Comparison Test: 2007 Full-Size Domestic SUVs

Now that we've all paid more than $3.50 for fuel and seen gas pump cost readouts blur and emit steam, the reasons to buy a full-size SUV like the 2007 Ford Expedition and Chevrolet Tahoe are being whittled back down to their core strengths. For many, the time for choosing a big SUV as a fashion accessory or minivan alternative has passed, as those folks have begun migrating to less truckish and more economical crossovers.

But for those of us who want three rows of seats for the family and have a regular need to haul stuff or pull a trailer, full-size SUVs, with a frame, remain the obvious choice. And since the historical leaders in this segment, Ford and GM, have just redesigned their iconic offerings, we collected 4x4 examples of the 2007 Ford Expedition Limited and 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe LT for a friendly mano-a-mano contest. The results of our full-size domestic SUV comparison may not matter much to staunch brand loyalists, but we've decided to do it anyway. Let's meet the contestants, shall we?

In this corner...
Representing GM is the all-new 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe LT, weighing in at 5,770 as-tested pounds. This is a 4x4 SUV that knows its traditional mechanical strengths and plays to them. The chassis remains steadfastly independent up front and coil-sprung solid-axle out back. Its 5.3-liter Vortec V8 engine, while able to run either gasoline, E85 (if you can find it) or in miserly V4 mode, is nonetheless of the venerable pushrod type. Shifting is assigned to a familiar four-speed automatic featuring a handy tow-haul mode switch.

Outside, in typical Tahoe/Suburban fashion, the look is uncluttered and smooth — although some felt the rear three-quarter view a throwback, with its grid of intersecting lines reminiscent of early '90s Tahoes. The big news is the interior, which has received an extremely overdue makeover. Gone is the overwrought binnacle and button festival, replaced by a smooth and inviting dash, logically laid out and trimmed with Germanic-looking materials and textures.

A third-row seat is present, with 16.9 cubic feet of storage behind it, but still doesn't fold flat into the floor and forces adult occupants into a knees-up fetal posture. Maximum cargo volume comes in at 108.9 cubic feet, but in order to get that, two suitcase-sized third-seat modules need to be unlatched from the floor and stored in the garage.

With most of the available bells and whistles, including extravagances such as LT3 trim, navigation, rear-seat entertainment and a rearview camera, a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe LT 4x4 setup like ours costs $50,225.

The contender
Ford's new offering, on the other hand, is a different animal. Our 2007 Ford Expedition Limited, tipping our scales at 6,073 pounds, is motivated by a 5.4-liter engine employing single-overhead cams and driving through a new six-speed automatic — albeit with an overdrive-off switch instead of tow-haul mode. Independent rear suspension supports the hindquarters.

Because independent suspension is more compact, more interior space is available, creating room for an articulated fold-flat third seat with honest-to-God leg- and headroom and 18.6 cubic feet of storage aft of it. In mere seconds, a simple button-push folds the 60/40 third seats into the floor, which, combined with the fold-flat second-row, opens up 108.3 cubes of max cargo volume.

Since our Expedition is a Limited, it's coated with handsome leather inside. When it comes to the dash, however, the soft edges cease — replaced by a mechanical-looking façade, complete with Paul Bunyan's steak knife plunged into the console for a shift lever. Think ironworker in a business suit. The tough-guy look continues outside, with prominent truck — perhaps even locomotive — styling cues.

And even though our 2007 Expedition Limited 4x4 had options such as load-leveling rear air suspension, navigation, rear-seat entertainment, 20-inch chrome wheels and the high-capacity towing option, its price fell nearly $2 grand short of the Chevy's, at $48,485.

Ding!
In addition to our normal battery of testing and evaluation, typically made up of extensive street driving and on-track performance measurements, we've added a towing test element. If full-size SUVs have a special purpose that distinguishes them from crossovers and minivans, it's towing.

At the track, the combatants posted nearly identical times, but felt very different during the trip. Ford's 5.4-liter V8, putting out 300 horses at 5,000 rpm and a whopping 365 pound-feet of torque at 3,750, pulled smooth and strong as it rumbled to 60 mph in 8.9 seconds and covered the quarter-mile at 16.5 seconds at 83.5 mph.

With more widely spaced gears and less torque from the 5.3-liter Vortec V8 — 340 lb-ft at 4,200 rpm — the Tahoe's forward progress sagged noticeably at upshifts. But 320 SAE-certified hp at 5,200 rpm made up for it, as the bow-tie special nipped the Ford to 60 by a 10th, then stumbled, but salvaged a 16.5-second tie at the line, finishing strong at 84.3 mph.

