Which is better, Ford Excursion or GMC Suburban? - Page 2

Rob Channell · 10-17-2005, 04:56 PM

I'd go suburban. Oh, wait....I already did. It's my wife's car. The Excursion felt taller and narrower while driving. It may have been an illusion, but it just seemed that way. The Suburban suspension gave me better feedback and the power steering seemed to mask less of what was happening under the tires. I liked it better and bought it. Oh, and I bought the GMC instead of the Chevy because it was cheaper.

The cooling system is only marginal in these big trucks. If you do serious towing you may want to consider upgrading it a little.

I prefer the Michelin LTX street tires on mine. If/when I get another one I could be tempted with a 3/4 ton and Duramax.

Just my opinion. It's worth every cent you paid......

tabs · 10-17-2005, 05:07 PM

Friend of mine had a Suburban and now has an Excursion with the Diesel. He has it Chipped and had it where he can use the engine for breaking..He LOVES THE EXCURSION...it gets 20 mpg, will tow the Queen Mary and says that the Excursion is hands down better..than that Chevy product.

stomachmonkey · 10-17-2005, 05:30 PM

GMC hands down. Love it, hated the Ford.

911boost · 911boost's Garage

Wayne,

How heavy is the trailer? I have a 2001 Tahoe with the 5.3L gas engine (the biggest you could get at the time from GM) and it tows my 18 foot 1979 Mallard Camper that is made out of solid lead. Granted it doesn't tow it as well a a diesel would, but it does ok. I am like you, it sits unless i need it to tow or fill, it is not a daily driver.

I wish GM would put a disel in theSuburban's, I'd think of getting one. I know the big motor you can get in the Suburban inhales gas...

Bill

vash · vash's Garage

i remember reading that FORD was going to put a smaller inline six diesel in the expedition, and a four banger diesel in the explorer. i dont know what happened, but i was pretty excited about the midsize. they expected 28 mpg, and good towing capacity. i guess maybe the feds killed the idea?

a diesel in the suburban would kill the excursion project for sure. no doubt.

David · David's Garage

My racing buddy has a Diesel 2WD Excursion and I have many miles on it with and without the 24' trailer. The nice thing when towing is it drives like a truck. The bad thing when you're not towing is it drives like a truck. It gets about 18mpg without a trailer 10with. The door locks quit working and three times it's blown out an oil galley plug that's stranded it. The first time was with about 10K miles. I don't the extra cost of the diesel will be ofset by the better mileage but you can make really good torque with some mods.

I drive a Chevy Silverado which is similar to a Suburban and I've driven a Suburban once or twice. The Suburban drives like a big car not a truck. The seats in the Chevy seem nice with all the electric adjustments on both front seats, but after spending many miles in both, I vote for the Ford's. My 5.3 engine gets about 14mpg in town, 17mpg hw, 9mpg towing the 24' trailer.

My vote: If you're doing a lot of towing with a big trailer get the Excursion, if not get the Chevy.

Brian 162 · 10-17-2005, 06:26 PM

Wayne, I have a 97 Tahoe with a 5.7 litre vortec engine. It is a little smaller than a suburban. It is very smooth on the highway, crosswinds and large trucks does not affect the drive. I can cruise at 130 kmh with little effort.Usual repairs nothing major.

Brian

Mulhollanddose · 10-17-2005, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Wayne at Pelican Parts
Wow, thanks, that's most useful information. I am most interested in cargo room - I wrongly assumed that the Excursion had more...

What about these XLT versions, what are they? Just trim options?

-Wayne

Excursion has more cargo room, negligible I would imagine (~8 cf)...I am pretty sure the XL or XLT are the bells-and-whistles models.

Rob Channell · 10-17-2005, 08:15 PM

Ford
XL -bells
XLT - bells and whistles

Chevy
LS - bells
LT - bells and whistles

Mulhollanddose · 10-17-2005, 08:33 PM

GMC Yukon - XL

notfarnow · 10-18-2005, 05:41 AM

If you're talking about 1000 miles/yr, why not just rent one when you need it, and buy another Porsche?

starlifter1 · 10-19-2005, 02:38 AM

You should also consider the Chevy Avalanche 2500, features seating like a SUV but you can haul like a truck and lock everything in the back end. the 2500 model has an 8.1 liter engine and 3/4 ton suspension take a look I love mine and with dual exaust and a K&N filter added I get 12 MPG

john_colasante · 10-19-2005, 06:53 AM

Drive a diesel before you buy one. They smell bad and are crazy loud.

I have a 2500 gas Sub and love it.

cbad911 · 10-19-2005, 07:47 AM

I have an '02 Excursion 4X4 w/Limited package. It has the older 7.3 Powerstroke Diesel and I just love it and would buy it again, although I hear the new 6.0 diesel is quieter with more power. I've had no problems with it what-so-ever. It drove like a car before I lifted it (4" w/35" T.A.'s) and has always pulled beautifully. Now I'm pulling a 32' Toy Hauler.

This is my 6th 4X4. 3 Toyota's, an Old Chevy Blazer, and a Z71. I actually traded the Z71 in for this with only 70K miles on it because it was a POS! Little things like the fan rattled and screws falling out. When the AC died, it was gone. My girlfriend drives a Corvette (an '02 with 35K miles) and it's falling apart. I'll avoid GM products for the rest of my life!

