| Income Bracket | Monthly Financing Cost Range | Cash Purchase Price Range | Ford Expedition Years | Chevrolet Suburban Years | Best Model Year: | Why? |
| < $5k | $42 – $83 | $1,500 – $3,000 | N/A | N/A | N/A | No “best of” options at this price point |
| $5k – $10k | $83 – $125 | $3,000 – $4,500 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Only “worst of” models fit this price range |
| $10k – $15k | $125 – $187 | $4,500 – $6,750 | 2009, 2010 | 2005 | 2010 Expedition | Superior FIXD Reliability Score |
| $15k – $25k | $187 – $312 | $6,750 – $11,250 | 2016 | 2011, 2012, 2014 | 2014 Suburban | More reliable |
| $25k – $35k | $312 – $437 | $11,250 – $15,750 | 2015 | 2015 | 2015 Suburban | 10/10 for objective reliability |
| $35k – $50k | $437 – $625 | $15,750 – $22,500 | 2017 | 2016, 2017 | 2017 Expedition | Similar reliability, but Ford has better safety ratings |
| $50k – $74k | $625 – $925 | $22,500 – $33,300 | 2018 | 2019 | 2018 Expedition | Better safety scores and fuel economy |
| $75k – $99k | $925 – $1,238 | $33,300 – $44,550 | 2019 | N/A | 2019 Expedition | There are no used Suburbans in this price range |
| $100k – $150k | $1,238 – $2,250 | $44,550 – $67,500 | 2021 | N/A | 2021 Expedition | Used Suburbans do not hit this price point |
See the methodology for the table above.
America has long had a love affair with big vehicles like full-size pickup trucks and SUVs. Within that pool of desired vehicles, two stand exceptionally tall as the biggest of the big – the Ford Expedition and Chevrolet Suburban. When it comes to four-wheeled land barges, none do it quite as well as the two brutes.
Ford’s giant SUV dates to 1997 and as of 2007, the Expedition has been offered in an extra-long version known these days as the Max. This is the version that more closely competes with the Suburban, though even in regular form, the Ford has 3 rows of seating and ample cargo space.
Over at Chevy, the Suburban picks up where the Tahoe stops by adding a bunch of extra cargo room behind the third row. And these Chevy stablemates are the hands-down segment leaders with combined sales of more than 163,000 last year versus just 73,000 combined for the Expedition and Expedition Max.
However, both huge SUVs excel at hauling large numbers of people and cargo with ample capacity left over for a big trailer out back. So if you’re in the market for such a vehicle, which one does it best? That’s what this comprehensive guide aims to find out.
It covers used Expeditions and Suburbans from the 2001 through 2021 model years. We start by pulling in the data-based best and worst model year rankings for these two SUVs that center around reliability as calculated by FIXD devices installed in thousands of owner vehicles.
We also consider factors like current market values according to Kelley Blue Book (KBB), safety ratings published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), fuel efficiency figures per FuelEconomy.gov, and annual upkeep costs tallied from owner survey responses. All of which is summed up concisely in the table above.
This table has rows segmented by income range, financing costs, and average prices. Then, we list model years for each SUV that has already been deemed the “best of” options from our model year rankings series. Lastly, an overall winner is chosen with a brief explanation of the reasoning.
It’s a good place to start your used Ford Expedition vs. Chevy Suburban buying journey as is this used car buying checklist. If you want to look further afield, check out our best and worst model year rankings of the Toyota Sequoia, Chevy Tahoe, GMC Yukon, Cadillac Escalade, and Lincoln Navigator.
Price History Comparison | Ford Expedition vs. Chevrolet Suburban
Average Market Value – Based on Owners’ Self-Reported Mileages | Ford Expedition vs. Chevrolet Suburban
The chart above comes from KBB published market values to give you a sense of how much a given model year of the Ford Expedition and Chevy Suburban will cost. Interestingly, the Suburban will cost you more than the Expedition for the 2001 through 2017 model years.
Though the Chevy was a few thousand dollars cheaper than the Ford back in 2001, as of 2021, they’re within a few hundred dollars of one another’s base price. As well, both SUVs have similar rates of depreciation as we’ll cover below. Even large market value variances, like in 2016, cannot be explained by big mileage differences.
What does this all mean for you, the buyer? A used Suburban will generally cost you more than a used Expedition. So, find the years on the chart above that fit your budget and read on to figure out which ones are your best bet for reliability, fuel economy, safety, and more.
