-size SUV can. Dropping the back seats in either vehicle opens a yawning maw in which to drop all manner of bulky items. And of course, there are those high-riding driving positions that dwarf all the poseurs in their Explorers and Rodeos. The going price for these kinds of luxuries ends up around the mid-thirties for an Expedition XLT and about $40K for an Eddie Bauer edition. The Tahoe starts at a parsimonious $27,857, but we doubt many buyers will forego such basics as air conditioning or a rear wiper. Check off all the boxes in Autoweb's options configuration tool, and you'll find yourself up around the Eddie Bauer Expedition's price tag. Such deluxe-level pricing reinforces the space-equals-luxury feel of these trucks. For those who have a need for their brawn, or those who simply want a lot of vehicle around them, the Expedition and Tahoe await.
-By Phil Ruth
Chevrolet Tahoe
Ford Expedition |
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