[fred cook]

My 2003 Excursion weighed right at 7200 lbs with all liquids and a half tank of fuel. And yes, it did indeed get 21-22 mpg on the highway. In town it got more like 16-17 mpg. So, if Speeder's Excursion only got 17 on the road, then it was a) a 7.3 engine rather than the 6.0, b) had some mechanical issues, c) was driven by a lead foot and/or no one ever bothered to teach Speeder the fine art of driving to enhance fuel mileage, something that most people never learn. Another example of "tell me what you can't do, don't tell me what I can't do"!