Which is best? Yukon XL, Suburban or Excursion

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denimmeitai

New member

• Feb 22, 2012

• #1

We are in the market for another vehicle. We currently drive a Ford F-150, which we love . . . lots of space, 3 LATCH spots, 3 top tethers, etc. But with #4 arriving, we need something that will fit 4 car seats. We've been looking at Yukons, Suburbans and Excursions between 2000 and 2005 (our budget is $15000 or less). Now I'm not sure those are the best options.

1) Only one or two that we looked at had LATCH, and then it was only in two positions. (Do any of these cars have 3 or 4 LATCH positions? If not, are there any vehicles that do? Does it even matter?)

2) Not sure if they had top tether.


Any suggestions on what would be our best bet? DH likes the Excursion because of the size, but I was put-off by the fact that the 2003 model we looked at had no LATCH.

These are the carseats we have:

Graco Nautilus - FF - DS1 4.5, 38lb, 42 inches
Graco Nautillus - FF - DD 3, 30lb, 38 inches
Safety 1st (can't remember the model) - RF - DS2 19mo, 23lb, 32 inches
Graco Snugride 35 - RF - for #4

Any suggestions or guidance would be greatly appreciated! My head is swimming!:dizzy:

 

jess71903

Ambassador

• Feb 22, 2012

• #2

Are you sure you mean Excursion and not Expedition? The Expedition is in the same class as the Chevy/GM vehicles you mention, which is why I ask. The Excursion is the biggest vehicle on the road for its time. It was only made from MY 2000-2005. IMO, it's only worth it if you need a combo work truck/family hauler in a diesel. It's basically an F250.

I have a 2005 Expedition and I love it. It's a 2nd generation Expy (2003-2006) It has plenty of people-space as well as cargo space. It has 3 full sets of LATCH in the middle row and 1 top tether anchor in the 3rd row for the center position. You can flip either middle row outboard seat to access the 3rd row, and I can do that with a True Fit (read- wide seat) in the center position. If you like your F150, I think you'd like an Expedition because it's basically the same truck.

If it were me, I'd stick with the 2nd gen Expeditions. They have relatively few problems across the board.

 

skitle1802

New member

• Feb 22, 2012

• #3

For me, lack of LATCH is not a deal breaker. Seat belts are just as safe for installing seat belts.

Yukon XL and Suburban are virtual clones, I'm not sure you are going to find any car seat related differences. We have a 2002 Suburban, 8 seater, no latch. 4 top tethers (3 in second row and 1 in 3rd row, center seat only) Fairly car seat friendly, I've only had problems with the 3rd row center seat but I think the 2003-06 models have different belt placement in that spot.

I like the Excursion, we looked at them when we were shopping for our Suburban but they were typically the same price for 2 years older because they were discontinued at the time. I can't remember how car seat friendly the seating was.

The Expedition EL is closer to the cargo space of the Suburban and Yukon XL versus the previous Expedition models. I didn't get to play with the inside of one, others can chime in on LATCH/Top tether locations.

We also own a F150 and I have to say I prefer the ride of the Ford over the Chevy/GM. So if you really love your F150, you may want to stick with another Ford.

 

jess71903

Ambassador

• Feb 22, 2012

• #4

I meant to mention that about the EL. It didn't come out until 2007, so it's out of the year range you mentioned, but it may be worth a look. The Expedition cargo room is between that of the Tahoe and the Suburban. We were used to a 2006 Explorer, and it was a big step up in cargo space for us, so it seems huge to me. For someone with a Suburban, it may not .

 

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denimmeitai

New member

• Feb 24, 2012

• #5

Thanks for the thoughts! I did mean the Excursion. We looked at Expeditions (I think it was a brand new one), but the cargo space wasn't quite what we were hoping for. DH is pretty enthralled with the Excursions, so we are going to test drive one and see about getting the carseats to fit in there. Is it fairly easy to spot the top tether spots? I know in our T-bird, the top tether is actually in the back at the base of the seat.

Anyway, thanks again for your thoughts!

 

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Peony

Member

• Feb 24, 2012

• #6

Are you looking at the Expedition EL not the regular Expedition? Because they are the exact same size as a Suburban. I have both an EL and a Burb. The EL has slightly less cargo room (still way more over a regular Expedition) then a Suburban because they have more leg room in the 3rd row which the Suburban is lacking.

 

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denimmeitai

New member

• Feb 24, 2012

• #7

Oh, good point, I think we looked at the regular Expedition. And leg room is probably going to be more important down the line, but something that would still be good to think about now.

 

T4K

Well-known member

• Feb 24, 2012

• #8

The 3rd row room in the Expedition is AWESOME. I used to have an 08 Navigator (Expedition clone) and the 3rd row was a good fit even for adults.

 

MoreLatte

New member

• Feb 24, 2012

• #9

I wanted to mention that the third row seat in the suburban/Yukon XL is not as user friendly as the expedition el. 3 across is super tight, I've never been able to get 3 seats but have managed a 5-step kid/Marathon/Parkway.

