# Thoughts On Ford Excursion Diesels



## Reverie (Aug 9, 2004)

I am considering the purchase of a used (obviously) diesel Ford Excursion. I would like people's thoughts about this vehicle. I pull an '03 28 BHS.

I am particularly interested in hearing what it is like to live with this as a daily driver. What kind of mileage are you getting both around town and on the road, particularly when you tow. Does it pull with authority or is it a struggle. What kind of reliability issues do you know of?

I am attracted to the turbo diesel for the power, the three rows of seats and the ability to equip it in a variety of ways.

Your thoughts,

Reverie


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

X2...

I've always been a bit taken with the Excursion myself. It would be interesting to know how it does as a daily driver.

Happy Trails,
Doug


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## jasonrebecca (Oct 30, 2007)

I have made a few road trips in one, and the owner said that it went through front brakes like crazy. It was a ford issue and was resolved with a recall if I remember. Fit 6 adults and our junk for a weekend in Portland for CART races easily.
He also towed horses without a problem.


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

My last supervisor had one with the 6.0L Diesel. He said he could get 18mpg on the highway if he behaved. (I don't think he did very often though)








The torque in any of those diesel trucks is impressive. The accelleration while getting on the expressway with him driving gave the impression of being in a sport sedan, not a truck.


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## MJRey (Jan 21, 2005)

I tried a couple of years ago to buy an Excursion but couldn't get DW to agree to get it since it would have been her daily driver. Nice trucks but I would recommend that you check out the maintenance history on any one you look at. The best way I've found to do this is to post the VIN at the following site:

http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/601810-o...est-thread.html

One of the guys there will get the OASIS (Ford Maintenance History) report for the truck and you'll be able to see if it's had any problems that would be a concern. They usually respond in a day or two but this time of year the response might be a bit slower. A few months ago I saw a truck that looked really nice until I got the report that showed it had been in the shop for numerous problems.


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## ChopperCop (Oct 2, 2005)

Love it, Love it, Love it. Both as a daily driver and as a tow vehicle. More room than I could ever use with just three in the family. On trips, We lay the center seats flat and my daughter sits on the third row seat with more leg room than she knows what to do with.

Around town in stop & go traffic, we get 15.5. Without the stop and go city traffic we get 18. Up to 21 on the highway unloaded. 10.5 Pulling the trailer.

Did I mention that we Love it????

Bob


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## mom2countrykids (Sep 25, 2007)

Mine isn't diesel, but it IS my car! I love it! I love the room! I can put kids, friends and still have room for 2 weeks groceries. What I don't like is the gas milage. IF we could find a diesel we would trade. It is the only non diesel we own.


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## Richard1 (Oct 7, 2007)

I have also been thinking of getting a excursion and have done alot of research on them. The V10 gas and smaller gas engines have aluminum heads which have had numerous problems of blowing the plugs right out of the head and cost $1800 to $2000 dollars to fix. Ford will not do a recall on these, the number 3 and 5 cyl plugs sometime have only 3 to 4 threads holding them in, do a search on the intrernet on ford blowing plugs, the stories are frightening. If you search the intrenet you will find that the later diesels were better. I will have to decide between the 2500 suburban or the V10 excursion, of course used. www.timesert.com even has something like a Heli coil kit just for the V10 and smaller gas engines for the Ford aluminum head,thats how much of a problem it has been.

Rich



Reverie said:


> I am considering the purchase of a used (obviously) diesel Ford Excursion. I would like people's thoughts about this vehicle. I pull an '03 28 BHS.
> 
> I am particularly interested in hearing what it is like to live with this as a daily driver. What kind of mileage are you getting both around town and on the road, particularly when you tow. Does it pull with authority or is it a struggle. What kind of reliability issues do you know of?
> 
> ...


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## outbackgeorgia (Jan 28, 2004)

Nick,
You could get up to Amicalola Falls in that!

