Driving a Ford Expedition, one of whose claimed attributes when it first arrived was its greater overall length than the Chevrolet Suburban, is all about making your footprint plain to the world. Coming up with an activity-modified version of the Expedition was an obvious natural, given the ample room for accessories that its sheer size makes feasible. That’s why the newly unveiled Expedition Timberline Off-Grid concept vehicle, which Ford rolled out last week at the Overland Expo East trade show in Arrington, Virginia, is entirely intelligent. It features a whole raft of back-country lifestyle accessories from all the right providers as part of the concept package. But it’s still only one vehicle, and to Ford, at least, that looked a little inadequate.
Looking at the Expedition’s accessorization by aftermarket biggies such as Rigid, FOX Performance, DeeZee and Thule, Ford opted to take the next step by adding a trailer, specifically a Turtleback Expedition Series custom unit, the largest such tag-along in Turtleback’s catalog. It matches the Expedition’s Method wheel and General Grabber tire package, while adding a propane two-burner stove, a sink, two drop-down tables and a 42-gallon water tank with heater, with an external shower hookup and optional 100-watt solar panel. It’s still not the Hampton Inn but it definitely beats sleeping on the bare ground, and a lot of this should eventually land in Ford showrooms in some form.
Jim Donnelly On Wheels 