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What the Expedition Split Tailgate Can Do for You

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The Ford Expedition and Expedition Max will arrive with several innovative features. Amidst the high-mounted 24-inch panoramic display, flex power console, and off-road-ready Tremor model, it may be easy to overlook the split tailgate. After all, your grandfather may remember when station wagons had dropping rear tailgates with lift-up windows. First introduced for the redesigned Lincoln Navigator, Ford brought back this old feature with plenty of new tricks, and Benna Ford is happy to tell you about them.Ford Customer Putting a Camping Bag in Their Ford Expedition Using the Split TailgateTo start, anyone who has packed his or her SUV cargo area to the gills will appreciate that if you found one or two more items to place on top, you can just open the window section while the lower tailgate stays closed to keep everything in place. Once lowered, the tailgate is rated to hold 500 pounds. Not only does that help you slide in something weighty, but it can also act as a bench for two sizable adults, much like that on the rear of a pickup. Ford Customer Using Their Ford Expedition's Split Tailgate and Backrest as a Seat on a Camping Trip with Their FamilyMaking tailgate sitting better than that of a pickup is the versatile cargo manager that can slide in vertically to become a seatback. Not only do you have a place to sit, but you can do it comfortably. The cargo manager can also be placed horizontally to provide two-tiered loading so items below won’t bear the weight of the items above. This can also act as a cover to hide items when the vehicle is locked up. If that wasn’t versatile enough, the cargo manager also has extendable legs to stand over the tailgate at an excellent height to serve as a workspace or a serving table during tailgate parties. Ford Customer Using Their Ford Expedition's Split Tailgate to Prepare a Meal on a Camping TripTo further enhance your work or play, there are multiple outlets on the cargo area walls for lights, tools, and other devices. When the activities extend past sundown, the Expedition is available with multi-zone lighting. This provides light all around the vehicle, making it perfect for when you arrive at your camping location a bit later than planned.Ford Customers Using Their Ford Expedition's Multi-Zone Lighting on a Camping TripSuch features cause the Expedition to be more than just a big three-row SUV that can comfortably carry up to eight people. “For Expedition customers, family is at the center of everything they do,” said Trevor Scott, General Manager of Ford Utilities. “We spent more than 1,100 hours talking with customers about their everyday lives. And with those insights we’ve rethought and redesigned Expedition to help customers make the most of their precious time with family and to make life easier – before, during and after every trip they make.”  There is much to see on the Expedition when it arrives in the spring of 2025. You can be among the first to see these features by having one of our Benna Ford sales professionals notify you when the first 2025 models arrive. 
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A Family Enjoying Their 2025 Ford Expedition While Camping

