I am only posting this because I know there is an Expedition enthusiast on the forums (Neptune, right?). So my family is in need of a bigger car for the two weeks surrounding Christmas and New Years. Three people are staying with my family (eight people already) so we rented this SUV. Its a gray 2004 Ford Expedition 4x4. It has the letters "NBX" written by the Expedition badge on the rear hatch, which I am assuming is the trim level? I have never heard of NBX before, and I was wondering where in the Expedition lineup it might be? This one is loaded with all sorts of features; seperate air/heat controls, cruise control, 6-CD/1-Cassette/AM/FM radio with rear controls, AdvanceTrac, and all that stuff. I am really liking this car, but its not perfect. I love its road manners, it brakes way better then anticipated and its passing and acceleration speeds are very impressive. I don't really like the interior though. Sure its got all the toys and the seats are nice, but its very low-quality in my opinion. I noticed the window and lock buttons are almost identical to the ones in my '89 Tempo.

Here are the pictures..

Very nice Expy … the NBX (a.k.a. XLT-NBX) was positioned above the standard XLT trim line. The NBX is also a very rare version of the second generation U222 Expedition. I have only seen one in person. As it is a NBX I can already tell it has the 5.4 Liter 16-Valve Triton V8 (a good engine, but a littlie low on power output) It makes around 260hp. As for you finding the interior quality low, the XLT/NBX Expeditions used low grade materials (the Expedition sticks to that saying – you get what you pay for) If you step up to a Eddie Bauer Expedition the interior becomes more vibrant, and is lighter in hue with more softer interior color choices and Leather seating. If you were to sit in a Limited Edition Expedition – you will find that there is enough genuine Leather used in the cabin to make a herd of cows nervous. Limiteds also get a very expensive looking, but tasteful Medium Parchment interior color scheme with interior wood accents.

Here is mine – a 2006 model, Limited Edition

Your Expedition's interior looks as if it could be from a completely different car. Its quite a lot better looking then our NBX interior. I am not one to complain much about interior quality, as long as its built nice and is durable. From what I can tell, it seems durable enough. One thing I really like about this Expedition (in comparison to my Cheyenne and mom's Silverado) is how well positioned everything is. The center console is nice and raised so you aren't reaching down to put stuff in the cup holder, all the buttons aren't far from the driver's seat. Either it was well designed or I'm just used to having to reach far to do anything in our trucks.

What other trim levels were there, besides XLT, NBX, Eddie Bauer and Limited?

King Ranch

Yes, their was the King Ranch – U222 (2005-2006) and U324 (2008-Onward) Its basically a western themed Eddie Bauer as it uses the Eddie Bauer exterior and interior color schemes.

The Expedition has always been praised by Test-drivers and magazine editors for having a extremely well though out interior that is Driver oriented – unlike the first generation UN93 Expedition.

The only thing I really don’t like about mine, is the "AdvanceTrac-RSC" cancellation button is located on the center console near the cup-holders ...

So you can turn AdvanceTrac off? Or is that only in the newer ones?

Yes ... "AdvanceTrac" (2003-2004 models only) and "AdvanceTrac-RSC" (2005-Onward models) can be turned off – if needed. It is best to turn it off if you’re driving in sand. AdvanceTrac and AdvanceTrac-RSC is good for on or off-road use except sand.

If your Expy has AdvanceTrac then there will be a button on the center console just in front of the dual cup-holders. (It has a symbol on it in the shape of a car skidding out of control)

great pics and info
im a fan of the ford suvs, so this thread is just great
please, post more pics neptune

Yes, our Expedition has that little button in between the two cup holders. Not such a great location. Another annoyance is how the gear lever blocks the AWD/2WD/4WD knob when its in gear. So you can't see if its in 4WD or 2WD when you are driving. Its also not the greatest off road car ever. Either that, or our driveway is a lot worse then I thought. Its a 1 1/4 mile long with a lot of steep hills, turns and blind spots. Yesterday a friend of mine was driving the Expedition up one of the last hills on the road and it just could not make it up. It started sliding and after it lost momentum that was it. It slid down the hill, off the road, into the ditch. All was forgiven though, because it got itself back out of the ditch in first gear and 4WD-low. On the way back it got hung up on snow, but again got itself out. Its got all season tires, same as my truck, and my truck does wonderful on the road.

It does great on the road and on other people's roads, its just our road we've had trouble on. A little more ground clearance would do wonders though, and studded tires.

I agree the tires are not the best for off-road use – I have encountered problems with them during my off-road jaunts. I noticed they become clogged with mud fast and fairly easy. However given the fact that I also tow trailers with the vehicle they seem to be a good balance between off-road and on-road use. Strict Mud-Terrain tires are not practical went towing/hauling. The tires that are on mine are the originals (though the tread is showing some wear and tear) They will soon need to be replaced. For factory equipped tires they are not as bad as some I have seen on other vehicles.

As for off-road abilities – again I also agree. A rock crawler it is not, and while off-road you must be aware that the IRS arms droop low, so as not to get them hung on anything.

I figure the Expedition is good enough off road for nearly everyone. Its a little too long, heavy and its ground clearance isn't quite good enough to put it in the same category as the Jeep Wrangler and Land Rover. Its good, but its not good enough for us. But then I don't think everyone has such high standards. During Alaska's spring breakup, the only car that can make it in and our our road is the old '76 CJ-7 we used for fishing. So we'd park the Tempo, Blazer, Silverado and Cheyenne at the end of the road and use the CJ for driving in and out the driveway.

The way I see it is, the Expedition is the perfect blend when it comes to utility. It retains enough off-road skills to keep it useful to anyone who wants to venture off the beaten path, but it also retains optimum heavy duty on-road towing/hauling use. Plus it will carry up to seven passengers and luggage wherever or whatever you plan to do. SUVs that are designed to be excellent off-road do not make good heavy duty towing machines. But at the same time on the other end of the spectrum, SUVs that are designed to be excellent at towing/hauling aren’t good at going off-road. That’s the beauty of the Expedition – it is capable of doing a little bit of everything. That is what makes a SUV useful to me. I do a little bit of everything so I need a vehicle that can keep up with me – that is why I chose the Expy.

I thought the 2003+ Expeditions all made 300BHP?

Nope, they didn’t ...

The engine history for the Expedition is as follows:

1997-1998 models:
-4.6 Liter 16-Valve SOHC Triton V8 {215hp}
-5.4 Liter 16-Valve SOHC Triton V8 {230hp}

1999-2002 models:
-4.6 Liter 16-Valve SOHC Triton V8 {240hp}
-5.4 Liter 16-Valve SOHC Triton V8 {260hp}

2003-2004 models:
-4.6 Liter 16-Valve SOHC Triton V8 {232hp}
-5.4 Liter 16-Valve SOHC Triton V8 {260hp}

2005-2006 models:
-5.4 Liter 24-Valve “VVT” SOHC Triton V8 {300hp}

2007-Present models:
-5.4 Liter 24-Valve “VVT” SOHC Triton V8 {300hp}

Future engines (rumored or currently being planned) for the Expedition:
-Future Turbo Diesel V6 or V8 {power output unknown}
-Future 6.2 Liter SOHC 16-Valve BOSS V8 {430hp}