Ford Excursion, Luxury Edition

The Ford Excursion is a full-size sport utility vehicle that was produced by the Ford Motor Company between model years 2000 and 2005 (2006 in Mexico). Based on the Super Duty pickup truck platform, it served as Ford's largest SUV in its lineup during the tenure of its production and mainly competed against the smaller Chevrolet Suburban. The Excursion was designed to be classified as a heavy-duty vehicle, as for commercial or rural use, with a gross vehicle weight rating of over 8,500 lb (3,900 kg), which exempted the vehicle from Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) fuel economy regulations and quoting United States Environmental Protection Agency‎ (EPA) fuel economy estimates. Its position in the Ford SUV lineup was replaced in 2007 by an extended-length version of the Expedition. The last Excursion was produced on September 30, 2005, at Ford's Louisville plant, although the last Excursions were sold as 2006 models for the Mexican market. Production was canceled to focus on Super Duty trucks.
Overview
Introduced in 1999 as a 2000 model year, the Excursion was immediately criticized for being too large to fit in most home garages and its poor fuel economy (around 12-14 mpg highway and 8-10 mpg city) relative to the Chevrolet Suburban and GMC Yukon XL, its chief competitors. Shortly before launch, the Sierra Club awarded the Excursion an "Exxon Valdez" award for this reason, in reference to the ill-fated oil tanker. Sales were initially good, but slowed as gasoline prices rose. Industry insiders expected Ford to stop producing the Excursion, but sales continued through the 2005 model year, for which it received a minor facelift, and production of the Excursion ended in September 2005.