Depreciation vs Maintenance Expenses
As noted above, you can expect to find similar rates of depreciation curves for these used SUVs. That is borne out by the depreciation curve for the Expedition (above left) and the depreciation curve for the Suburban (above right). Depreciation is what’s responsible for a new vehicle losing about 15% of its value in the first year of ownership and up to 50% after just five years.
That’s good news for used car buyers if they know where to look. Which is where the black box comes in on each graph. This is what we call the “sweet spot”, an area where depreciation has taken a huge bite out of residual values, but where maintenance costs per mile aren’t so high that you can’t keep your SUV on the road.
For the Expedition, this sweet spot runs from the 2003 to 2014 model years. Within that span, the 2009 and 2010 model years get a “best of” rating on our best and worst Expedition model year rankings. The Chevy’s sweet spot is slightly shorter, covering the 2003 through 2013 model years, with the 2005, 2011, and 2012 SUVs also receiving a thumbs up on the Suburban model year rankings.
Reliability Comparison | Ford Expedition vs. Chevrolet Suburban
Reliability is, of course, a prime concern for anyone buying a car – new or used, which is where these graphs come in. The chart above on the left compares the objective FIXD Reliability Score of the Ford Expedition and Chevy Suburban, while the chart on the right looks at owner-reported reliability, a subjective metric.
The Expedition (green bars) is best avoided between 2001 through 2006 as it never gets higher than 1/10 for the FIXD score. This is reflected in Ford’s model year rankings as all of these Expeditions are on the “worst of” side of the line.
Although we don’t have data on the Suburban from 2015 or later, it dominates the Ford in objective reliability up to that point with a higher rating in 10 out of the 14 model years.
That being said, the 2002 and 2004 Chevys are both “worst of” options according to the Suburban model year rankings, so don’t assume they’re better just because they rate so much more highly than the Expedition for those 2 years.
According to owners, the reliability conversation is a bit more evenly split. In particular, the 2001-2006 Expedition never scored less than 5/10 even though it couldn’t crack 1/10 in objective reliability. So, take owner opinions with a grain of salt and do your homework before making any final purchase decisions.
Longevity Comparison | Ford Expedition vs. Chevrolet Suburban
The longevity chart above is intended to give you an idea of what kind of mileage to expect when shopping the used Expedition and Suburban market. Everyone has a different idea about what is considered high mileage, so you can use this data to get a sense of where your comfort zone is.
Both of these SUVs have no issue racking up the miles with the 100,000-mile mark achieved as recently as 2017. Odometer readings of 150,000 and even 200,000 miles are also registered on several model years of the Ford Expedition and Chevy Suburban.
This speaks to a high degree of durability for both vehicles but is not too surprising considering how most owners use their big SUVs. More than 60% of both Expedition and Suburban owners report using their SUVs for family duty or “lots of driving”. These go hand-in-hand and naturally lead to high odometer readings.
Who Should Buy These Cars: The Legacy of The Ford Expedition & Chevrolet Suburban
| Frequent Use Categories: | Ford Expedition | How Useful? (Out of 5 Stars) | Chevrolet Suburban | How Useful? (Out of 5 Stars) |
| Family Vehicle | **** | ***** |
| Lots of Driving (travel/long commute) | *** | **** |
| Hauling/Towing | ** | ** |
| Office on Wheels | * | * |
| Sport/Fast Driving | * | * |
| Luxurious Driving | * | * |
| Outdoor/Off-Road | * | * |
As discussed earlier, the majority of Ford Expedition and Chevy Suburban owners use their SUVs as a family vehicle and for racking up mileage via a long commute or road trips. The table above illustrates this and is based on owner survey responses. This type of use would suggest owners interested in a safe vehicle, a topic we’ll cover below.
Something else it illustrates is that a notable percentage of owners use their big SUVs for hauling and towing, which makes sense as are both truck-based vehicles. For buyers, this is worth knowing so that you can discuss the details around any towing a previous owner did, as this generally leads to more wear and tear.
The same is true of driving your Expedition or Suburban off-road and outdoors. Though both vehicles only register 1 star for this category, that translates to 7% of owners of both SUVs. Again, do your homework before buying so you avoid surprises as much as possible.
Driver Experience | A Summary of The Top 10 Ford Expedition vs. Chevrolet Suburban Reddit Posts:
For another resource on which SUV to buy, be sure to visit the What Car Should I Buy Reddit. There, you can find all manner of insight – good, bad, and colorful – about whether the Ford Expedition or Chevy Suburban is the better option.