With the Ford's smoother power delivery and the Chevy's slight performance edge, call round 1 a draw. But mark these results on your scorecard, as they'll come into play again later.

Fancy footwork
Our slalom and skid pad tests were a mixed bag. Since both trucks have standard electronic stability control systems (ESC), and neither could be turned off, they messed with our usual program.

At first glance, the Tahoe's 0.70g skid pad result beats the Expedition's 0.67g, but both SUVs could have done better without electronic intervention. Slalom times were similarly afflicted, but for the record, the Ford lumbered through at 55.9 mph, while the Tahoe managed 55.8 mph. The silver lining is that if ESC hampers our limit testing to this extent, the systems ought to intervene when needed in the real world.

Besides, the real story lies on the road, where different suspension-tuning philosophies become obvious. "Tight and direct" describes the Expedition's steering, which gives the driver a degree of feedback and control that is rare in this class. Responsive 20-inch Pirelli tires doubtless have something to do with it, but the downside is that more road coarseness comes through. Independent rear suspension deals with large disturbances well, keeping the aft end well-planted at all times.

The Tahoe, on the other hand, feels like it's riding on comparatively soft and squishy tires. Sure, the level of comfort and quiet is higher, on coarse roads at least, as the 17-inch Bridgestone rubber is an effective filter. But the downside is steering that feels rubbery, too. It bounds a bit over bridge expansion joints, and the solid rear axle sometimes klomps over large bumps, accompanied by the occasional sideways twitch.

Traditionally, GM truck brakes aren't anything to write home about, but the new Tahoe's four-wheel discs feel reassuringly firm underfoot, and pedal travel is short. Panic stops of 150 feet, however, were curiously long, as a previous example we tested managed 133 feet on Goodyear Wranglers. In contrast, the Expedition's pedal feels softer and a bit less comforting in daily use, and it stopped in a ho-hum 137 feet.

Final round
Capping off our comparo, we lashed a sizable burden to the back of each ute and made them pull it up Jacumba grade, an 11.5-mile interstate hill that spends a lot of time between 5 and 7 percent.

Fleetwood Enterprises kindly allowed us the use of a 23-foot Nitrous Hyperlight 19FKX toy hauler. This enclosed box trailer, cleverly designed to hold ATVs and then serve as a sleeps-six camper after they're unloaded, has as much frontal area as SUV owners are likely to see. So in addition to weight, our heroes had to deal with beaucoup wind resistance.

Since the Expedition's optional high-capacity tow rating is 9,000 pounds and the Tahoe's standard capacity rating is 7,200 pounds, we added extra ballast to the 5,390-pound trailer when the Ford was pulling it — the idea being to burden each truck to the same percentage of its rated capacity. A full explanation is available on the tow test detail page.

In the 12-minute ascent, with 60 mph as our target speed, both made the summit within 3 seconds of each other. The power-delivery differences mentioned earlier came out here, too, as the Tahoe's fewer gears led to a mid-hill bout of gear hunting, which wasn't evident in the Ford. The Chevy's 20-hp advantage showed itself higher up at the steepest portion where both trucks were at wide-open throttle. Here the Tahoe maintained 58.3 mph, while the Expedition faded slightly to 55.8 mph. Considering trailer weight and aerodynamic drag, both are worthy performances.

The Tahoe was harder on the ears, however, with much more prominent exhaust noise. It sounds kinda cool when passing someone in daily-drive mode, but the 76.5 full-throttle decibels we measured, compared to 71.4 for the Expedition, got a bit tiring while towing up the grade, throttle mashed, for more than 6 minutes. Meanwhile, in the Ford, sipping tea, we didn't need to raise our voices to hold a conversation.

The decision is in
While the 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe LT is a nice piece, with a much appreciated dashboard makeover and stout towing performance, the lack of a stowable, adult-friendly third-row seat and a higher price caused it to trail behind its arch-nemesis when the results were tallied. And even though this is an all-new truck, important subsurface chunks of it feel outdated.

Yes, the unanimous judges' decision went to Ford's 2007 Expedition Limited, with its well-sorted steering and handling, controlled ride, very good towing performance and an adult-sized third-row seat that, importantly, folds flat into the floor. And with a sticker price low enough to let one indulge in a few more options or a down payment on a trailer and ATVs, it's hard to go wrong.

The manufacturers provided Edmunds these vehicles for the purposes of evaluation.