"The customer came first in developing the Excursion
all-new Ford Excursion. It's designed to provide
customers with a fresh new choice in the heavy-duty
utility market. Excursion offers more space and
convenience for passengers, more utility for activities
such as towing and more versatility for carrying cargo
and luggage - while at the same time setting a bold new
standard for safety and the environment."
- Gurminder Bedi, Vice President - Ford Truck Vehicle
Center
DESIGN/PACKAGE
* Comfortably seats up to nine adults, with more
overall head, leg and shoulder room than the
competition
* Largest cargo volume, including 48.6 cubic feet of
space behind the third row seat - enough for
passengers' luggage
* Rear tri-panel doors for ease of entry and exit
* Extra wide second-row side doors
* Independently reclining second-row seats with dual
tip/slide feature
* Front and rear air conditioning with 360-degree
adjustable registers
* Power rear quarter windows
* Running boards with optional illumination
* Low-profile roof rack
* Up to 10 cup holders and five power points
UTILITY/VERSATILITY
* Large towing capacity - up to 10,000 pounds for
gasoline and diesel engines
* Large payload capacity - up to 1 ton
* More horsepower and torque than the competition,
with choice of three engines
* Optional four-wheel drive with electronic
shift-on-the-fly capability
SAFETY/SECURITY
* Engineered for enhanced performance during accidents
* Ford's unique BlockerBeam helps prevent a car from
sliding underneath the front of the Excursion during
a frontal collision. Ford is the first in the
industry to provide this type of advanced protection
in trucks.
* A standard trailer hitch helps prevent a car from
sliding underneath the rear of Excursion during a
rear collision
* Energy-absorbing vehicle structure provides "crumple
zones" on the front of the vehicle, helping to
protect the occupant compartment during a collision
* Steel side door beams further enhance passenger
protection in side impacts
* Driver and passenger front air bags feature "second
generation" inflation rates
* Child-seat tethers anchored in the second row of
seats further improve the ability to securely anchor
child safety seats
* New Ford Belt-Minder system will help remind most
Excursion occupants to buckle up
* SecuriLock™ passive anti-theft system helps deter
would-be thieves
ENVIRONMENT
* Will be certified to low-emission vehicle (LEV)
standards - or better - on all engines, like all
other Ford SUVs and Windstar minivans
* Will produce up to 43 percent less tailpipe
emissions than permitted by law
* More fuel efficient - with more passenger and
cargo-carrying capacity - than two average full-size
sedans capable of transporting equivalent loads
* Available with two gasoline engines or a highly
fuel-efficient diesel
* Nearly one-fifth of the vehicle is made from
recycled materials, including various steel,
aluminum, rubber and plastic parts
* More than 85 percent of the vehicle is recyclable by
weight
Maximum interior space. Superior seating functionality
and passenger comfort. A tough and powerful powertrain
lineup with maximum towing capability. Safety and
environmental leadership. These were the objectives set
for the team that developed the all-new 2000-model Ford
Excursion.
Their target was to create a new choice in the segment -
formerly dominated by only one vehicle - to appeal to the
growing number of buyers who need to carry cargo and
several passengers while towing for both personal and
commercial use.
Excursion delivers on that promise with a design and
package that offers more passenger and cargo room and
greater power and towing capacity than the competition.
At the same time, Excursion sets new safety and
environmental standards with features that are the first
of their kind in the segment and even the truck market.
No-Compromise Capacity
Excursion offers comfortable seating for up to nine
adults - eight when dual captainís chairs are fitted in
place of the standard 40-20-40 front-bench seat.
Compared with the competition, Excursion is 7.2 inches
longer, 3.3 inches wider and between 4.3 and 5.8 inches
taller. At less than 7 feet tall, including the
low-profile roof rack, and less than 20 feet long,
Excursion still fits into a standard-size garage.
Excursion offers an impressive 48.6 cubic feet of cargo
space when all three rows of seats are in place. Without
the last row bench - which is mounted on rollers for easy
removal - Excursionís cargo capacity increases to 108.3
cubic feet. Removing the third-row bench and folding down
the second-row seat backs result in a flat cargo area
large enough to accommodate a 4- by 8-foot sheet of
plywood - with an impressive 165 cubic feet of available
cargo space. Thatís about eight times the trunk volume of
a full-size passenger car.
Excursion offers ample payload capacity of up to 1,906
pounds - 1,750 pounds with the 4x4 drivetrain option.
Towing capacity ranges from 6,200 pounds (4x2 with base
5.4-liter Triton V-8 engine) to 10,000 pounds (6.8-liter
Triton V-10 gasoline or 7.3-liter Power Stroke® V-8
diesel).
Maximum Functionality and Flexibility
Customers in the full-size SUV segment expect a vehicle
with maximum functionality and flexibility to serve a
very broad range of needs.
Excursion features a unique rear tri-panel door system. A
one-piece upper liftgate permits quick access to the
cargo area, offers an unobstructed rear view from the
driverís seat and includes an intermittent single wiper
and window defroster. Two lower cargo doors swing open
approximately 180 degrees for maximum and unobstructed
access to the cargo floor, with detents to hold them open
at angles of approximately 105 degrees. The doors can be
opened even when a trailer or boat is attached for
towing.
In addition to the ease of loading cargo, the Excursion
interior features plenty of space for passengers. The
second-row doors are 5.5 inches longer than the
competition's - setting a new standard for passenger
accessibility to second- and third-row seating.
