Battle of the (former) Titans
Once again, we availed ourselves of a
one-way SUV rental from Budget. After
last year’s GMC Yukon XL, “Hernando”, we opted this year for the FoMoCo
equivalent. He is a maroon Ford
Expedition Max (fka Excursion) we dubbed “COVID Adventurer”. So, our 2021 journey became a bit of a
comparison test.
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| 2021 COVID Adventurer |
As long-time followers may recall, we found “Hernando” to be a very satisfactory cross-country ride. Smooth, quiet, and comfortable with ample space for us, Fur-Admiral Maggie, and a huge pile o’ stuff. A very confident 80 mph cruiser with a full suite of “nanny” features to keep the inattentive driver out of trouble.
“COVID Adventurer”, while not quite so comprehensively equipped, provided comparable load capacity, speed, and range.
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| 2021 Cargo |
But he fell short in two important areas, IOHO:
- Fuel Economy: “ COVID Adventurer” retuned an average of 20.1 mpg or 2,865 miles, vs “Hernando’s” 21.0 mpg performance over a similar distance. This despite COVID Adventurer’s allegedly more efficient 3.5L twin-turbo “Ecoboost” V6 and 10-speed automatic. “Hernando’s” old-school (?) 5.3L V8 and 8-speed transmission. In this case, at least, Ford’s “Ecoboost” bet in the C.A.F.É.* races seems to have been misplaced. (Admittedly, 0.9 mpg is a small margin of victory, but it is compounded by the distance involved and the $1/gallon higher fuel prices we experienced this year. Sheesh!)
- Nanny features: We have no objections to systems in cars (or boats, for that matter) that warn the operator of matters requiring their attention. We do; however, object to those which add to the danger in the process. At issue is the lane departure warning feature. Both vehicles have the ability to sense when one is drifting too close to the lane edge and to provide both visual and tactile alerts. In GMC’s case, the latter is to “buzz” the driver’s seat cushion. But Ford elects to actually “twitch” the steering wheel (and thereby the front tires) to warn of impending doom. Effective, to say the least, but downright terrifying in an 80 MPH turn in the left lane next to a double-trailer semi. (Fortunately, it has an “off” switch.) “Buzz my butt” gets our vote.
To each his/her/its own. Thanks for following us. Your mileage may vary……..
*Corporate Average Fuel Economy
From Terry and Carrie
ReplyDeleteWe sympathize with you on the safety feature issues. Our ram truck has a clever feature that won’t allow you to back into something and so it slams on the brakes! Unfortunately when you’re towing or travel trailer there’s a huge hitch behind you at all times so anytime you back up this feature in gauges and throws you through the windshield parentheses almost and parentheses. We did discover there is a turn off button but certainly understand your frustration Wade. We are both so glad you’re ylthere safe. Maggie must be in heaven not to have a travel another three 400 mile day :-)
On that subject, my acura mdx has the collision warning alert that goes off randomly and starts the shit out of me based on angles to manholes, bridge abutments on a curve, etc. Im just glad it doesn't have active braking or i would have been rear ended more than once due to phantom emergencies.
ReplyDeletePaula and Lloyd wish you safe travels and a buzz in your butt actually can be fun. Too bad the Ford isn't equipped.
ReplyDeleteWe look forward to continuing adventures.
Just glad whatever the vehicle, you made it safe and can start your summer adventure. "fair winds and following seas"
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad I don't have to miss out on your particularly wry sense of humor! Glad you arrived safely!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the udates. Glad you arrived safe and sound. Looking forward to seeing some pictures of your adventures.
ReplyDelete