Ya the Excursion is a beast, but the Sub isn't much smaller. Now I just jump in the P-car for quick errands around town.

Hetmann · 10-26-2005, 01:28 PM

They both suck, get a Cayenne.

KobaltBlau · 10-26-2005, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Hetmann
They both suck, get a Cayenne.

Think of the Depreciation/mile!

be sure to buy an older whatever...

kaisen · 10-26-2005, 03:02 PM

I've driven thousands of miles in both. Well over 100,000 miles is Suburbans, Denali XLs, Escalade ESV's. Here's my two cents:

To compare them, you need to look at the 2500 series GMC Yukon XL or Chev Suburban. The Excursion is built on the Super Duty platform at 3/4 ton, so equal to an F250HD. The 1/2 ton 1500 series are lightweights ... the 5.3L may have enough snort to tug, but they do not have the brakes or frames to handle a trailer heavier than the truck IMHO. The Denali XL and Cadillac Escalade ESV add the 345hp 6.0L V8, but still don't have enough brakes, or frame, etc.

So looking at the Suburban 2500 vs Excursion you have engine choices. Ford: 5.4L V8, 6.8L V10, and 7.3L or 6.0L Powerstroke DIESEL. GM: 6.0L V8, 8.1L V8. Originally the only gas Ford was the V10, they added the 5.4L to stave off all the bad press.

The 6.8L V10 is NOT a peer to the 8.1L "big block" GM. The 8.1L has a lot more lower-end grunt. The 6.0L is plenty, and is a newer design. If you aren't towing 10K pounds regularly, that's where I would land.

The Powerstroke Diesel becomes the trump card. GM did not offer the Duramax Diesel in the Suburban family. A huge mistake in my opinion. My parents have a 2005 Crew Cab with the 6.6L Duramax and it is incredible. I've pulled a 22,000 pound gooseneck behind it and was amazed at how the truck handled the load. The Ford Diesel is almost as good.

The Excursion's rear cargo area is handicapped by the full sized spare sitting upright in the flank. It also limits rear visibility some.

Another difference is in the rear doors. Most Subs have a full liftgate and the Excursion has a funky (but creative) dutch door deal made of plastic. You decide, but sometimes you can't get the liftgate to swing open when a trailer is attached, which is a plus for the dutch doors. The dutch doors creak and have some seal probs, and otherwise more complex. The liftgate shelters more from weather and makes it easier to approach from the sides.

The suspension in the Excursions is agricultural. Solid axles and leaf springs all around (on 4x4's around here - maybe in CA 2WD still has twin I beam front susp). The GM's are coil spring front / hybrid leafs rear and ride vastly better.

WEIGHT: One of the reasons a GM Sub can tow more than the Excursion is the weight of the truck itself. A 4x4 Diesel Excursion can tip the scales at 8,000 pounds. A loaded gas GM Sub weighs in the 6000's. The Excursions are also pretty dang tall, and have more trouble with garages and parking ramps.

Brakes, well, neither are great. It depends on how new. The original Excursions had drums in the rear. The GMs have always been 4 wheel discs.

Ford vs Chevy will rage on for years. If it were me in your shoes I'd buy a 6.0L GM 2500. If you need more power, buy a Magnacharger or look to all the other LSx go-fast goodies for a Vette/Camaro/GTO/CTS-V because they all fit. SLP or Scoggin Dickey can sell you naturally aspirated stroked 6.0L's (6.6L) that put down 580hp and 600lb-ft for under $10000. Brakes are available through lots of aftermarket vendors, like Baer.

If you have to have a Diesel, buy the Excursion and you'll be happy (because it's your only choice). Or buy a nice lockable topper for a Duramax powered GM pickup.

E

Don Plumley · Don Plumley's Garage

Wayne - we had a Suburban K1500 LS 4x4 and it was the best. Built like a tank, all the creature comforts, ABS, etc. If I had the need I'd get another one in a second.

Don't bother with a Tahoe (short one), the 'Burb has a 45 gallon tank which made for about 600 miles of cruising distance. I typically had to stop to pee more often than I needed to fill up with gas on long road trips.

We had nerf bars with a flat step (Genuine Steel), easy to install and very useful for climbing in and out. Barn doors much easier to use than the standard gate.

Get a 'Burb, you'll never regret it.

Don

fuelie600 · 10-27-2005, 06:11 AM

Wayne,

Check the rear brakes closely on any used suburbans you look at. I did a brake job on my 2002 yesterday @ 43361 miles. The rear pads and rotors were shot and had strange wear patterns. The fronts were OK, just normal wear. The bad news was the price. $400 for rotors and pads at autozone! I also flushed the brake fluid . Much better now.

Also, I received a recall notice on Tuesday for corrosion on the front wheel speed sensors. At speeds between 3 and 10 MPH, corrosion can cause unwanted ABS activation. You might want to make sure and used trucks include this fix.

Good luck!

Don Plumley · Don Plumley's Garage

Wayne - brakes are the weak spot of my era Burb; the truck is a little under braked for the weight. The big upgrade in the 2000+ model year is 4 wheel disc.

There are a million good ones out there, and a few that have been abused. Try to find one that never trailered anything and your tranny will likely be in better condition.

Good luck - and post pics!