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i was at lunch and walked by a ford excursion. on the fuel door is a sticker which reads: Proud Parents of a US Marine.

does this seem kind of incongruous to anyone else? i didn't have a camera, but the words say it all.

i am not saying they shouldn't be proud of their marine..........

I don't get it...

And Excursion is a FSP. We get that fuel from oil from the middle east. Their son is in the middle east because of oil.

how'd our oil get under their sand ? - is perhaps what his parents think

OK, I'm gonna propose that we start giving MPG per passenger ratings for these things. Not that I'm opposed to the occasional FSP bashing, but that Excursion seats 9 very comfortably along with a ton of stuff to spare. Sure, it has a 10 cyl engine, but for someone that is religious on, say, carpooling, it's a sweet ride and it certainly wouldn't have the gas consumption or leave the carbon footprint of 9 people each driving a 4 cyl to work every day.

Just sayin'.

I would say depends on who is driving it Chen and also how all the weight further drags on the truck. Of course I have yet to do the math so I will hold my tongue for now.

On that note, Wayne drove his FSP Acura MDX to the World fuel economy Championships. The P(erson)MPG? 180 with 6 on board.

I saw a Suburban last week with this sticker on it. "Gas Prices Suck!"

OK, I'm gonna propose that we start giving MPG per passenger ratings for these things. Not that I'm opposed to the occasional FSP bashing, but that Excursion seats 9 very comfortably along with a ton of stuff to spare. Sure, it has a 10 cyl engine, but for someone that is religious on, say, carpooling, it's a sweet ride and it certainly wouldn't have the gas consumption or leave the carbon footprint of 9 people each driving a 4 cyl to work every day.

Just sayin'.

sorry, but for lunch at the local grocery store, i highly doubt they were carrying 9 people and gear.

MPG per person is a great concept, but overall, i see a lot more FSPs with one person commuting that carrying a full load. and the ones who might actually use it that way are, i suspect, far outnumbered by those who don't.

ChenZhen,

Turncoat!!! I thought you sold Chevys and GMs, and here I catch you shilling for Ford. Just kidding of course. In truth, the Excursion can seat 9 comfortably, but they won't be riding in comfort anywhere but on a glass smooth interstate. Ford never got the hang of building a really good FSP. The Excursion rides just like an older F-250 . Not only does it feel like it lacks a suspension, it doesn't feel like it is using pneumatic tires!! Now if those 9 folks weight about 300 lbs each, the ride is a bit better, but in general the Excursion is the worst riding SUV.

You have been spoiled by all those Tahoes and Suburbans, and think it rides like them! It is really a terrible people moving vehicle. With the V-10 It gets at least 6 mpg less than a 1500 Suburban on the highway, and about 4 less in the city. The 5.4 does a little better. The Diesel does better, but with the diesel premium ...

Ford just never got the hang of making Suburbans.


Yes, I agree when we complain about big SUVs we should in terms of people and large dogs miles moved per gallon. In that case my Suburban gets 63.9 p&d MPGs, not a measly 21.3 mpg. Now I can snear at most solo Prius drivers.Oh, for the cat folks out there, 2 cats of any size can equal 1 large dog.Cats will dispute this of course.

Yes, I am kidding,
Charlie

ChenZhen,

Turncoat!!! I thought you sold Chevys and GMs, and here I catch you shilling for Ford. Just kidding of course. In truth, the Excursion can seat 9 comfortably, but they won't be riding in comfort anywhere but on a glass smooth interstate. Ford never got the hang of building a really good FSP. The Excursion rides just like an older F-250 . Not only does it feel like it lacks a suspension, it doesn't feel like it is using pneumatic tires!! Now if those 9 folks weight about 300 lbs each, the ride is a bit better, but in general the Excursion is the worst riding SUV.

You have been spoiled by all those Tahoes and Suburbans, and think it rides like them! It is really a terrible people moving vehicle. With the V-10 It gets at least 6 mpg less than a 1500 Suburban on the highway, and about 4 less in the city. The 5.4 does a little better. The Diesel does better, but with the diesel premium ...

Ford just never got the hang of making Suburbans.


Yes, I agree when we complain about big SUVs we should in terms of people and large dogs miles moved per gallon. In that case my Suburban gets 63.9 p&d MPGs, not a measly 21.3 mpg. Now I can snear at most solo Prius drivers.Oh, for the cat folks out there, 2 cats of any size can equal 1 large dog.Cats will dispute this of course.

Yes, I am kidding,
Charlie

Well, we just happen to have an 02 Excursion out on the lot, priced at $10,490, so this was kind of a knee-jerk reaction on my part because we're having a real hard time selling it. LOL That V10 scares the bejeebus out of everyone, and the EPA doesn't even list it on the site.

You're right, of course, the Yukon XL/Suburbans are much nicer vehicles overall, and if you get one of the newer ones with active fuel management on the 5.3L, you'll definately get better MPG's to boot. The ultimate carpooling ride would probably be the hybrid (which seats 8), and I suppose if one did the math, it would dominate the MPG/pass category.

Not only does it feel like it lacks a suspension, it doesn't feel like it is using pneumatic tires!

This is how trucks are supposed to feel! ;)

Proud Parents of a US Marine.

does this seem kind of incongruous to anyone else? i didn't have a camera, but the words say it all.

I know, I know. It's really disappointing how these people aren't divorced like everyone else is.

<History will not be kind to the Bush legacy. Not a chance.>

Well, I'm of the mindset that history will not be kind just to the Bush Legacy, but also to the voters of 2004 who bought into his BS and insisted that he get another term. :confused: That's the real kicker. . .

