Drive inward from either coast of the continent and take note of the vehicles you see. In the heartland, pickup trucks and full-size SUVs are the norm rather than the exception. You don't see as many itsy-bitsy cars either (and in the center of the country, those little microcars that dot the highways on either coast are more often than not, an oddity). The rationale is simple: The highways are big. Distances between urban centers are equally large. And so are the demands folks place upon their vehicles. The truth is, you can't tow a horse trailer with a front-wheel-drive econocar. If you have to haul a heavy load, simultaneously carry up to eight people in the vehicle, and pull a heavy trailer, there are only a select few capable vehicles. Ford's Expedition is one of them.

Impressive Inside and Out
When we walked out to the parking lot to pick up our test Expedition, it was pretty easy to find. Painted in the new for 2010 Tuxedo Black Metallic, the Limited 4x4 model was shod with chrome 18-inch wheels, but was otherwise primarily monochromatic. Running boards were body color, ditto with the power folding, heated sideview mirrors, while the headlamps were given the blackout treatment. The standard roof rack included blacked-out crossbars with bright (chrome) sidebars. Bottom line here, it was, at least in our eyes, a stunning big sport ute.

Climbing inside wasn't disappointing either. Trimmed in a Stone color leather with perforated inserts, the front bucket seats proved to be full-feature, 10-way power jobs complete with heating and cooling, power lumbar and recline features, along with a memory element on the driver's side. Second row bucket seats (optional) were also trimmed in the same sandstone material and came equipped with seat heaters. The third row of seats were set up with a power-fold feature (see below). Rain-sensing wipers are standard on the Limited, as are power-adjustable pedals, dualzone electronic temperature control, a leather-wrapped steering wheel complete with secondary audio controls, along with a premium sound system. The "tunes" included a six-disc CD changer, MP3 capability and seven speakers (including a subwoofer with 340 watts). SIRIUS® Satellite Radio is standard, as is Ford's SNYC® system.

Just what is the SYNC system? Basically, it's a full-feature, factory installed, in-car communications and entertainment system developed by Ford and Microsoft. Ford SYNC allows drivers to bring nearly any Bluetooth®-enabled mobile phone or digital media player into their vehicle and operate them using voice commands, the vehicle's steering wheel, or radio controls. It allows portable MP3 and Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones to function with simple voice commands. SYNC can even receive text messages and read them aloud using a digitized female voice "Samantha." SYNC can also interpret a hundred or so shorthand messages (for example, "LOL" or laughing out loud). Among the myriad features, it can call 911, it can transfer the names and numbers in a mobile phonebook automatically, it's fluent in English, Canadian French and Mexican Spanish.

Seating, Cargo and Towing
Even with third-row seating, the Expedition offers 18.6 cubic feet behind the back row. Behind the second row, there's 55 cubic feet of storage space. With all rear seats folded/lowered, there's a cavernous 108.3 cubic feet of storage space. Lift-over height works out to 34.4-inches. And if you run out of room there's always the roof rack system. The other big part of the full-size Expedition equation is the towing capacity. Few vehicles rival Ford's big sport ute in the ability to tow a large boat or camper-trailer or horse trailer. The 5.4L V8's 310 horsepower and 365 lb./ft. of torque give the Expedition 4x2 regular-length model a maximum 9,200-lb. towing capacity when properly equipped with the available Heavy-Duty Trailer Tow Package. Our 4x4 model was set up to tow 9,000 pounds. That's definitely big boat and big trailer territory. To get there, the Expedition was fitted with a Class IV hitch receiver, 4- and 7-pin trailer electrical connectors, a heavy duty auxiliary transmission cooler, a heavy duty radiator, and an electronic brake wiring kit.

Another point to consider is that Ford's V8 is designed so it can run on both gasoline and E85 (85- percent ethanol/15-percent gasoline, which is pretty common in many areas of the heartland). Backing the 5.4-liter engine is a heavy-duty six-speed automatic transmission, complete with a tow-haul mode. Our test ute included Ford s optional "Control Trac®" four-wheel-drive system. Basically, this setup has an auto mode that senses when the Expedition is on a loose or slippery surface. Once it determines if the surface lacks grip, it automatically transfers power to the appropriate wheels. Because of our location in the (regularly) wet Northwest, the auto mode proved incredibly useful, particularly when maneuvering a heavy boat trailer in and out of slippery launches. Where other trucks and SUVs struggled, our Expedition didn't flinch. And, by the way, the auto mode is pretty much seamless.

Ride and Handling
Something that is quite surprising in a SUV of this size is the ride and handling. It's more car like than you might first imagine. A big part of that is due to the fact the Expedition is equipped with independent rear suspension (IRS). This allows each wheel to independently react to rough or uneven surfaces for a smooth and controlled ride. It also performs perfectly on smooth surfaces, however Ford's suspension tune also has a lot to do with (for a big sport ute) the confidence-inspiring handling.

Ford didn't stop there, though. The 2010 Ford Expedition comes equipped with the exclusive AdvanceTrac® with RSC® (Roll Stability Control®). This is an advanced electronic stability system that improves vehicle control on all driving surfaces, including ice, snow, gravel, rain-soaked roads, and even on dry pavement. Stopping power is increased with this system, as is traction, overall handling and, of course, stability. The system accomplishes this by way of sensors that monitor vehicle stability 100 times per second then automatically determines when and how it will apply brakes and modify engine power to help keep all four wheels firmly planted.

The reality is, the big Expedition sport-utility vehicle is the right vehicle for many people. Sure, it's a big truck; but, on the other hand, it has equally big capabilities. If you need to move plenty of people, a bunch of cargo or haul a trailer, few other vehicles can match it. And we're pretty sure that's why you see plenty of them in America's heartland.