Branchchipper
Silver Member
Ford vs. Chevy?
I did a comparison of 1/2 ton 4x4 Expedition ELs and Suburbans at work a few years ago, and drove a number of both types.
This was for battalion chief rigs for a mid-size fire department.
We were switching from another vehicle type, and needed to carry a relatively small "fixed load" and still have room for up to four people inside during complex incidents.
We liked driving both, but the Suburban won hands down when we looked at the experience of other departments. Expeditions seemed a bit lighter-duty; the Suburban's brakes and shocks held up better, and their interiors held up better, too. Motors seemed comparable for maintenance, etc.
We ultimately chose 3/4 ton Suburbans; our fire shop folks wanted the even-heavier-duty suspension, axles and brakes. We went with the police/fire version that adds a larger alternator as well.
I'm a Ford guy at home, but I drove one of the Suburbans for several years after we chose that model, and loved it.
I've since retired, but I know that the shop folks are still very impressed with them from a maintenance and durability angle. They get pretty hard use and rack up a lot of miles each month, but seem to hold up well.
I did a comparison of 1/2 ton 4x4 Expedition ELs and Suburbans at work a few years ago, and drove a number of both types.
This was for battalion chief rigs for a mid-size fire department.
We were switching from another vehicle type, and needed to carry a relatively small "fixed load" and still have room for up to four people inside during complex incidents.
We liked driving both, but the Suburban won hands down when we looked at the experience of other departments. Expeditions seemed a bit lighter-duty; the Suburban's brakes and shocks held up better, and their interiors held up better, too. Motors seemed comparable for maintenance, etc.
We ultimately chose 3/4 ton Suburbans; our fire shop folks wanted the even-heavier-duty suspension, axles and brakes. We went with the police/fire version that adds a larger alternator as well.
I'm a Ford guy at home, but I drove one of the Suburbans for several years after we chose that model, and loved it.
I've since retired, but I know that the shop folks are still very impressed with them from a maintenance and durability angle. They get pretty hard use and rack up a lot of miles each month, but seem to hold up well.
