Can the 2015 Ford Expedition EL keep up with the Chevrolet Suburban?

For most cars, buyers typically have the pleasure—or the pain—of cross-shopping among a dozen or more competitors. But those in the market for an extended-length, truck-based SUV will find the choice refreshingly simple, with just two mainstream-brand options. Most will go for the Chevrolet Suburban/GMC Yukon XL twins. But we just bought the dark horse in this race: the updated-for-2015 Ford Expedition EL.

Buying either won’t get you on the Sierra Club’s nondenominational holiday card list. Still, these behemoths prove to be very useful power tools. Three spacious rows of seats fit seven or eight passengers, while the added length means everyone can take their luggage, too. Minivans can’t do this; only commercial-grade, full-sized vans can, but they conjure up jokes of Chris Farley living down by a river. Optional four-wheel-drive gives these big SUVs some off-road capability, and hefty towing numbers let you drag your house behind you.

Indeed, as soon as the Expedition EL showed up at the Consumer Reports test track, the staff swarmed around it. Our black-on-black rig looks fresh from Secret Service duty. Testers immediately signed up for a weekend road trip here, some towing there. Like vacation homes, power boats, or wood chippers, a big SUV like this is something we'd much rather occasionally borrow than pay to own and feed ourselves.

Most folks who actually do buy one go for the GM competition. The Suburban and Yukon XL are fresh off a stem-to-stern redesign for 2014. Expedition changes for 2015 are far more modest, more of a makeover rather than reconstructive surgery. This makes the Ford one of the oldest designs on the market, with the short-wheelbase version introduced way back in 2003. Based on the outgoing F-Series pickup, the 2015 Expedition doesn’t get the 2015 F-150’s new aluminum body. Maybe that comes a few years later.

Until then, it feels like the Expedition is marking time. You really notice it sitting inside. While the Suburban/Yukon XL interior feels like it was dipped into a pool of soft-touch materials, the Expedition’s dash and doors scream old-school truck. Acres of rock-hard plastic make the cabin look cheap. Loud wind noise, especially on the highway, is also a blast from the past. In comparison, the GM competition feels and sounds like a luxury car.

Learn more on our SUV buying guide.

Cheap and trucklike isn’t what you expect for $63,080, the sticker price for our EL Limited 4x4 test truck. Of that, $2,785 bought us navigation, a moonroof, and power retracting running boards. Short people appreciate the step up, but the boards are too narrow and often get in the way. The $490 blind-spot monitoring system should be considered mandatory, and the $795 second-row bucket seats aid family tranquility.