Say you want a full-size SUV but not three rows of seating, which usually come standard in sport-utility vehicles so large. Where should you turn? Maybe try the 2021 Ford Expedition XL STX, a new entry-level variant that chucks the big SUV’s third-row seat, leaving only two rows for up to five people (driver included) ahead of a massive, 105-cubic-foot cargo area in the rear.
Ditching the Expedition’s rearmost seats takes a chunk of the price out of the equation. The 2021 Expedition XL STX starts at $51,690. The STX’s price is thus $2,815 cheaper than the previous bottom feeder, the $54,505 XLT.
Next to saving a few bucks and giving up eight-passenger capacity for five seats, Expedition XL STX buyers give up little else outside of satellite radio and some safety tech. As with the XLT, the base model comes with 18-inch wheels (each trim’s are unique), tri-zone automatic climate control, Ford’s Sync 3 infotainment system, and a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 engine with 375 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque. The STX also gets a dark-colored grille and C-pillar badges.
Rear-wheel drive is standard, as it is on the XLT, and four-wheel drive runs an extra $3,050. One key item that isn’t on the STX’s option sheet? The deleted third-row seat, of course. If you want it, you’ll have to buy an Expedition XLT. However, if you want a two-row, big-size SUV, the Expedition is your only shot—no other full-size SUV in its class offers a two-row setup, not the Chevy Tahoe, GMC Yukon, or Toyota Sequoia. Also of note: The two-row option only exists for the short-wheelbase Ford Expedition, as every Expedition Max model has three rows of seating.