All Excursion models are fitted with a low-profile,
200-pound-capacity roof rack. Its fore-aft rails fall
below the crown of the roof so there is no increase in
overall vehicle height. When the quick-release cross bars
and supports are attached to the roof rack rails, they
increase overall vehicle height by only 0.7 inch.
Convenience and Comfort
Excursionís standard convenience features include wide
running boards with standard illumination on the Limited
series, a door-mounted keyless entry pad, reclining
second-row seats and extensive noise control features for
a quieter interior compartment.
The second-row seats split 60-40 and recline
individually. Each seat back in the second row also can
be tipped forward and the entire seat slid forward - a
first-in-segment feature that enhances access to the
third row from both sides of the vehicle. The second-row
seats also include a fold-down center armrest containing
two cup holders.
Reducing the amount of noise entering the cabin was a
priority for the Excursion development team. Steps taken
to ensure a quieter environment for the passenger
include:
* Molded sound absorbers and insulators in the dash,
cowl, hood, front fenders, doors and rear quarter
panels.
* Mastic deadener pads in front footwells,
transmission tunnel, second- and third-row footwells
and cargo floor.
* Molded sound barrier treatment in B-pillars.
* Closed cell foam rubber plugs to seal D-pillars.
In addition, the Excursion 7.3-liter diesel has a
first-in-light-trucks interior and exterior sound
package, making it 8 to 10 decibels quieter - or roughly
half as loud - to the driver and passersby than other
diesels in production today.
The standard front and rear air-conditioning systems
feature headliner registers that rotate 360 degrees.
Privacy glass and separate reading lights also are
provided for all three rows of seating.
Power rear quarter windows - controlled from the front
overhead console - are optional for the XLT and standard
for the Limited series. Hinged from the forward edge, the
windows feature inside-mounted hardware with no
attachment buttons visible from outside the vehicle.
Safety Emphasis Inside and Out
Safety consistently ranks among customers as one of their
top three considerations when buying a vehicle.
Excursion's engineering team has created a winning
product for safety-conscious customers, providing them
with a heavy-duty SUV designed for top performance during
crash tests and real-world accidents.
Plus, unlike other vehicles in its class, Excursion
includes safety features to benefit other vehicle
occupants, as well.
A unique new BlockerBeam system and enhanced rear
underride protection are designed to reduce the
likelihood of lower-riding cars sliding beneath Excursion
during front and rear collisions. This reduces the amount
of intrusion into the passenger compartment, further
reducing the car occupants' risk of injury.
Excursion also features abundant "crumple zones" and a
body design that helps absorb energy and keep the
passenger compartment intact during crashes. Steel side
door beams offer customers enhanced protection during
side impacts. Child seat tether anchors in the second row
of seats further enhance the ability of parents to
securely anchor child safety seats.
Designed with the Environment in Mind
Excursion offers customers the total package - utility,
roominess, comfort and several distinct features that
make this heavy-duty SUV friendly to the environment.
Excursion will be certified as a low-emission vehicle -
or better - in all states and on all engines.
With 5.4- and 6.8-liter gasoline engines and a 7.3-liter
Power Stroke® diesel engine, Excursion produces up to 43
percent fewer smog-forming exhaust emissions than
permitted by law.
This powerful people and cargo mover can accommodate nine
people and their luggage, making it more fuel efficient
than using two full-size sedans to move equivalent loads.
Excursion also shines in its level of recyclability.
About 85 percent of each Excursion can be recycled after
the SUV's useful life.
Plus, nearly 20 percent of Excursion's content comes from
recycled consumer materials, such as steel, aluminum,
rubber and plastics.
MARKET/CUSTOMER
* Excursion is Ford's new entry into an existing
market
* The heavy-duty utility market has nearly doubled
during the last eight years - and continues to grow
* Excursion is designed as the ultimate heavy-duty
utility vehicle - both for personal and commercial
use - and was developed with customers in mind
* Built on the Ford Super Duty F-Series platform,
Excursion was developed using efficiencies that
benefit both customers and shareholders
The heavy-duty utility segment is a fast-growing one.
Starting out as a small niche market, the segment has
almost doubled during the past eight years. Sales have
increased from approximately 80,000 vehicles in 1990 to
more than 150,000 in 1998.
Customers are demanding more from their vehicles, which
has fueled much of the growth in the heavy-duty utility
vehicle market. Both personal-use customers and
businesses increasingly need a vehicle that can tow, haul
and pack in a lot of passengers and gear.
Ford market research shows the heavy-duty utility segment
customer is twice as likely to haul five to seven
passengers as a full-size SUV owner and almost four times
more likely than a compact utility owner to do so.
During the week, customer uses for Excursion are expected
to range from taking the team to baseball practice to
hauling a horse trailer or boat. On weekends, more than
80 percent of all heavy-duty utility owners use their
vehicle to take vacations and long trips, and enjoy
outdoor activities such as fishing, camping, winter
sports and water sports.
Excursion equally is designed to appeal to commercial
buyers. Businesses that need the ability to carry people
and haul equipment include ski resorts, survey and
construction crews, small inns, and parks and recreation
services - to name a few.
The foundation for Excursion is the "Built Ford Tough"
heritage. Using the Super Duty F-Series platform as a
starting point, Excursion is built to handle heavy loads
and perform the toughest jobs, such as towing boats or
trailers, while carrying nine passengers and their gear.
Excursion also is another example of Ford's dual truck
platform strategy, which is designed to make effective
and efficient use of common platforms to provide better
value to customers and shareholders.
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