I was thinking of getting an excursion for towing trailer. It seams like a good tow vehicle. My question is what kind of mileage do they get both gas and diesel. The gas with both v8 or v10. Please tell me why you got what you have along with mileage and how you like it. The diesel gets better mileage but costs more initially and for upkeep.All owners answer please. Thank you Steven
I love our diesel Excursion. It is a wonderful tow vehicle and all round transporter. I went with diesel for the fuel economy and of course at that time diesel was cheaper than gasoline. But all the being said, everything I had read stated that nothing tows like a diesel. I can now testify that nothing tows like a diesel. The power is amazing. I can cruise at interstate speeds all day long with no effort, hills are a breeze and can pick up speed going up hill, towing mileage is good at about 11 mpg vs the 8 I was getting out of gas Suburban. Around town wife get about 16 - 17 with the Big Red Bus chocked full of kids.
While cost is higher, if you want a great tow vehicle, the diesel IMHO is worth the money.
David,Wife,4 kids,SIL,1 grandchild
2003 Ford Excursion Eddie Bauer 7.3 PSD w/3.73 rear end
Jayco Kiwi Too 30T bunkhouse w/triple bunks
Prodigy Controller
Reese Dual Cam HP
Michelin LTX M/S
2001 F150 SuperCrew
I have the V-10 and it pulls my 8000lbs very easily. I see you are in NJ, I saw a nice 05 6.0 EB edition Excursion for sale at a local ford dealer. Listed for 25,900 with 39,000 miles. I bet you could get it for 22-23k. 05 EB Excursion
There are alot of good deals out there right now.
Carl
04 X Limited V-10 3.73 Bilsteins,Timbrens,30mm Sway Bar,Reese Dual Cam
07 Rockwood 8317SS,Top Pop Rails Bike Rack, Champion C46540
Me, DW, DD, DD, and a Doberman DobermanTalk.com
If you can buy the diesel truck cheap enough, the fuel mileage difference will be enough to offset the increased cost per gallon of the fuel and you'll come out ahead in the long run. If the initial cost is alot higher though, it may take a long time to ammortize that additional money and make it up in fuel economy savings. If you keep the truck less than 5 years or don't drive it much, you may never make that money back in fuel savings.
Depends on what your towing and how much gear/passengers and distance you will cover. I have a large family and a BIG trailer (also a large boat). We've gone all the way from pop-up trailers to our 34' bunkhouse and a bunch of tow vehicles in between. I've had many white knuckle trips pulling various loads. The Ex is the king as far as I'm concerned. I'm of the mind to park her and get Mom something more economical to drive for everyday (I'll never sell her though). If your looking at a diesel Excursion check out this mechanics videos for more info:
Logon to YouTube.com and do a search on "Powerstokehelp". He has a whole series on these truck and some tips on what to look for and what to avoid.
Good luck.
N. Fla. Family of 6-2 Eagle Scouts!
Moms: 2001 Ford Excursion 7.3 PSD (Ford AIS System,Banks Six Gun,Walker BTM,Air Bags,new Ford 4R100HD Tranny)
2007 Audi RS4, 2002 GTI 337 (Son1), Porsche 914 (Son2)
Porsche 911 - Sold
North Shore 31BH4, Reese Dual Cam
I have the PSD and tow an 11,000 lb trailer and get about 8 mpg towing, not towing I get 11mpg around town and 17 hwy (I do suffer from heavy foot syndrome), I have a very long steep grade to go up every time I tow. I have towed with the v10 as well and the diesel is stronger but did not check the milage on the v10.
07 Fleetwood Discovery 39S
07 Weekend Warrior SX1800
05 525 EXC
04 LTZ-250 and 04 CRF 230 for the wife, almost quad free!
04 TTR 90
03 XR 80
I'm biased. I now own a diesel. After years of a gas truck, the diesel was the best move.
The gassers (even the big ones like the Ford V10's) really have to work and rev super high when towing heavy loads up hills.
Plus, the gassers get a little bit worse mpg's. My new Silverado gets 14 mpg on average while towing a 9,000lb tt and my quad in the pick up bed. My gasser would have struggled to death.
With the diesel, you can keep your cruising speed at 65mph no problem. Personally though, I stay at around 55mph just for safety. But... the diesel can crusie faster if need be. Passing power is overwhelmingly better than a gasser, especially while towing.
The ONLY down fall to a diesel is the fact that the price of diesel fuel now costs more. However, lately as of this writing, diesel fuel came down in my neck of the woods, while regular unleaded went up.
Also, find out from Excursion owners about the stability issue with towing. I heard that the Excursions need some type of after market stabilizer device mounted under the vehicle. Others here may be able to chime in on that matter and probably know more about it than I do.
