Last designed in 2019, the 2021 Ford Expedition features a fully independent suspension and a turbocharged V6 engine. It’s comfortable, competent, and capable for carrying up to eight passengers and their gear. The Expedition Max adds length and capacity, stretching out its tail by nearly a foot. The 2021 Suburban introduces an all-new generation, and offers plenty of seating space, a huge cargo area, and great performance and handling. Two large SUVs to choose. Let’s look at both.
Design
The Expedition is a large three-row SUV that seats up to eight passengers plus their cargo. Its interior is full of luxury and plush seats, but also has some plastic trimmings. It features comfortable seating, with enough room to seat adults in the third row with plenty of legroom. The exterior features a wide, expressive grille that frames its headlights and is trimmed with metallic accents. The standard wheelbase features 104.6 cubic feet of maximum cargo space and the longer wheelbase will give you 121.4 feet of cargo room. Standard features include leather-wrapped steering wheel with cruise and audio control, power-folding third-row seats, cargo bin, and tri-zone auto climate control. Each trim adds more features including a heating steering wheel, power tilt and telescoping steering column with memory, and rear auxiliary climate controls. Additional luxury features in the King Ranch and Platinum trims include heated and ventilated 10-way power driver and passenger captain’s chairs, power lumbar and power recline driver and passenger captain’s chairs, Del Rio leather seating, leather door-trim accents, premium wrapped leather steering wheel, and leather door-trim accents. Trims include the XLT, Limited, King Ranch, and Platinum.
The 2021 Suburban is notably larger, with more cargo and passenger space. It seats up to nine in this three-row large SUV; and a front-row bench seat is optional on the LS trim. Second-row bucket seats in the Premier trim drops capacity to seven passengers. Its second and third rows have a couple more inches of legroom, and cargo area expands by 23 cubic feet, having 145 total cubic feet. Its new independent rear suspension and design make the load floor flatter and lower. The Suburban also gets sliding second-row seats for the first time and an optional power-folding functionality for the rear seats that can be controlled from multiple places inside the SUV. It comes with cloth upholstery, power adjustable front seats, and manually adjustable second- and third-row bench seats. Leather upholstery is available, as well as heated and ventilated front seats, heated second-row seats, power-folding third-row seats, and a heated steering wheel. The Suburban is offered in six trim levels: LS, LT, RST, Z71, Premier, and High Country.
Safety and Technology
The Expedition features the latest driver-assistance technology with its standard Ford Co-Pilot 360 that includes pre-collision assist with automatic emergency braking, blind spot information system with cross-traffic alert, auto high-beam headlamps, lane keep assist, and a rear-view camera. Standard technology features include the SYNC 3 infotainment system with an 8.0-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, voice recognition, satellite radio, Wi-Fi hotspot, and four SUB ports. A navigation system, wireless device charging, third-row USB ports, HD radio, and premium 12-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system is available.
The Suburban offers similar standard and advanced safety features to feel secure on the road. Standard advanced safety features include a rearview camera with hitch guidance, rear parking sensors, forward collision warning with pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, automatic high-beam headlights, Teen Driver, and rear-seat alert. Lane departure warning with lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring with rear cross traffic alert, front parking sensors, surround-view parking camera system, and safety alert seat. The Premier and High Country trims feature adaptive cruise control, a head-up display, and a rearview mirror with an integrated camera display.
Performance and Pricing
All trims come with a 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 turbocharged engine and 375 horsepower, except the Platinum will give you 400 horsepower. They come with a ten-speed automatic transmission and either rear- or four wheel-drive on all trims. All models can tow up to a maximum 9,300 pounds. RWD will give you 17/23 mpg city and highway and AWD will give you 16/21 mpg city/highway. Pricing starts at $55,000 for the XLT trim and ranges to a starting price of $76,000 for the Platinum trim.
The Suburban comes standard with a 5.3-liter V8 engine with 355 horsepower and 383 lb-ft of torque. It is paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission. Four-wheel drive is available on all trim levels and standard on the Z71. The High Country trim gets a 6.2-liter V8 with 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque. An optional turbocharged 3.0-liter six-cylinder diesel engine with 277 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque is available on every Suburban trim except the Z71. The Suburban has a maximum towing capacity of 7,300 pounds. The Max Trailering package will give you a towing capacity of 8,300 pounds. Its 5.3-liter V8 engine will give you 16/20 mpg in the city and on the highway and the 6.2-liter V8 will give you 15/20 mpg city/highway. Pricing starts at $51,700 for the LS trim and ranges to a starting price of $72,300 for the High Country trim.
Conclusion
The 2021 Ford Expedition offers a comfortable, classy cabin, and capable performance with its turbocharged V6 engine and powerful towing capacity. The 2021 Chevrolet Suburban is capable as it delivers a strong performance, a comfortable cabin with lots of room, and is packed with plenty of features to keep you safe and entertained. Both SUVs have a solid list of standard and available features with a well-rounded performance. The Suburban will give you that long-wheelbase and the Expedition will give you a choice.