How will the Ford Expedition FX4 on our Gold Mine Hill off-road test? As soon as I had a chance to find out, I jumped at the chance. The FX4 is the most off-road worthy Expedition in the lineup.
Ford Expedition FX4
Under the hood is still the 3.5L twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 with 375 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque. It’s mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. The short-wheel base FX4 model gets unique rims, Michelin tires, underbody skid plates, rear locking differential, hill descend control, and off-road tuned shocks.
Gold Mine hill is our standard trail in the Colorado Rocky Mountains where we take most of the crossovers and SUVs. We use the trail to measure a truck’s off-road ability. It’s broken down into three stages. The first stage is a steep and rocky incline. The second stage is a 90-degree off-camber left turn. The final stage is an articulation section that is very narrow and now is worse connection than ever.
I put the Expedition into low range, locked the rear differential for maximum traction on this dry and loose trail. The first stage was a breeze. The second stage turned out to be more of a challenge, but the Expedition went up it. The third stage turned out to be the ultimate obstacle.
Watch all of the Gold Mine Hill run in the video below, and see how this FX4 does on stage three.
