The King Ranch, Reliable Cars, Concours Destinations, and the Corolla Cross....

Big SUVs don’t have to drive like buses. We put the 2025 Ford Expedition King Ranch through a real week of miles and came away surprised by the steering precision, quiet ride, and how easily the cabin tech fades into the background so you can actually enjoy the drive. From the panoramic roof and bronze 22-inch wheels to a 24-inch driver display and 13.2-inch touchscreen, this full-size three-row blends comfort with capability, towing up to 9,600 pounds while returning honest, real-world fuel economy.

We break down what matters for buyers: how BlueCruise and Co-Pilot360 2.0 help on long stints, how the B&O Unleashed 22-speaker audio fills the cabin, and why the second-row captain’s chairs and power-folding third row make life easier for families. Then we talk money and matchups. The Expedition’s pricing strategy ranges from a value-forward Active trim to the fully loaded King Ranch tested here, so cross-shopping the Chevy Tahoe, Nissan Armada, and Toyota Sequoia is essential. We explain who wins on base price, where hybrids shift the math, and why the Expedition’s driving dynamics could be the tiebreaker.

Durability fans get a deep dive into longevity. We outline why Toyota and Lexus dominate 250,000-mile lists, how Honda’s practical engineering earns consistent high-mile results, and where Chevrolet proves its mettle with Suburban and Silverado. We also call out the pain points that keep RAM and Jeep from climbing the charts and explore why Tesla’s older models struggle in used reliability rankings even as newer ones improve.

To round out the enthusiast calendar, we map five standout concours events—from The Amelia and Greenwich to Cincinnati, Pebble Beach, and Ironstone—so you can plan your year around the cars that made history.

 Finally we look at the 2026 Toyota Corolla Cross, one of those SUVs that just makes sense. It’s compact enough for tight parking spots but roomy enough for groceries, road trips, or the daily commute. The hybrid option boosts fuel economy, the ride is smooth and quiet, and the tech is easy to use. It’s practical, affordable, and ready for everyday life without drama. 

If you love smart car shopping, long-haul ownership tips, and a little dream-garage inspiration, you’re in the right place. Hit follow, shar

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Transcript

Kicking Off The Expedition Review

SPEAKER_03 0:04

All right, uh let's do our car review now. Mr. Mars has one. Yes, Mars has a car review. Hope I didn't catch you off guard, Mike. Uh it's the Ford Expedition. I never catch you off guard, do I?