We took some time to browse this commentary to identify common themes and popular commentary on this subject. One that pops up with regularity is Ford’s longtime use of a turbocharged V6 in the Expedition versus a naturally aspirated V8 in the Suburban.
Most feel that the boosted V6 makes for a more enjoyable drive as it feels more powerful, however, it is also perceived as less reliable due to its inherent complexity versus the Chevy V8. That sentiment is doubly strong back in the early 2000s when Ford was still using a V8. This 5.4L unit seems to have a bad reputation.
The majority of people asking questions about these SUVs were mainly concerned with how their large family would fit and on that front, the Expedition earned universal praise for its more comfortable third row and nicer ride thanks to an independent rear suspension.
However, be careful of bias when comparing these two vehicles. They come from two Detroit automakers with die-hard loyalists who can be completely dismissive of the “other” company regardless of reality.
Year-by-Year Comparison | Ford Expedition vs. Chevrolet Suburban
Best & Worst Years | Ford Expedition vs. Chevrolet Suburban | 2001-2024
I’ve discussed the best and worst model year rankings of the Ford Expedition and Chevy Suburban. The above graphic summarizes these data-heavy analyses in an easy-to-digest format. Any model years in the green earned a “best of” nod, those in the red are considered “worst of”, and the yellow area is for model years we do not yet have enough data for.
Model years highlighted with a blue circle indicate the start of a new generation, an occasion often accompanied by reliability gremlins as the automaker irons out new production kinks. This theme plays out with the 2003 and 2007 Expedition and the 2007 Suburban.
Were you to overlay the depreciation “sweet spot” graph from earlier with this timeline, you’d see that the 2009 and 2010 Ford Expedition sits in the sweet spot and a green zone above. The same criteria are true for the 2005, 2011, and 2012 Chevy Suburban.
Important Features Timeline | Ford Expedition vs. Chevrolet Suburban
Given their typical roles of toting around families and long daily commutes, features, and amenities are just as important as reliability and longevity when buying a used Expedition or Suburban. The above graphic helps with this aspect by identifying the first year popular features were made available.
For example, crowd-pleasing heated front seats have been offered on both SUVs since at least 2001. Ford followed up with ventilated front seats just two years later, but the Suburban didn’t see that option until 2009. Apple and Android smartphone integration came much later, with both vehicles offering it as of 2019.
Advanced driver-assistance systems are all the rage these days, but blind-spot monitoring has been offered on the Expedition since 2015 and the Suburban since 2009. Lane departure warning came later, in 2018 on the Ford and in 2015 on the Chevy.
You won’t find hybrid powertrains or manual transmissions in these full-size SUVs, but both have been available with four-wheel-drive since they first went on the market.
Maintenance Costs (Year-by-Year Average) | Ford Expedition vs. Chevrolet Suburban
Another critical component to consider when buying a used Ford Expedition or Chevy Suburban is how much to expect your annual maintenance bills will cost. According to owners, it’s a pretty big swing in favor of the Ford, which costs $674, on average, in annual service. The Chevy comes in nearly $200 higher at $864 per year.
You can see this in action on the chart above where, as of 2008, the Suburban (gray bars) generally “beats” the Expedition in this metric. The Chevy also cracked the $1,000 mark 6 times from that point until 2017, 10 model years later.
The 2010 Suburban, in particular, is one to watch out for as it reaches high on this chart and gets a thumbs down on the model year rankings. The Expedition is not without its faults either. Look out for the 2020 Ford as it hits a high mark in maintenance and lands on the “worst of” side of the model year rankings.
And don’t assume that piles of maintenance bills translate to an unreliable SUV. Some owners are meticulous about upkeep, which naturally leads to regular auto shop visits. Those who run their vehicle into the ground may not have much service history, but that is not necessarily a good thing, so be vigilant while shopping.
Safety Rating Comparison | Ford Expedition vs. Chevrolet Suburban
We mentioned earlier that the Expedition and Suburban are popular family vehicles, so safety scores are a logically high priority for these types of buyers. Looking over the chart above of NHTSA safety ratings, we can see that the Ford Expedition (green bars) generally fares better for this metric than the Suburban.
Specifically, the Ford has a better average safety score than the Chevy 16 times in 23 years and has been out in front since 2015. The Suburban had especially low safety ratings between 2001 and 2006, and 4 of those model years got a thumbs down on the best and worst rankings.