Five Cool Expedition Features

The idea behind the Ford Expedition is fairly simple: Take the full-size truck platform from the best-selling Ford F-150 pickup truck and put a 3-row SUV body on it. The result makes the Expedition perfect for active moderate-to-large families who love the outdoors, take long trips, and/or tow a trailer but like to have their cargo securely inside. That kind of utility may be what turns people toward a full-size SUV like the Expedition, but Ford has increasingly filled its big ute with cool kit to seal the deal. Benna Ford presents five of what we find to be the model line’s most remarkable features. Big Eyes-up Screen Heads-up displays have grown in popularity and availability over the last few years, but Ford has a better idea for those who find them easily washed out on a bright day or too distracting at night. On top of the Expedition dash, Ford has placed a long, low 24-inch LED screen at the windshield base, which the driver views over the steering wheel. Thus, it provides information just below your direct line of sight as you view the road ahead, but it is much more precise and configurable. The screen will display essential driving information like speed, fuel status, and driver assist technology info, as well as now-playing information from the audio system and even present the navigation map, even if from your integrated smartphone. The HUD is placed intentionally too far away to be a touch screen, with the center touchscreen containing the controls to configure it. It also responds to the steering-wheel-mounted controls. For example, if you hover your thumb over the steering wheel’s driver assist controls, the system‘s status display will appear on the screen. Accessible Blue Cruising BlueCruise is a true hands-free driving system. It works on divided highways that have been previously mapped out by Ford, with the information downloaded to your Ford vehicle. On the Expedition, you know you are on a mapped highway by a blue light that activates on the above-mentioned upper screen. With your desired speed set, you can now take your hands off the wheel and feet off the pedal and let the Expedition do the highway driving for you. Coming up to a slower vehicle? Just activate the turning signal, and BlueCruise will smoothly operate a lane change to pass the vehicle and return to the previous lane. What makes BlueCruise unique is its accessibility. Active, Platinum, King Ranch, and Tremor trim levels are all BlueCruise-compatible. It is standard on some and has a 90-day trial on others. If you travel long distances regularly, you can opt to get BlueCruise annually. However, let’s say you only travel far for summer vacations and to visit family for the holidays. You can arrange to activate the system for one month at a time and pay accordingly. That makes this great technology more practical and affordable for many more drivers. Off-Road Capability For 2025, there is an Expedition Tremor for the first time. While a vehicle the Expedition’s size may not seem like the go-to vehicle for rock crawling, the Tremor will undoubtedly enable the Expedition to go deeper off-road, perhaps to a favorite fishing location or staging ground for the toys on the trailer you are towing. The Tremor has Ford’s 440-horsepower 3.5-liter twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 under the hood and an electronic locking differential. It rides on 33-inch all-terrain tires, and the chassis features a modified suspension with Premium Passive Shocks and can claim 10.6 inches of ground clearance. Skid plates for the engine and transmission, off-road auxiliary grille lights, and other specific off-road modifications and technologies can be found on this special Expedition trim level. Interior and Exterior Versatility The Expedition is designed to be accommodating and convenient. For instance, the third-row seatbacks have a 40/20/60 split. You can lower the center “20” section and carry long things up through the seats while still seating two on each side of the third row. If just one person is back there, you can lower the seat on the other side and leave 60% of the third row open for cargo expansion. The Flex Powered Console can slide rearward to be accessible by second-row passengers. For anyone disappointed that their insulated travel cup was too large for the cupholder, the second-row doors have deep insets to accommodate whatever you have. When camping, the Expedition proves helpful even after you’ve arrived at your destination. Available outdoor zone lighting surrounds the vehicle with light to make unpacking more convenient. Also, the Wi-Fi system can accommodate up to 10 devices, so you can cover not only everyone you brought with you but also the people you are camping with. A Tailgate for Tailgating The Expedition has a two-piece tailgate. This allows the lower section to swing down to become a 500-lb. capacity seat for tailgating, and a panel can be lifted up to become a seatback for the tailgate’s occupants. That panel can also sprout legs and turn the tailgate into a two-tiered shelf for serving food, housing an outdoor audio system, or whatever you can imagine. So, while the Expedition is inherently useful just as a big SUV, it becomes more valuable in many unexpected ways the closer you look. Pay a visit to Benna Ford and see the many ways the Expedition can work for you.

