Compare the2023 Land Rover DiscoveryVS 2023 Ford Expedition

Safety
Warranty
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Drivetrain
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Land Rover Discovery have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Ford Expedition doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

Both the Discovery and Expedition have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Discovery has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Expedition’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Discovery. But it costs extra on the Expedition.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Discovery uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The Expedition uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Discovery and the Expedition have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

Warranty

The Discovery comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Expedition’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The Discovery’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Expedition’s (6 vs. 5 years).

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Discovery gets better mileage than the Expedition:

			MPG
Discovery
	AWD	3.0 turbo/supercharged 6-cyl. Hybrid	19 city/25 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	19 city/22 hwy
Expedition
	RWD	3.5 turbo V6	17 city/23 hwy
	AWD	3.5 turbo V6	16 city/22 hwy
		Timberline/Stealth Performance 3.5 turbo V6	16 city/19 hwy

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Land Rover Discovery higher (7 out of 10) than the Ford Expedition (5). This means the Discovery produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Expedition every 15,000 miles.

Drivetrain

The Discovery has a true four-wheel drive system, which uses a four wheel traction control system to redirect engine power to the axle and wheel that still has traction to keep the Discovery moving if even only one wheel still has traction. The Expedition doesn’t offer a true four-wheel drive system; it could get stuck while one or more wheels still have traction.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Discovery P360’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Expedition:

	Discovery P360	Expedition
Front Rotors	14.4 inches	13.8 inches
Rear Rotors	13.8 inches	13.2 inches

The Discovery stops shorter than the Expedition:

	Discovery	Expedition
60 to 0 MPH	128 feet	129 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The Discovery’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Expedition Timberline’s standard 70 series tires. The Discovery’s optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Expedition’s optional 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Discovery has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Expedition.

Suspension and Handling

The front and rear suspension of the Discovery uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the Expedition, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

For greater off-road capability the Discovery has a 1.3 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Expedition (11.1 vs. 9.8 inches), allowing the Discovery to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Discovery’s minimum ground clearance is .5 inch higher than on the Expedition Timberline (11.1 vs. 10.6 inches).

Chassis

The Land Rover Discovery may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 450 to 500 pounds less than the Ford Expedition.

The Discovery is 1 foot, 2.9 inches shorter than the Expedition, making the Discovery easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Unibody construction lowers the Discovery’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The Expedition uses body-on-frame design instead.

Passenger Space

Flexibility is maximized at the game, campground or a drive-in theatre in the Discovery when its optional tailgating rear seats are deployed, allowing people to sit facing out of the liftgate. (Do not use while vehicle is in motion.) The Expedition doesn’t offer tailgating seats.

Cargo Capacity

The Discovery has a standard third row seat which folds flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The Expedition doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system optional in the Expedition (except STX), the Discovery offers an optional driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The Discovery offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Expedition doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Discovery’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Expedition’s standard rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

The Discovery has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Expedition doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

The Discovery’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Expedition’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the Discovery to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Expedition doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Discovery HSE/Metropolitan offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Expedition doesn’t offer headlight washers.

When the Discovery with available tilt-down mirrors is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Expedition’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Discovery has standard heated front and optional heated second and third row seats, which keep the driver and passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Ford doesn’t offer heated seats in the third row of the Expedition.

The Discovery HSE/Metropolitan has standard front air conditioned seats and the Discovery offers them optionally in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The Expedition doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Land Rover Discovery has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Expedition and isn’t available on the Expedition STX.