Dave


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## GarethsDad (Apr 4, 2007)

Which engine were you looking at 6.0l or the 7.3l . If it were me I'd go with the 7.3l, there were numerous problems with the 6.0l. Also the 7.3l was reported to get better mileage than the 6.0l and there is no replacment for displacement. I'm looking for a 1999- 2002 f250 or f350 7.3l crew cab as the new to me TV. James


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

ChopperCop said:


> Love it, Love it, Love it. Both as a daily driver and as a tow vehicle. More room than I could ever use with just three in the family. On trips, We lay the center seats flat and my daughter sits on the third row seat with more leg room than she knows what to do with.
> 
> Around town in stop & go traffic, we get 15.5. Without the stop and go city traffic we get 18. Up to 21 on the highway unloaded. 10.5 Pulling the trailer.
> 
> ...


...so you like it?


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## masumangan (Sep 3, 2006)

Been driving my new-to-me '03 Excursion w/ the 6.0L diesel for about 3 weeks now. It's my daily driver for an 11 mile commute on city surface streets. I hit a light every 1/2 to 1 mile and I've been averaging 15.5 to 16.0 mpg. On the highway I'm looking at 19+. I try and keep my foot out of it, but when the turbo kicks in the acceleration is very, very impressive for any vehicle, let alone an 8,000 lb truck with leather seats and enough room for a small African tribe!

BTW I'll get around to changing my signature block pretty soon ;-)


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## cookie9933 (Feb 26, 2005)

The Excursion and the F-250 Super-Duty pickups are basically the same unit, except for body style. I can't tell you about the Excursion's differences, but I can tell you about our F-250's similarities.

The 6.0 liter Powerstroke is one impressive engine. Pulling our 27RSDS, we often leave everybody else behind when leaving a stoplight. A little turbo lag for a second and then you're GONE. Towing, we get 12-13 mpg at 65 mph but the engine isn't broken in yet with only 10,000 miles on it. On the open road at 55-60 mph without Outback, we see about 20 mpg.

As far as comfort as a daily driver, I like the vehicle. The ride isn't exactly plush being a solid axle 4X4, but it doesn't even come close to beating you to death. If I didn't have a car to drive that gets better milage, I could see driving it every day.

Lastly, you will flat-out enjoy being in command of a big brawny diesel Excursion. That's my prediction. It's a real machine.

Bill


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

GarethsDad said:


> Which engine were you looking at 6.0l or the 7.3l . If it were me I'd go with the 7.3l, there were numerous problems with the 6.0l. Also the 7.3l was reported to get better mileage than the 6.0l and there is no replacment for displacement. I'm looking for a 1999- 2002 f250 or f350 7.3l crew cab as the new to me TV. James


The 7.3L was a great engine. However, I have driven both in the Excursion (just around town driving, nothing to evaluate fuel economy), and there is no competition in the power department. No replacement for displacement applies to air available (a key ingredient for combustion







), not just cylinder size. The 6.0L's turbo more than compensates for the smaller pistons!


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

All in all, it's a shame the Excursion was driven out of the market. It seems that a large diesel SUV such as the Excursion or a Suburban makes a near ideal tow vehicle, and okay - if not great - commuter.

Happy Trails,
Doug


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

PDX_Doug said:


> All in all, it's a shame the Excursion was driven out of the market. It seems that a large diesel SUV such as the Excursion or a Suburban makes a near ideal tow vehicle, and okay - if not great - commuter.
> 
> Happy Trails,
> Doug


Couldn't agree with you more Doug! Why we can't get a good full size SUV with a Diesel is a real question. The Excursion wasn't the most refined interior, but it was a great TV. Maybe once all of these diesel emissions regs sort out and manufacturers figure out how to meet them, we can get back to the point where there is a fuel efficient SUV that can haul people and tow a house!


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## rms0726ea (Aug 9, 2006)

You will love pullin your TT with either model (6.0L or 7.3L). As mentioned above, if you can find a 7.3L that would be my first choice also. But, they are getting harder & harder to find. The 7.3L's seems to get a bit better fuel milage in my opinion - from the 4 friends I have with the 6.0L. Nothing wrong with the 6.0L but some 2003 + 2004 models had turbo, head gasket & coolant spittin' problems. Not all of them had the problem but a quick VIN check or Oasis report will show if you got one of the good ones. 2005+ models have been pretty solid.