Also, the center of the third row doesn't have a shoulder belt or headrest. Just a couple of things to consider. I'm always jealous of the pics I see of the third row 3 across set-ups in the Expedition EL.

If you go with the 8 passenger Suburban though, the middle row can manage just about any combo of seats 3 across.

 

bubbaray

New member

• Feb 24, 2012

• #10

As much as I very much like the Yukon XL/Suburban, if I were in the market for a large SUV, I think my first look would be at the Expedition EL (the large one, not the regular one).

DH has a 2011 F-150 and I am very very impressed with it. It drives and rides really smoothly and it is just so very carseat friendly.

 

G

Guest

New member

• Feb 24, 2012

• #11

Before a bunch of people go piling on recs for the Expedition EL, is that even in the price range for OP? Might be a moot point clouding the real question.

 

T4K

Well-known member

• Feb 24, 2012

• #12

OP said 15K or less. One may be able to be found for that or may not, same thing with any of the other vehicles she mentioned. It's all about the right vehicle coming along at the right time for the right price.

 

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denimmeitai

New member

• Feb 24, 2012

• #13

Somehow, I don't think it's very likely that we'll find an Expedition LE in our price range in this area.

We test drove an Excursion today . . . . . once we got the 4 carseats in (RF and FF in each row) it seemed more crowded that I thought it would, given that the Excursion has the most interior room of any vehicle out there. I'm feeling a little discouraged and feeling like switching to a large SUV is going to be a big adjustment for me.

 

An Aurora

Senior Community Member

• Feb 24, 2012

• #14

Yeah the Expedition EL is twice that price here at least. I am not a fan of Ford after our recent experience with our Explorer, but the Excursion definitely has room.

 

T4K

Well-known member

• Feb 25, 2012

• #15

denimmeitai said:

Somehow, I don't think it's very likely that we'll find an Expedition LE in our price range in this area.

We test drove an Excursion today . . . . . once we got the 4 carseats in (RF and FF in each row) it seemed more crowded that I thought it would, given that the Excursion has the most interior room of any vehicle out there. I'm feeling a little discouraged and feeling like switching to a large SUV is going to be a big adjustment for me.

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An Aurora said:

Yeah the Expedition EL is twice that price here at least. I am not a fan of Ford after our recent experience with our Explorer, but the Excursion definitely has room.

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Wow. Had no idea that they were so much more expensive. I always assumed they were at the same price point as the Suburbans.

 

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician

• Feb 25, 2012

• #16

Thirsty4Knowledge said:

Wow. Had no idea that they were so much more expensive. I always assumed they were at the same price point as the Suburbans.

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I did, too. We looked at both of them and I don't recall (or apparently didn't notice) much of a price difference. We ultimately wound up deciding on the Suburban (though we didn't buy one). I will say that I liked the seating options in the Expedition more.

 

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lovemyfamily

New member

• Mar 17, 2012

• #17

I don't think the Expedition EL is at a higher price point than a Suburban/Yukon XL. It is just that they didn't start making the EL until 2007, so she is having to look newer than her target year. A 2007 XL or Burb would be around the same price as a 2007 EL.

As far as the comparison of the XL and Burb, the GMC is more of an upgrade than the Chevy, not sure what they are but the GMC's general cost a bit more, be it just a couple hundred but still more. So if price is a factor, look at the Surbuban, or just a year older XL.

I have a Yukon XL and we love it. I have 4 riders, and I agree about the 3rd row. Currently part of the use issue is that DS#2 is in a Regent, so that middle seat is used only by a very skinny kid, ie friends of my kids. But I plan to get that Regent out of there, moving him to a booster, which will free up some space. It wouldn't be comfortable for 3 adults, ever. But for a short trip would be manageable. I do have the bench seat in mine and find this to be a great option. While I keep the passenger side of this seat folded forward all the time to provide easy access to row #3 for my 2 riders, it is there to use if we need an extra seat, think Grandma in town etc.

I am not a Ford fan. But the EL is a nice looking vehicle. Our neighbors have an Excursion and she was talking the other day about how it turns like beast. My XL isn't the sharpest turning vehicle either, but I see her back in to her driveway and I think she may be right. LOL

Good luck on your search.

 

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talkinghead

New member

• Mar 24, 2012

• #18

I own both an Excursion and an Expedition.

Many make the mistake of comparing a Suburban or Expedition to an Excursion.

Suburban's and Expedition's are consumer grade vehicles (grocery getter's), whereas an Excursion is essentially a light duty commercial vehicle. There is a substantial difference.

An Excursion is much heavier than either an Expedition or a Suburban, and certainly the 4wd version rides like a commercial vehicle.

If you don't need Excursion level capabilities, you're probably better off with a Suburban or Expedition.

However, yes the Ford Excursion is the King of SUV's.