Trims And What King Ranch Includes

Exterior Updates And Design Details

Interior Screens And Seating Layout

Driver Tech And Audio Impressions

Powertrain, Towing, And MPG Reality

Pricing And Key Competitors

Big SUV Without The Big Feel

SPEAKER_00 0:17

I got it, Mike. Not Harley. More than once or twice a day. So yeah, so I had the chance to drive the 2025 Ford Expedition. Now, this is the King Ranch version that we had. And uh it is the new for 2025. It's been was redesigned in 2025, and it actually kicks off the fifth gen of the new expeditions. So its final assembly location is in Kentucky USA, which I thought was kind of strange. We don't usually see them in uh some reason they're all Mexico or Canada or somewhere. Anyway, so it comes in seven trim levels. You got the active, you got the max active, which is the longer extended version, the platinum, the max platinum, again, the extended version. The trimmer is more of an off-roady type vehicle, and then the King Ranch and the Max King Ranch. And we were driving the King Ranch. So this is a full-size three-row vehicle, seats seven people. And uh so for this year, again, it's new for 25, but the most of the changes were on the interior and in the technology. There were a few modest updates on the exterior. Uh, it does have LED headlights up front, of course. It's got an active air dam, it's got the signature grill lighting and tail lights that really look cool at night. And the signature grill, I mean, the uh it's got some power deploying running boards that work really well. They're they're pretty quick to kick out. You can open the door, and they're generally there by the time you want to step on it. You don't have to wait on them. And I thought that was really good. It has the uh prof panoramic view roof. Now, this is the roof that opens up all the way back down and uh lets in lots of sunlight. It rolls on some nice 22-inch bronze aluminum wheels. They've got a bronze look to them because of that King Ranch, and that looks different. And overall, I like it because it's got a nice professional, I guess you'd say classy look to it because of the lines on it, and we had the black, so it was definitely there. On the interior, we had the Mesa Del Rio leather trim seats, really nice to sit in, comfortable. Has the 24-inch driver info display. Now, this thing is massive, it goes all the way across there. It's got a 13.2-inch center stack touchscreen that kind of ties into it to control all your infotainment and uh your convenience controls. The second row, we had the heated and power folding tip and slide bucket seats, captain chairs, whatever the proper term is these days. Really, again, really nice and comfortable to get in and out of. The third row is a 402040 flex folding. Now, this is a power folding seat. I didn't make it that far back, so can't tell you how comfortable they are, but they look pretty good. Now the technology, again, they did a lot of things uh on the technology for this vehicle. It's got the blue crews, and then and it also has the Ford Copilot 360 2.0, it's got the wireless charging pad, it's got the touch screens, and it had the B and O unleashed 22 speaker audio system. I tried to figure out what it would be like leashed, but I couldn't find that part. Now, up under the hood, it has a 3.5 liter V6, it provides it with the power, and I will say that it does provide it with plenty of power. It was very responsive for a very large vehicle, and it's not a race car, never intended to be a race car. Uh it does have a 10-speed automatic transmission and properly equipped, it will tow 9,600 pounds. Now, the EPA says in the city you're looking at about 15 miles to the gallon, highway 22 combined 18. I drove the vehicle 220.3 miles the week. I had it, and I got 16.8 miles per gallon average over the course of that week. Um, and again, it does respond quite well to the throttle out on the highway, passing around town. And I also felt like with driving it, I was honestly impressed because it manages the road really well. Whether you're out on the highway, you're in town, and I really enjoyed the steering in it. A lot of people, I saw some things where people said the steering wasn't very responsive. I thought it was, particularly the turning radius. It seemed like I was driving, or it felt like whenever I was turning the steering wheel, I was driving a much smaller vehicle, and I really liked that part of it. Now, the base trim price for a vehicle like this is 83,655. You gotta remember we're driving the King Ranch edition, so it's in the upper levels of the trim range. Now, the MSRP particular as it was 85,650. We didn't have very many options. Uh that uh King Ranch has a lot of things built into it. Of course, you can get into an expedition, which a lot of people do look at it because of that active is uh kind of like a volume leader, if you will. A lot of people buy that because it's$64,995. Still not cheap by any means, but now you're talking about a seven-passenger full-size SUV vehicle. If you're looking for something to compare this to, you might look at the Chevy Tahoe.$59,000 for the base entry level to get into that. I've always liked the Tahoe, but I also think that after driving this for a week, I could definitely see you need to look at both of them. Nissan Armada,$57,520. It's been updated recently, but it's definitely something you'd want to look at. And if you go across to the Toyota Sequoia, this is a hybrid, it's the only way you can get it now. So it's going to be a little more expensive at$62,425. But I firmly believe uh, again, after driving it, if you're looking at a full-size three-row SUV, this expedition really should be one of them that you include in your search.

SPEAKER_03 5:42

Well, I'll tell you what.

Longevity Brands To 250k Miles

SPEAKER_00 5:53

Oh, it is. It's it's nice. But but but you don't have that big car feel. That's what I was really surprised at uh, you know, like some of the big three rows you know, you're driving a big monster truck. It didn't feel that way.

SPEAKER_03 6:06

Wow. Well, if you remember way back in the day, you know, basically all they did back in the day, back in the day, which is a long day ago, they took a truck chassis and kept everything the same underneath and put a body on the entire truck chassis and just left it alone. They don't do that anymore. Uh it's all custom made for carrying passengers and not loads of gravel in the back of it or something like that. So it really, if you've not driven one in a long time, I would say go check it out. I think you'd be surprised.

SPEAKER_00 6:41

I I was very surprised with it, so I I agree.

SPEAKER_03 6:44

And congratulations and uh thank uh Ken Peabody for giving you some cars on it. Good stuff. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:50

Good stuff.

SPEAKER_03 6:51

All right.

SPEAKER_02 6:52

Uh I've got us today.

SPEAKER_03 6:58

Time now for Jeff's Car Culture. Four brands that should make a quarter million miles, and three brands that probably won't.