As a daily driver , no problem. I use my F-250 as a daily driver for work and I get 15 mph city, 18 mpg highway doing 75 mph, and 17 mpg doing 80 mph. Pullin ou 31' fifth wheel we average 11-13 depending on terrain & speed. You should be about the same. The diesel has some different maintenace than gassers but here are two excellent sites you can find tons of info and maybee find one for sale also.

She will pull with authority and then some

Ford Truck Enthusiasts.com

Powerstroke Nation.com

Best of luck and enjoy the test driving!


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## phxbrit (Jul 24, 2007)

Have you looked at what they cost yet? They are a good demonstration of supply and demand. For about $3,000 to $10,000 more you can get crew cab 3/4 ton deisel pickup new. We considered this option a few months ago and were shocked at how hard they were to find and how much they cost. The tight supply is driving up the price. If you don't absolutely need a third row of seating it won't be a good value as you are paying for the limited supply and not neccessarily the vehicle's worth.

Just my 2 cents.


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## rhanna (Oct 20, 2005)

They are GREAT!! We are on our 2nd one and are so dissappointed that they stopped making them. They are safe, comfortable and get great mileage 16-18 city and 21+ hwy. depending on how fast you drive. I like the 6.0L over the 7.3L because of noise and 5-speed auto torque shift transmission but think the 7.3L was actulally a better engine. Great thing is the 100,000 mile warranty. We had an issue last month and all we had to pay was $100 deductable. I would buy another one again!!!!!

Rob


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

This is great information guys. Are you listening out there, Ford?

Happy Trails,
Doug


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## Mark C and Family (Jan 21, 2007)

I have owned a 2005 Excursion Limited 4X4 6.0PDS with 27K for about 5 months. I used to tow my 26KBRS with an 05 F150 Screw, but knew I needed a bigger truck. I have 4 kids.

I LOVE this vehicle for hauling family, towing and cruising on the highway. It handles the loads without a problem and can really get up and go. I have had no problems with the 6.0PSD and feel it will be very reliable. Only problem I have had is one of the hubs would not engage in 4 wheel - dealer replaced it as the truck is still in warrenty.

You will find a few things:
1 - lots of people have opinions about the 7.3 vs 6.0. I opted to buy the 6.0 because I wanted a newer, lower mileage truck. In order to ensure I did not get one of the 6.0 produced before they worked out the bugs, I bought an '05 truck. This was the last year they made them.
2 - The steering is not crisp and true like a car, nor even like some of the newer trucks. I have had to have an alignment and had the shop work over the front end by tightening up all of the bolts and putting a couple of quarter turns on the steering box. It is better, far better, but not as good as my '05 F150.
3 - The rear ends are a bit soft as they tried to make them more comfortable for the people in the rear seats. A good Equalizer hitch solves this problem. I am also considering a spring swap for F250 springs, and possibly a Hellwig sway bar.
4 - Gas mileage is as stated above by several others. Stay off the pedal and you will see an improvement.
5 - I use mine as a daily driver. It is ok until I need to go downtown for meetings or where parking is tight or in a parking garage. The steering radius is pretty poor.
6 - Absolutely do a Car Fax and OASIS report on any vehicle you consider
7 - I actually went to another state to buy mine. I could not find one that met my expectations and needs in Colorado, so traveled to another state to purchase. As it was still under the manufacture warranty, I was ok with the fact I could not get service from the dealer where I purchased it.
8 - Do not buy an Excursion with the 5.4L gasser if you plan to use if for serious towing. If you can afford the cost of the diesel, it is the best option in my opinion. The V10 is also a great powerful option for less money but you will suffer with gas consumption.

If you continue to do serious towing, it a great way to go. Good luck in finding the right truck. Someone put the Ford Truck Enthusiasts web site link above - I highly recommend you spend some time on that in the Excursion and 6.0PSD discussions.


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