I own a V10 Ex. I tow a 9000# 35' hitch to bumper TT. I roll down the road at 17,000#'s combined.
Power...well power with the V10 is NO problem. In fact...I'm currently on my way home from a 4000 mile trip which included more than a few 7000-9000 climbs with one over 10,000' and another over 11,000' in the Rockies...you know what...I made it to the top of each and every pull with more foot left than I needed. I passed many vehicles and trucks and was passed by others...I'm not one that has to be the absolute fastest...but I certainly wasn't anywhere near the slowest either...
The V10 DOES love to rev...it is the nature of an overhead cammed gasoline motor...the engineers DESIGNED it to REV. Reving is NOT struggling...it is simply making power in the designed band.
MPG's...I fought a very STIFF headwind heading thru Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona and got 7.5-8.5...i tend to drive 65mph. I find if I slow down...with the V10...you lose the power band easily. Running 65 in OD I find less downshifts. In fact I can run OD much of the time in many of the states I travel thru. Now throw in the high altitudes...and a turbo or supercharger cramming air in the intake wouldn't hurt!
I KNOW a V10 has MORE power than I could EVER use. The harder you run her the more she rewards you...and believe it or not...slower on my rig does NOT mean better MPGs...
I've put about 24,000 miles on my Ex in near 3 years I've owned her. Of those miles, over 17,000 miles are towing miles thru all parts of this USA. My AVERAGE MPG's are right around 8 in ALL THOSE TOWING MILES.
Adam-12 mentioned handling issues with Ex's...he is right...I've helped more than a few Ex owners dial in their Ex's. A few small mods to the rear suspension can fix most of the issues. Again...I've towed all over the USA with my Ex...so I know it can be done comfortably...I mostly drive one handed as there is no handling issues with my Bessie (what the kids call our Ex).
Mileage wise a diesel will get better mpg's unloaded...no argument there. Loaded though...the advantage quickly disappears or is equal with the higher fuel cost for diesel. So if you are like me...and mostly drive the Ex as a tow vehicle...it is my opinion there is no fuel cost difference on a TOWING trip.
The Ex in either motor option (V10 or PSD) can be a great family TV...don't even think about a V8 as a TV IMO...the Ex weighs so much by itself that the V8 will be working very hard just to motivate the Ex let alone the trailer behind it.
I think in today's economy...whatever you find the best deal on and you are happy with buy. My only input is that the V10 does NOT lack any power as is especially evidenced by my current pulls up and over the Rockies at 17,000# combined...would a PSD have gotten better mpgs while pulling those two climbs?...probably...but for two pulls out of all the miles I tow...I'll enjoy my V10 power.
My experience is with a 02 V10 4x4 Ex and a 02 4x4 Crew Cab PSD 7.3 F250. I will have to say that the Ex did pull my 12k trailer fine with the engine reving much more than I liked but I knew that was how it was built. Once I realized that my tongue weight was well over the ratings for the hitch I ended up getting the truck. At that time diesel was cheaper than gas, got better mpg than gas, so the sell to the wife wasn't very hard. WELL, I have to say that after owning both, I would never again tow heavy without a diesel. I know the V10 can do it, but I have a much better appreciation for the pulling power of the diesel. I ended up getting Jody at DPTuner to chip me up and of the 30k miles I had the truck I couldn't have been happier. If I had it to do all over again I would have purchased a PSD EX instead of the V10 but at that time I just couldn't see what all the fuss was about having a diesel engine. Plus it was 4k more and I was trying to save a few bucks. If you do get into a PSD I would look for the 02 or 03 PSD with the 7.3 with low miles, or go to at least a 05 or 06 with the 6.0. From reading the other PSD forums I would stay away from the 03 to 04 PSD 6.0 engine. Too many issues. Also check out www.thedieselstop.com/forums for all the info you will ever need.
I get way better mileage with my diesel then I ever did with my gas. I had an expedition with half the trailer I have now. You have tons of power with a diesel, longer motor life(mine is schedules for an overhaul at 350000 miles), maint is a wash. Oil change may cost more but I can go well over twice as long before needing one.I know there are more maint stuff involved but not all that much different.I get better mileage with the diesel loaded or unloaded compared to the gasser I had. With a head wind I really outdo my gas setup I used to have. I would be very hard pressed to go back to gas. Most people who say that their gas is as good as a diesel never owned a diesel. Night and day difference. Now I do not have a PSD, but speaking of my Cummins it is awesome. I can get 21-22 on the highway unloaded and about 14-15 towing with my diesel.
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