Compare the2023 Ford Expedition MaxVS 2023 Land Rover Discovery

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Ford Expedition Max are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Land Rover Discovery doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Expedition Max are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Discovery doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The middle row seatbelts optional on the Expedition Max inflate when a collision is detected, helping to spread crash forces over a much larger area of the body and limiting head and neck movement. This can help prevent spinal and internal injuries. The Discovery doesn’t offer inflatable seatbelts.

The Expedition Max has standard Post-Collision Braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Discovery doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Expedition Max offers optional Reverse Brake Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Discovery doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

Both the Expedition Max and the Discovery have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

Ford’s powertrain warranty covers the Expedition Max 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Land Rover covers the Discovery. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Discovery ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 15 times as many Ford dealers as there are Land Rover dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Expedition Max’s warranty.

The Expedition Max has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The Discovery doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Expedition Max’s reliability 12 points higher than the Discovery.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Ford vehicles are better in initial quality than Land Rover vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford above average in initial quality. With 26 more problems per 100 vehicles, Land Rover is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Ford vehicles are more reliable than Land Rover vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford above average in long-term dependability. With 4 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Land Rover is rated below average.

The Expedition Max has more powerful engines than the Discovery:

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

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Ford Expedition Max uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The Discovery requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Expedition Max has 4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Discovery (27.8 vs. 23.8 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Expedition Max has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Discovery doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Ford Expedition Max, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Discovery.

For better traction, the Expedition Max has larger standard tires than the Discovery (275/65R18 vs. 255/55R20).

The Ford Expedition Max’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Land Rover Discovery only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Expedition Max has a standard full size spare so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare costs extra on the Discovery. Without the option you must depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

The Expedition Max’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Discovery doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Expedition Max’s wheelbase is 16.5 inches longer than on the Discovery (131.6 inches vs. 115.1 inches).

The Expedition Max Platinum 4x4 handles at .77 G’s, while the Discovery R-Dynamic S pulls only .76 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Expedition Max Limited/King Ranch/Platinum uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Discovery doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Expedition Max has standard seating for 8 passengers; the Discovery can only carry 7.

The Expedition Max has 2.6 inches more front headroom, 4.8 inches more front legroom, 4.4 inches more front hip room, 4.5 inches more front shoulder room, 1 inch more rear headroom, 4.1 inches more rear legroom, 6.9 inches more rear hip room, 5.3 inches more rear shoulder room, 2.6 inches more third row legroom, 9.4 inches more third row hip room and 17.2 inches more third row shoulder room than the Discovery.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Expedition Max’s middle and third row seats recline. The Discovery’s third row seats don’t recline.

The Expedition Max’s cargo area provides more volume than the Discovery.

A standard locking glovebox keeps your small valuables safer in the Expedition Max. The Discovery doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Expedition Max’s rear cargo window opens separately from the rest of the liftgate door to allow quicker loading of small packages. The Discovery’s rear cargo window doesn’t open.

Maximum trailer towing in the Land Rover Discovery is limited to 8200 pounds. The Expedition Max offers up to a 9000 lbs. towing capacity.

The Expedition Max 4x4 with optional equipment can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Expedition Max can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Discovery can’t be towed flat on the ground.

The Expedition Max’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Discovery does not have an oil pressure gauge.

On a hot day the Expedition Max’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Discovery can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Expedition Max’s available exterior PIN entry system. The Discovery doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its InControl can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Expedition Max has standard extendable sun visors. The Discovery doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The Expedition Max offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Discovery doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Expedition Max is available in both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Discovery doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Insurance will cost less for the Expedition Max owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Expedition Max will cost $1790 to $6020 less than the Discovery over a five-year period.

The Ford Expedition/Expedition Max outsold the Land Rover Discovery by almost 46 to one during 2022.