Ford BlueCruise

Ford Expands BlueCruise Semi-Autonomous Driving

The future is now and getting better with each day. Semi-autonomous vehicles are becoming more readily available on the car market, and Ford has one of the best and most advanced systems in BlueCruise. What Is BlueCruise? BlueCruise is considered an Advanced Driver Assist System (ADAS) and has currently traveled more than 100 million hands-free miles in the hands of customers, which also equates to customers experiencing over 1.4 million hours of driving time. When BlueCruise debuted in 2022, it was specifically featured on all-electric Ford vehicles and now is featured on over 250,000 cars on the road. For 2024 though, BlueCruise is being expanded to 500,000 to both gas and electric-powered Ford and Lincoln models in North America, as are subscription plans. What Vehicles Have BlueCruise? Ford and Lincoln vehicles that are equipped with BlueCruise from the factory have all-new subscription models. If you choose not to purchase the advanced hands-free driver technology when you order or buy your car, you will get a complimentary 90-day trial. After the trial period ends, you will be able to activate it at any time. And you will be able to pay either monthly, or annually. For 2024 the Ford Mustang Mach-E, F-150, and Expedition will be available with BlueCruise, as well as the 2024 Lincoln Navigator, Nautilus, and select Corsair trim levels. How Much Does It Cost? If you choose to get BlueCruise from the moment you purchase your car, you will access the semi-autonomous tech for three years, and it can be rolled into the overall financing of your new vehicle. If you choose to get BlueCruise when you purchase your new car, you will access the semi-autonomous tech for three years in Ford vehicles and four years in Lincoln models. Activation is $2,100 if you choose to pay when buying your car, or $800 annually, or $75 per month. “BlueCruise is an experience-it-to-believe-it technology, and people are amazed at how BlueCruise can help make driving less stressful and more enjoyable – especially in traffic or on long drives,” said Ashley Lambrix, Head of Commercial Acceleration – Ford Model e. “We believe in this technology and how it can help transform the highway driving experience and want to give more customers the opportunity to try it and provide flexibility for them to activate it when they want to use it.” At Benna Ford, we are proud to offer Ford vehicles with BlueCruise, and we are able to order your new 2024 car or truck with advanced driver-assist technology. Our wonderful sales team will be happy to work with you to get the best price for your next vehicle. And our talented service department will work tirelessly to ensure your car stays in the best possible condition.

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Ford Earns Multiple Certified Pre-Owned Awards by Vincentric

Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) programs offer used car shoppers a welcome bridge between the lower cost of used cars and the product confidence in a new car. An extensive inspection program backed up by a manufacturer’s warranty is common among these programs. The manufacturer operates most CPO programs, and much of the actual legwork is done at the dealer level.  Outside the inspection and warranty, the programs vary by what other benefits they offer, which vehicles qualify as CPO vehicles, and other program details. Which CPO models have the greatest value is something that automotive industry data and analysis firm Vincentric has taken it upon themselves to discover. Benna Ford is proud to inform you that they like Ford’s CPO program and CPO models very much. Vincentric is a privately held automotive data compilation and analysis firm that has made a name for itself in measuring vehicle cost of ownership using eight factors: depreciation, fees and taxes, financing, fuel, insurance, maintenance, opportunity cost, and repairs.  They have been judging the value of CPO programs and vehicles for 12 years.  For 2024, they voted on Ford Company as having the brand award for the Best CPO Value in America in the Truck and Van categories.  Individual Ford models earned Vincentric CPO awards in six additional categories.  It is also worth noting that in all cases, the brand and its models have earned this award multiple times.  Here is the complete list of Ford’s Vincentric Best CPO awards: Ford – Best CPO Value in America: Truck Brand category (fifth time, second consecutive) Ford – Best CPO Value in America: Van Brand category (ninth consecutive) Ford Maverick ® Hybrid – Best CPO Value in America: Small/Mid-Size Pickup segment (second consecutive) Ford F-150® Lightning ® – Best CPO Value in America: Full-Size 1/2-Ton Pickup segment (ninth time for F-150) Ford Super Duty ® F-250 ® – Best CPO Value in America: Full-Size 3/4-Ton Pickup segment (second time) Ford Super Duty ® F-350 ® – Best CPO Value in America: Full-Size 1-Ton Pickup segment (third time) Ford E-Transit™ 350 – Best CPO Value in America: Large Cargo Van segment (seventh time for Transit) Ford Expedition ® – Best CPO Value in America: Large SUV segment (fifth time, third consecutive) "Vehicle cost of ownership is important to our customers,” said Jim Baumbick, Vice President, Ford Product Development Operations and Quality. “Earning Vincentric’s CPO Value Awards for our trucks, vans, and SUVs is a testament to our engineers and their dedication to designing durable, cost-effective vehicles that help minimize operating costs to help hold their value over time.” Ford’s dominance in these awards shouldn’t be surprising, as these are all areas where Ford excels. Ford has been America’s best-selling truck manufacturer and the best-seller in commercial vans and commercial vehicles for 39 consecutive years. New or used, private or commercial, you can’t go wrong with a Ford truck or van, and you will find them at Benna Ford.