I better not comment :;) I want to though.:flag:

Ugh...I keep hitting edit then I stop myself.

I'm have to sympathize with Aether glider that since US policy is not really on topic, neither is politics...save it for one of those threads.

You're right, of course, the Yukon XL/Suburbans are much nicer vehicles overall, and if you get one of the newer ones with active fuel management on the 5.3L, you'll definately get better MPG's to boot. The ultimate carpooling ride would probably be the hybrid (which seats 8), and I suppose if one did the math, it would dominate the MPG/pass category.

Nope. Buses have the best PMPG of groundbound vehicles. The best non-CDL ride is the Dodge/Mercedes Sprinter- 12 people, 30 MPG = 360PMPG!!!!:flag:

OK people, I have a confession to add.

While my daily driver is my wonderful 07 Honda Fit, when I bought it a year ago, I parked (and did not sell) my very own FSP - a 2001 Ford Excursion with the aforementioned 6.8L V-10 engine. I still drive it (only when necessary and when I am hauling a horde of cub scouts and dads to a campout, or the entire family of 5 on a long distance trip with lots of luggage and gear - once I even carried a 7-ft long sofa INSIDE the Ex! . . . Once!)

For what it is, it is a great vehicle, for hauling, for towing, and for venturing off the paved pathways. As for comfort, I would agree with phoebeisis - the Excursion rides like a rickety old F250 with arthritic joints. You feel every bump and speed bumps need to be taken at 5 mph to avoid teeth crushing impacts. It is great fully loaded on the highway, as long as the highway is in the southern US, or some recently paved sections of the midwest. Potholed and heavily patched roads are to be avoided. Maybe I have just been reluctant to spend money on suspension work on the Ex., but Ford really never did get the ride just right. I have managed 16-17 mpg on long highway trips, using mild hypermiling techniques like drafting, staying under the speed limit, etc. Remember that the only thing an Excursion can draft behind is a semi-truck or a large box truck. Around town, the norm is 11.0-11.5 mpg and that takes some discipline.

At the end of the day, I constantly search for reasons to keep the Ex. and I always seem to come up with one. It costs me insurance premiums and the variable cost of operating it when i need to, so for now the FSP stays put, parked at the edge of my driveway, right next to the Honda.

In the year since I bought the Honda, I have put 1,000 miles on the Ex and 15,000 on the Fit.

yddraiggoch1,
Heck, there isn't any point in selling it , they sell even more slowly than Suburbans. Besides, you own it and when you need a "thing people hauler, second car" it is there and waiting. Ford didn't make much effort to civilize the Excursion's ride. They plopped the body on a couple of generations back F-250 chassis and that was it. 16-17 mpg is actually very good for a V-10 Excursion

Warthog,
I figured the same thing , the 5 or 6 cyl TDI with that fairly narrow body should get great hy mpg.Now, I'm not so sure; my neighbor had one for his job and he said he got 23-24 mpg hy at 65-70 .The most recent vintage Suburbans (5.3 2wd) will get 23 or so mpg in pure hy driving, so I expected better from the Sprinter. Of course the vehicle wasn't my neighbors, and he wasn't paying for the gas, so who knows. Everyone drives more frugally when it is their pocket book they are riding on. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that the Sprinter was geared shorter for us in the USA since we like acceleration (or we did like it before we got $5 diesel).

ChenZhen,
Good luck on selling that monster!

Charlie

yddraiggoch1,
16-17 mpg is actually very good for a V-10 Excursion


Yes, the 16-17 mpg was achieved driving south from Atlanta to middle/south Georgia, which incidentally, is all downhill! The same trip back northbound was about 14 mpg. Uggh!

yddraiggoch1,
Yes, downhill helps,so does downwind. We recently drove our 1998 Suburban(202,400 miles) from NOLA.Flagstaff.NOLA. It got 20.9 going west-uphill 7000 feet, but also into the wind. It got 21.8 downhill with the wind from the SW -a bit of a tailwind.We averaged 21.3 mpg over the 3021 miles-70 mph).I'm pretty sure the 2007 Suburbans would approach 24mpg same trip, since they are EPA rated 3 mpg better.. They guzzle in the city, but are ~ ok on the highway.
Charlie

Nope. Buses have the best PMPG of groundbound vehicles. The best non-CDL ride is the Dodge/Mercedes Sprinter- 12 people, 30 MPG = 360PMPG!!!!:flag:

Dodge lists (http://www.dodge.com/en/2008/sprinter/low_cost/fuel_economy/) the average MPG on the passenger Sprinter at 19.9 with no payload, and 18.6 loaded with 1500lbs (we'll say that's 10 people). So it's probably better overall, but it ain't 30.

yddraiggoch1,

And you can always rent it out to friends, neighbors, coworkers that need to haul a lot of people or stuff.

Hey, talking about the potential PMPG of mega-passenger vehicles like the Sprinter, Suburban, Excursion, city buses etc. is all well and good ... but it's the actual PMPG that matters. How many ACTUAL passengers are being carried on average? I see at least as many single-occupant Suburbans on the road as I do Suburbans stuffed with big families.

Good point. Unfortunately nearly every Ford Excursion, Suburban, Hummer, etc. that I see going down the road is occupied by only one person - the driver. Doesn't make sense, especially in this age of declining fossil fuel resources.

You're right guys. I was in the midst of a bad evening and just lashed out on a decidedly off-topic political tirade. I just went in and deleted the post. Can't promise I won't say anything of a political nature in a post someday, but I'll try to be cognizant of the fact that there are many people of various political persuasions here. And both sides of that ideological spectrum have, and continue to thrive in unison here. That is a really good thing, eh?