However, both SUVs hit all-time lows for safety in 2011. This can be attributed to the NHTSA instituting more stringent testing protocols that year. It caught most of the industry off guard, but both of these SUVs recovered strongly the following year.
Fuel Efficiency Comparison | Ford Expedition vs. Chevrolet Suburban
Nobody buys a Ford Expedition or Chevy Suburban because they’re impressed by the fuel economy as both of these SUVs are the definition of gas guzzlers. Nonetheless, it’s an important metric when shopping, which is what the chart above illustrates.
As you can see, this metric generally ticks up over time, which is typical as new generations bring updated and more efficient powertrains. This is evident with the 2018 Expedition and 2015 Suburban, which both marked the start of new generations, respectively.
You can also see that in 2019, the Chevy Suburban started to trend the other way. That correlates with the introduction of the 6.2L V8, a potent motor with an even more potent thirst for fuel. With 4WD, these Suburbans registered a truly pathetic 16 mpg combined.
Of all the model years compared here, we like the 2009 Ford Expedition and the 2011 or 2012 Chevy Suburban. All three of these options are in the depreciation sweet and are “best of” model year options that also earn relatively high fuel economy figures.
Methodology
- Clearly state the purpose of the comparison, which is to compare two vehicles, the Ford Expedition vs. Chevrolet Suburban, and provide a comprehensive analysis.
- Gather relevant information and data on both vehicles from reliable sources, such as manufacturer specifications, expert reviews, customer feedback, industry reports, and data sources like manufacturer websites, FIXD App, Kelley Blue Book, FuelEconomy.gov, and NHTSA.
- Collect data on various aspects, including performance, safety features, fuel efficiency, maintenance costs, reliability, owner satisfaction, and market value.
- Identify the key criteria that will be used to evaluate and compare the two vehicles.
- Ensure the criteria cover both objective factors (such as performance metrics, safety ratings, and fuel efficiency) and subjective factors (such as owner satisfaction, comfort, and features).
- Examine the safety features and ratings of both vehicles.
- Evaluate crash test ratings, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), active and passive safety features, and any notable recalls or known issues related to safety.
- Consider both NHTSA safety ratings and IIHS awards for a comprehensive safety assessment.
- Analyze the fuel economy of both vehicles based on EPA mileage estimates.
- Compare their MPG ratings, average full-tank range, and any significant differences in fuel efficiency.
- Assess the average annual maintenance and repair costs for both vehicles.
- Consider data from surveyed owners and other reliable sources, such as FIXD App owner surveys, to determine the overall cost of ownership over time.
- Evaluate the reliability of both vehicles based on owner reports, FIXD App data, and any known issues or recalls.
- Consider factors such as engine reliability, common problems by model year, long-term durability, and owner reliability scores gathered from surveys.
- Consider owner satisfaction by gathering information from forums, online communities (Reddit: r/whatcarshouldIbuy), customer reviews, and owner reliability scores.
- Summarize key factors that owners appreciate and any common complaints or drawbacks mentioned by owners.
- Compare the features and technologies offered by both vehicles.
- Highlight any notable differences in terms of infotainment systems, connectivity options, driver assistance features, interior quality, and available upgrades.
- Assess the market value and depreciation of both vehicles.
- Compare average prices, resale value, and how the vehicles hold their value over time.
- Consider average private-seller valuations from Kelley Blue Book (KBB) for a comprehensive assessment.
- Summarize the findings of the comparison, highlighting the positives and negatives of each vehicle.
- Provide a fair and balanced recommendation based on the comparison, considering factors such as budget, personal preferences, specific needs of the buyer, and the comprehensive analysis conducted.
Sources:
-
- KBB Values: Average private-seller valuations as supplied by Kelley Blue Book (KBB), based on a Ford Expedition and Chevrolet Suburban with typical mileage for that respective model year.
-
- Fuel Economy: Mileage-per-gallon estimates according to the EPA MPG on Fueleconomy.gov.
-
- Annual Maintenance/Repairs: Upkeep expenses as reported by surveyed Ford Expedition and Chevrolet Suburban owners.
-
- Vehicle Features: Most or all information gathered on vehicle features were from the manufacturer websites, in this case Ford.com and Chevrolet.com
Niel Stender grew up doing replacement work on his old Cherokee and sweet Mitsubishi Starion, which led to a degree in mechanical engineering and a job at Ford as a vehicle dynamics engineer. His writing infuses that automotive background with sales and marketing experience. Writing about cars for close to a decade now, he enjoys digging into some of the more technical mechanical systems under the hood and throughout a vehicle.
