When it comes time to fill up the tank, it's not easy to justify a full-size sport utility. But even as you pour 28 gallons of regular unleaded into the Expedition's gas tank, you can take heart in this sport-utility's ability to make a family vacation not only possible but also practical.

Ford is the first to admit that the sales of full-size, truck-based sport utilities have dropped some 40 percent since 2004 as people turn to smaller, more fuel-efficient, car-based utilities for their daily transportation. But Ford also reminds us that fuel prices have simply chased away the people who really shouldn't have been driving a full-size sport-utility in the first place.

The Expedition is meant for utility, not profiling. It carries people, hauls gear, tows boats, and pulls campers. The Expedition offers towing capacities in the 9000-pound range. When it's equipped with four-wheel drive, the Expedition will also get you there whether the road is dry, wet, snowy, or even when there's hardly any road at all.