Compare the2023 Land Rover DiscoveryVS 2023 Ford Expedition Max

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

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 Max doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

Both the Discovery and Expedition Max 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 Max’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 Max.

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 Max uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Discovery and the Expedition Max 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 Max’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 Max’s (6 vs. 5 years).

Engine

As tested in Motor Trend the Discovery P360 3.0 turbo/supercharged 6-cylinder hybrid is faster than the Expedition Max Limited/KR/Platinum:

	Discovery	Expedition Max
Zero to 60 MPH	6.6 sec	6.9 sec
Quarter Mile	15.2 sec	15.3 sec

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Discovery
	AWD	3.0 turbo/supercharged 6-cyl. Hybrid	19 city/25 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	19 city/22 hwy
Expedition Max
	RWD	3.5 turbo V6	16 city/23 hwy
	AWD	3.5 turbo V6	16 city/21 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 Max (5). This means the Discovery produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Expedition Max 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 Max 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 Max:

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

The Discovery stops much shorter than the Expedition Max:

	Discovery	Expedition Max
70 to 0 MPH	170 feet	192 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	128 feet	130 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 Max’s standard 65 series tires. The Discovery’s optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Expedition Max’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 Max.

Suspension and Handling

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

The Discovery R-Dynamic S handles at .79 G’s, while the Expedition Max Platinum 4x4 pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Discovery’s turning circle is 2.6 feet tighter than the Expedition Max’s (40.7 feet vs. 43.3 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Discovery has a 1.4 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Expedition Max (11.1 vs. 9.7 inches), allowing the Discovery to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The Land Rover Discovery may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 650 pounds less than the Ford Expedition Max.

The Discovery is 2 feet, 2.8 inches shorter than the Expedition Max, 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 Max 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 Max 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 Max doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system optional in the Expedition Max, 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 Max 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 Max’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 Max 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 Max’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 Max 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 Max 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 Max’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 Max.

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 Max 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 Max.

Economic Advantages

The Discovery will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Discovery will retain 50.7% to 50.86% of its original price after five years, while the Expedition Max only retains 48.88% to 49.73%.