Who Struggles With Long-Term Reliability

Top Concours Events By Season

SPEAKER_01 7:06

Yeah, they're they're expected to. That's what they say. But Toyota is the undisputed longevity champion. Uh Toyota demon uh dominates the 2025 list of these vehicles. Uh what makes Toyota vehicles last so long? It comes down to the deliberate engineering, the choices that they make. And when they make those choices, they stick to it. It's reliable systems instead of chasing every new trend. They improve the cars little by little instead of rushing big changes and carefully monitor every step of building that Toyota. Uh the Toyota Corporation, they receive nine model awards every year, including the Lexus ES, Lexus IS, Lexus NX, and it goes on through that, through the Toyota Camry, Toyota Tacoma, and the Toyota Tundra. Brands approach the quality control and incremental improvements rather than just radical designs, which other people do, uh, is pay dividends for the owners of those vehicles and long hauls that they use them for. The next one up would be uh the Lexus, the luxuries that last. Uh Kathy's got one and she loves it. Lexus ranks the highest level in the vehicle dependability for a second consecutive year. Toyota's luxury division, which is Lexus, brings the same reliability DNA wrapped in the premium materials and refined driving dynamics. The brands consistently across both new and used vehicles set it apart from the competitors. In 2026, Lexus is the most reliable brand for used cars, seeing a higher score across older vehicles than the new ones. A luxury brand owner by Toyota, it was also ranked in the top three most reliable new cars that they have. So that's good for Lexus. Keep it going. Honda's the next one. Proven durability across the segments for Honda, it ranks second for the most vehicle rankings, demonstrates strong longevity potential. The Japanese automaker has built a reputation similar to Toyota, focusing on practical engineering and reliable powertrains, hint all the other manufacturers. The Honda Odyssey pilot and ridgeline are the twelfth, eleventh, and tenth most likely vehicles to make it beyond the quarter million dot mile mark. Honda's approach to reliability mirrors Toyota's philosophy of consecutive updates and proven technology. The brand consists of performance across sedans, SUVs, and trucks. The next one we have, which is the last one in the group of four, and it's kind of surprising. Chevlet, the American contender. Only General Motors managed to break the Japanese stranglehold in longevity, with the Chevrolet model showing a surprising durability in certain segments. The Chevrolet Suburban remains a reliable choice in the full-size SUV category with a chance of reaching 250,000 miles. And its iconic SUV, which has been around since 1935, continues to be a favorite for families of those who need a vehicle built to last. The Chevrolet Silverado 1500 rounds out the chance of reaching 250,000 as the only American-made half-ton vehicle to make the list. So there you go, keep it up. Buick ranks second among uh the challenges for the small SUVs. It's the Buick Encore, Chevrolet Equinox, and Chevrolet Traverse all make that list, contending for the 250,000 mile mark. The ones that didn't make it, Mike, are the struggling uh long-term reliability would be the Dodge Ram. Uh despite marketing emphasis, toughness, and capability, the RAM trucks face reliability challenges that prevent them from achieving a quarter million mile longevity rate at the rates compared to its competitors. Moving on to the next one, Mike, we're gonna wrap this up for the Jeep off-road uh prowess on road problems. Jeep's reputation for ruggedness doesn't translate to long-term reliability with the brand consistently ranking near the bottom of dependability studies. The focus of off-road capability and lifestyles marketing hasn't resulted in the vehicle to rack up that many miles without significant mechanical issues. Now, the one thing I see also in this is that they use them for other things. I mean, there's a lot of events you can take your Jeep to and and you know those things tend to destroy parts and pieces of the body. The last one, Mike, Tesla. Innovation meets growing pains. Tesla ranks last place among 26 brands for its used model, driven by numerous issues with older models, and while Tesla's new vehicles rank ninth across the new car's reliability, it plummets, meaning uh the plummet, uh given several issues with older models. The electric vehicle pioneer faces significant reliability challenges, and they're working on it as best they can. So there you go.

SPEAKER_03 11:38

That's interesting. Yeah. Uh yeah, unfortunately, uh I've heard about RAM and I've heard about Jeep uh having some serious issues uh in in multiple fashion uh with uh reliability issues across the board, not just one thing, not just an engine, not just a transmission, uh, not just with electronics, but a combination of all those things.

SPEAKER_01 12:01

There's many more out there, Don. These are just uh some that pop up uh consistently and the ones that will make it and the ones that won't. So Mr.

SPEAKER_02 12:07

Morris and the ones that won't.

SPEAKER_01 12:13

So Mr.

SPEAKER_03 12:14

Morris now has a special for us, and that would be the top five concours events. Is that across the United States, Mike? Yes, sir. Okay, sir.

SPEAKER_00 12:25

I kind of broke it out into uh time of year just because uh these take a little planning because of where they're at. So, for example, in the spring, the Amelia Concours de Eleance is down in Amelia Island in Florida.

SPEAKER_01 12:38

Now, this normally is this driving destination? I don't have the right slide up.

SPEAKER_00 12:44

Uh how about this one? Oh, yeah, I got it.

SPEAKER_01 12:48

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 12:49

All right, got it. Great.

Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid Review Highlights

SPEAKER_00 12:51

All right, so uh the Amelia kicks off the concourse season, uh, typically held in March, and it happens at the oceanside Ritz Carleton down there. Now, this of course has got your blue chip collector cars, motorsports legends, auctions, and a lot of seminars, but it's all in that coastal area with the spring weather. So it makes it really nice for uh open top cruising around and going out on the beach evenings and stuff. It makes it for a real nice event to happen there. And uh, if you're down there and you want to do something else while you're down there, you might go explore Fort Clinch State Park for coastal drives and some Civil War history while you're enjoying it. Now, in late spring or early summer, Greenwich Greenwich Concours to Elegant, Greenwich, Connecticut, puy. Typically, this happens in late May, early June. This is on the Long Island Sound Waterfront, and uh it's in the Northeast, so it doesn't really have all the Monterey crowds per se, but it's got a lot of carefully curated classes from the pre-war classics up to the modern hypercars. And it's kind of a smaller show, but it makes it easier to see everything if you're down there only for a day, and you can get some VIP luxury receptions if you want to get into those, or some showcases if you really want to go for an over-the-top event. And uh, if you're up there in that area and you want something to do while you're there, take a quick train into New York City and go check out Broadway. Now, during the summer, you want to go to the Cincinnati Concours de Elegons. Now, this is typically in June, so down south it's a little warmer, nice time to be up, maybe a little further north. And this is a Midwest concourse that handles, brings in a lot of prestige with a friendly, relaxed atmosphere with over 200 vehicles that compete across their theme classes. Now, the park's got a hilltop pavilion, so it creates a nice view looking down over the whole setting there. And if you really want something to go see with some top-tier cars without having to go to the coast on either side of the country, this is one that's typically in the middle of the world that you can see. Uh, there's also the National Museum of the United States Air Force if you happen to want to do something else while you're in that area. Now, late summer, this is whenever you can start looking for the Pebble Beach Concours de Elegants. Now, this is out in Pebble Beach, California, of course. Now, this is considered the crown jewel of the American Concours events. Now, this is held during the Monterey Car Week, and it showcases the rarest and the historically significant cars in the world. Now, they do this on a golf course, and the 18th Fairway overlooks the Pacific Ocean, so it really gives a nice surrounding there of elegance as well as seeing the beach and things. So they have auctions, they have unveilings during this thing, and they do a lot of satellite events actually to bring things in now to really round out the full automotive festival week. Then uh in the fall, if you're looking for something up there, go to the Ironstone Concourse to Eleance. Now, this is up in Northern California, Murphy's California. Typically, this is in September, and it's considered California's gold country at the Ironstone Vineyards. Now, this combines vintage automobiles with wine country hospitality. They have over 300 classic cars, motorcycles, historic race machines, and it's in a really nice, relaxed vineyard setting. So with the cooler autumn weather, it makes it really comfortable to go out and uh be in the scenic landscape. And they have a lot of other things going on in that area, including this year of foothill back roads and uh places to nicely drive and enjoy the vineyard and the surrounding part of the country there.

SPEAKER_03 16:26

Very cool. All right, thank you, sir.

SPEAKER_02 16:28

All right, time now for right.

SPEAKER_03 16:45

Comes in three trim levels: the S, the S E, and the XSE. The reviewed trim level is the HV, which is a hybrid. XSE, top of the line. Small or subcompact SUV is what it uh categorizes as. Uh seats, uh, five of them, including the driver. Exterior changes from last model year. It was all new in 2022. Uh exterior, new body colored grill is unique to this brand. Reminds of some of the Lexus products. Side body sculpting is subtle, but adds some differentiation there. Makes it unique. Hatch and tail lights look like all the rest. Two-tone paint, uh, black roof panel, it looks great. What I liked about it, the overall look, it's high marks. Um and uh I'm not sure about roof rails these days. Does anybody use those things anymore? It's not a really uh huh. Just for looks, I guess. Well, just leave the rails up there, but forget the cross hatches. Uh what could use improvement, not sure on the outside. Inside, the dash is simple and mostly easy to use. The trip display has to drill down into several menus to find that. Uh, changeable instrument cluster is nice. Radio has push button volume controls, which I had a hard time trying to find. Okay, where do you turn the radio up? Well, it's at the bottom of the screen. It says increase or decrease the volume. Seating is comfortable with unique louvering. That's not right. With unique coverings. Well, I like Louvering. It's kind of it's kind of like what you buy at Walmart, you know, those web chairs, and they got them all stocked up and ready for summer. Louvering. Uh cargo room, small, uh, especially with the rear seat up. What I liked about it, the size, shape, and comfort. We could use improvement. I don't know. Two-liter engine, 196 horsepower, doesn't sound like a lot. 151 pound feet of torque, but it does have a CVT transmission in it, and it is all-wheel drive, so that there's that. Uh so the CVT is gonna make up for uh uh under horsepowered car. City, 46 miles per gallon in the city, 39 of the highway is what it's rated for a combined of 42. I got 39.1 miles per gallon over 430 miles. What I liked about it, mileage. Hello. What could use improvement? You got the mileage. What more do you want? Not a lot of grunt, but that's what this is all about. What I liked about it, nice, comfortable car. Uh what could use improvement? I say here, don't touch it. Base trim price,$33,030. Wow. That's base trim. Yeah. Prices tested$37,449, and it was top of the line all the way. Base model price,$29,395. So they managed to squeeze it in under the$30,000 mark. Competitors, the Kia Nero, the Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid, and the Toyota Rav4 hybrid, which is the most expensive in the comparisons. Next week I'll review the Mazda 3 sedan. Yes, they still do.